New York City. Population exceeding more than seven million people moving all over with thousands of cars, trucks and buses, trying to get from one point to the other. The city never stops moving, always busy, only noticing what's going on in their lives and never looking out for others. A heartless and uncaring world, if you're a human. But for me and my brothers, it was dangerous. We were forbidden by our father to go topside, to disobey him would mean an unspeakably horrible punishment. He would often tell us that if the humans were to find out about us, they would take us away and put us in cages. They wouldn't understand us, they would think we were monsters. I always thought that in a city of seven million people, who would even notice one little turtle.

Heros in the Past, Children of Honor

Chapter one: Lost

By Hatashi Kitty

"Splinter, come watch me. I can do a back flip."

"I'm coming."

A small green hand grabbed a gray furred paw, and pulled, trying to make his father move faster.

"Patience, Leonardo," the wise rat told his pupil, who ran ahead to the den.

Leonardo jumped over his younger brother, Raphael, who was stretching out his legs on the floor. "Raphy, watch me. I can do a back flip," he shouted, and turned to his brother and master, who finally made it. "Are you watching?"

"Yes, I'm watching. Go ahead," Splinter said with a smile.

Leonardo raised his hands up, and jumped backwards on his hands then his feet. The ends of the blue bandanna flopped in his face after he landed, so he wiped them away. "Ta da," he announced happily, raising his hands in the air like an Olympic champion.

"Very good, my son."

"I can do it too, Splinter," the young turtle with a red bandanna shouted, pushing his older brother out of the spotlight. "Watch me!" Like his brother, Raphael back-flipped, then looked to his father for a compliment.

"Excellent, Raphael. Both of you are doing well," Splinter praised. Just then, something tugged at his sleeve. Looking down, he saw two big eyes looked up at him over a ragged teddy bear. He knelt down to speak to the shyest of his four sons. "What is it, Donatello?"

"I can't do a back flip, but I can almost. You want to see?" Donatello asked quietly.

"I'd be happy to see," Splinter told his son, patting the little turtle on the head.

Donatello lowered the bear, revealing a big grin. He dropped it at his father's feet, and ran to his brothers. He tried to copy their production, except very slowly. He wobbled a little and almost didn't land on his feet. Donatello could hear his brothers laugh softly, and lowered his head. "I'm sorry, Splinter," he apologized, embarrassed he wasn't as good as Raphael and Leonardo.

"It's alright, my son. You will get it with practice," Splinter reassured his son, who brightened up right away, and went to retrieve his bear.

"My turn! My turn!" the youngest of the brothers shouted, running through Leonardo and Raphael to get to his father. "I can do it, too." Michelangelo raised his arms up sloppily, and flipped without any balance. When he was landing on his hands, he slipped, and he fell onto his back. "Ouch!" the young turtle cried out, tears flooding out of his eyes. His brothers laughed loudly, making him cry even more.

Splinter walked over to his youngest, and picked up the crying turtle. "Oh, Michelangelo. How many times must I tell you to look before you leap?" Splinter let the turtle cry a little more, patting him on the back to calm him down. "Come my, sons," he called to the others. "It is time for your afternoon training." Still holding Michelangelo, Splinter lead his students to the practice room where he taught them. Afternoon training consisted of simple questions and demonstrating basic positions and moves. He didn't expect much from his young students. Even at four years old, the turtle children learned quickly, but their attention span was too short for real training. It would be a few more years before they were ready for the real thing.

After Splinter stopped, the three sat down at his feet. The rat set down his youngest, who was still sniffling and wiping away the tears. Next to Michelangelo, Donatello put an arm around his brother. Splinter had to smile at the tenderness the brothers showed to one another. Their closeness made them strong.

Picking up his stick, the teacher looked at his students. "What is a ninja, my students?" he asked, tapping his stick against the stone floor.

Raphael's hand shot up and waved around. "I know, Sensei. I know." When his master nodded to him, he took a deep breath and announced proudly, "A ninja is a warrior."

"Yes, and what else? Leonardo?" Splinter pointed to the next hand.

"A ninja is honorable."

"Yes. Donatello, what is a ninja?"

The purple bandanna turtle hugged his bear tighter and said softly, "Ninja's come from Japan."

"Not all of them, stupid," Raphael shouted. "Sensei's a ninja."

"Raphael, don't talk to your brother that way," Splinter berated the outspoken son. "Donatello is half right. Ninja's originated in Japan, but in this time they have gone to other countries. Next time, Raphael, raise your hand if you want to say something."

Raphael curled his legs under his chin from the harsh words of his teacher. He lowered his head, and said quietly, "Yes, Sensei."

"Michelangelo, do you know anything else about ninja's?"

The young turtle twisted his face, trying to remember anything suitable as a ninja. "Um. . .they help people."

Splinter smiled at this answer, but was also sad. How could he tell them that not all ninjas are as good as his sons believe? He just sighed, and patted the young turtle's head. "You have a good heart, my son. Please, stand up. Do you all remember the defense position I taught you yesterday?"

As one, they all answered, "Yes, Sensei."

"But before we position ourselves, what do we do?"

"We bow down," Michelangelo answered quickly before anyone else could. To demonstrate, he put his arms to his side and bowed lowly to Splinter.

"Excellent, Michelangelo. Why do you bow? Leonardo?"

"It's to show our masters and our opponents respect?" the eldest recited, bowing as well.

"Correct," Splinter praised, and bowed to his pupils. "Now we can begin."

