Today was the day. Leonardo was going to take their female counterparts to the Foot headquarters so that they could prove whether or not they were worthy of fighting in the Nexus Tournament. He hoped that it was all going to go well. He had just started his relationship with Rachael and he didn’t want to fight with her over it.
Testing the girls wasn’t his only objective. He also planned on seeing how well Raphael fought against someone who wasn’t family. Would he be triggered if a group of men came at him? That was another argument he didn’t want to have.
Leo had decided that no matter how well they fought today, they would be allowed to fight in the tournament if they wanted. Raphael was right, the Nexus Tournament was safe. There were plenty of safety protocols in place to keep them all from getting hurt. They will all know how well they fight by the end of the day. The decision to participate will be theirs. If they don’t fight well and they still decide to go, that’s on them. Their defeat will happen fast enough. At least they wouldn’t be able to blame him for not giving them a chance.
Leonardo sat up in bed and looked around the room. His eyes fell on the spot where he had pinned Rachael up against the wall. He was still torn over what he had done. On one hand, it had relieved a great deal of stress. On the other hand, he had gone against his father’s wishes. On top of that, he didn’t really know her. His inability to control himself around her made sure of that. He sighed and hoped his hormones had made the right decision.
They had been lucky that they were not caught. Everyone else just happened to be doing something else at the time. Rachael had been able to sneak out of Leo’s room and up to the bathroom to take a shower without getting caught. Leo had scrubbed himself and the wall using water from the sink in his room. Then he had burned incense to cover the lingering smell. As far as Leo knew, Mikey didn’t suspect anything.
“Do you need the room to yourself again?” Mikey mumbled, half awake.
Leo shook his head. “I’m okay.” He looked down at Mikey and asked, “you?”
Lifting the sheet, Mikey looked down at himself. “Yeah.” Then he added, “If you don’t mind.”
“Not at all,” Leo said as he got up from the bed. “Remember, we’re going to Foot Headquarters today. We are all in desperate need of something different.”
“Yeah, I know,” Mikey grunted as he reached under the bed for his box of toys. “I’ll be ready to go when it’s time to leave.”
Leonardo headed to the kitchen for a light breakfast. The girls had to go in fasting for their health screenings so he wasn’t expecting to find any of them in there. When he entered the kitchen he was surprised to see Donna making herself a cup of tea.
She was standing at the counter, slowly dipping her teabag into a cup of water while reading what appeared to be a file. She was so engrossed in what she was reading that she didn’t notice when Leo entered.
Leo was happy to note that he was no longer crazy with a desire to mate. Donna’s scent, thought notably female, was not the scent that he now associated with his mate. It seems that claiming Rachael was all he needed.
He was about to casually say ‘good morning’ but the words caught in his throat when he noticed the tear on Donna’s cheek. Was she crying because she had found out what had happened yesterday? “Are you okay?” he asked.
Startled, Donna jumped and turned to look at him. “Oh! Hi… um….” She he kept her eyes diverted and held up the file so he could see it. “Donatello had given me all of your medical files to read. I am currently reading Raphael’s, and I am at the part where he had been attacked by the Purple Dragons. Donatello is very detailed and I have a vivid imagination.”
Relieved, Leo nodded his understanding. “It was hard to see.” He reached into the cupboard to grab the box of Cream of Wheat and then moved over to get a bowl. “A lot changed after that day, for all of us, but especially for Raph. He hasn’t been the same since.”
“PTSD will do that to a person,” Donna stated softly. She removed her tea bag from her cup and threw it in the trash. “According to Donny’s files you all have it just in varying degrees.” She continued to keep her eyes on anything but Leo. She was nervous. Leo knew it was because of her crush. It was important that he did nothing to give her the impression that he was interested. He did not want to lead her on.
“We’ve been through a lot.” Leonardo placed his filled bowl in the microwave and set it for two minutes. He watched as Donna took a sip of her tea. “I thought you were supposed to be fasting for your exams today. Donny won’t be happy if you mess up his tests.”
“It’s decaf and unsweetened,” Donna replied raising the cup. “I needed something with a little bit of flavor. I’m so hungry.” She looked back down at the file in her hand. “It’s amazing Raph can move at all,” she said before taking a sip. “Donny thinks that the mutation has something to do with it.”
“Possibly,” Leo said. “We’ve all managed to heal remarkably well from serious injuries in the past. Raph was close to death and has come a long way in his recovery. But it doesn’t surprise me. I’ve never known anyone as determined as Raph. I knew that he wasn’t going to let what happened to him hold him back.”
“My sister’s the same way,” Donna stated bitterly, keeping her eyes on the file. “A trait that is admirable but does not make up for the fact that she is thick headed, stubborn, mean, and abusive. I’ve spent my life trying to keep my distance from my sister whenever possible. I’m sorry for anyone who ends up with either of them. I personally don’t like being yelled at or hit on a regular basis.”
