Notice - If any of you have read my other story "Elementals I: Where the Wind Blows," please note that I have put that story on hold (NOT discontinue) to write about some of their adventures in the turtles' younger years right after the 2003 series ending (with some of my own characters included) before moving on with their future lives...hope you enjoy!

DISCLAIMER: I do not own the TMNT character (as awesome as that would be), only the gripping plot line that i'm about to tell you!

I REPEAT, FOR THOSE OF YOU WHO HATE CHARACTER DEATHS, KEEP READING! IT HAS A HAPPY ENDING! (At least, let us hope so… *insert mysterious fog, and scene change*)

Chapter 1: Meet the Family

5PM – The Lair

LEO:

Three weeks. A mere 21 days after we had all faced the Shredder in a final showdown at April and Casey's wedding over at the farmhouse. Thanks to all our friends and Donnie's tech smarts we were able to survive the experience with only some bruises and property damage. Even though there were still some small individual factions of foot ninja lurking about the streets at night, the days were much more peaceful, giving us time to recover from our physical injuries and make up for lost time with Master Splinter after we had recently recovered him from the Cyber world.

Of course, we had no idea, that more struggles were in our near future…and I would finally taste the feeling of Death.

But now I'm getting way ahead of myself. Let us start at the beginning, the best place to start.

This is the story of how I died.

And as corny as it sounds, it all started with a "normal" day in the Hamato clan…

"Damnit, Fearless! Would you get off ma back just this once?" bright amber eyes glared at me, accusatory as always.

…And of course, by "normal" I mean Raph and I were arguing again. Usually we argue about some stupid things. From time to time I let him get to me and abandon diplomatic procedures to fight back so he can blow off some steam. Better he do it with me than my younger brothers.

But this time, I was not budging on the matter. Not because my brother needed to let go of his anger, but this was actually a serious matter. No, it wasn't about him leaving stuff around the lair, putting dents in the walls from his "temper tantrums" as I like to call them, or disobeying an order while on patrol (although these are all valid points that I'm still working on with him). This issue was threatening our very secret of existence and I had to get my argument through my brother's iron thick skull. Even if I have to ram it down his ears myself.

I returned his glare full force, tired of trying to comply with my hotheaded sibling, "I apologize Raph, I didn't know it was a crime to worry about my brother after he's gone for almost 24 hours." I answered coldly.

"So what? Ya know I stay out fer a while from time ta time."

He is not going to make this easy for me. I ruefully thought, taking a breath before launching into one of my world famous lectures.

"And return in the late afternoon, when it's still light out? Honestly Raph, have you forgotten about the Foot, the PD, even Bishop? Heck, even NORMAL humans are a danger. You really want to end up a science experiment in some psycho's lab?"

His eyes turned molten, Uh oh, here we go…right on schedule…

"I can take care of myself just fine, Fearless. I don't need ya naggin' and fussin' over me all tha time." He snarled, 'Sides, Casey was wit' me, he woulda bailed me out."

I snorted, "Why does that sentence not offer me much comfort…"

Raph growled and stormed past me, intentionally knocking my shoulder before he slammed the door of the dojo shut behind him. Soon I could hear the sound of vicious fists against a punching bag.

I sighed, Yup, just an average day in the family, I couldn't help but think bitterly as I made my way over to the kitchen.

Heavenly aromas filled the air as I walked in and I couldn't help but smile, Smells like Mikey's cooking his famous 5-meat lasagna again. From Mikey's own creative mind, the concoction included beef, pork, chicken, venison, and mutton. I winced; I still don't know how Mikey can stand preparing all that meat.

I know, a big and "fearless" ninja like me shouldn't be scared over some raw meat, but living down in the sewers means not much access to butcher shops. So our innocent Mikey is left to thoroughly pluck, clean, and separate the meat to cook. I don't know how he does it, whether it's from his love of horror movies or adjustment from experience over time, but I don't think I'll ever be able to do it as calmly and thoroughly as him. And I haven't even been fully exposed.

When Mikey asked for Donnie's help 2 years ago after he broke his wrist in a skateboarding accident, Donnie stayed up all night afterward with his vivid nightmares broken only by consistent vomiting. Since that day he has been a strict vegetarian. Can't say I really blame him.

I waited until I was right behind Mikey as he stirred a pot before leaning over his shoulder. Mikey remained oblivious to my presence until I asked, "Smells good. What else are you cooking Mikey?"

He yelped and turned around, almost whacking me with his wooden spoon while knocking over a tray of uncooked lasagna.

I quickly dove and caught the pan before back flipping into a defense crouch while making sure not to spill any. Yup, I thought to myself, ninja reflexes sure have their benefits.

"Dude, like don't sneak up on me like that, ya almost gave me a heart attack" He placed a hand over his chest and smirked up at me, "And if you killed the cook you'd all starve within a week."

I raised an eyebrow. "We're not that useless at cooking."

He scoffed, "Two words. Scrambled eggs."

I flushed at the memory, "How was I supposed to know that putting eggs in a microwave would blow up the kitchen?"

He gave me a look, "Dude, it was on the warning label on the front of the microwave door."

