AN: Greetings ^^; Well, first off this was requested by someone on DA who read my Kale story. She's pretty much letting me have free reign, the only thing she wanted was that her OC be the... Well, drat I don't want spoilers (Even though the whole summary is spoilers Dx *fails). Okay, Chika is hers. The other OC's are mine and hers... Sorta. Everyone else belongs to Nickelodeon :D

Also, my laptop got hacked, so we had to wipe the harddrive... And everything with my Kale story was deleted. Thanks to that, the person who I was writing with suggested that maybe we take a break because we're both not really liking it that much... So, Kale story is put on halt. We might take it down soon if we decide to not continue it. /: So, maybe no mare Kale.

Also, not necessarily set in any pre-existing turtle verse.

With that said, please, read and enjoy! ^^"

Two shadowy figures crouched above the city, hands curled over the ridge of one of the many altitudinous buildings that New York City was known for, their eyes slitted against the brisk wind that tugged on the ends of their masks. They were stone gargoyles, motionless except for the slight rising and falling of their hunched backs as they drew in precious air.

The two were none other than Leonardo and Raphael Hamato, two of the four mutant terrapins that happened to inhabit the sewers of New York City. The leader and the rebel, always at each other's throats.

But not tonight, at least. Tonight they'd managed to keep their rivalry to a minimum as they patrolled the city.

Suddenly, the muscular Raphael shifted, nudging his leader, jerking his head towards the ground. That was all it took.

A few seconds later, now in the alleyway just below the building on which they'd been crouched, Blue and Red were poised expertly, twin katana and sai drawn, two-toed feet swept out in perfect defense positions, Raphael just behind his elder brother. Before them, now frozen to the spot, were two young men, no older than twenty-five, and a younger looking woman, though she was curled in the fetal position on the ground, shivering, crying.

The dress she wore had jagged rips along the ribs and chest, the suitcase she'd been carrying lay next to her, thrown open. Its contents, which had been so lovingly tucked away and folded, were now strewn chaotically in the dark alleyway, jewelry and undergarments littering the dark.

The two brothers didn't spare her a second glance before they began their vicious onslaught. It was over in a matter of seconds. The two bruised, unconscious thugs slumped against the wall of the alley. The terrapins hadn't even needed their weapons.

Leonardo turned, staring at the sobbing woman, cinnamon eyes narrowed with concern. Her black hair fell like a curtain over her ashen features as her lithe frame shook with shock and terror. The turtle approached her, only to stop dead in his track as the woman let loose a scream, pale blue eyes wide with fear.

Scrambling to her feet, the young woman pushed past the two brothers, running down in the street in a hurried attempt to escape the monsters.

Leonardo stepped back, light brown eyes narrowed into angry slits. Though, his anger, as it almost always was, was directed at himself. He should have known not to approach her. He'd only succeeded in frightening her more. It was always the same with humans. They always ran.

He'd learned long ago not to expect a thanks.

Two months later, Leonardo was out on patrol again, though, this time, he flew solo. The young, blue-clad terrapin, no older than nineteen years at the most, preferred the solitude. It gave him time to think without Raphael badgering him about training, or Mikey filling him in on every single comic book there was out there… Or worse yet, Donatello yammering on and on about techno gadgets the poor eldest brother knew nothing about.

Twin katana secure in their hilts on the back of his shell, the svelte turtle's cinnamon eyes glanced around the city below him, settled as he was on the ridge of yet another rooftop. The city was calm tonight… Quiet. It would be nice to have a night off, a night to heal after yet another encounter with the Purple Dragons.

But, it seemed Fate certainly had it out for the lone terrapin this night – A piercing scream knifed through the air, shattering the serenity that had fallen over the city.

Leonardo was on his feet in a flash, eyes narrowed as he struggled to pinpoint the direction of the screech. Another scream zigzagged through the air, allowing him to figure out from which direction it came.

North. Not too far from where he was. A block at the most.

He would make it before the police, if the police even bothered coming. They were corrupt. Some bought out by The Shredder, some bought out by the mafia, some too lazy to even bother with the things right in front of their noses.

And Michelangelo thought his comic book "Gotham City" was corrupt… Leonardo felt the familiar flash of anger when he thought of how his orange-clad younger brother wouldn't look past his comic books to see the city before him. It didn't occur to him it was a release.

Donatello had his gadgets. Raphael had his motorcycle. Michelangelo had his comics. Leonardo… He hadn't yet realized that having nothing else to concentrate on but training would eventually let his sanity slip away.