"Donatello, straighten your arm. Michelangelo, do not let your attention wander. Leonardo, don't loose your balance. Raphael, don't tighten your muscles so much. You should stay lose and not wear yourself out."

As one, four little turtles mimicked simple moves that their teacher was demonstrating. Slowly and precisely, Splinter walked them through a few basic positions, and talked to them about the inner self. But it wasn't long before even his most devoted son was looking tired and bored.

"That's enough for today, my sons," Splinter told them, bowing to them.

The four young turtles bowed solemnly, then collapsed with a sigh.

"Splinter, can we go play now?" Michelangelo asked, dropping the formal "sensei" when addressing his father.

"Yes, my sons," the rat relented.

With a whoop of excitement, they jumped up and ran to the lair exit.

"But first, what are the rules?"

They all froze in their steps, turning around slowly at the mention of the rules.

"Don't go too far," Leonardo recited.

"Don't go into any tunnels that are boarded up," Donatello added, hiding behind his stuffed toy.

"Don't go into the water," Raphael muttered, rolling his eyes.

"And. . .um. . .," Michelangelo stuttered, sticking out his tongue in concentration.

"And never go up to the surface," Splinter finished in a loud voice which made the turtles shirk back. "That is the most important rule. You must promise that you'll never go up there."

"We promise," four tiny voices said in a singsong voice.

"Alright, go my sons. And be back in time for dinner."

"We will," Leonardo called back as he followed Raphael and Michelangelo who wrestled each other for the lead, tailed by Donatello with his teddy bear flopping around.

Splinter sighed, shaking his head at his young sons. They were too innocent and naive to understand the perils of the city above them. But for now, they will be safe. He sat down in a lotus position to begin his routine meditate.

"Come on. Push harder, Raphy."

"No, you push harder, Mikey."

"It's too heavy, guys," Leonardo told them, climbing down the small ladder to the manhole cover.

"Man, if only we were a little stronger," Raphael yelled, jumping down as well. "I wonder what's up there?"

"I bet there's piles and piles of candy," Michelangelo guessed excitedly.

"Why would Splinter say we couldn't go up there if there's just candy?" Raphael yelled at his younger brother. "I bet there's a bunch of monsters, waiting for turtles to come out of the sewers so they can eat them."

Donatello and Michelangelo gasped in horror at the mental image that perforated into their innocent minds.

"Don't scare them, Raphy," Leonardo yelled and hit the red bandanna turtle over the head. "There's no such things as monsters. Besides, there's probably ninjas. Tons of them practicing their skills and helping people."

"You're all wrong," Donatello told them matter-of-factly behind the blank stare of his bear. "It's a city full of humans. That's it."

"How do you know, Donny?" Michelangelo asked, hanging on his older brother's arm.

"I asked Splinter," Donatello answered simply. "He told me that's where all the humans live."

"What are humans?" Michelangelo asked, looking at all his brothers.

"They're giant monsters who eat turtles," Raphael told him, holding his hand up scarily.

"Liar."

"Do you guys remember those books with pictures with the weird creatures?" Leonardo asked, speaking as much like Splinter as he could. He waited for his siblings to nod their heads. "Those must be what humans look like."

"They don't look so scary," Michelangelo said to himself, trying to remember the pictures.

"I can't wait until we can go up there," Raphael shouted. "It's going to be so cool."

All his brothers nodded.

"This is boring. Let's play Hide-and-go-Seek," Michelangelo suggested. "One two three, not It!"

"Not It," Raphael and Donatello automatically yelled.

Just a moment behind his brothers, Leonardo shouted, "Not It!" but was too slow.

"Leo's It," Rapheal laughed. He started running down the sewer path. "You have to close your eyes and count to twenty. C'mon, let's go."

Pouting as he turned around and covered his eyes, Leonardo started counting as loud as he could. "One. . .Two. . .Three. . ."

"Twenty!" After his echoed died, Leonardo stayed still for a while. Out of all his brothers, he had the most patience. He stood very quiet for a few seconds, listening for any noise. After a while, he heard footsteps. Running as fast as his little turtle feet could go, Leonardo followed the sound through the tunnels. It didn't take him long to spot a purple bandanna sticking from behind a pipe.

"I see you, Donny," Leonardo called out, racing for his brother.

After hearing his name, Donatello jumped up and ran, starting the first chase of the game. It didn't take long for the elder brother to catch his sibling.

"I caught you," Leonardo yelled, and slapped his brother on the shell. "You have to go back to the lair."

"Ahhhh," Donatello whined, and shuffled back down the tunnel.

From there, Leonardo started looking in all the regular hiding spaces in the tunnels Splinter let them go in. He didn't have to look very hard, floating down one of the pipes came a song softly being sung by a bored child.

"John Jacob Jingleheimer Smidt. His name is my name, too."

"Found you, Mikey," Leonardo called out, tugging at the ends of Michelangelo's bandanna.

"Hey, I didn't even get to run."

"You should be quieter than. Now go back until I find Raphy."

Full of determination, Leonardo ran up and down the tunnels searching for his last brother, but patience wasn't a virtue children possess at age four.

"Raphy, where are you? Come out," Leonardo called out. "Come on Raphy, you better not be anywhere Splinter said we couldn't go. That's cheating." To his right, he thought he saw something move, and ran in that direction. To his disappointment, it only led him to a tunnel he wasn't familiar with. He was about to turn around when a few drops of water fell onto his bandanna. Looking up, to his utter amazement, he saw part of a grey sky. It was so foreign and amazing to him that he couldn't comprehend it for a while, then realized the manhole cover was absent from the sewer ceiling.

