AJORGFBIGN:RFNP: - That's me right now. THE NEW EPISODE! THE. NEW. EPISODE. You don't even understand what this has done to me. My baaaabieeeees! *cough* Well, I was going to wait to upload this because this and what is now the next chapter easily go together, but I just can't. I have to put this out here before my canon world is completely destroyed. That's not to say the actual canon isn't beautifully amazing (far more complicated), but I like the 'canon' story I'm establishing.

Also, I must say I don't exactly know where this particular story is going. I have a lot of ideas I want to get out there and will be in this story, but I'm not sure exactly how connected it will all be. Actually this was initially only going to be two parts and the idea for this chapter didn't exist. But...now it does. So have fun reading. I know I loved writing it!

~There's always more than one way to see things. It's how you deal with your interpretation that makes you either a confidant or an enemy. ~

Their visits continued with increasing frequency. Not just that, but the interactions they pursued became increasingly intimate. Simple soft kisses turned into fierce make out sessions and sometimes that continued on to Karai trailing kisses down his neck. Leo was ever excited for the possibilities and his days spent with his brothers and father lost more and more of its contentedness.

With each day he longed for her as he sparred with Raph, or when he was learning a new skill, even when he was supposed to be listening. He admitted that there were even times where he completely zoned out as he imagined himself with her in their secret place. In all honesty even Space Heroes didn't keep him as captivated as before. And when it did it was only the romance plots because he could imagine the characters as Karai and himself. He was slowly changing in what his logical side deemed the worst of ways.

The worst part was that he was also becoming careless. He tried his best to keep up the act of thinking nothing of her, but it was becoming impossible. And his brothers were finally starting to notice. Splinter was even getting a bit suspicious as well. There was no denying it.

It started to tumble in a steep downward slope one night as he prepared to leave the lair like always at some time near two. He was quite honestly exhausted. He was getting less sleep because of these excursions too. Sometimes he didn't come back until the last minute, close to six, and got no sleep. Maybe that's what really tipped Sensei off. Maybe that's why he really got caught.

"Leonardo." Splinter's voice reverberated through the lair.

Leo froze instantly. His body tensed up, his hands clenching into tight fists, and his face twisted into one akin to a child caught with their hand in the cookie jar. His eyes squeezed shut, as if to make the whole scene disappear completely, and his teeth gritted together so hard it almost hurt.

Once Splinter saw his child had stilled, he asked, "Where do you think you are going?" His voice still held its commanding tone, although it was much lower this time so as not to wake the others.

Leo slowly turned around to face his father in the darkness. By the time he'd made it all the way around he'd smoothed out his face and unclenched his hands so that he looked at least somewhat natural. There was still undeniable nervousness about him and very real fear shown in his blue eyes.

"Leonardo." He urged him on with the underlying threat in his tone.

Leo swallowed hard. He forced a smile that only made him look more tired and weak. "I'm sorry Sensei." He breathed. He slumped slightly. "I'm just really stressed." It was only a half lie, so it sounded real. Karai had also been teaching him how to lie, even right to a person's face.

Splinter raised a brow. Fire burned in his brown eyes as he stared down hard at his eldest son.

Leonardo saw the question in his gaze. He sighed. "I'm not doing so hot in training," He elaborated with all due carefulness. He stepped among his words as if one misuse would be the death of him. And it wasn't all that crazy of a notion.

"Indeed." Splinter nodded imperceptibly.

Leo started fidgeting with his hands and tapped his fingers together conspicuously. "And it's really getting to me. I just…I just need to get out for a bit. Alone." He met Splinter's gaze with surprising confidence.

Splinter stared right back with only slightly less intense eyes. "You realize my son that these late outings could be the cause of your poor performance."

It was then that Leo nearly faltered. It was all he could do to hide the shock in his blue eyes and hold his mouth in a firm line. "What do you mean?" There was an edge of laughter that he knew made him sound suspicious. "I don't do this every day."

Spinter's eyes ignited all over again. "Is that so?" He dared Leo to continue lying to him.