Shaking the thoughts of Mikey away, Leonardo turned, struggling to his two-toed feet. Clenching his jaw, the katana-wielder tucked his round chin downwards, and, with a determined glint in his cinnamon eyes, the turtle ran.

Bracing himself, Leonardo pushed off the roof with his toes, landing in a cat-like poise on the next roof over, panting. The thrill of the leap… It always made the nape of his neck tingle. Adrenaline, he supposed.

Roughly a block later of roof-jumping, the emerald-skinned turtle was crouched above the city, the nape of his neck tingling, staring down at the sight below him. Normally, he would've acted by now… But surprise held him back this time.

There she was. The raven haired girl Raphael and he had saved a while back. He'd all but forgotten about her. Though, this time, it was not two thugs ganging up on the poor girl… But two cops.

"Heard you messed with our friend's a while ago… They didn't like that… Didn't like you had some creature waiting to mess them up…" The smug voice of one of the two wafted up to him. It sounded like it belonged to a female…

So the intention was to kill this time, not rape, like it had seemed to be before.

And it was his fault. The Purple Dragons had seem him in the brief seconds they'd had a chance to, guessed he wasn't some normal human, and paid some cops to track her down and get back at her… Bitter thugs.

Leonardo shifted, shaking his head clear. Now was not the time to dwell on such thoughts, but the time to act. Lips curled back in a feral snarl, the turtle crouched, preparing himself before he leaped down, landing in a feline-like pose in front of the wide-eyed girl, grinning up at the surprised faces of the two female cops before him.

"Wanna dance?"

"It's a…"

"Monster!" Screamed the second, younger looking police officer, blonde strands of hair tumbling down across her narrow face, having escaped from the tight bun on her head. Her handgun, which had been drawn previously –a fact Leonardo hadn't noticed until now- rising in her shaking hands, pointing it squarely at him.

Leonardo's eyes widened, suddenly quite regretful of the fact he hadn't been just a tad more observant about the offenders, instead of the victim. His twin katana were drawn in a flash as he charged, a loud growl ripping past his lips as he struck, lashing out at the gun-wielding woman.

Too late. He heard the gun go off before he felt the pain. The force of the bullet knocked him on his ass, a cry springing from his lips as blood oozed from his bicep.

"Shit! You didn't get him in the head!"

"It doesn't matter! Just go!"

The disembodied voices fluttered in his mind as the turtle hissed, fighting against an agonized scream, followed closely by two sets of feet covered by shoes slapping against the concrete. Leonardo kept his eyes squeezed shut, the woman forgotten until her timid voice sounded close by.

"A-Are you okay?"

His cinnamon eyes shut open in surprise, staring into her blue-gray orbs that were only inches from his face. "P-perfectly f-fine."

That teased a light, scared smile to her face. "You… You were shot. I… I may not be a turtle… But..."

His cinnamon eyes rested on hers for only a moment. "Yer-you're not uh-afraid this time?"

"You aren't so scary the second time 'round. I… I'm a nurse. I might not be able to do much about your wound… But I can stop the bleeding… Let me take you to my house..." A pause. "What's your name? I'm Chika."

"Leo…Leonardo Hamato." And with that, he curled his three-fingered hand into hers.

That was the first night. He didn't visit her for a week after that, scared she'd turn him away if he came in suddenly.

And Donatello was wondering why he'd healed his own wound without first coming to the genius… Leonardo didn't want to make anyone suspicious.

Suspicious of what, though? He wasn't exactly sure. Maybe it was the fact it was the first female human he'd been around besides April and Casey that wasn't trying to rip his throat out. Maybe it was because after he'd been stitched up, Chika had whispered a soft thanks.

Maybe it was because for that one night, he had had release. He'd talked to her; told her about his family, about the constant teasing, about his father, about his year in South America he'd returned from only a few short months ago.

And she'd listened, saving her questions till the end. Then they'd actually had an intelligent conversation – something rare for the turtle, seeing as how he was living with three hormone-ridden teenage idiots.

Of course, with pain medication pumping through his veins, he hadn't exactly been the best partner for speaking. He'd fallen asleep on her couch in the middle of their conversation and woken up the next morning with a blanket thrown across his muscular body. It'd been early, around six-ish. Chika was still asleep.

He'd slipped out the window unnoticed, without even a note to thank her.

But now, nearly a week later, he was back, crouched outside on the fire escape right outside her apartment. It was dusk. He'd slipped away before Splinter could question who was going out for patrol.

The only reason he was here now… Well, he wanted to talk again. He and Raphael had gotten into another spat. They hadn't exchanged blows this time, but they'd gotten close… if it hadn't been for Mikey screaming like a little girl, blood would've been spilt.

