Besides "A Family That Cares" and "Beauty and the Four Beasts", this is my third huge TMNT project. This one is a little different because it's based on the IDW comics, taking place before the events of "City Fall". Of course, the main character is going to be Leonardo...as well as an OC of mine, who will show why the story is called "Blue Haze". If you haven't read the IDW comics, I recommend you do and that they are worth reading. Rate and review!


Chapter 1: Uncharted Territory

"True tragedy isn't losing love; it's having all the love you need in front of you and choosing to throw it away." –Nishan Panwar


New York, 2013

There was a little more fog than usual in the night air of New York City. But the moon, a full one tonight, managed to poke through the thick gray blanket that covered the black sky. For once, the city was quiet; the noise of traffic and the burning lights were lost in the vacuum and heaviness of the fog. However…one thing was able to break through the dreadful silence.

The sound of an engine…a bus engine.

From one of the many roads leading into New York City, this one leading in from the south, a lone Greyhound bus crept slowly through the night, the headlights piercing through the mist. It was a bit of an older bus, as indicated by the engine backfiring several times. The inside of the bus was just as old; many of the seats had holes in them with rotting yellow foam and thread spilling out. But it wasn't like the passengers cared; they were either asleep or absorbed in whatever electronic device they had.

All except for one.

Someone sat in the very back, staying hidden from the view of everyone including the bus driver. No one even acknowledged this figure's existence, and that's how they wanted it. The individual sat quietly in the rigid old leather seat in the back…trying not to let anyone know how violently their body trembled. They…she secretly hoped no one would catch on. She hoped they wouldn't catch on to her violently-shaking body…she hoped they wouldn't catch on to her efforts to muffle her desire to scream by biting down on her lip, drawing blood. She managed to unwrap one of her trembling arms away from her torso to pull her hood further over her head, forcing herself to look out the bus window.

And the moment her eyes weakly focused on the moon…she saw it.

The shadow.

Her brown eyes blinked rapidly, trying to get herself to make sure she wasn't just hallucinating. But…it was no hallucination from her internal pain. She saw a shadow hopping around on the rooftops of the old apartment buildings…and that one shadow was followed by three more. They looked almost like people…but why were they hopping around on rooftops in the middle of the night…and why did their backs look so huge? If she wasn't crazy…they looked almost like SHELLS.

Maybe she WAS hallucinating from the pain.

The moment the bus stopped, her internal prayers were finally answered when the pain subsided…though this feeling was bittersweet. The pain would come back at some random time, usually worse than the previous, and she would have to find some alley where she could crawl to and try to muffle her screams. She didn't want people to see her agony…and she didn't want people to get hurt…no matter if they were bad or good.

"All right, we're at the station!" The bus driver shouted with his scratchy, pack-a-day voice. "Everybody off!"

The other passengers jolted awake from their naps or from their current game of Angry Birds to pay heed to the driver's command…though the mystery passenger was more than hesitant. She wanted to keep going…and she didn't care if the bus suddenly lost control and crashed into a building or went into the water of the East Coast…she wanted it all to end.

But she wasn't going to take the easy way out. Why New York was calling out to her she didn't know…but maybe here she could find a way to be solace back to her already-shattered life. With a weak sigh, she lifted herself off the musty old seat and trudged to the front of the bus. She already paid her fare, so she just wanted to get off of there no questions asked…though her appearance alone, namely the baggy hoodie she wore with the hood pulled all the way over her head, made the driver suspicious.

"'Ey, you." He grunted, stopping her with the edge of his hand. "Yer not from 'round 'ere, are ya?"

She gulped and didn't turn to face the overweight man; why did this have to happen now? She licked her lips nervously before mumbling in a pained voice, "…N-No sir…not from 'round here…"

"What's a kid yer age doin' in the Big Apple by yerself?" He questioned further. "Ya not supervised?"

Great…this guy just had to be inquisitive. Well…now was the time to cook up some clever lie on the spot, but she could at least be truthful about where she came from…the rest would have to be a work of fiction. Still not removing her hood, she went on to say, "…I'm from Baton Rouge…came to stay with family…"

The man whistled. "All the way from Louisiana? Geez kid…your family must really want you stay if you came all the way from THERE." He suddenly took his hand away and allowed her the freedom to go forward again. "All right kid…yer free ta go. Welcome to New York."

She nodded before breathing out a sigh and solemnly stepping off the metal steps of the bus. Once the large vehicle steadily pulled away, she gazed around at her new surroundings…her new home. The buildings stretched so tall she had a hard time seeing the sky, and the lights blocked out the stars much to her chagrin. Feeling a chill in the air, since it was close to autumn, she began to make a slow walk down the sidewalk.

