Leonardo

/"Hey , Freak! You want to play?"

Four First years were walking you to him. The two girls, Alex and Mia, where twins. They had short brown hair and mud brown eyes. They weren't extremely tall, but their attitude alone would make them stand out in a crowd. While Alex was shy and walked with her shoulders hunched, Mia was over confidant and twice as cocky. She was usually the one that bullied people into doing what she wanted. Alex just went along with it, but she was also pretty mean. She was the strong silent violent type. Alex would beat people up while Mia threatened the other kids.

The two of them acted like the world owed them a huge favor just for existing. Their skin was pale like marble. And like it, you could see the tiny holes in it if you looked closely-not that you would want to. They always wore a look like they had smelled something gross; it seemed to be permanently glued on to their faces.

The other two boys were chubby. Every time they moved, you could almost see their blubber like skin juggle around. The one who had called him a Freak was Rick, the fattest first year ever. He had red hair and freckles and brown, beady eyes. Behind his back, everyone called him the red headed rat. Of course once Rick found who said it he beat the snot out of them.

Rick's sidekick, Bill, was almost as fat, but the difference was that he was 7, so no one in first year messed with him. He got held back a year after he flunked Physical Education. Once when the class had been playing dodge ball, he passed out from a ball hitting him. Michelangelo said that he was faking; he had been hit by many balls and he hadn't been hurt- everyone had doubts about that. They were all walking towards him.

"I'm not a Freak!" he yelled.

"Are too!" answered Mia, her noise scrunching as she talked, "wanna know how I know?"

"No, because you're a meany!" he said with all the courage his little body could show. Too be honest, he was very scared. He didn't like trouble, he liked it when everything was calm and he knew what was going to happen. The situation became unpredictable with First years.

"Am not!" yelled Rick. He walked up to him and shoved him. For someone who just sat in class and ate potato chips, Rick was surprisingly strong. He landed on his tail bone with a thud. "You shouldn't call people mean, that'll make them not like you!" Rick kicked him in the stomach, "you gotta do what I say, because you're still a baby, and I'm in First year, a big boy!"

Rick kept on kicking him. Over and over, he wouldn't stop trying to impale him with his dirty shoe. Rick had clearly never had another shoe. The smell of dirt and something that smelled like throw up invaded his noise like a slap to the face.

"You're such a freak, Leonardo! You're so lame your mom couldn't even stand you!" said Bill.

Soon, all four kids started kicking him. Not hard enough to make him bleed, but hard enough to bruise. He tried not to cry, but he couldn't help it. His belly was hurting really bad, and his vision was getting blurry. He closed his eyes. In his mind's eye, he imagined getting up and kicking them all a thousand miles away, and when they came back for more; he would kick them again and again, just like they were kicking him. But he knew he would never do that. Master Splinter was always telling him that he had a lot of potential, but that he was too shy to use it.

"HEY!" a fifth voice brave rang through. The voice was far way, but it made the kicking stop. Then he heard the running of small feet. He didn't know why, but Rick stopped kicking him and started yelling "Get her off! Get her off!" Then no one was kicking him. He slowly sat up in time to see a girl on Rick's back. She was tugging on his curly hair and beating his head with her tiny fists.

He took a good look at her. She had long brown hair and olive skin. She looked about his age. He couldn't help but stand and stare at her while she rod Rick like a bull. She looked like she was really enjoying herself, until Bill finally got a hold of her and slammed her into the ground. He saw the splits second the air left he longs. She couldn't get up fast enough. All four First years were now surrounding her, and they did not look happy. He knew he had to do something. He couldn't let them hurt her. He balled his fists as tight as he could and ran towards Bill.

"Get off of her!"

He punched and kicked, but it was like hitting a rock. He couldn't seem to make a dent in Rick nor Bill. He wouldn't hit the girls, because his father said that gentlemen never his girls.

"What is going on over there?" a teacher asked. Like a flash, the First years stopped kicking the girl and ran. He had never seen Bill run so fast. While he was running, Bill turned around and looked at him. There was a snare in his eye. Bill looked at him with hatred, a loo he had never received. Sure, the kids that teased him looked at him with disgust, but never with hate. It sent a shiver down his spine.

He looked back at the girl and saw she was still on the floor panting. He held his hand out and helped the girl up. She took his hand, and he thought he was going to throw up. She had a button noise, and her chubby cheeks were flushed. Her chestnut eyes were wide with adrenalin. Her brown hair was full of dirt and sticks. She was hunching over, probably because her side hurt. Yet she was smiling.

"That was fun. Are you okay?" she asked. She had a high pitch voice, but it was sweet.

"I'm fine. They just kicked me around. Nothing new," he wanted to sound brave. His dad told him that in front of a girl, boys had to be brave.

She stomped he foot and crossed her arms. "Those first years are so mean! I bet that their mommy and daddy are just as mean."