"It's the surface," he told himself in awe. He reached a hand out to the ladder rungs, but shirked back as if they were hot.

Do not go up to the surface. Splinter's warning rang through his small head, and he took a step back. But then he thought about Raphael, and not being able to find him.

"Raphy will be so mad when he finds this out," Leonardo said to the circle of sky with a big grin on his face. "I'll just go up for a bit." Expertly, he crawled up the sewer ladder, his tiny hands trembling with excitement. As soon as he popped his head out of the hole, a cool wind hit his smooth skin. Startled and then dazed, Leonardo took in a deep breath relishing the difference between the air above the surface and in his home. Side-stepping away from some wooden structures surrounding the manhole, the young mutant started exploring the small alley he was in. It wasn't much to look at with all the garbage piled up in and near the dumpster, two dreary buildings composing the wall with fliers and graffiti dotting the brick, and small puddles of water were scattered along the cement. But to a four-year old mutant turtle who has lived his whole life in the sewers, it was a new and thrilling world.

Leonardo's head started spinning from the intake of the scenery, and at the same time he started to feel scared. It was such a big place, much bigger than a small confined sewer tunnel. He felt vulnerable, and suddenly wanted to go back to the safety of the lair. He ran back to the hole with every intent not to stop until he saw Splinter and his brothers, but when he was at the edge he saw something coming up the ladder that made his turtle heart jump. Two huge monsters were lumbering up to the surface. Fearfully, Leonardo hid behind the dumpster, trembling at the deep voices of the creatures who exited the sewers.

"It looks as if it's goin' to rain, again," one said to the other, lifting up a tool box from his partner's hands.

"Then we need to hurry. We have one more hole to check out a few blocks away," the second muttered while he gathered up the "Men at work" signs. He watched as the first one replaced the cover back onto the hole as he said, "Have you heard those weird stories from the guys? Something about lizard people living in the sewers."

"Now that you mentioned it, I saw something kind of like that in a tabloid somewhere." The first one helped his coworker with the signs, and they walked away still gossiping.

The fear abated as soon as the large men left, but Leonardo was still trembling from the close call. He peered out of his hiding place just to make sure he was alone, then he crept over to the man hole. Fingers in the holes, the small turtle strained to remove the metal cover that weighted more than he did. After a moment of pulling, he relaxed and laid his head against the metal. Barely, he could hear tiny voices shouting his name.

"Raphy! Donnie! Mikey! I'm here!" he yelled as loud as he could. He put his ear against the cover again. The shouting didn't change. Could it be that they couldn't hear him?

"Can anybody hear me?!"

"Hey kid! Get away from there!"

Leonardo looked up only to see the large men that had come out of the sewer. He let out a scream with a high pitch that only children can reach, and ran in the opposite direction down the alley.

At first it was a few drops, the rain started pouring down in no time, soaking everyone who was unfortunate enough to get caught in it. Puddles formed and small rivers ran through the streets, and down storm drains. The clouds grew darker, making the shadows in the allies more defined.

Leonardo ran blindly through the ally, turning whenever he had to, trying to escape the huge monsters behind him. After awhile, he ran out of the maze of buildings into the street. There were dozens of people rushing around the sidewalks to get home out of the rain. There were large metal monsters with bright headlights that seemed like eyes to giant monsters from nightmares. The small turtle raced around, avoiding the people and vehicles as much as he could, but in his confusion and terror he would bump into people. He would scream and run in a different direction only to bump into another. The people were too busy to notice he was a turtle, they wanted to go home as quickly as they could.

Tired from running, Leonardo stopping and placed his hands on his knees. He didn't know that where he stopped was in the middle of a cross walk. When two pairs of bright eyes turned on him, he froze staring in horror at the humongous beast.

"Hey, get outta the road!"

Letting out a second scream, Leonardo ran away from the car, nearly was hit by a second, and came to rest in a different ally. He sat behind a garbage can and pulled his knees to his chin.

It was then that reality hit him.

"I want to go home," he whispered, tears starting to soak up in his mask. "I want to go home."

"My sons, it's time to eat," Splinter called, walking to the entrance of their lair.

Michelangelo was the first to run by him, whooping on his way to the table. Then came Donatello with his bear in his arms. Raph walked by Splinter rather passive for him, walking softly. Splinter waited a few moments before he called out, "Leonardo." His echo was the only answer.

"Leonardo," he called out again, louder and more anxious.

Still nothing.

"Leonardo!"

At the table, Raph lowered his head, his hands in his lap. When Splinter walked in, he didn't look up into his sensei's eyes.

"Where is Leonardo?"

"Dunno," Michelangelo and Donatello answered, their mouths full of food.

Splinter looked down at the third turtle. "Raphael, do you know where your brother is?"

Raphael shook his head solemnly.

Splinter noticed the young turtle's behavior, inquiring further. "When did you see Leonardo last?"

"We were playing hide-and-seek, and Leo was 'It'. He couldn't find me because I was hiding. . ." Raphael stopped.

"Where were you hiding?" Splinter asked sternly. He received no answer. "Did you go someplace you weren't suppose to."

Raphael bit his lip and nodded.

Splinter sighed heavily. "Raphael, you are to go to your room as soon as you finish eating. I want you to think about what you've done. I'll talk to you as soon as I come back."

