Disclaimer: I do not own the TMNT. I do own one character, however…
Summary: When Leonardo allows his honor to get the better of himself during a run, he gets more than he bargained for…
x-x-x-x
It was a quiet night in New York. For some, it was a blessing. For others, it raised suspicion. And yet, for four individuals, it was a mix of both.
There was nothing interesting on television, nor was there anything sinister on the news. It was truly a dull evening…even for those dwelling in the sewers.
"I'm going out for a run."
The silence had been broken, and it gained the attention of three of the other individuals…
"What?"
The one who had previously spoken stood up.
"I'm going out for a run."
One of the other individuals stood up as well.
"Leo, I know that it's boring staying underground, but…"
The first individual, Leo, shook his head.
"It's for training."
One of the other individuals muttered something about being a teacher's pet, which forced Leo's mouth into a stern frown of disapproval.
"Unlike you, Raph, some ninjas like to stay in shape and practice."
Raph emitted a growl, but remained silent otherwise. Another individual – a rat – emerged from a nearby room.
"While it is commendable that you desire to train so late at night, Leonardo, you need to be careful on the surface. Our appearances are much different from the surface-dwellers, and they would not understand. Remember, do not compromise our existence."
Leo bowed in respect.
"Yes, Master Splinter."
With that, Leonardo dashed out of the lair.
xxx
Dashing on the rooftops and leaping from building to building is a difficult activity to master. The correct speed is required to gain the right momentum to leap off of a rooftop and land carefully on another.
Not only that, but it requires a lot of stamina and agility to do so.
Leonardo knew this. Concentration, balance, and conserving energy were necessary to do this exercise, and he found it to be an interesting form of training. Not to mention that it was somewhat thrilling. But he also knew that he had to be on the lookout as well…
He stopped running, taking a breather on one of the rooftops before looking up at the sky.
Instead of seeing a clear sky with the moon casting its glow, he saw rain clouds forming. At this, he grimaced slightly. The rain was a mix of a good thing and a bad thing; for one, could be light and refreshing as he ran, or it could be a downpour and make the rooftops slippery.
Leo sighed. He would have to cut this training session short, which was a major disappointment…
He turned and started to run back in the direction of the lair. He would have to train again tomorrow night…
Suddenly, he noticed movement down on the streets below. After a few seconds of debating whether or not to check it out, his curiosity overtook him and he found himself leaping down to another building that was closer to the ground. He rushed over to the edge and looked down to see what was going on.
Not surprisingly, it appeared to be someone getting chased by a larger person…or so it seemed to be, at first. Upon further inspection, it looked like a kid was being chased by a gang of angry teenagers and adults.
Leonardo watched, stunned, as the child was chased down the streets. He found himself leaping from building to building, following the chase, but being mindful of where he was going at the same time.
He watched at where the gang was chasing the kid, thinking, 'Don't go into an alley, don't go into an alley…'
Alas, the child had been so focused on the gang that it had not been paying attention to where it was going. It ran into an alley, crashing into the closed-off wall before getting back up and turning around. Its back was pressed firmly against the wall as it watched in terror as the gang slowly closed in around their prey.
Leonardo stopped on a nearby rooftop, watching the scene unfold. Part of him wanted to help, but another part of him knew that doing so would compromise his existence to the surface-dwellers.
The gang stopped moving, but the biggest member – which Leo assumed was their leader – continued to saunter forward. When the leader was close enough to the child, he uttered something, to which the child shook its head. The gang leader's mouth formed into a snarl and he grabbed the child by the neck, lifting it effortlessly. The leader spoke again, to which the child gave the same response as it struggled.
The child was thrown to the ground and, before it could react, the gang leader gave it a harsh kick to the ribs. Leonardo watched, horrified, as the gang leader kicked the child again and again.
After a few more harsh kicks, the gang leader stopped and reached for something in his jacket…
…However, Leo could not hold back any longer; unsheathing both katanas, he jumped down, consumed by both rage and honor.
xxx
After the last gang member had been knocked out, Leonardo glanced around before sheathing his weapons. While he had not intended to show himself, he knew that he had done the right thing by saving the child from possible death…
...Wait…
He turned around quickly. The child was still there, lying on its side, eyes closed, and arms crossed over its chest. A pained expression marked its face, and Leo noticed something disturbing; there was blood on the ground. The fact that the child was severely injured tugged at his heart.
He rushed over, examining…
There's no time; take the kid back to the lair!
Leo grimaced. The child's life was in his hands now. Trying to remove any terrible thoughts from his mind, he gently took the child into his arms and stood up…
…Suddenly, he felt a droplet of water splash onto his head.
Oh, for the love of…!
It started to rain. With a sigh, Leo climbed up the nearest building and began to leap from roof to roof, attempting to shield the child from the rain along the way.
x-x-x-x
Author's Note: This is my first TMNT fanfic, so be kind with your reviews...if you decide to leave one...