Tonight…everything would be a fresh start…but would she live long enough to see it?


He suddenly knew that something in the air had changed. Why the atmosphere suddenly felt different, he couldn't explain…but he wondered if it had anything to do with increase in the criminal activity in New York. Having to deal with ninjas was one thing…but topping that with French ninjas that knew parkour along with the existing Mafia members stationed here brought on more than a migraine. And then these revelations that past lives existed for them…things were getting stranger and stranger.

But what was causing this new sense of foreboding?

"Leo?" A voice called from in front of him. "Dude, snap out of it, will ya? We gotta get home!"

Leonardo shook his head, snapping himself out of whatever trance he was in, and turned to his baby brother. "I'm coming Mikey…just give me a second!"

Michelangelo shrugged before joining Raphael and Donatello in the run back home. Normally, Leonardo would be the first in line to get back to the sewers and back with Splinter…but all of a sudden, the eldest of the brothers started to act strange, something he couldn't explain. As mutant turtles, it was best they didn't stay out too late, lest they be seen by humans that didn't include Casey or April, or even Angel. Still…he couldn't shake this feeling…like there was someone out there that needed them…or at least didn't need to be left alone. It was making him think of his mother…a memory he cherished, but at the same time it broke his heart.

But he didn't need to be standing around wondering about a strange feeling…he needed to get back home before the Foot located them.

Jumping from the roof of the local fortune-teller's parlor, he made his way to catching up with his brothers; Raph probably wanted to challenge him to another race. Of course, he would just beat him as usual. That thought brought a rare smile to his usually-serious face.


As Leonardo left his post on the parlor rooftop, someone came walking from below…it was none-other than the mystery passenger. She was completely oblivious to what had been going on above her…though for a second she stopped to turn her head to the roof. She didn't hear anything…but she definitely felt something…like a presence. But her mind had been so out of whack lately that she just played it off as simple paranoia. It was at that moment she realized she was in front of a fortune-teller's parlor.

"…Haven't been to one 'a these in a while…" She mumbled to herself.

Though she wasn't really into fortune-telling compared to some kids she knew from the French Quarter, a place she knew well-enough to stay away from, it often helped as some sort of stress reliever. Plus…maybe she could find some unique difference between the mediums of New York and Louisiana. So without hesitation, she opened the door and went inside the dark building.

"…Hello?" She asked shakily as she walked in, brushing past a crystal ball and a skull with a candle on top.

"Come in…" A Romanian-accented voice beckoned calmly. "Come in, dear child…"

The mystery girl gulped and stepped forward, noticing candlelight coming from a back room hidden by a thin curtain. Pulling back one of her oversized sleeves she moved the curtain out of the way and found the candles on the table, cards laid out in a perfect row. She recognized them immediately as Tarot cards; she had been to some Tarot readings and knew the works. Not wanting to be rude, she found a chair next to the table and sat down.

"Um…h-hello…" She greeted to the source of the voice. "S-Sorry to come in so late…"

Through the candlelight, she could see a woman, maybe in her thirties or forties, with short black hair and a bandanna on her head. She also had on a silk sweater along with a denim skirt. She could see a smile on the woman's bright-red lips as she leaned forward. "My child…at this time of night, I gladly accept those who are not readily welcomed by society…no matter who or what they are."

She breathed a sigh of relief; maybe this woman could tell somehow that she was coming. She folding her trembling hands in her lap and bit down on her bottom lip. "Well…long as I'm here…I guess I could request a reading…"

The medium smiled and began to shuffle the cards. "Glad to hear." She suddenly laid out some cards on the table before adding, "You seem to be familiar with Tarot cards."

"W-Well…I went to a few readings before…and some kids I hung out with…were from the French Quarter. A lot of Tarot stuff's done down there…"

"Nice to know you're familiar with the process." The medium paused and drew some cards. "Let us see what the cards say about you…"

The girl watched as the woman drew some cards and laid them out…but it seemed her attention was focused on three in particular. She stared at those cards, their backs to her, before the woman flipped the first one over. This one showed a picture of a man traveling with only a few belongings with a dog as his companion.

"Ah…seems your first card is The Fool in the upright position." The woman mused. "Coming to New York means that you are about to embark on a personal journey…a play in life in which you are the leading role. And through this journey, you will meet many people who will shape your life…and you theirs."

She watched as the medium flipped the second card. This one showed the moon in the sky, a dog and a wolf howling at it, and a crawdad crawling out of a pool of water.