"Where are you going?" Donatello asked.

"I'm going to look for your brother," Splinter answered. "All of you need to stay in the lair. Do not leave." Splinter grabbed his walking stick, and left the three turtles alone.

Donatello and Michelangelo starred at the lair exit. Splinter had never left them alone before.

"All right! Party!" Michelangelo shouted, standing on his chair and dancing around. "Come on Donnie, Raphy. We can do what we want."

Donatello jumped out of his chair, and ran to the cupboard. "I want cereal for dinner," he said, carrying a box of Honeycomb. He went back to his seat, opened the box, and pulled one peice out at a time to eat.

Raphael slid slowly out of his seat, and slowly dragged his feet out of the room, leaving his brothers.

A puddle of rain water formed around Leonardo, and the garbage can he was leaning against. Huddle up as much as he could in the shadows, the small turtle trembled from both fear and cold. Soon the sky grew dark, deepening the shadows in the ally, and the rain continued on in the darkness. Leonardo's eyes grew heavy.

BANG

A loud noise startled the turtle from his dozing, and he let out a frightened squeak.

"Is someone there?" a soft voice asked.

Leonardo looked up to see a large shadow over the garbage can. It wasn't as big as the humans he first met, and it was thinner with a higher voice. It had a large umbrella over it's head. At the sound of his squeak, the human crouched down by him.

"A kid? Are you all right?" the human asked in a soothing voice.

Leonardo whimpered, and tried to run away, but his little legs were so cold and tired they wouldn't move.

"Where are your parents?" the human inquired moving closer. "Are you lost?"

At the word "lost", Leonardo started to cry.

The human reached out to the young turtle. "Shhh. Don't cry. It's okay." When Leonardo edged away from her, she tried again. "I'm not going to hurt you. I'll help you find your parents."

"Father?" Leonardo cried softly, sniffling.

"Yeah. Your father. Now come here," she told him gently.

Trusting her, the small turtle reached out his hand and took hers. She helped him to his feet, and shivered at the touch. "You're so cold," she said worriedly. "Let's get you wrapped up and warm." She dropped her umbrella, and pulled off her large trench coat to cover him. Gathering him up in the material with one arm, and the umbrella in the other, she started walking away from the dark alley.

"How long have you been out here?" she asked, walking quickly through the rain. All she heard was a few sobs.

"It's okay. Don't cry, sweetie," the human murmured, patting the turtle on his back.

Leonardo clung to the coat that he was wrapped in, laying his head against the human's shoulder like he would do with Splinter. He was entirely covered, but he could still see out through the collar. He watched as they left the dark alley behind. The human didn't walk far before she entered a building. The small turtle watched through his small eye hole as his surroundings change. He grew anxious as he saw they were ascending some stairs to a higher level.

"What do you have there?" a new voice asked. It was deep like the humans at the manhole.

"Oh, I found a kid in the alley while taking out the trash," the human who was carrying him said. "Poor guy, he was just sitting out in the rain and so scared. I'm going to call the police, see if his parents have reported him."

"Well, I'll let you go. Don't forget, the rent is due next week."

"Yeah, when you fix the elevator."

They continued up a few more flights of stairs, after that they went down a hall and stopped. Leonardo turned his head, trying to see where they were. He saw a door opening, and they went in.

"All right. Let's see if we can find out if someone is looking for you," the human told him while setting him on his feet. Leonardo could finally see the human. She had long curly black hair and brown eyes that peered into the folds of the coat at him. She was dressed in a blue button up shirt and black slacks.

"Do you remember your phone number?" she asked.

Leonardo didn't know what that was, so he shook his head from inside the coat.

"What's your name, sweetie?"

"Leo," he said quietly, his first words.

"What are your parents' names? Do you know?"

Leonardo hesitated wondering if this human could really help him back to the lair. "My father's name is Splinter."

The human frowned. "Um. . .ok." She started to take her coat off him, but Leonardo turned away. He had been keeping the coat tightly around his body, afraid to show himself. He knew that his appearance would cause the human to do something to him.

The human tried again, and when Leonardo stepped away from her she asked, "Are you still cold? You can keep it on, I just need to see your face so I can tell the police what you look like." She firmly held him in place so he couldn't squirm. "Come on, let's see how cu. . . Ahhhh!"

Leonardo jumped back as the human shouted. He tried to run away, but the coat tripped him. Down he went, landing on his hands. He scrambled and crawled away until he was on the opposite side of the room. There he curled up inside the coat and closed his eyes.

"What are you?"

The small turtle heard the human's footsteps, and curled up tighter. After awhile, it was quiet. He was wondering what was going to happen, when he felt the material leaving his head. He looked up and saw the human looking at him nose to nose.

"Are you some sort of lizard?" she asked confused.

Tears came to Leonardo's eyes. "I'm a turtle."

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry. You're a turtle," she quickly corrected herself. "A turtle named Leo, right?"

He nodded.

"Well Leo, my name is Lavinya. Nice to meet you." She smiled at him. "I promise I won't hurt you. Will you come out?"

"Promise?" Leonardo asked.

"Promise."

Leonardo crawled out of the coat as Lavinya sat up. "Are you still going to help me find Splinter?"

"Splinter? He's your father, right?"

"Yeah."

"So, it shouldn't be hard to find a big giant daddy turtle, right?"

Leonardo giggled. "He's not a turtle. Splinter's a rat."

"A rat? How does that work?" Lavinya asked, wrinkling her nose.