Leo swallowed hard. He ducked his head. "Yes," He picked up his head and nodded with more firmness than he thought he possessed. "I just…I need my space." His eyes widened and practically begged not as a student to their sensei, but as a son to their father. "Please."

Splinter tried with all his might to keep up a displeased and no nonsense front, but in the face of his son's pleading expression it was impossible. He sighed heavily. He lowered his head and closed his eyes, breathing in deeply.

Leo waited patiently, at least on the outside. He was late. Again. "Father?" He pressed. He wanted so badly, no, needed, to go. He needed to feel her touch, to be reassured that she was still there for him. Any other outcome would practically strangle him with fear.

Splinter opened his eyes and stared with a certain sadness at his son. He was getting so many mixed signals as of late. He was almost certain Leo wasn't going out for a breather as he so adamantly claimed. He was also pretty sure his son was partaking in something underhanded, or at least something that he wouldn't approve of. The tiredness, lack of focus in training, and overall lack of enthusiasm as of late made it painfully obvious. There was just one thing he didn't know – why? What was the real reason? "Please don't stay out too late."

Leo's face lit up like the fourth of July. A wide grin spread across his face and his eyes danced with life. "Oh thank you Sensei!" He leapt forward and wrapped his arms around Splinter in a warm embrace. He even nuzzled him as an afterthought. "Thank you! Thank you!"

Splinter smiled softly. He wrapped an arm loosely around Leo.

Leo pulled away within a few seconds. He gave one last grateful fleeting look and then he was turning on his heel. He was running out of the lair.

At the last second Splinter called after him. "But please!" His soft smile fell into a worried frown. "Be careful."

Leo stopped and looked back. He smiled. "I will." Then he was gone.

Even as he said it though he knew it was no possible. As much as he loved her and as much as he was sure she loved him, there was no way to guarantee safety. They were like Romeo and Juliet. With families at war, danger was always hanging right above their heads.

As he told himself this, he subconsciously made a decision he would not realize until weeks later. But he knew unequivocally that his father would never understand. It was also something he would do with each of his brothers in the weeks to come, right up until everything fell to pieces.

X Enemy X

…

Nothing particularly noteworthy happened at home for him after that night. He always felt the sinking feeling that he was being watched as he crept out every night, but he quickly became used to it. Or at the very least ignored it. He knew it was Splinter. He watched Leo like a hawk even in the daytime now. He knew Leo was a liar. But as long as he let him be Leo had little reason to complain, just a sort of bitter aftertaste of knowing he was ruining what was once such a strong and trusting relationship. And all for a girl, a girl everyone would tell him wasn't worth it for all the reasons in the world.

It was amazing, but it wasn't Raph who questioned him first or the most harshly. It was actually Donnie. It was kind of random too. Leo had just been sitting there during a break period, nodding in and out of sleep and thinking constantly of Karai.

"That's it!" Don's voice rang out. He marched over in front of Leo and stood tall, a little intimidating in his stature. His arms were crossed and his face contorted in irritation.

Leo glanced dully up at Donnie. "What's it?" He murmured. He watched Don as if waiting for some revelation. 'That's it' came as more of a triumph than an angry last straw sort of cry.

"You!" He snapped.

Leo's expression remained unchanged. "What about me?" He lifted his arm enough to rest his chin in his hand.

"Don't play dumb with me!" His eyes narrowed at his eldest brother. "That may work on Mikey, but I'm no fool. I know something is going on."

Leo couldn't be bothered to be surprised he was so exhausted from his continued visits with Karai. That was honestly best anyway. If Donnie could see how worried he really was on the inside at the prospect of someone else being on his trail, then he would only hound Leo more.

Don didn't wait for Leo to respond. Honestly their leader looked half dead. "I mean, just look at you!" He thrust his hands out toward Leo. "You're like a zombie! You just go through the motions every day. You barely try in training and you can barely keep your eyes open from day to day."

"So what?" Leo shrugged. "I'm a little tired, a little off. It's just stress. Maybe I'm sick, I dunno."

Don snorted loudly. "Sick my foot! I've observed you and every sign you exhibit tells me that this is no illness. Definitely not an accident." He paused for dramatic effect. "You're doing this to yourself. And you're going to get us killed!"