Leo shook his head. “Raph will treat whoever he ends up with like a princess. You should see the way he interacts with April or the way he is with Mrs. Morrison. That’s how he will treat his mate.”
“I don’t want to be the one to test that theory,” Donna stated flatly. She was flushed. Leo wasn’t sure if it was simply because he was there or if talking about Raph put Donna on the defensive. Did she know Raph liked her? Leo sighed inwardly. Of course she knew and she was fighting against it. Leo felt bad for his brother. He had been through enough heartbreak.
The timer on the microwave went off and Leo quickly pulled out his breakfast. “We should all take the time to get to know each other before any decisions are made. We don’t want to rush into anything. Who we think is best suited for us could end up being all wrong.” Leo grabbed as spoon from the utensil drawer and headed for the dining cart. “We leave in an hour.”
“Okay,” Donna mumbled as Leo stepped through the door.
He was relieved to be out of there and yet he still felt guilty. “You are such a hypocrite,” he mumbled to himself and plopped down into one of the chairs.
As Leo ate his breakfast he noticed a dirty bowl sitting on the table. Everyone knew that they had to clean up after themselves. So why was this one left here? Grabbing the bowl, Leo inspected the contents. It had held cereal. Judging by the smell he could tell what kind. It was Raph favorite brand.
Leo closed his eyes and sighed. Raph must have been in here and had overheard his conversation with Donna. The bowl was left on the table because Raph couldn’t bring himself to enter the kitchen after what he had heard. Why did this have to be so hard?
….
It wasn’t long before the whole family was gathering together to head out. This included Splinter, Sliver, Leatherhead, and Snow. Donatello planned on doing a checkup for Snow on top of examining the girls.
Leonardo led the way through the sewers with his weapons drawn. They had to stay alert. Their enemies knew that they live in the sewers, so even staying underground was no longer safe. Both the Purple Dragons and Bishop possessed technology needed to set up surveillance in the tunnels. And, Leonardo wouldn’t put it past either of them to have men down in the tunnels searching at all hours of the day.
Leonardo wanted to test the girls’ fighting skills but he preferred it in a controlled environment and not against enemies who intended on killing or capturing them. Fortunately, they were able to make it to Foot Headquarters without incident.
As they emerged from the sewers they were met by a pair of Foot soldiers and led inside. Donatello, Leatherhead with Snow, Sliver, and the girls were allowed to break off from the group. They headed off towards the lab while the others were led to meet up with Karai.
She was waiting for them in her office. The usual business atmosphere had given way to softly lighting and a there were a few recently added baby essentials as well. Even Karai seemed a little different. Her face and body were slightly rounder, softer and she wore loose clothing. Leo wouldn’t say that she had lost her edge but she wasn’t as hard as she once was. Motherhood looked good on her.
Miwa was also in the room, tending to the newborn baby while Karai went over official Foot business with her advisors. They both looked up as the Turtles entered the room. “Hello, Leonardo,” Karai said, moving around her desk to greet them. “You look well. Where are the female turtles you had told me about? I am eager to meet them.”
“They’re with Donatello, in the lab,” Leo answered. “He wanted to get his tests done first before everyone got sidetracked.”
Karai laughed. “That’s understandable.” She gestured over to where Miwa was sitting. “Would you like to meet my son, Takahashi before we get down to business?”
“I would be honored,” Leo nodded.
“Miwa has been a blessing,” Karai stated and then signaled for Miwa to bring the baby over. “I don’t know what I would do without her.”
As Miwa carried the baby over, Leonardo noticed that Tello inched up to stand next to him. His eyes were fixed on Miwa and the baby and he looked excited to see him. And, judging by the look Miwa gave Tello, she was expecting him to be.
“Would you like to hold him?” Karai offered. Leonardo started to lift his arms but then realized that she was talking to Tello. “Miwa told me,” Karai explained. “I am honored that your father has chosen me to be his mother in this new life.”
Leonardo stood in shock for a moment. “What?”
“I haven’t told the guys about… that… yet,” Tello replied, his face darkening. “I wasn’t sure how to broach the topic.” He looked down at the bundle in Miwa’s arms and reached out. “I would like to hold him.”
As Miwa relinquished the baby to Tello, Karai explained. “Miwa has informed me that their family will be reincarnated here, on this world and that their father has been reborn as my son.” She leaned in closer to Leo and whispered, “I guess this means that his brothers will be reborn as your children.”
“I would be honored,” Leo replied and looked at Karai. “But hopefully a few more years pass before that happens.” Leo couldn’t say that he was surprised by this revelation. Compared to everything he had experienced in life, this was not the strangest. Of course Tello’s family would seek an opportunity to be born close to him.
“He has Eczema,” Miwa stated. “The only thing that carried over from his past life trauma.”