Leonardo looked at her in confusion.

"Never mind. Let's try to get you back home, okay?" Lavinya asked, standing up. "Can you remember what area of New York that you live?"

Leonardo didn't understand what Lavinya was talking about, so he tried the best he could. "We live in the sewers."

Lavinya stopped, her body going rigid. "You live in the sewers?" she asked, her voice very soft.

Leonardo felt tense, thinking that he said something wrong. He nearly screamed when the human woman picked him up and whisked him away. To his surprise, Lavinya took him to the bathroom. To a turtle who had lived in a sewer, he had never seen anything like it. "What are you going to do to me?" he asked softly, as he was set down on a blue fuzzy rug.

"I'm going to give you a bath," Lavinya insisted. "If you live in the sewer, you need one. Get in."

Leonardo looked at the porcelain tub skeptically, and then back at his hostess. "What's a bath?"

Lavinya gave him a tired look, and sighed. "We're just going to clean you up with soap and water, okay?"

Leonardo brightened up. "Like a shower?" he asked, excitedly. "I like to take showers." He climbed in, and took off his bandanna and belt to throw on the floor.

Lavinya looked at the discarded accessories as if they were full of disease. She sat down on the toilet lid, and started the water, testing it to make sure it wasn't too hot. When she saw Leonardo watching the water, still standing up, she told him, "You can sit down."

Leonardo sat down cautiously, watching as the water ran up around his legs and shell. "This isn't like at home. We don't get to take baths. I have to shower with all my brothers at once because it saves water."

"How many brothers do you have?" Lavinya asked, resting her elbows on her knees.

"Three. Mikey, Donnie and Raphy," Leonardo recited, happily moving around the tub as the water level rose. "They're all turtles," he added so there wouldn't be anymore confusion.

Lavinya laughed softly. "They are? How old are all of you?"

Leonardo looked at both his hands, and counted his fingers. Finally he raised up all his fingers on one hand, and one on the other. "Four!" he shouted.

"Four? All of you are four years old?" Lavinya asked, looking at Leonardo's fingers closely.

"Yeah, we're all the same age."

"So you're like Quadruplets?"

"Huh?"

"Never mind. Let me look at your hand," she requested, holding out her own. She carefully examined the tiny hand that was offered to her. "How cute. You only have three fingers," she said, while moving them.

"Yeah, and look at my feet. I only have two toes," Leonardo said anxiously, holding up his foot. When he did this, he lost his balance and fell over on his shell.

"Are you okay?" Lavinya exclaimed, helping the turtle up.

Leonardo laughed, splashing around. He twisted around so he could be on his stomach and blew bubbles in the water. He was so content to play around in the tub, and chatter on about his brothers and Splinter that he forgot that he was far from home with a strange person he had never met before. But like all children, they love attention from anyone who would give it. After a while of splashing and getting the bathroom and Lavinya wet, he was ready to get out. Before getting out, he asked, "Um, what's your name? I forgot."

"It's Lavinya. It's kind of hard to remember, huh?"

"Yeah. My name is kind of hard to remember, too."

"Leo?"

"No, my full name is Leonardo. Can I call you Lavie?"

Lavinya grabbed a towel, and lifted him out. "That's so cute. Yeah, you can." She helped him dry off. "Leonardo? Like the painter?"

"Yeah, Splinter named us all after painters," Leonardo said, glad to be talking again. "Michelangelo, Raphael, and Donatello. But they're all hard to say." Leonardo yawned, and rubbed his eyes. "Lavie, can I go home now? I want to go to bed." He looked at her with huge eyes.

Lavinya looked down at him sadly. "It's complicated, Leo. I would really love to take you home tonight, but I can't. It's already dark, and I don't know the sewers like I do the city. I can try to take you home in the morning, okay?" She bite her lip apologetically, waiting for a stream of tears.

Leonardo thought about it for a while, his face looking as if he was going to pout or cry. "You'll take me home tomorrow? I guess that's okay."

"You're very brave, Leo," Lavinya told him, patting him on the head. "Let's feed you, and put you to bed. Then as soon as you wake up, it'll be time for home."

Leonardo readily agreed to food, not having anything since lunch back at the lair. Lavinya gave him a PB&J sandwhich, and then made a bed for him on her couch.

"Thank goodness my room mate went to visit her family for a while. She'd wig out if she saw you," Lavinya told the turtle, who looked at her with a confused face. "Goodnight, Leo."

"Can I have a bedtime story, Lavie?" Leo asked. He pulled the blanket up to his chin, and snuggled down in the cusions as Lavinya started a fairy tale, but he didn't make it all the way through Little Red Riding Hood before he fell asleep.

The usual silence of the sewers was no longer there. Splinter noticed it as he ran through one tunnel after another, water dripping all over and water flowing all around in the sewer rivers, faster and noisier than before. It was a sure sign that it was raining above. Splinter worried whenever it rained because the swollen sewer rivers became very dangerous for young turtles that couldn't swim very well. It was a large possibility that Leonardo could have fallen in and was carried away. However, Splinter searched the larger rivers first, and didn't smell any fresh trails of his oldest son.

It was past dark when Splinter finally came across Leonardo's scent, a fresh one. But his heart jumped when he also smelled human. He followed both scents up the sewer ladder. He lifted up the manhole cover, and water splattered all over him.