Leo perked at this. He raised a brow. "Excuse me?" He said with bubbling annoyance.

Don smirked. "You heard me."

Leo found it in him to glare up at his younger brother. He even lifted his head from his hand and pushed himself into a standing position. It gave him a more powerful feeling, but he was still undeniably shorter than Donnie. "I've not done anything to put any one of you in danger."

Don scoffed. "Yet." He quipped. "But what about when we get out there and face a real enemy? What happens when we face the Foot?"

Leo reflexively cringed at the mention of them. Inevitably his thoughts raced to Karai. That was all he imagined when he thought of facing them now. Shredder was a thing of the past.

Don saw his reaction and quickly misinterpreted it. He thought he was getting through to him and pressed even harder. "What if it's the Shredder? Or that dangerous witch – Karai was it?"

Leo felt his skin crawl. His ground his teeth hard as he forced himself to hold in a biting remark. He was all but seething. No one called Karai a witch. She wasn't a witch. She was a person, just like anyone else. And she loved him. More importantly, he loved her. "Shut up."

A flicker of surprise passed over Don's face. "What?" He honestly thought he had misheard.

Leo wanted to scream it in his face, but he held back. "I said leave me alone." He growled. "Nothing's wrong with me! I'm just tired! So beat it."

Don glowered at Leo. He almost turned to leave, at least he wanted Leo to think that, when a devious smile formed on his lips. "Really?" He took a step forward, dangerously close to Leo. "Then how's about I ask you one more thing since you're so innocent."

Leo's fists clenched instinctively. He didn't like where this was going.

"Where did you get the sword?" He looked Leo dead in the eye. He dared Leo to lie to him. He wasn't stupid. There was something going on here. He wasn't going to pretend to know what, but he was slowly understanding the implications more and more with each passing day.

Leo blanched. "S-Sword?" He cursed himself for stuttering.

Don nodded. "That's right, the sword. You know, the one that usually hangs on your wall." The amusement dancing in his eyes faded into anger. "Right. By. Your poster."

Leo wanted to play it off, but he knew that wasn't possible. He knew what Donnie was saying. "You rat!" He cried. "You went in my room!?" It took all the strength in the world not to tackle Donnie and strangle him. The lack of sleep was really doing a number on his decision making abilities.

"Oh stop it!" Don rolled his eyes. "You act like it's sacred ground. Now answer me!" He demanded. "Where did it come from?"

Leo growled deep in his throat. "I found it." He answered stiffly.

"What?" Don looked at Leo as if he were stupid. "You just 'found' a sword?"

Leo looked smugly at Don. "Yep." He glared up at him. "Got a problem with that?"

Don made a loud aggravated noise. "You don't just 'find' a sword on the streets of New York! This place isn't some manufacturing plant for things like that."

Leo made a sound of annoyance. "Well I did."

"Really?" Don drew something from behind his back where his Bo staff usually hung. "Then you won't mind if it suddenly went missing."

A fire ignited within Leo and his rage nearly bubbled over. "You." He seethed. "You thief! Give it back!" He jumped at Donnie. He was done restraining himself.

Don chuckled. He leapt back, smoothly avoiding Leo's grab. "Why?" He taunted. He waved the sword around, just out of Leo's reach. "Why does it matter what I do with a sword you 'just found' on the ground? It shouldn't mean anything to you." His eyes narrowed and amusement died. "Unless you're lying."

Leo made another more desperate go at Don. "GIVE IT BACK!" He threw his whole body at Donnie.

Don started. He had no time to dodge.

Leo took him to the ground and they both grunted as they hit the ground. Leo gripped Don's arm with all the strength in the world to try and hold it still as he used the other to grab at the precious weapon. "I swear Donnie!" He was tainting it! He was ruining his memento! "If you don't give me it back I'm going to hurt you!"

Don's eyes widened as the threat cut across him like a physical act. It was heavy and he believed it more than he ever thought he could. In that moment he was almost sure that Leo would in fact hurt him. What was wrong with Leo?

