AN: Thank you so much for choosing to experience this little adventure. Leonardo is my foe and I always seem to struggle with this turtle. Within writing this 'Leo-fic' I've come to appreciate all that he is. I tried hard and it is slowly paying off. There is a lot to learn about him. I had to take the time to un-pack his mind. I hope you enjoy my efforts and I hope we all are satisfied at its conclusion.

A small warning... This first chapter contains subtle insinuations of an 'un-consensual' activity, sexual in nature and violent degradation.

…

And now, FATE

…

It just isn't right. Michelangelo, Raphael and Amber search for clues the entire way for any signs of their brothers. When Leonardo and Donatello weren't home by noon and no one received contact they knew something wasn't right. From where Amber's basement opens up to the sewer, all the way to the turtles' den, they examine the path for any evidence. Raphael leads his wife and youngest brother cautiously and quietly to the oddly open sewer lair door. He presses them back, wielding a sai in his hand, ready. He doesn't want Amber to be there but she insisted on coming. She said that three pairs of eyes are better than two. He takes a deep breath. They step inside geared with goggles and flashlights.

They look around. All is dark and calm. They spread out. Raphael immediately sees signs of struggle with two or maybe three intruders. He creeps though the shattered dojo door. He finds broken glass and blood. Whose blood is this! He doesn't know how to find out. Where did the broken glass come from? Amber finds Donatello's bandana near the staircase. She bends to pick it up. Is it stained with tears or just sweat? Michelangelo finds an empty syringe by the back of the couch. He picks it. He doesn't know what to make of it. They search the kitchen, the living area, the bathrooms, all of the bedrooms, the lab, the garage… nothing. They meet at the door with more questions than answers. The one's missing would know what to do.

Raphael leads them back home; Amber in the middle and Michelangelo taking the rear. They are all thinking the same thing but no one speaks it. In the quiet dripping of the underground the three walk back somberly. Then Amber's eyes go blurry. She is holding onto the purple mask tightly. She grabs the back of Raphael's shell so she doesn't trip. Her sniffles and cries echo off the pipes. This isn't right. All she can think about is having to add two more candles to their family memorial.

…

*Eight Hours Prior

"Shutting down main power!" Donnie gives the large cable socket another turn to disconnect when his wrench slips into the coils. A large surge flashes through the line. A loud boom follows bursting all of the light sockets, leaving the two mutants in pitch black.

"Donnie! What did you do?" Leo calls out.

"Sorry, Leo!" Donnie calls back. "Just a little accident. No worries. At least the power is out. Do you have your multi-vision goggles?"

"Always!" Leo snaps the lenses over his eyes and turns them on. He looks around. "Are we done here?"

"Yup, finally done!" Donnie shoulders his tool bag and secures his own goggles. "I'll meet you at the exit!"

Leo whips his backpack behind him and cradles the last object of home décor in his hands; the magic scepter. Well, once magical. The only time Donnie has recorded its energy was when they were teenagers. The relic has lain dormant since their return from Feudal Japan. It sat in their dojo, never touched, never spinning. Donnie tried to study it after that phenomenal trip but couldn't monitor any readings. It's very old now and very fragile. They decide to give it to Arimi as a gift to add to the family chest. Leo wraps it up. He looks around once more at the dojo. Dark and dusty now, this room has seen a lot of action, reached levels, blood and tears. He stands and heads out.

The two brothers meet in the middle of the living area. "I am so ready to go home." Donnie sighs.

"Me too, Donnie." Leo says. "I really hope Amber or Mikey cooked. I need a hot meal and an even hotter shower. And…"

They reach the exit when Donnie grabs his brother's shoulder to stop. He motions to him to stay silent. They are not alone. They step back into the lair. They separate and take covert positions. They wait quietly for a few minutes then spot three heat signatures come into view. One is bulky, the other is tall and the last is short, all threatening and armed. One of the intruder's radio cracks. Bulky raises a hand to their ear.

"Origin of energy pulse confirmed… Yes sir. We finally found hot ground… They couldn't have gone too far. Sonar reads this is the only throughway… Yes sir..." Bulky man turns to his accomplices. "Fan out, they're still here. Take at least one of them alive. T minus five minutes." The other two nod and move throughout the lair, guns set.

"Do you know what we're looking for?" Tall man says.