"Leonardo!" he shouted. "Leonardo!" He continued to call until his voice grew hoarse, afterward he sank back into the sewers. Instead of returning to the lair right away, he sank to the sewer floor, his hands covering his face. "My son," he lamented, a tear coming down his cheek. "Leonardo. My son."

It was a while before he could return to the lair. It was very late, past the turtles' bedtime. Splinter searched around for his sons, thinking they must have made a mess and collapsed somewhere, but he couldn't find them about. He finally checked on Raphael, just needing to see one of them. There he found all of them, curled up together with a box of cereal nearby. They were fast asleep on Raphael's bed, one blanket doing it's best to cover them all. Raphael was hugging his pillow while Michelangelo was resting his head on the former's shell. Donatello was practically cheek to cheek with Raphael, one arm around his bear, the other around his brother.

Splinter was about to leave, and shut the door when he heard a quiet voice call, "Father?" He turned to see three pairs of sleepy and anxious eyes looking at him.

"Did you find Leo?"

Splinter sighed, and walked over to the bed. The turtles moved to give him room, so he sat down. Michelangelo crawled into his lap, while his other two sons leaned against his sides. "I'm sorry, my sons, but I couldn't find Leonardo."

"Is he going to be okay?" Michelangelo asked, holding onto Splinter's robes for comfort.

Splinter hugged his three sons close to him. "I don't know. I looked all over for him."

"I'm sorry, Splinter. It's all my fault," Raphael cried, his lip trembling. Tears rolled down his bandanna and disappeared into the cloth.

"No, Raphael. It's not your fault," Splinter told his son, patting the turtle's head. "It's no one's fault. We couldn't have known that Leonardo would get lost. Things like this happen, my sons," Splinter tried to explain the best he could.

Raphael kept crying, but tugged his master's sleeve. "I want to go find him. Can I look for him? Please?" Raphael begged.

"I want to go, too," Donatello added, pulling Splinter's other sleeve.

"Me too."

"All right, my sons. Tomorrow we all will look for Leonardo," he said quietly, trying to keep the lump in his throat down. "But now we must sleep."

The young turtles didn't waste much time to fall asleep once again, but it wasn't very restful. Splinter watched them, his heart aching for his children. They were too young to loose a brother, especially the oldest, the one they all look to.

"Splinter! Splinter!"

Thunder and lightning filled the apartment, something Leonardo had never seen or heard before. The noise seemed to rock the building on it's foundation, and the lightning cast strange shadows over the walls. The small turtle, for a moment, forgot where he was when he woke up, shouting for his father. He rolled off the couch, clutching the blanket he had, but everything was so unfamiliar that he started crying. Then the lights turned on.

"Wh-what's wrong?" a tired voice called out.

Leonardo turned to find Lavinya in a doorway, squinting in the light. He kept crying, just watching her. "I want Splinter."

"Oh, sweetie. I know you do," Lavinya mumbled, going to him and kneeling down. "It's okay. You'll see him tomorrow." She started to rub his back, but it didn't squelch the crying. "I bet the storm woke you up. Do you want me to stay here so you can fall asleep?"

Leonardo shook his head, and asked between sobs, "Can I sleep with you?"

Lavinya sighed. "There's barely enough room for me, kid." But when she looked at the scared turtle, she gave in. "Okay, get your pillow."

Soon, Lavinya was laying on half a bed with Leonardo on top of her covers with his own bedding. It took awhile for the turtle to fall asleep, his hand clutching his blanket. She sighed, rolled over and fell asleep as well, wondering how she was going to get through the next day.

"Lavie. Lavie. Wake up."

Lavinya moaned, turned and looked at her alarm clock. It read 7:36. She still had a half hour before she had to get up, so she went back to sleep.

"Lavie. It's morning," the tiny voice called again, shaking her shoulder. "I'm hungry, Lavie."

She opened her eyes a little to look up at a green face. "You're not a dream," she told the green face. "Let me sleep a little longer. I don't have class until nine," she told him, and rolled over. She was about to sink back into sleep, when her words sunk into her brain. She sat up, tossing her blankets back. "Shoot, I have class. I totally forgot. I'm sorry Leonardo. I forgot that I had class." She ran into the kitchen with the little turtle following after.

"What's class?" Leonardo asked, closely on her heels. He watched as she pulled out a box of frosted flakes and a milk.

"Um, it's a place where I go to learn stuff. I'm sorry, Leo. I have to go to class before I can take you home. It's only one class though, I can skip the others."

Leonardo followed Lavinya's hand with the cereal to the table. "It's like school, right?" Leonardo asked, pleased to know something. "Splinter teaches us, too. Me and my brothers are learning the alphabet. Want to hear?"

"I'd love to, but I have to take a shower. You eat your cereal, and when I get out I'll listen to you."

Leonardo wondered what was going to happen to him while Lavinya went to class. He ate in silence, waiting for the human to come out, and explain further. A while later, he was being led down the stairs of the apartment building, a baseball cap on his head and clothed in one of Lavinya's T-shirts and shorts which fit him just fine. He also had his bandanna and belt on, but they were still wet from being in the washing machine all night, and they didn't have time to dry them. Lavinya held his hand, and with her other arm carried a book bag.

"The bus comes in three minutes. We can make it if we hurry," Lavinya told herself, as she looked at her watch.

"What's a bus?"

Leonardo found out when the gigantic vehicle rolled to the bus stop, and frightened the turtle so much he had to be carried in. Once he found out that it wasn't eating him, he settled down on a seat watching things pass by from the window, occasionally asking questions about the things he saw. People would smile and wave at him, which he mimicked excitedly. He was almost disappointed when they had to exit the bus, but he found a new world outside of anything he'd ever seen.