He just nodded in agreement, even though he didn't think they were mean because their parents were mean. Raphael was mean, but his parents weren't. He knew because they worked with his father. One time, when he was in his father's office, Raphael's parents walked in looking for him. When they didn't find his father, Raphael's mother stayed with him until his father came back.

"What's your name?" he asked, because it had become weird just standing there with her without knowing her name.

"Danielle. But most kids call me Danni." She began to walk towards the school building. "What's your name?"

"Leonardo." He answered proudly. She frowned at that.

"That sounds like a grown up name. And you're not a grown up." She looked him up and down, studying him. He didn't know what she was looking for, but he liked when she lifted his arm.

"What are you doing?"

"Thinking of what to call you."

"But my name is Leonardo," Did he not just tell her that?

"But I don't like that name," she circled him slowly, "so I'm gonna call you…-"

"I'm not a dog-"

"- I'm gonna call you… Leo!" she jumped up and down and clapped her hands. She seemed so proud of herself for coming up with that. Then she stopped, "Is that okay? Can I call you Leo?" her voice was full of concern and hope. Her eyes were open really wide, the same way Michelangelo opened his eyes when he wanted something from him.

He thought about it. His father had told him that he should be proud of his name, and he like his name so he didn't want to change it. But he didn't want to make his new friend sad. Also, he liked it when Danni said 'Leo'. A warm, fuzzy feeling filled his stomach and he felt warm.

"Yeah, it's okay./

Leo gasped. He didn't know why he thought of that. It felt like it happened a life time ago. He looked around, trying to remember where he was and what he had been doing. His eyes landed on the full length mirror. His slightly green skin was pale so that it almost looked normal. His ice blue eyes were wide and he had sweat dropping from his black hair. He was sitting on the floor, so he conquered that he had been meditating. He looked around his small room. Not much was left, just a bunch of boxes filled with his books. His bed was bare and his desk was gone. The only other thing left was his suitcase.

He still couldn't believe it. After 7 years, he and his brothers would be returning to New York. Leo had to admit, he would miss the streets of Japan; his friends, his girlfriend, this house… He was going to miss all of this. They had many good memories in this house. He didn't know if he could walk away from it. But at the same time he knew he had to. Moving would just be another adventure.

But still, he couldn't shake of the feeling of confusion. Why had he suddenly thought of Danni? Leo hadn't spoken to her in years and he didn't really think of her often. When they left for Japan, both of them had been arguing. True, he hadn't tried to contact her. But honestly he didn't think they needed to. She was clearly upset with him and probably didn't want to talk to him.

"Leo! Dude, we're leaving!" Mikey yelled from down stairs.

"I'm coming!" he yelled back. He got up, surveyed his room one last time, and shut the door.

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"Are you excited to go back to New York?"

Splinter, Raph, Mikey and Donn were waiting at the door for him. The cab was waiting for them outside. Once they saw Leo, they started heading out the door.

"'Excited' isn't the word I would use," replied Raph with a huff. He was just angry because he was leaving his "gang" behind. Although it was hard to tell exactly how angry he was. He had his arms crossed as usual; his usual red bandana was on his head, so that his black hair stood up. His green eyes were filled with storms, so nothing new there either. His forest green skin was darker than usual though.

"Come on dude! Get stoked! We can have all the fast food we want now!" Mikey exclaimed. He was probably the most excited of them all. His baby blue eyes were wide with excitement and he was bouncing so much that his shaggy blond hair kept getting in his eyes. His skin was a pale green; it's usual color. The only difference was that his freckles stood out more.

"Is food the only thing you think about?" Donn asked. His voice had that superior air it always had. His glassed were tapped in the middle from Raph stepping on them earlier that day. His glasses made his amber eyes seem bigger than they actually were, making him seem like an owl. Leo had to supers a laugh whenever they talked for too long; he didn't want to be in the receiving side of his lectures. His skin wasn't green-green. It was more of a pale yellow. He had suffered the least damage out of the rest of them.

Leo closed the door got in the cab. He was still a bit shaken from his meditation. The warm feeling from Danni saying his name was still present, which made no sense to him. Danni was a girl that, if he remembered correctly, hated his guts. True, he didn't recall why she was mad, but he remembered her yelling and throwing objects at him.

"Leonardo," Leo snapped out of his thoughts and looked at Splinter. His eyes were always kind, and his face had a warm glow. He always looked at his this way, and many times it agave Leo the courage to keep going. Splinter had been his father figure for 5 years, ever since his dad died in the freak lab accident. To say the truth, Splinter had been all of their fathers for about the same time. Raph, Donn, and Mikey had also lost their parents that night. Ever since then, they had been raised like brothers.

"What seems to troubling you?"

Leo sighed, "It's nothing really. It's just that, during my meditation, I saw-"

"Food! You say food, right?" Mikey interrupted, which Raph responded by slapping him a scowled, "You're the only one who meditates on food, dork."

Rolling his eyes, Splinter gestured for Leo to continue.

"Well, it's just that I saw… D-Danielle."

