This is the first time I am writing in Leo's POV in first person. I would appreciate some feedback. Disclaimer: I don't own TMNT or A Doll House

Helmer: "I would gladly work night and day for you. Nora, bear sorrow and want for your sake. But no man would sacrifice his honor for the one he loves."

Nora: "It is a thing hundreds of thousands of women have done."

- Henrik Ibsen, A Doll House

I stealthily walk through the alleyways between nearly abandoned apartment buildings, careful not to let any humans see me. There's barely anyone here, but it's better to be safe than sorry. I avoid the exposure of the ivory moonlight. I am one of them now – the criminal, the gang member, the man lurking for his human prey, the children of the night who are too afraid to let the moon reveal their evil intentions. I am a dishonored ninja – worst of all a Foot Ninja – living in my own exile away from my family and friends. All of them believe that I have steered from the path of Bushido and took the narrow path that leads to a cliff where I take my fall from grace. In a way they're right, but the circumstances they were led to believe were completely false. And for their sake, it must stay that way.

My name is Hamato Leonardo, and once upon a time, I lived with honor.

Once upon a time, I would've been ashamed at myself if I lived with dishonor.

But on the bottom of the cliff side from my fall of grace, I learned that bitter taste of committing the worst kind of acts for the right reasons can be the most prideful feeling ever.

When Master Splinter told me Master Yoshi's last words were "he who lives without honor, will end without honor," I was humbly inspired by the man's philosophy and further dedicated my life to honor and bushido. I will protect my family with my hard trained ninja skills and lead my brothers the best that I could while never ever falling into the pits of dishonor like many a man I have seen. I will be better than that and make my family proud. After all there is nothing greater than honor.

When the Ancient One told me the story of Hamato Yoshi and his friend Yukio Mashimi, I was impressed at my "grandfather's" sense of right and wrong despite starving on the streets and his dedication to the Utroms. I strived to live up to my grandfather's example and defeat the monster of guilt that ate me alive. Eventually I did and came home only to discover Karai's act of betrayal. Any honor I thought she had was wiped away. No one hurts my family.

Then had Baxter Stockman secretly infect my brothers, Master Splinter, April and Casey with some kind of virus that can be activated and slowly and painfully kill my family. He captured me and gave me a choice: betray my family or see them die. Betraying my own family and friends was the worst thing in the world. To take their love and trust and smash it without a second thought while committing to the hands that seek to kill them. It is the most dishonorable thing a ninja or anyone could do. I was taught always to put honor above everything else. Even my own life.

But what about the lives of my loved ones? By choosing the path of honor, everyone I loved would lie cold in their graves while I lived. I would live with honor but live alone with only guilt to keep me company. How could I live when I would want to die? Is honor the only thing that truly matters? No ninjutsu master has ever written in their books about things that rank above honor. No words from Master Splinter have ever counseled me on this subject. They all said honor was the greatest thing for a ninja to possess. I knew I had to face this decision alone. And the answer came easily to me.

I made it out seemingly my family that I had betrayed them out of my own freewill. I helped killed innocent people. I have tortured a few even. I've seen their hatred for me and their disgust for the dishonor I possess. I have seen my family on the opposite side of the battlefield while I stood with Shredder. I have seen their confusion and anger, but I made sure they were not harmed or at least killed in battle. I had my ties to my family stripped from me, my honor shredded, my morals discarded, and my former life gone.

I have all of this happen to me, and I have done all of this, but I could not bring myself to regret my decision. My family was more important than my own sense of honor. Love is truly greater than honor. Perhaps one day, I'll be free from Shredder, and I'll plead for their forgiveness. Then I will write about my beliefs like the great and past ninjutsu masters have done. But for now, I hide from the moon in search of the Guardians.

So if an honorable ninja saw me in the bottom of my hole and preached, "He who lives without honor will end without honor."

I would tell him, "Perhaps that is so, but one who refuses to sacrifice honor for love, will die with neither honor nor love."