There were trees lined up with winding sidewalks and small hills full of green grass. It was a wider space without any large buildings to hinder the view of the sky. Leonardo thought it was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen. He raced onto the grass, feeling the blades between his toes and rolling onto it.

Lavinya watched with the smile, trying to imagine what it would be like to grow up never knowing the luxury of plant life or even the sky. But despite this paradise, the turtle eagerly wished to return to the dreary sewers and to his family. Perhaps she had been alone too long to remember what it was like to have a family.

With a sneaky expression, Lavinya sneaked up on the unsuspecting turtle. She roared and picked him up in a bear like hug to twirl him around. She dropped to the ground so she could tick him. Leonardo laughed loudly, squirming around on the grass until she stopped.

"Okay, Leo. Let's get to class."

Leonardo tried to pay attention during Lavinya's class just like when Splinter taught, but the joys of British Literature just wasn't in him. So he contented himself by drawing in Lavinya's notebook, occasionally listening when Lavinya would participate in the discussion.

Lavinya wanted to get out of there as quickly as possible after the discussion was over, but the presence of a child on campus was too much for some of the women there.

"Oh, you're such a cutie."

"Hey, Lavinya. I didn't know you had a kid."

"He's not mine. He's. . .a neighbor's. I'm just watching him for the day," Lavinya answered, worried about the attention Leonardo was getting. She tried to cover up all of Leonardo's turtle-ness, but the disguise wasn't that great. If any of the girls looked really closely, they'd notice the difference. "Come on, Leo. Let's get you home to your father."

"Yeah. Bye," he shouted, waving to the girls who waved back. "Humans are really nice," he told Lavinya.

"Sure, when you're as cute as you," she told him, and laughed when the turtle child smiled proudly.

Again, they rode the bus back to Lavinya's apartment, but they didn't go inside. Instead she took him to the alley where she found them. Nearby the trash can Leonardo hid behind, was a sewer cover. Leonardo helped Lavinya lift up the cover, and quickly scrambled down the ladder.

"Come on Lavie," he called, waving at her from the sewer floor.

Lavinya starred down the hole, hesitating to enter the pit of filth and slime. But with the small turtle beckoning her, his little eyes twinkling from the comfort of the familiar sewers, she couldn't disappoint him. First she removed a flashlight from her book bag, securely fasten it to her back, and climbed down careful not to touch anything but the ladder. When a slight sewer breeze hit her, she went weak from the smell, almost letting go of the metal rims.

"Hurry, Lavie," Leonardo called.

Lavinya replaced the sewer cover, and went down the rest of the way, almost as green as her reptilian companion. She steadied herself, and then flipped on her flashlight. "Leonardo, does this place look familiar to you?" she asked, looking around. She cringed at the sight that lay before her.

"No," Leonardo answered, grabbing her hand and pulling her forward. "Come on."

Lavinya allowed herself to be led by the turtle, keeping the light pointed ahead.

"Splinter! Raphy! Mikey! Donnie!" Leonardo called out, using as loud a voice as he could, stopping every once in awhile to listen.

Lavinya called out too, feeling silly calling for a giant rat with a turtle child in the sewers. Never had she ever dreamed something like this would happen to her.

"Leo! Leo!" the line of turtle called. They followed their master through one tunnel to the next after searching the place they were playing at the day before. The started out as soon as they woke up. Splinter couldn't make them wait for anything. The tiny turtles ran out of the lair after breakfast, scattering in all directions. Splinter had to gather them like a mother hen, and lead them to where they were now. They had been gone for hours, constantly walking and calling, only now a little slower and a little softer. Splinter turned around to glance at his sons. They were dragging their feet, stumbling every once in a while, and their eyes drooped. Even the ever energetic Michelangelo called out less and less.

"That is enough, my sons. You are very tired," Splinter told them, stopping and leaning on his walking stick. "Let us go home, and rest. We can try again later."

A volley of protests invaded his ears, telling him they must find their lost brother. They tried to demonstrate that they weren't tired by shouting again, but their voices died down quickly as they followed Splinter.

At home, Splinter gave them an early lunch, afterward they fell asleep for a nap. Even Splinter felt like dozing when he tried to meditate to clear his thoughts, to come to the realization that he had lost one of his sons. He fell asleep to the sounds of his remaining sleeping sons.

Lavinya marched on, every once in a while calling out the rat's name. She had to walk slowly since Leonardo had fallen asleep in her arms once he was too tired to walk. She was starting to sweat which turned cold from the damp chill. She had turned off her flashlight a while ago to preserve energy, and was surprised at how easy it was to see in the sewers from holes in the ceiling to the surface. She was comforted at this small contact with her world. Everything was so strange, she suddenly knew how Leonardo felt. But once she was used to the smell, she didn't feel so squeamish, and she didn't have to look at the unpleasant sights in the shadows.

Shifting the turtle from one shoulder to the other, Lavinya looked at her watch. The two of them had been down there for three hours. In two hours she had to be at work, and she worried that if they couldn't find this Splinter soon, she would have to take the turtle home again. She didn't like the thought of waking up Leonardo, and not have his father there. His eyes were just too sad for her heart to take.