"Boss says we'll know when we see it. Stay sharp and less talking." Shorty says.

Leo is well hidden in a niche by the dojo door. He has no idea where Donnie is. Short man comes toward him, shining a headlamp in his direction. The bright light skews Leo's view because of the multi-vision goggles. Shorty obviously has no heat-seeking goggles; he would have easily seen Leo. Shorty steps quietly towards the dojo door. He slides it open using the tip of his gun and warily checks through the threshold. All Leo would need to do is jump Shorty from behind and quickly take him down. Donnie would have to follow his lead and engage either Tall or Bulky. Leo is about to put down the scepter and jump Shorty when a tingling warmth shoots up his arm. He looks down at the scepter and it begins to flicker and spin. Without warning, a bright halo of light blazes from ceiling to floor, displaying Leo like a beacon in the darkness of the lair. He tries to drop the scepter and engage the intruders, but he is unable to let it go. He can only draw one sword. A bad feeling grows in the pit of his stomach.

…

Without mercy the inebriated Lord Kenoshi once again slaps the reddening face of Anju, knocking her back on the bed. Her cheek stings in white-hot pain. She curls into a ball, shaking with fear. "My husband, I beg you to stop!"

"I will do what I please with you; such a dog of a woman the gods have cursed me with."

"Haruto! Please!"

"Do not say my name! Do not forget your place! What a worthless creature! Still unable to give me a son! Or any child for that matter!" Haruto grasps a mound of his wife's hair and pulls it back, forcing her to look at him. "I will teach your body to obey. This is your last chance Anju."

"No please wait!" She pleads with him.

He strikes her again, drawing blood from her mouth. He rips away her silk robes and overtakes his wife in the most vile of ways. His breath is thick with Sake. Her screams of torment only urge him to grab at her roughly and push into her without restraint. He chokes her, cutting off her air as his repulsive release burns inside of her. He rolls off of her. With his last moment of consciousness he kicks her to the floor. She hits the tatami hard. She shuts her eyes. No more tears fall. They are all gone. She prays for death. She lies there until the rooster crows. Death does not come. She has to run away now or she would never see another sunrise.

She picks herself up and achingly walks to the bath. She dismisses the attendants and tells them to go home. She washes away the dirt and scum and blood from her body. Her face is too tender and the water makes her wounds smolder. She stands to dry herself off and starts to weep when more of Haruto's stink leaks out of her. She sits again and cleans herself again.

After wrapping tight bandages around her body she dons a black romper and black boots. She slings a brown satchel of provisions to her side and a wooden bow and full quiver to her back. She covers her discolored face with her hood and runs out into the brightening sky. She creeps into the stables. She finds the stable boy there feeding the goats. She ushers him to leave. He recognizes her ring, bows his head and runs out. She brushes a finger over the ring, pulls it off and tosses it out the door. She grabs her saddle, stirrups and bit and walks toward the pen to ready her black stallion. She will head straight to the gate and stop for no one. Where will she go? She does not know.

"Out for a morning ride, my lovely wife? Why did you not invite me?" Anju turns around to the sound of her husband. He is standing in the doorway of the stable balancing a large staff in one hand, tapping it in the palm of his other. He twists it around, allowing the glass case to catch the morning light. "Do you know what this is Anju? It is the family scepter. Handed down to me from my great ancestors. Kings and lords like myself. Its purpose was to be the mantle that passes from one generation to another. It is used to bless a son, or in rare cases a daughter on their day of blessing. It was an honor to receive this from my father. With it carried the hope and future of our bloodline. But as long as I have you, this golden scepter is nothing more than a big, gaudy stick, a useless club, and the symbol of my family coming to an end. I will not have that."

"Haruto." Anju whispers.

"I should have married your sister instead of you. Her hips alone would have promised me three children by now. Too bad some pompous, pail westerner with his promise of valuable trade got to your father first." Haruto takes one step into the barn and feels something underfoot. He looks down and sees his mother's ring, the solid gold ring embellished with a large jade orb given to Anju on their engagement day. He bends down and picks it up. Anju's heart races. If he gets his hands on her she will surely die. She has no other choice. She drops her horse wares and swiftly cocks her bow with a blue-feathered arrow. She aims at Haruto's heart.

Haruto walks slowly toward her, unnerved by her drawn weapon. "You little vermin. You thought you could leave me? You will not get out of this barn alive."

