A/N: This is my first story. Please read and review! Disclaimer: I do not own the turtles. They belong to themselves... and the comic book writers, I suppose. I only own Darkwing. Go to and search for "tmnt leonardo" and listen to some of those songs while you read this. Especially "Leonardo when you're gone" and "Leonardo Tribute- The Warrior". I do not own these songs nor the pics nor the video... it's just a suggestion.
Leo sighed. I can't keep doing this, he thought, stretching fully backwards, his fingers touching the mats beneath him. I can't keep getting up like this.
Every day, Leo woke at four in the morning and began training. By the time his brothers joined him at six with Master Splinter, he was warmed up and ready to go, and had been practicing for two hours already. He joined them regardless, and still defeated each one singly and even two-on-one.
But he had a secret.
Sighing, he decided to meditate for an hour and then practice. Folding himself into a lotus position, Leonardo let his mind go, becoming one with his surroundings.
"Yo, Leo!" a harsh voice called, jolting Leo out of his meditation. He hadn't realized he'd gone so deep. He blushed as he opened his eyes and found all three of his brothers staring at him and felt an unexplainable rush of anger.
"What?" he snapped unintentionally, jumping to his three-toed feet and rolling his shoulders.
"It's, like, nine, bro," Mike said, smiling. "You tired or somethin'?"
"Or something," Leo agreed, taking his katanas out and settling into a defensive stance. "Well, are we going to practice?"
"We just did. Master Splinter said that you could miss this. You seemed deep in, Leo. By the way, we're all getting check ups tonight. It's about time we were checked out. Living in the sewers is dangerous…"
Leo felt like fainting. Donnie was going to be checking them tonight? He couldn't let his brother do that; Don would find out about his coughing fits he had now, and probably keep him from practicing.
"Okay," Leo agreed, though somewhat piqued. "I'll be back in a couple hours. I need some air."
"Visions again, Fearless?" Raph sneered, though kind of concerned. Leo looked… Frightened? Of what? the hothead turtle asked himself.
"Something like that." Leo sheathed his swords and walked out of the dojo, bowed to Master Splinter, and then donned his shell cell and pads. As he ambled slowly – inconspicuously – out the door, Raph joined him.
"Want some company?" he asked softly when they were outside. Leo smiled slightly. Raph was the softest of them all, but never let him catch you saying that or he'd beat you to a pulp!
Leo was sure, but after a moment of hesitation, he answered blindly, "Sure." Why'd you do that? he berated himself. Another fit's gonna hit soon, you know it. Do you want him to know?
A small part of him answered in the affirmative. Leo sighed softly and broke into a run, leaping over pipes and obstacles he sensed rather than saw. Raph followed, though slower. He could not sense the barriers like Leo could, and that scared him.
What's Leo doin'? he thought to himself. He's never been able to do this before. Suddenly, ahead, he heard a cough. Then another. Then nothing.
"Leo?" Raph asked into the darkness. When he got no answer, he called louder. "Leo!"
A small sound pulled him ahead, and he came upon a footprint. It was Leo's, but it stank like blood. "What the shell?!"
He followed the footprints to the roof, and then they disappeared. Unnerved, Raph took out his shell cell and called Leo, who didn't answer. Then he called the lair.
"Hello? Raph?" Don's voice answered.
"Can't talk, Donnie. Get Mikey, some first-aid stuff, and a tranquilizer. I need you here now." Raph paused and looked around. He spotted something that looked like Leo's pads and katanas in a dumpster. Sure enough, they were. When he dragged them out, they had claw marks all over them. "Ummm, get some of your heaviest tranquilizers, Don."
"Why? What's goin' on?"
"I don't know. Just follow my shell cell. I'm goin' after him."
"Him- Who?" But Raph had hung up on Don. He turned to the claw marks on the building he'd spotted.
"Alright, Leo. What's this game?" He donned a pair of climbing claws and walked up the uneven brick. The claw marks were heavy, deep, and far apart. The thing that made them was big and heavy, then.
He got to the roof to see Leo crouching on the pavement, shuddering.
"Leo?" Raph asked carefully, walking around to his brother's side and putting a hand on his shoulder. Leo didn't respond, but his shuddering decreased a little. A little groan escaped his throat. "What's wrong?"
Raph knelt and tilted Leo's face up to his and nearly leapt up in horror. Blood ran from Leo's mouth and he was coughing weakly, gasping for breath. His eyes were blood-shot and had turned from blue to dark, dark red, maybe even black.
"Whoa," Raph grunted, holding still as Leo tipped slightly as if drunk. Below, he heard clanging and the hushed voices of his brothers. "Leo, come on. Snap outta it!"
A snarl rose from his brother, purely bestial. Raph leapt back just as Don and Mike topped the roof… and just as Leo transformed.
The first thing to go was his eyes. They turned blood red and slitted. Then, he grew scales, large black ones. His fingers became huge claws, and wings sprouted from his back until he was half-turtle, half-dragon. Next, he grew a tail and his shell became scales.
A pure black dragon about the size of a small horse faced the three brothers now. Dragon-Leo hissed as Don pulled out a tranquilizer gun, amazingly calm, and shot at Dragon-Leo. The needle bounced off his scales and he turned to Don, roaring angrily.
"Leo!" Raph called, trying to give Don the time he needed to load another shot, this one colored red. The dragon turned to look at Raph, and then sat down quite suddenly.
Raph… Help! A voice pleaded to Raph in his head. It sounded like Leo, but more animalistic.
"Leo! What's going on?"
I… Ahhh! I don't know. Please, Raph, it hurts.
"How can we get you back to turtle form?" Don asked, apparently picking up on the conversation. The dragon's eyes blazed anger and he stood, smoke trickling out of his nostrils.
The wing! It's not scale! Quick!
Now everyone heard Leo's "voice" and his frantic plea. Mikey nodded and drew his nunchucks. His could hit the dragon without hurting him or Leo with his blunt weapons, unlike Raph's Sai.
"Get his wing!" Don cried, holding up the tranquilizer.
Raph leapt up and caught the wing, using his weight to pin it down as the dragon struggled against the chain Mike fastened around his ankles. Finally, the subdued the dragon and it calmed just as quickly.
I've got control… for now. Quick, tranquillize me! I don't know how much longer I can-
Leo's cry was silenced as the dragon's eyes snapped open and he struggled again. Don aimed the tranquilizer and shot it right into the right wing joint, where flesh began and scales ended.
Thanks. That did it. Stand back. I'm going to try to break out of here. The dragon shuddered and then dissolved, leaving their brother lying on the pavement, bruised but not hurt badly.