Raph was walking by in that instant, headed to the training dummy. Hearing Leo's sincere threat he started and swiveled around. This looked bad. He didn't want to be a rat, but he couldn't trust himself to resolve this issue properly either. So he uncharacteristically ran for Splinter.

Leo gripped the sword and pulled as hard as he could. If only Donnie would let go. "Let. GO."

Don almost complied. But as his hold loosened it strengthened all over again. Rage filled his face. "No! Not until you tell me what the hell's wrong with you! Why does this sword mean anything to you!? Where did you really get it!? Who is doing this to you!?"

Leo gasped. His eyes widened and for a minute he froze. Donnie had gotten it. He had actually figured it out. With just the clue of a sword he realized that a person was behind all of Leo's behavior.

Don's eyes widened for an instant and then triumph set in. "I knew it." He smirked. He used Leo's dazed reaction to his advantage and jerked the sword away.

As his grip slipped he fell back into place in his reality. Fury took hold and he wrapped both his hands around Donnie's wrist. He pulled back. "Shut up!" He snarled. "And give it back!" There was a dangerous look about him, yet at the same time desperation shown through. But this only served to make him look all the more intimidating.

"Enough!" A booming voice overtook them.

In an instant it was over. Leo jerked his head up and sucked in a sharp breath. His heart skipped a beat as he laid eyes on Splinter. He swallowed hard as he scampered up off of Donnie. "Sensei…" He bowed his head ever so slightly.

Don groaned softly as the pressure was so suddenly removed from his stomach. He sat up and turned around, also a bit afraid of being caught by Splinter.

"What is the meaning of this!?" He shot daggers with his eyes.

Leo surprised them all with his reaction. His submissive appearance transformed in an instant. His eyes narrowed, a deep frown formed on his lips and he held his head high, confident. "Donnie was in my room!" He pointed angrily down at his younger brother. "He took one of my things! And I want it back!"

Splinter raised a brow. "Is that so?" He murmured with no less authority. "Donatello, why did you take your brother's things?"

Don stood up. He too looked up at the Sensei with something more than submissiveness. "I had to!" He insisted. "He's been acting weird for weeks now! And I knew this had something to do with it!" He glanced smugly back at Leo. "I just had to test it."

"You shouldn't take things from your brother, especially not from his room." He quickly turned his fiery gaze back to Leo. "However, you should never attack your brother like that. You are the leader and-"

"I know!" Leo practically screamed. It stunned everyone. "I know I have to be perfect or whatever! But we're not in danger right now. And I'm just a teenager. So why can't I be allowed to act my age? Just for this little time I have."

Donnie rounded on him. He pointed the sword at Leo. "Because you're putting us all in danger!"

Splinter sensed his son ready to pounce and quickly intervened. "Donatello," He commanded total obedience. "What do you mean by that?"

Don lowered the sword and faced Splinter. "Sensei," He breathed deeply. "Leo is seeing someone right underneath our noses."

"Liar!" Leo jumped in. His desperation was quickly rising. Donnie was going to ruin everything.

Splinter gave Leo a sharp look.

Donnie went on. "I don't know who. I need time to investigate. But I know he is seeing someone." He raised the sword. "This sword is proof of it."

Splinter reached out to take the weapon.

Leo couldn't take it anymore. He moved with blinding speed, speed he honestly didn't think he possessed. He snatched the sword from Donnie and held it close.

"Leonardo." Splinter advanced on him. He held out his hand, giving him one chance to give it up willingly. "Give it to me."

Leonardo's eyes caught fire. "No!" He refused without hesitation. He drew the sword closer still. "I won't! It's not yours or Donnie's or anyone's! It's mine!"

Donnie scowled darkly at Leo. "Stop being a brat!"

Splinter was slowly losing his temper. "Leonardo," He focused his hard eyes on his eldest son. "Be reasonable."

"I said no!" He couldn't believe it even when he felt it, but tears burned at his eyes. They clouded his vision and made his voice waver like a broken child. And with his next words his hopelessness truly showed through. His voice was weak and wavering. "It's important to me…"

Splinter's eyes softened like any father's would, but he now studied Leo intently. He was afraid of what this all meant. His son sneaking out at night added to his sudden attachment to a strange usually meaningless object, not to mention his growing rebellious attitude, it all equaled something that Splinter really didn't want to think about. "Alright." So he didn't pry.