"Splinter," she shouted again, taking another turn at a T-intersection. At first, she let Leonardo go wherever he felt, hoping something would look familiar to the turtle, but afterward she just picked tunnels at random, keeping to the larger ones. She almost had a panic attack when Leonardo led her through a smaller tunnel that she had to crawl through. She vowed to herself that she would scourge her skin until she was sure she was clean when she returned home.

"Splinter!" she shouted again. Checking her watch, she read 2:36. She had an hour and a half left before work. If she couldn't find the turtle's father in twenty minutes, she would have to give up.

"Splinter!"

Unbeknownst her, Lavinya was very close to the lair where Splinter lay on his meditation rug. His ninja skills, and rat senses quickly woke him up to the almost inaudible calling. His body went on defense at the strange voice. Without a sound, he grabbed his walking stick and ran out. His padded animal feet made his footsteps silent as he traced the voice to it's source. Keeping to the shadows, the ninja rat found the human woman, and observed her carefully. He watched as she walked closer to the lair and his children, a large bundle in her arms.

Feeling as if someone was watching, Lavinya turned around quickly, looking for anything. Thinking it was her imagination, she continued on calling out the rat's name. But because of the feeling she had, she turned her flash light back on, and started sweeping it around the sewers.

Splinter didn't predict this, and had to run to stay out of the bright illumination. A slight gasp from the human told him she saw part of him.

"Who's there?" the trembling voice called. "Splinter?" She turned around, trying to catch the thing she saw. Something hit her flashlight, and it flew out of her hand. Clinging to Leonardo, backed protectively into the lightest part of the sewers.

"Why are you here?"

Lavinya tried to find the source to the disembodied voice. To her, it sounded angry and hungry. She recalled that rats will attack humans if they were hungry enough, and she trembled at the thought of a giant rat. "A-are you Splinter?"

"What do you want from me?" the voice questioned, seeming to come from everywhere.

"I found your son," she told the voice, looking forward where she believed the rat was. "I have Leonardo here." She took the baseball cap off the turtle's head, showing the blue mask.

"My son?" the voice said, softer. Splinter slowly stepped out of the shadows in sight of the woman. "Leonardo?"

Lavinya didn't feel so afraid once she saw what Splinter looked like. Walking with the help of a stick, he seemed a lot more smaller and frail than the quick shadow that knocked out her flashlight. Instead of inky black, his fur was gray, giving him more of a grandfather look than that of a parent.

Splinter lifted a clawed hand up to the turtle's head. "Leonardo," he called softly.

The turtle started to stir from the touch and the sound of his name. He looked around sleepily, but once he saw the face of his father, he practically jumped into the rat's embrace.

"Father!"

"My son," Splinter laughed, hugging the child close to him. His child snuggled into Splinter's fur, and laughed and cried with his father. Father and son were finally together, rejoicing while an outsider watched with a smile.

"Thank you, for returning my sons," the rat said, turning toward the stranger. "I must apologize for my behavior. Intruders don't come here often." From his pocket, he pulled out the flashlight.

Lavinya took it from him shyly, almost apologetically. "It's okay. I understand," she told them. She took a tentative step back, and sighed. "I guess my job is done. I'll just be going."

"Lavie. You're leaving?" The small turtle's voice stopped her. A small hand reached out for her, and she grabbed it.

"It appears Leonardo has taken to you," Splinter told her.

"I guess I have too," Lavinya told the old rat, rubbing Leonardo's head. "I have to go Leo. I have to go to work."

"Can you come back?" Leonardo asked, looking at her than Splinter.

"My son, she has her own life," Splinter explained. "She lives in a different world than us."

The disappointment on the young turtle's face was too much. "It's not that different," she corrected him. "I mean. . .um. . .if you need a babysitter, I'd be happy to help out."

Splinter smiled. "Thank you for the offer, Miss. You're generosity is too much," Splinter said with a bow.

"Not at all," Lavinya said, pulling out a notebook and pen from her book bag. "I'll just give you my address and phone number. I don't mind. Leonardo was such a sweetie." She gave the paper to Splinter, and then walked away while waving to the pair.

"Let's get home. There's three little turtles who are worried about you," Splinter told his oldest.

"Can Lavie babysit tomorrow?" Leonardo asked, tugging at his father's sleeve.

Splinter chuckled softly, shaking his head.

"And then the monsters chased me all over. But I hid in the shadows, like a ninja, and they couldn't find me," Leonardo explained wildly, using his entire body to act it out.

Three huge eyes were glued onto his every movement, waiting in suspense at his next words.

"Did they have sharp teeth?" Donatello asked, his bear.

"Did they try to eat you?" Michelangelo inquired, leaning forward.

"Did their eyes glow in the dark?" Raphael shouting, jumping to his feet.

"That's enough for today," Splinter interrupted, walking into the room. "We all had a long day, and it's time to go to bed."

A chorus of whines echoed around him, but an intense look at the children quieted them. They slowly made their way to bed, procrastinating as much as they could and trying to talk to their brother as much as possible.

Above them on the surface, the woman who just found out that four turtles and a rat lived in the city sewers was about ready to go to bed as well. She had showered before going to her job, and showered again afterward, positive that she will never be clean again. She was then sitting on her couch, reading a text book, but not quite being able to concentrate. The scene of father and son reuniting was replaying over and over again. She felt so good about being the one who made that happen, and when she left she felt lonely. Shoving her textbook aside, Lavinya picked up the phone off the coffee table and dialed a number.

"Hey, Mom. Is Dad there? No, I just called to talk. Nothing. I just had a really good day, and wanted to know how you've been doin'?"