Prologue:
After years of being the leader and eldest brother Leonardo Hamato has been stripped of his title and was handed to his younger brother Raphael. After that Raphael has done nothing but criticized Leonardo to no avail. Even the smallest out of step Raphael has made it clear that he is no longer needed. Donatello and Michelangelo do nothing to help Raphael in his comments to Leonardo but also they do not help Leonardo who desperately is in need of help. The comments, the looks and glances he gets from everyone slowly pushes him to the end of his rope. In Leonardo's mind he has tainted his family with his existence so in order for his family's honor to be upheld he must disappear for good. But sadly nothing seems to be good enough for him. Leonardo fear's that his worthless blood would taint all things that are good in this world. So until the day comes when he can end his life without tainting anything or anyone with his "worthless blood" then he will be at peace.
A year later after the title of leader was given to his brother and his brother's taunts and verbal abuse got stronger and stronger to the point Raphael started to physically abuse him through sparring saying that he wanted Leonardo to get stronger that he must be better to excuse his beatings, Leonardo Hamato died.
In the middle of the night the Hamato brothers were on a training run near the docks. Jumping from container to container the younger brothers laughed and joked with each other over the littlest of things. But for Leonardo his untreated shoulder injury he received from Raphael a week ago was taking its toll on him. Donatello would tell him he would treat it but each time he got a chance to talk to his younger brother, Donatello would push him aside and tell him he was busy with something else. Leonardo wiped the sweat from his brow it was either from the exhaustion of the run or the fever he started to run a night ago.
The bruises on Leonardo's legs weren't showing but if they were Leonardo would just say he was clumsy that day. No one questioned it so they left him be but from the corner of his eye Leonardo could see Raphael standing behind everyone with his arms folded across him chest giving him a death glare if he talked.
"What's going on there?" Mikey asked pointing at an incoming ship.
Everyone looked towards where Mikey was pointing at. A ship with a mysterious symbol printed on the side was coming into dock and unloading large shipping containers.
"Let's get a closer look" Raph ordered.
Donnie and Mikey nodded their heads and went ahead of Raph and Leo.
"Raph I don't think that's a good idea we don't-"
Raph grabbed Leo's arm roughly and pulled him closer to him glaring him dead in the eye.
"Don't question me Leo. I'm the leader so listen and obey" Raph snarled.
Raph pushed Leo to the ground, turning his back he went to join his younger brother's as Leo rubbed his arm. A few moments later Leo went and joined his younger brothers in the shadows of the ship.
Just as Leo joined his brothers, Raph turned to Leo then turned his head back to his brothers saying,
"Got it?"
"Yeah Raph" Donnie said.
"Easy as cake" Mikey added.
Mikey and Donnie ran to get into position leaving Leo with Raph alone.
"What's the plan?" Leo asked Raph
"Figure it out yourself" Raph snarled.
Raph walked away from Leo to join the two younger brothers in his plan. Leo in the dark had no clue of what his younger brothers were doing. Leo moved to use his good arm to see over crates but winced at the pain that Raph left when he squeezed his arm.
"Just a bit longer" Leo muttered to himself.
The sound of a can falling and rolling caught the attention of everyone in the warehouse.
"What was that?" someone yelled out.
Everyone not carrying something pulled out a gun and pointed it in all directions trying to see if there was someone out there. Another rolling some almost like marbles was the next sound. Leo recognized the sound as smoke pellets Donnie invented. The smoke pellets exploded and filled the air with smoke.
As everyone started coughing and covering their mouths the sound of the youngest brother yelling out his signature cry was the only thing Leo could focus on.
Donnie and Raph joined as they battle their way through the crowds of people. Leo was late but joined in as well helping out his younger brothers but as his battle the crowd of armed men he was also battling Raph who at times "accidentally" aimed at Leo.
Leo battle valiantly despite the times when Raph tried to take him out as well. As the collapsed bodies of the armed men covered the floor the brothers regrouped to figure out what was happening here.
"Do you who what's in there?" Raph asked Donnie.
"No clue give me a few minutes then I'll tell you." Donnie stated.
"Alright. Mikey and I will cover you. Leo go outside to make sure there's no one out there." Raph ordered.
"Why can't Leo stay here with us?" Mikey asked.
"Because I said so, as the leader he must do as I say." Raph stated.
"It's alright Mikey I'll leave." Leo said coming between Raph and Mikey.
Leo didn't want Raph's rage to move towards Mikey so Leo placed himself in front of him. Shielding the youngest Leo agreed to leave and go outside.
The moment Leo stepped outside he could tell that he was no longer wanted there anymore. The truth was his family didn't see him as anything but a used weapon now tossed aside because it was finally broken.
Five minutes later Donnie locked a shipping container yelling to his brothers that he finished.
Mikey yelled to Leo to come join them much to Raph's dismay but after rolling his eyes he let Donnie open the container. But as the doors to the container opened a clicking sound broke the silence. Donnie scrambled to get away as the container exploded catching everyone in its blast.
Raph blinked his eyes a few times as he pushed the debris off his body. Raph desperately looked and called out to his two younger brothers.