"What!?" Don whirled around. His eyes were wide and full of bewilderment. "Sensei! You can't be serious!"

Splinter sighed heavily. "Donatello, leave your brother alone. He's been stressed as of late. This is just his way of coping." He lied to them all, mostly to himself. "And I also mean you can not, as you said, investigate him and his actions."

Leo's face softened. He stared up at Sensei with eyes now full of happy tears. His smile was broken, but genuine. "Thank you…" He whispered. He clenched the precious sword closer to him as he made a low bow.

Don seethed. His face was visibly turning red.

Splinter smiled sadly at Leo's suddenly bright yet still terribly broken face. He had the worst of feelings that his son's escapades were going to hurt him in the end.

Leo snapped back up and scampered away. He made a beeline for his room and didn't stop to look back. He could feel it anyway – the way Donnie's eyes burned a whole straight through him. Then he flung himself on the bed I released a shaky sigh. Finally, at least this was over.

"Why?" Donnie's shoulders sagged and an absolutely disgruntled expression was plastered across his face. "You know it isn't true." He saw it just below the surface of Splinter's eyes.

Splinter turned his distressed gaze to Donnie. He couldn't even bring himself to smile anymore. "I know my son." He whispered in all due sadness. "But I can't control you all forever. You have to make your own decisions, no matter how unwise they may be."

Don grumbled something beneath his breath. He averted his eyes as he crossed his arms firmly over his chest.

"What?" Splinter had caught one word from his son's murmurings and it compelled him to know all of it. "What did you say?" He was even holding his breath.

Don almost told him off, but at the last second he say how truly conflicted and sad his father was. Instead he sighed softly and said, "Just because you ignore it, doesn't make it any less true." He stepped toward Splinter and opened his arms just enough to indicate he was there if Splinter needed it.

Splinter nodded stiffly. He walked forward and wrapped his arms around Donnie's shoulders. He held him tight and pressed himself firmly against his child. It took all he had not to break. "I know my son." He breathed. "Sometimes…it's just easier."

"I know." Donnie hugged him back.

In his room Leo curled up in the sheets of his bed. He had returned the sword to its place and was staring intently at it. All the while he could sense the despair and anger vibrating from his father and brother. It made his heart clench up in bitter sadness.

He should have known there was no way to win in this game he was playing. He even thought it was quite possibly worse than Romeo and Juliet. At least they had a plan of escape, even if it did end badly. As for him and Karai, they had nothing but piles of lies and a measly secret place that was surely not long for remaining hidden.

And Donnie hadn't helped. He made Leo feel lower than dirt. Not to mention he nearly dragged out the truth. Things could not get worse. At least that's what he thought.

X Enemy X

…

The next time he met Karai he told her what had happened. She listened intently until he came to the end of his tale. Then she erupted. "You idiot!" She snapped. She glared daggers into him. Her eyes were made of fire. "What were you thinking!? It's just a dumb sword!"

Leo ducked his head reflexively. "But it's your sword." He murmured. "It's important to me. I-"

"I don't care! It's not worth this!" She waved her hands around in the space provided. "Would you really rather have that sword than me!? Because that's what's about to happen!"

Leo's eyes widened and the air rushed out of his lungs. His mouth was agape and slight quivers were visible in his body. "No…" He choked out.

"Yes." She hissed. "Your carelessness is going to ruin everything. Do you know how hard it is to sneak around daddy all the time?" She didn't give him a chance to answer. "I'm near impossible!"

"I didn't mean to…" He weakly argued. He was so exhausted. And by this point he wasn't sure if it was the lack of sleep or the emotional turmoil that was doing him in.

Karai sighed irritably. She huffed and crossed her arms over her chest. She wouldn't even look at him anymore. "Look, this is getting too hard."

Leo was instantly on guard. He felt his heart stop dead. "What?" He almost didn't want to ask. Clarification of the obvious wouldn't only make it that much more real.