"Very well, as long as I get to see your blood spill out of you as mine has done too many times at your wicked hands." Arimi says.

"How dare you…" Haruto starts but Anju lets the arrow fly. It hits him in the arm. He flinches but pulls it out. Before Anju can reach for another arrow Haruto hits her in the head with the base of the scepter. She falls to the ground, out cold.

…

She awakens with a throbbing headache and the golden staff in front of her face. Haruto swings it from side to side. Her blurry vision tries to read its inscription.

"Open wide the gates of time…" She mumbles. A large foot presses down on her back. She winces against the pressure.

"It took you a moment to come back around. The sun has just come up. I suppose you get one more chance to see it." He flips her onto her back and she hisses at the pain. "I did not want you to be unconscious when I beat you to death with this scepter. After all you said you wanted to see my spilled blood. Look up at me."

She does. She sees the crimson staining his tunic, the reckless insanity in his eyes. He has no remorse. He watches her like a piece of rotten meat. He will draw out her death until her last breath. She makes a vow to herself. She will not give him the satisfaction of ever hearing her voice again. She will not scream, or yell or beg. He will have to rip her apart first and then he will still get no sound from her.

"Any last words, my loving wife?" Haruto glares.

She just looks at him, calmly accepting her fate. This immediately enrages him. He holds the scepter up high and… feels the warm tingling going through his arms. Bright sparks appear in the midst of the air. A thick rod of light shoots from the hay-covered ground into the tar-pitched roof of the stable. Winds blow and the ground shakes. Blue lightening races all over his body. His scream is loud and echoes off of invisible mountains. Anju scurries back against a wall. Haruto disappears into the scepter right before her eyes.

…

Leo engages the short intruder, kicking him through the dojo door. Leo goes inside. Shorty tries to aim his gun but Leo kicks it away. It's becoming harder for him to move. He lifts up the scepter so that her can see his opponent better. Shorty can now see the six-foot tall monster in perfect view. Bright blue lightening shocks the air and surrounds the beast. It roars. With hysterical freight Shorty steps back and pulls a gun from his side holster. He trips and falls and impales himself through the chest with an old, rusty training spear. Leo hears three shots fire and Donnie screaming his name and then the void.

…

The white blindness of the scepter ceases and all goes still. Leo falls to his knees. The golden staff rolls out of his hand. He is breathing heavily. He pats over his body for any gun shot wounds but finds none. He stops breathing when he hears a rooster crow. He removes his goggles. He looks around and finds himself inside a barn. The soft rays of light breaking through the cracks in the beams make his eyes water. He stands and up and looks down at the scepter. He picks it up quickly. He reads the inscription. He holds up the staff and waits. Nothing. He reads it again. He reads in Japanese. He shakes it. Again. Again. He shakes is head. "No. No. No. Not this. No. Please not this." He lowers his head. He has little time. Does he remember how long? It should stay active for the next sixty hours. If it doesn't start up within that time… how long would he have to wait? He can't think! What was he doing before this happened? Where was he? Why is it so hard to remember? Donnie! He was with Donnie in the sewers when… strange people came in. What did they want? Was Donnie ok? He had to get back. He held onto the scepter and recited the words again. Again and again.

He hears someone take a gasp of air behind him. He grips his katana. He steadies his blade and turns. He sees a person pressed back against the stable wall utterly terrified of the whole scene they witness.

Anju cannot believe her eyes. Her husband, who was about to take her life, vanishes and a demon drops in his place. How much more torture do the gods want her to endure?

Leo returns his sword to its sheath and walks over to them. He sees that it is a woman, a badly bruised woman. She sees him coming and bows low to the ground, sobbing profusely.

"Please Lord Demon! You have spirited away my husband! If you have come to make me suffer in his place I pray you run me through with you blade instead and end my horror swiftly! I beg thee!"

Leonardo looks down at her. She is shivering terribly. Her knuckles are red, her hood and hair hide her face. "Don't be afraid." He says. But she screams at how close his voice sounds. He asks. "Could you please tell me where I am, what year this is?" She covers her head and continues to cry. He wants to reach down and pat her softly on the head. Instead he steps away and heads for the door. He can't comfort anyone when he himself is so absolutely lost. "I'm leaving. You will not see me again." He runs out toward the woods, scepter in hand.