“What do you mean by that,” Leo wanted to know, looking down at the baby. The baby had strong Japanese features despite his mixed heritage. There was a red rash on his fair cheeks and mittens had been put on his hands to keep him from scratching. His eyes looked dark grey and there was a red sheen to his hair when the light hit it just right. So there was a little bit of his father in him as well.
“As you know, their deaths were traumatic,” Miwa explained. “So much so that it scarred their souls deep enough that it will carry over into their new lives.”
“I was going to tell you,” Tello mumbled, fixing his eyes on the ground.
Leo looked at Tello and placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder. “I understand why you were afraid to tell us. But knowing that they will come to us with some kind of affliction will not keep us from wanting to have them. Nor will it cause us to blame you or be angry with you in any way.”
“Thank you,” Tello said and managed a slight smile.
After everyone got a chance to see the baby, Leo sent his brothers to one of the many dojos to warm up. Leo had allowed Tello to stay behind so that he could sit with the baby a little longer while Leo joined Karai and her men to discuss the more recent Purple Dragon activities.
“I want to get back out there to help you fight them,” Leo stated as he looked over a map of the city that had markers of recent Dragon activity. There were too many that indicated civilian deaths. “Hun has to be stopped.”
“You are always welcome to join us,” Karai stated.
Leo sighed, “That’s easier said than done. I don’t know if my family will ever be on board with joining the Foot Clan.”
Karai placed her hand on Leo shoulder. “The offer will always be there.”
Since they needed to give Donny time to examine the girls and for the girls to eat, Leonardo spent the next hour offering tactical advice to Karai. He took pride in knowing that she respected him and valued his opinion. At least he was helping in some way. And it felt good.
As they began to wrap up, their tactical talk turned toward light banter. A sly smile turned up the corner of Karai’s mouth. “Do you already have a preference for one of the female turtles I am about to meet?”
A rush of heat flooded Leo’s face. He was still getting used to having such a familiar relationship with Karai and her men. Shrugging his shoulders, he attempted to play it off as no big deal. “We’re still in the ‘getting to know you’ phase so it’s hard to say one way or another.” Leo hated lying. “It wouldn’t be wise to rush into anything.”
Karai let out a soft chuckle. “Okay.”
They wrapped up their meeting and headed to the dojo with Miwa and Tello. Karai took over tending to her son while Miwa and Tello got ready to practice.
Introductions were made as soon as the girls joined them. Leonardo could tell that Karai was sizing the girls up, trying to figure out which one he would be attracted to. From the corner of his eye he could see that Miwa was quietly teasing Tello over the same thing.
When it was time to start training, Karai with Splinter, Sliver, Donatello, and Leatherhead moved off to the side to observe. Leonardo was once again put in charge of training. However, do to the fact that it had been awhile since he had seen real combat he planned on participating as well.
First, Leo ran everyone through a series of katas. Then, after about an hour, he indicated for Karai to call in her soldiers. Per Leo’s request, the ten Foot soldiers selected to train with them were a mix of mutants and humans dressed in street clothes. When Raphael saw them he shot Leo a piercing glare. He knew the street clothes made them resemble the Purple Dragons and that it was meant to test him.
Leo lifted his chin, daring Raph to say something about it. The test was necessary and was needed for more than going to the tournament. Leo needed to know if Raph could be triggered. Would he panic in a fight against men who reminded him of his attackers?
Raphael let out a huff but said nothing. His face was a mask of determination that screamed, ‘How many times do I have to prove myself?’ The silent conversation ended when Raph broke eye contact and moved to stand with the others.
Leonardo then set the girls up for one on one matches. Michelle went first and was paired with a man wielding a bokken. They all had practice weapons. It was the best way to prevent anyone from getting seriously hurt.
The Foot soldier started out simple, it was what Leonardo had instructed them to do, and Michelle was able to hold her own. But as more time passed the ninja changed his tactics. His skill quickly out matched Michelle’s and it wasn’t long before she was taken down.
Michelle was on her back, looking up at the ceiling. “I didn’t do too good did I?”
Reaching down to help her up, Leo let out a soft chuckle. “You did well. I am impressed with how long you had lasted.”
“I think, I need more practice,” Michelle said as Leo helped her up.
“You have the skill,” Leo reassured her. “You just need more experience against opponents you are not familiar with.”
Leah went next and was paired with a Foot soldier who was armed with a bo. Though he had a simple weapon, he was larger than Michelle’s opponent had been. Leah managed to last longer than Michelle had but ultimately she was defeated.
Then there was Rachael. Leonardo had selected a female Foot soldier who had been mutated into a fox. She was lithe and agile. Her weapon of choice was a pair of blunted bladed gauntlets similar to what Shredder had used.