Karai swallowed her pity as his tone tried to rip her to shreds on the inside. "We need to stop. Or at least take a break."

Leo was suddenly furious. "No!" He yelled louder than he meant to. He felt like Raphael – completely run by emotions. "No! You can't do this! You don't understand!"

Karai whirled on him. "I don't understand?" She spat. "You're the one who doesn't understand. You're the one who did this!"

"I didn't do anything!" He bit back. His hands clenched into fists and shook noticeably. ""I just told you the truth! I thought you would understand! I thought I could trust you to help…when I couldn't trust the rest of them…"

Karai cringed at his jab. He was broken in so many different ways. It hurt her to see him reduced to this, especially when it was all her fault. Yet she refused to show the same weakness back to him. She scowled fiercely. "Well I guess you were wrong." Still bitterness seeped into her tone. "I told you I'm not good."

Leo made a sound as if he had just been punched in the gut. He tried to recover from it, but pain was all that showed on his face. Tears were even starting to blur his vision. He swallowed hard. "Fine." He squeezed out.

Karai could feel her resolve slowly breaking down. She needed to get out of here – and fast! If there was one thing she prided herself on it was her image. She might let her guard down and cuddle up to him and kiss him, but never would she cry or even show simple sympathy. She had been taught it was the worst kind of weakness.

Leo's shoulder's twitched as he fought against his body's desire to curl in on itself. "Then go."

Karai averted her eyes. She crawled over him to the window and he scooted to her previous spot. She placed her hand on the rim, then paused. She hesitated. She foolishly looked back at Leo. He didn't know she was looking, she could tell because he was wiping at his face.

It took Leo a moment, but he finally noticed her stilled form. He glared with all he had in him, which wasn't much. "What?" He growled. It only sounded defeated.

Karai drew her hands back and turned to face Leo once more. She stared sadly at him. Her heart hurt so much as she watched him. "I'm sorry…" She scarcely said above a whisper.

A single sob forced its way from his throat. He caught the rest before they spilled out and he hid his face with one hand.

Karai tentatively reached out. She had been quite harsh. She honestly didn't think she deserved to even touch him anymore. She even hesitated as her fingers came within an inch of him. Then she broke out of it and let her fingers curl around his wrist.

Leo nearly jerked away. He even snapped his head up as if she might be some sort of dangerous animal that he needed to protect himself from. Yet the sentiment died on his face as he let his eyes fall shut and the tears slowly slipped down his face. A grimace stretched across the length of his face.

Karai knew then that it was alright. She pulled him over into her space. She laid his head against her chest and she wrapped gentle, careful arms around him. "Please don't cry." She was bewildered by how much like a plea it sounded. She breathed in deeply. "Please…"

Leo allowed soft choked sobs to escape at last. Finally after weeks upon weeks of sleep deprivation and suspicion and all hell, he broke. He shattered like a china doll. He held onto her like she was his life support. He pressed hard into her frame and prayed that each moment would not be the last.

Karai lifted a hand and gently stroked his head. "I'm sorry…" A single tear of her own slipped down her perfect face.

It took a while, but he eventually calmed down. He was so soothed that he even fell asleep in her arms. And for a moment he could pretend none of it had happened, not even her. But by morning the cold hard reality was undeniable.

They talked calmly then. It ended with the decision to not come there for a whole week. Besides, a week wasn't really all that long. And it would give them the rest they so desperately needed. He'd see, that's what she told him. He'd be alright without her.

He nodded in agreement, but the minute she was out of sight he wasn't so sure. A week was a long time, at least when you were waiting for something that you weren't even sure would ever come back. It was worse than waiting for new Space Heroes. All he could do was hope that he could trust her. And after what had nearly happened last night even that was hard to do anymore…

So! What did you think? I'm going to start adding a quote for every chapter (except the next one because it was supposed to be apart of this one). I find it fun. You'll understand why this doesn't fit into canon if you watched the newest episode. It kind of makes me sad but I knew it never would at the same time. I just thought I had more time to pretend this was canonish. Still, ALL THE FEELS FROM THAT EP!

Anyway, please review! :D