"Mikey! Donnie! Where are you?" Raph yelled out.
A small pile of debris moved and the sound of someone coughing caught Raph's attention. Raph raced over to see who it was but as Raph bent down and looked he quickly stood up to see it was Leo who was coughing.
"Can you give me a hand?" Leo asked holding out his hand.
But Raph turned away and walked to see if he could find the younger brothers. Leo shook his head to the side and got up. Wincing on as he stood he could see that a small piece of wood flew into his thigh and was now embedded in his leg. Leo tried to remove it but the fiery pain flared up the moment he touched it. Normally Leo would ask someone for help but the fear of what Raph might do if he found out stopped him. Leo helped in the search of the two younger brothers.
Moments later the sound of whimper caught their attention. Leo and Raph quickly dug to find the two younger brothers together with Donnie on top Mikey acting almost like a shield from the blast. Donnie was unconscious and bleeding heavily from a head injury and Mikey had his eyes tightly closed as the two older brothers carefully moved Donnie off him. Leo and Raph carried Donnie outside of the warehouse so they could see the damage better under the moonlight with Mikey trailing behind them. Laying Donnie next to Mikey Leo and Raph looked over him as Mikey hovered beside him.
"Is he going to be okay?" Mikey whispered.
"We need to get him back to the lair." Leo said.
"No duh captain obvious." Raph snarled.
"Raph just push aside your ego and listen to me-"
"Shut up Leo this is all you fault" Raph snapped.
Both brothers stood up with Raph being the only one pulling out his weapon and pointing it at Leo.
"Raph what are you-"
"Shut up Mikey this is between him and me" Raph yelled.
"Raph! Leave Mikey out of this" Leo stated.
"Don't you dare say anything Leo. You aren't the leader anymore and you certainly aren't the boss of me." Raph yelled.
"Raph I'm just saying-"
"Shut up!" Raph yelled at the top of his lungs. "This is all your fault."
"My fault?" Leo yelled back. "I did nothing this all your leading." Leo pointed out.
"No! You must have done something to cause this. Look at Donnie this is all your fault!" Raph yelled.
"Raph you need to calm down" Leo said.
"NO! This is all about you! You caused this. You are the one who did all of this!" Raph yelled.
In Raph's mind he couldn't blame himself so he had to push it onto the only one he could, Leo. But this time Leo wasn't going to go down without a fight. Leo tried to reason with Raph but all Raph would do was yell and scream at him that everything that happened was his fault. All while Mikey was cradling Donnie's head in his lap.
"Guys what about Donnie?" Mikey whimpered.
Both brothers turned towards Mikey and Donnie.
"You're right Mikey. I'm sorry let's get Donnie out of here." Leo said bending down to help Mikey move Donnie.
Raph ran over and pushed Leo away.
"Don't touch him." Raph growled. "Don't you dare go near my brother."
"Raph he's our brother." Leo said.
"Raph just let Leo help" Mikey said.
"NO!" Raph yelled.
"Everything that goes wrong is because of you!" Raph said pointing the tip of his sai at Leo.
"Raph stop this at once!" Leo yelled. "Think about someone other than yourself" Leo stated.
The moment those words left Leo's mouth Raph's mind snapped making everything go red. Raph charged at Leo and impaled his sai into Leo's stomach.
As Raph impaled Leo he blinked his eyes a few times looking up from his sai to Leo. The color drained from Raph's face. Mikey cried out Leo's name as Leo back up a few steps. Holding his bleeding torso Leo looked at his younger brothers and mouthed the words,
"I'm sorry"
Leo's fell backwards off the dock and into the dark sea beneath him.
Nothing could prepare anyone for what was about to happen next. Mikey helplessly watched as his oldest brother was stabbed by another brother. The look on Leo's face as Raph stabbed him embedded itself into his mind just as it did in Raph.
Raph gathered his two younger brothers and brought them back home leaving the oldest to drift in the sea. Raph didn't explain anything to Splinter when he got home but just told him they were caught in an explosion and Leo was killed in the process. While Splinter helped the injured Donnie, Raph took Mikey to his room to let him rest but as Raph stared into Mikey's eyes all he got back in return was a blank stare. Raph left Mikey alone and went into his room where he sat in alone in darkness trying to see where he wasn't at fault. But each scenario he thought of only came back as it being his fault.
"I'm sorry Leo" Raph muttered.
Raph started to cry into his arms knowing that he went too far, killing his brother and pushing his family apart all because he wanted to prove he was the better son.
As Leo helpless floated in the sea letting himself bleed out, he looked out of the corner of his eye a small boat floating to him. Leo didn't have the strength to swim away nor did he care. All he wanted to do was die right there. In the back of his mind Leo laid helpless and what he thought was closing his eyes for the last time.
Too bad life was going to change for him. Leo felt his body being lifted into the air; a small cloth was draped over his cold body. For once Leo felt at peace with the world even as a small voice spoke out as he drifted deeper to sleep.
"Listen to me dude; it's going to be alright. I'm going to save you"