"Oh dear…your second card is The Moon…also in the upright position. You are uncertain…you are plagued with fear. And it seems to be something other than the fear of the unknown…something has you terribly frightened."

The girl gulped; this woman was right about her being afraid. What was happening to her…it would make anyone afraid…especially if it was something beyond their control. She certainly hoped that the lady wouldn't question her as to what was causing her fear; if this woman knew exactly what was within her…there's no telling what would happen.

"But if you are too uncomfortable to disclose your fear…that is understandable." She suddenly moved her hand over the third and final card. "Now…let's see what else is in your future."

She watched as the medium flipped the card over, revealing a man with a crown sitting on a throne holding a staff. This one looked familiar, but she wasn't sure what it was until the woman spoke again.

"How intriguing…in your future is The Emperor." She paused and looked the card over again and again. "Seems this does not represent you in particular…but someone you will encounter. You will encounter an authority figure, maybe a leader or someone of importance. But what this means…has yet to be seen. Maybe if you come again after meeting this person…everything will be much clearer."

The girl nodded and fiddled her hands in her lap. So…she was supposedly starting on a journey, she was definitely consumed by fear, and she was supposed to meet some leader. She was satisfied with that…though she didn't really buy the first and third parts. Still…it was nice to meet someone so welcoming…

"T-Thank you…" She nervously muttered as she started to get up.

"Wait child…" The woman stopped her. "Please remove your hood…and tell me your name… Someone like you has intrigued my interest…"

She hesitated for a moment…but maybe she could trust this woman. But…she wasn't exactly going to let her get close. After a moment, she reached up and pulled her hood back to finally reveal her face. She had tanned skin…pained brown eyes, dark brown smooth, short hair, large hoop earrings along with a small nose ring…and full lips bitten down on several times. After another moment filled with uncomfortable silence…she finally decided to reveal her name.

"M-My name is…Sharese…LaBouff…"


A nice, warm bed always felt good, especially when you were cold-blooded. Despite what he hoped, Leonardo and his brothers ran into a few Foot ninjas along with some Savate ninjas. His entire body felt sore after the encounter, and all he wanted was a good night's sleep. It was strange…despite the fact that the Foot targeted them all…they seemed particularly interested in HIM. Why? What did he have that they wanted? He didn't want to think about it…he didn't want to think about the Foot…he didn't want to think of anything related to enemy ninjas. How he wished for peace…for a chance to breathe…

And then he remembered the feeling he got from standing on the roof of the fortune-teller parlor.

He sighed and placed his arms behind his head, lying on his shell on his mattress. He really didn't know how to explain this feeling…but it was along the lines of someone crying…no, begging for help on the spiritual level. As a ninja and thanks to meditation, his senses of the spiritual realm heightened more than that of his brothers; Donatello had the lowest because he had more faith in technology. But for him to experience a sense like that…whoever was in need seemed to have extreme power on the spiritual plain…or of the soul.

He glanced over to his side and couldn't help but smile; his brothers were sleeping away as if they didn't have a care in the world. Donnie always slept on his plastron with his face buried in the pillow, Raph slept on his side with his pillow clutched in his hand, and Mikey slept on his shell with his sheets kicked off and whimpering like a little puppy.

How he wished he could be like them…

But right now he couldn't sleep…not with that feeling still nagging at his mind. If it was a spiritual feeling…he knew he could consult his father on the issue. But for tonight…he would enjoy this sleep…one
that wasn't disturbed by Old Hob, Baxter Stockman, Krang, the Foot Clan…any of their adversaries.

Little did Leonardo realize…he had this spiritual feeling for a reason…and he would find out that he was probably the only hope for someone in dire need of spiritual restraint…


She felt lucky to find a dumpster containing old bedsheets thrown away by someone who was able to decorate their house after a long time. Dumpster diving was natural for her in the years that times turned tough…but somehow she always found a way to survive. It would have been much more favorable if she found a homeless shelter and spent the night there.

But…

If she did that…so many people would be put in danger.

She clutched her arms to her chest once again when she felt a sharp pain course through her veins; great, it was happening again. She started to bite her lips, then, when that didn't work anymore, started to bite down on her tongue until the metallic taste of blood flooded her mouth. Scowling, she spit out the pinkish saliva and only watched as it landed on the cold asphalt. She proceeded to pull her knees to her chest and lay down in the fetal position, praying for this to end.

To think…it was only a month ago that she was normal…and then…she was given something she never asked for…and got it in a way that no one would want to fathom.

But starting tomorrow…Sharese LaBouff would try to live out her new life the best she could…and she would live it alone.