But, pulled together by a brotherly bond, they scrambled to their orange-clad brother, only to find him staring wide-eyed at a screen showing the body of some superhero or villain lying motionless on it.

Mikey and his cartoons…

But now, realizing that no one in their right mind would welcome… Well, a freak, into their den, the turtle turned, preparing to slip off into the darkness before a window behind him opened, sparking his curiosity and making him turn around. The ridges where his eyebrows would be raised at the sight of the gray-eyed nurse.

"I was wondering if you were ever going to come around and thank me for patching you up," she grinned, hands on her hips, the handle of a ladle cradled between two fingers.

"I… I—"

Cutting him off, Chika grinned, extending one hand and wrapping it around the turtle's uninjured bicep, half-pulling him into the small apartment. "I'm cooking. You hungry?"

The emerald turtle blinked once, a grin stealing across his hexagonal face. "Starving." And it was true. Having slipped away before dinner, the terrapin's stomach was rumbling quite ferociously. Though, the empty feeling of hunger was slowly being replaced by the warm, tingling sensation that always poured into his belly whenever something truly good happened.

"Hope you like turtle soup."

And then the tingling feeling was gone. Cinnamon eyes widening, Leonardo looked at her, horror creeping across his face.

"Kidding, kidding. Sheesh," Chika tittered, stepping into the kitchen.

"Oh…Right…" So she had a sense of humor, too.

It'd been six months since that glorious night of sipping French soup and laughing at silly little things. Leonardo had been visiting Chika every chance he'd gotten. It'd been hard keeping her secret, especially since she continued to ask when she was going to get to meet his family…

But she was his release. The only thing keeping him sane as his vicious squabbles with Raphael kept getting fiercer and fiercer.

And tonight was what they'd considered to be their sixth month anniversary. He was scared, yes. Terrified. She'd already decided for him what his present would be for her.

Slowly, fear numbing his fingers, Leonardo pulled open the window, allowing himself inside. And there she was, sprawled on the couch, a sly smile curling over her lips. "I thought you wouldn't show."

He only chuckled, nervously, watching her as she slowly got to her feet and moved towards him. Lifting up on her tiptoes, the short Japanese woman curled her arms around his neck, pulling him down into a kiss. The first of many that would be shared that night.

A month and a half later, Leonardo, having pinned Donatello in one of their many training exercises, tensed at the familiar vibrating of his shell cell. Cinnamon eyes shifting uneasily to make sure Master Splinter was nowhere to be seen, Leonardo slipped into one of the many sewer tunnels, muttering something about having to call Casey.

Flipping open the small device, eyes narrowing at the name he knew he'd see, the emerald-skinned turtle brought the small device to head, murmuring, "Chika—"

"You have to come over."

"What? I can't… Raphael will have my tail. I'll come over tonight."

"Leo… I…"

"What is it?"

"I'm pregnant."

Not quite seven months later, Leonardo's world was crashing down on him. She refused to even think about getting rid of the child. And he refused to let her see his family while she was pregnant.

They'd be angry with him, he knew it. They'd take her away. Not let him see her again.

Then again, Leonardo had always been a bit on the paranoid side…

But, just moments ago, he'd gotten yet another call from his beloved Chika. She'd been screaming… Crying. There'd been words, yes. But he hadn't been able to make them out. He knew it had something to do with the child that now rested in her womb…

Once again, it was dusk. And, once again, he was just outside her window… Though this time, no hesitation slowed his course. In one quick, fluid movement, the mutant shoved the window open, scrambling into the living room of the small apartment.

The wails of a child were the first thing to meet his ears. The sobs of a woman were the second.

Fear made him rash. With a glint of the metal, his katana were drawn as he shouted, "Chika?" When the sobs of the child only grew louder and no reply from the young woman came, Leonardo rushed forward, slipping into the bedroom, cinnamon eyes resting on the bed.

What he saw there struggled to bring his lunch back up his digestive track. There she was, bloody, broken… Her hands were raised above her head, plastered against the bed frame. Implaed through them were two massive butcher knives.

Leonardo, mouth parted slightly, dropped his weapons, the wails of the child –or was it children? Surely one couldn't make this much noise…- forgotten. The mere thought that someone else might be in the house, the someone who'd done this to her, didn't even dare to cross his mind as he rushed to her side. His bulky hand carefully pushed the bloodied black hair away from her pale face as he murmured sweet words in her ear.

"It's going to be okay… Shhh… You're going to be fine…" he whispered softly, nuzzling her cheek ever so softly with his beak. She only whimpered, gray eyes rolling back wildly in their sockets.