Rachael fought with determination and ferocity. She didn’t allow her opponent to start off easy, instead setting the level high from the start. That had been a mistake and Rachael was quickly taken down.
Leo reached down to help Rachael up but his hand was swatted away. “Happy?” Rachael snarled.
“No,” Leo answered and stepped back to give Rachael room to stand. He had a feeling that there was going to be a fight about it later. “The last thing I wanted was to make you upset.” He knew better than to press things when she was upset so instead Leo turned to look at Donna. “Your turn.”
“I don’t want to fight in the Nexus,” Donna stated, shaking her head and taking a step back. “You don’t have to test me.”
“I’d still like to gage how well you fight against someone who isn’t family,” Leo said, gesturing for her to step forward.
Donna let out a heavy sigh of resignation and moved into the practice circle. Her opponent, Miwa armed with a bokken. This was as much of a test for Miwa as it was for Donna. Miwa had been locked up for about a year and as a result she was still a little out of practice.
The two fought well against each other. At first it looked like Miwa had the upper hand but, as Donna focused on the fight, her shyness melted away and she landed a few good blows. She was an impressive fighter and was quick to adapt to Miwa’s fighting style. But as skilled as Donna was, Miwa proved to be slightly better. The match ended with Donna face down on the mat.
“The four of you did better than I had anticipated,” Leo said as he reached down to help Donna to her feet. Donna shyly accepted then moved over to stand next to her sisters. Rachael was still brooding over her loss. “I want to let you know that I am leaving whether or not you fight in the tournament up to you.”
“I don’t think we’re ready,” Leah replied.
“This sucks,” Rachael huffed, crossing her arms over her plastron.
“I will make sure that the four of you are ready for the next one,” Leo promised them. “You will have plenty of opportunities to practice against a diverse set of opponents.”
Michelle held up her hand. “Will we at least be able to go watch you guys? The idea of traveling to another dimension is kind of cool.”
“Yes,” Leo said with a smile and a nod. “I would like for you all to join us so that you can see what it is like. It will help to better prepare you for the next one.” With that settled it was time to move on. “Raph,” Leo said without looking at him. “Your turn.”
“I knew it,” Raph hissed as he stepped forward. He shouldered Leo as he passed. “Asshole,” he mumbled under his breath, just loud enough for Leo to hear. Drawing out his practice sai, Raphael stood ready for whatever Leo had planned for him. A low growl resonated from deep in Raph’s throat as four Foot soldiers, including one mutant stepped forward.
“Begin,” Leo ordered.
The four Foot soldiers attacked and Raph did all he could to defend himself. A fight with the odds of four to one was something that Raph had done many times before. Two years ago, this match would have been common place and Raph would have been victorious. Whenever Leo trained with the Foot he had several soldiers attack him at once. If Raph could not hold his own now, it would prove that he was not up to par.
The fight lasted longer than all four girls’ matches combined and it didn’t look close to being finished. Raphael had managed to disarm and throw one of the soldiers to the ground, taking his opponents down to three. A sense of relief filled Leo as he watched his brother dominated the match.
All was going well but then suddenly, Raph let out a fearful cry and pulled back. The Foot soldiers had been warned of this possibility so all activity stopped.
Leo rushed forward. “What happened?”
Shaking, Raph backed away. “I saw one of them pull out a dagger.”
“None of them have a dagger, Raph,” Leo assured him.
“Don’t, Leo.” Raph pointed to one of the Foot soldiers. “I saw a dagger in his hand.” He tensed up and stepped away when Leo got too close. He looked angry enough to strike out at Leo.
“You’re mistaken,” Leo said, doing his best to keep Raph calm. “Why would one of them pull a dagger on you?”
“They could work for Hun,” Raph offered as an answer. “I wouldn’t be surprised if he had a few men working undercover. Or, just to fuck with me for laughs. I’m sure some of them still hold personal vendettas against us.”
“They are our allies,” Leo insisted.
“I don’t trust them,” Raph yelled. “And for the life of me I can’t figure out why you do. For fuck’s sake, Leo.” Raph pointed to Karai. “She ran you through with her sword.”
“Karai and I have moved past that,” Leo argued. “If it hadn’t been for her, you would be dead.”
“So you keep reminding me,” Raph said through clinched teeth. Looking down at the ground, Raph took a few steading breaths. “So does this mean I can’t fight in the tournament now?”
“Just like with the girls, whether or not you fight in the tournament is up to you,” Leo stated. “You know your own skills and abilities. However, until you can overcome this, I don’t think you’re ready to go out on patrols and we need to limit your time on the surface. I don’t need you panicking and putting everyone else in danger because a Dragon pulls a knife.”
A tear slid down Raph’s cheek and his grip tightened on his sai as he stared hard at the ground. “Fine. I’m done.” He stormed out of the dojo.
It was times like these that Leo wished Splinter was still in control of the clan.