There was a pause, every one remembered her, it seemed. There was a lot of tension in the air, as if someone has filled the air with static. Leo got the feeling the guys knew something he didn't. Inwardly, he groaned. It seemed Leo was always the most distant from the rest of his brothers. Even when they were younger, felt constantly shunned from all of them.

"And this troubles you why?" Splinter questioned.

"Well, I haven't thought or talked to her in a while and-"

"A While? You call 4 years a 'while'?" Raph yelled. His whole body screamed anger now; his eyes were wide and dark, almost black. He flexed his already hug muscles so that he looked double his size, His face was twisted with rage and frustration, so that he looks like he was about to commit murder. His breathing had increased to a point that Leo was scared that he was actually having a panic attack. It wouldn't be the first time.

"All three of you haven't talked to Danni in 4 years! You didn't even bother knowing if she was dead or alive. I've been the only contact she has with any of us!"

Trying not to lose his temper, Leo inhaled deeply, "Then maybe you could tell me why she's so mad at us."

Raph snorted, "She's not mad at us. She's mad with you!"

Leo gasped inwardly. He didn't remember Danni being mad with him only. It didn't make sense. Why would she be made at him but not the others? They had all been friends, so if she was mad with one of them, she was mad with all of them. That's how their relationship had worked. At least, that's how Leo remembers it.

"So she doesn't ask about me?" He didn't know why he asked that. It just sort of came out. For some reason, Leo felt like Danni should ask for him.

"She always asks about all of you."

That made Leo frown. He didn't exactly know why, but he wanted Danni to only ask for him. In fact, he should have been the one in contact with her, not Raph. But these thoughts didn't make sense. Why was he suddenly so attached to a girl he hadn't thought about in years?

Don cleared his throat, "We'll be arriving at the airport in 15 minutes," he handed them their pills, "it takes a while for it to kick in."

Leo looked at the small capsule that ruled his life since second year. It had taken Don a few tries, but he had finally perfected a solution to their… condition, He didn't remember exactly what had caused them to have green skin, and his father had never told him about it. All he knew was that it was the year they all started training. Again he didn't know why, but he knew that his father seemed obsessed with him being able to defend himself. Not that he minded. He loved being able to kick ass. He enjoyed the adrenalin rush he got while training; he lived for the competition between him and the others, but mostly between him and Raph. Still he couldn't help but wonder, sometimes even question his father motives. His desire for them to be almost deadly.

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As they rushed through the airport, Leo though back on his years in Japan. So much had happened these last 7 years. He recalled his first day of school. It had been like going through hell because he didn't understand any Japanese. It took him a month to learn the language and then another two to pronounce it. Once he got the language, however. Everything started to work out. He stared making friends and getting better graded at school. He wasn't like Donn that got straight A's on everything he did, but he was a solid B student.

He remembered when he got together with Sakura, his girlfriend for the past year. He had been 16 when he asked her to the spring festival. Her cherry blossom perfume had been way too strong and he kept tripping over his kimono, but it was still perfect… sort of. The truth was, even though he liked her- and he means he REALLY liked her- their relationship wasn't what he had hoped. It was filled with awkward silences and miscommunication. There were many things he just didn't tell her about. To say the truth, Leo was relived he had and excuse to break up with her.

As they took their seats on the plane, Leo drifted his thoughts to Danni. The last time he saw her, they had been 10 years old. He remember her having soft olive skin. Her hair was long and brown. She liked wearing it in a ponytail so it wouldn't get in her eyes. Her face was round and soft, her chubby checks formed dimples when she smiled. Leo broke into a grin. Her smile could light up a pitch black room. And her laugh had been the only thing that could cheer him up. Leo could still remember her birthday; May 17. Her favorite color was green because it reminded her of grass. Her favorite dish was steamed broccoli with beef. She was afraid of bugs, yet she crushed them when one scurried along.

She had been his best friend. She had been the first person he would tell anything to. When his condition became noticeable in Third year, she had supported him. Danni had starter training with them when he asked her to. That and she had always been the violent type. Even before the training, she was known to pick fights with everyone. Especially first years. She's the one that defended him and the guys First and Second year from bullies like Rick.

So then, why did she hate him and only him? But it seemed that something happened that made her hate his guts. But he couldn't remember what it was. Maybe if he meditated on it, he could remember. It really bothered him how he could forget something so important. And what was more, Raph wouldn't tell him. He was sure that he knew something. If he had been in contact with Danni for this long, they must have grown close. But just how close were they?

Wait, why did he even care? She was just a girl that used to be his friend. He didn't care if his brother was into her. Right? True, he had had a small crush on her when they were kids, but that didn't mean anything. And the fact that he was nervous about seeing her again had nothing to do with his forgotten feelings. He would just walk up to her and ask. It can't be that hard. She must realize that 7 years is a long time to hold a grudge. Leo could bet that Danni herself had forgotten all about the incident- whatever it had been.

As the plane took off, Leo closed his eyes. It was going to be a long ride.