"Dammit…" A hiss slipped past his lips. He should've been here. Should've been here so this had never happened… Eyes slitted, the young turtle stumbled backwards, his free hand having rested on her belly while he berated himself.

It was flat. Not swelled like it had been. His eyes flashed open. The wailing child…

Was his own. Of course. What other child would've been here, screaming? But that left the question of where it was… A newborn couldn't exactly crawl away without help…

The wails were in the room. Whoever had done this to Chika was still here. Stomach knotted, the terrapin turned slowly, cinnamon eyes darting across the room.

That was when the shadows shifted, walked, if you will. Stepped right into the patch of light thrown into the room by the window.

Karai. The red cloth around her head –almost identical in color to Raphael's mask- tumbled down past her shoulders, resting on the hexagonal head of a small, anthropomorphic turtle child tucked close by her side. Leonardo's eyes widened at the bloody, naked child, a soft gasp escaping his lips as the kunoichi shifted, revealing two other newborns just behind her, shivering as they curled together on the seat of the desk chair Chika always sat on.

Three… They both knew Chika had been abnormally large for an expecting mother of one, but they just assumed the child would be larger than most newborns, thanks to Leonardo's mutagenic genes. But, no… These newborns were small. Too small. Even being premature by nearly seven weeks…

Leonardo stepped forward, a feral growl rumbling deep within his chest, and Karia's forest eyes flashed once with an emotion akin to sorrow. But, in the blink of an eye, the look was replaced; her eyes back to their normal, hard state.

"How?" A simple question. Not nearly so complicated as 'Why?'.

"You should learn to be more careful when slipping out to see your lover, Leonardo."

That stopped the mutant in his tracks. Once again… It was his fault. Dammit. He should've known the Foot had been too quiet for too long. It was only common sense they'd been plotting, once again.

But, maybe, just maybe, he could redeem himself…He'd save Chika, and their three young children. Take her back to the layer where Donnie would work his magic.

Suddenly regretful of the fact he'd dropped his weapons in the doorway, the terrapin gritted his teeth. Sure, going up against the Purple Dragons with only his fists was one thing. Going up against Karai, heir to the name Shredder, was another thing entirely.

He'd rush her. Sure, it'd put the child at risk… But two children and the life of Chika… It'd be worth it. Surely it'd be worth it.

Slowly, the young turtle drew in a breath, eyes locking on Karai. Just as the thin layer of flesh that were her eyelids closed in a blink, Leonardo let out a bellowing roar, clutching the carpeted floor with his toes for just a moment as he launched himself at the kunoichi, bowling into her.

The turtle-human hybrid in her arms let out an even louder shriek than before, as Karai fell, it along with her. Though, somehow, the Foot Clan member kept the crying hybrid pressed against her side, protecting it from the fall.

Maybe Karai had a heart after all.

Leonardo, far too preoccupied with getting his new family to safety, didn't even notice when the all too familiar flash of sympathy he felt whenever dealing with Karai didn't twist his stomach. She had chosen to go along with her scoundrel of a father and put his love at stake. She was getting was she deserved.

But, even so, the terrapin, when kneeling down to scoop up his young, wailing child from her grasp, didn't bother to deliver another blow. Perhaps he still held some compassion for the kunoichi that had first captured his attention so long… Scrambling to his feet, the turtle stroked the sobbing newborn's bloody head, cinnamon eyes fixing on its two siblings.

How was he supposed to carry three with only two arms? And then there was carrying Chika's body…

His pondering was yet another mistake. Karai, silent as the night, slipped to her feet, and coughed softly, making Leonardo freeze with his fumbling. Turning slowly, the turtle stared as the black-haired Japanese woman kept her eyes on Chika, gloved hand curled around the red hilt of her katana.

"Karai… Don't…" A soft, shaking whisper. "Don't…"

The kunoichi only shook her head, mouthing something akin to "orders" before she raised her hands above her head, plunging her sword into the now unconscious Chika. With that, the bloodied villainess turned, slipping through the bedroom door as Leonardo fell to his knees, cradling the still wailing child against his plastron as silent, salty tears rolled down his cheeks as his lover breathed her last breath.

AN: Oh, hey, a Kunoichi is a female ninja.

Also, very, very sorry this was so rushed. I wanted to get all the romance done in the prologue. ^^

And the reason there's three is because turtles generally have lots of children, and humans generally don't... So...

Oh, and, yes. Gray eyes are a real eye color, they're just fairly rare and nearly always tinted with blue :3

But yush. Hoping to have the first chapter up soon ^^"