"…" I sighed and changed the subject, "Fine, if I apparently can't cook, is there anything else I can get you for dinner tonight?"

"Yup." He grinned, "I need you to keep Don off my back, at least til dinner's ready."

I narrowed my eyes at him, "I thought you said he finally gave you permission to walk around."

"Well," Mikey suddenly found the pot he had begun to stir again very interesting, "He said I could get up to go to the bathroom, which I did, but then I thought out some great new stuff for this recipe and I just HAD to try it out."

I continued to glare at him. "You think that ankle will get any better if you keep walking on it?"

He winced, still avoiding my suspicious stare, "I know," he whined, "But I was SO bored…Donnie's no fun to talk to with all the projects he's working on, you have your training and leadership stuff, Raph's always off doing…I dunno, whatever Raphs do…please, Leo."

He finally looked at me and got out the big guns, aiming his bright baby blue puppy eyes at me, "Pleeaase Leo…"

I tried to resist those puppy eyes, but his baby brother influence was too much on me…Sheesh Bishop should take lessons about persuasion methods from Mikey, I thought, close to cracking when a familiar voice shouted from the infirmary, "MIKEEEEEEEEY!"

Our favorite purple-clad turtle appeared at the kitchen doorway, his jaw set in the familiar stubbornness we all knew and dreaded…Doctor Don has arrived, I thought and smirked slightly to myself, I almost feel sorry for Mikey…almost.

Mikey looked down Donnie up and down and essentially came to the same conclusion. I could practically hear the gears turning in his head as he weighed his options. He finally decided to use his classic Mikey charm and innocent act. I decided to stick around to make sure Don wouldn't resort to sedatives to get Mikey back in bed.

"Uh…what's up, doc?" our baby brother asked while giving Don his trademark cheesy grin.

Donny didn't even twitch, "What definitely should not be up is you, Hamato Michelangelo. I just finished stitching that leg up after you reopened it AGAIN. If you want to get better, get back in bed before I extend your recovery time to 2 months…"

Mikey grumbled, muttering something about where Don could stick his bo staff.

Don raised an eye ridge, "Do I hear three months?" He drawled, un-amused.

Mikey's eyes widened and he saluted, "No sir Doctor Don, I am on my way, sir…"

Don rolled his eyes and gave Mikey his crutches to get back to the infirmary with.

I winced, feeling slight sympathy for my youngest brother. In a recent foot attack he had caught a shuriken in the foot, mangling muscle and hitting bone. Luckily the throwing weapon had missed his Achilles tendon without completely damaging any significant muscles, but the poor guy was still bed-ridden for about three more weeks until the wound healed. Usually the easygoing turtle rejoiced in extra downtime to catch up on his videogames and latest comic book issues while working on some new recipes and sketches. But after a few days it left even Mikey bored and restless. He even begged me to let him train with us, an event I was sure would be less likely than the apocalypse.

Don returned from locking Mikey back down in his lab and gave me a look I did not even know my pacifist brother possessed.

Fearing my own safety under his poisonous gaze, I stood back and put my hands up in the air in defense, "Don't look at me, I was merely an innocent bystander."

Donny closed his eyes and sighed, releasing some of the tension from his shoulders that I had noticed building for the past three weeks after the battle with Shredder. I could tell he was also feeling uneasy about how suspiciously peaceful it had been. Even though the New York Foot branch had broken up, there was still a foreboding feeling in the air. I could feel it too. And on top of having to worry about all our healing wounds, especially Mikey's recent ones, it could not be good for Don's stress level. I was pretty sure my brother lived on an IV of coffee to keep him conscious these days. And I didn't want to add anymore to his burden by discussing it with him.

I gave my brother a small gentle smile to comfort him, "I know, Don. It's hard to take care of us all when we're injured. You practically put me in restraints to keep me still so my concussion would heal from last month. And with all your fussing and nagging, you've almost perfected my mother-hen act."

He returned my smile with a sheepish one, "Sorry Leo. I'm stressed about all you guys. And Master Splinter – I don't want him to go into some sort of relapse that could pull him back into Cyberspace. Also…"

He paused, his chocolate brown eyes darkening, "There's something else, something that doesn't feel right. Maybe it has to do with our heightened ninja senses, but there's some…I don't know what to call it, some…evil in the air."

He gave me a questioning look, "I know it sounds like something out of one of your Space Heroes episodes, but I just know it's out there…You've also felt it, haven't you?"

I nodded, letting my thoughts wander…Yes, I have had the feeling for a while, right after we tangled with the cyber Shredder I began having nightmares…they're still out of focus and hard to interpret, but they're slowly getting clearer. And more and more terrifying….

"Earth to Leo. You in there?" Donnie asked, snapping his fingers in front of my face.

I blinked, pulling myself out of my reverie. "Sorry, just thinking."

Suddenly a loud crash came from the infirmary, followed by a loud and bubbly "Whoopsy daisy…"

He snorted, "I guess we're the only two in the bunch who actually use that skill consistently."

Another crash sounder and Don nervously glanced back at the door to his precious lab, "I'd… better go check on Mikey before he hurts his other ankle. Speaking of brainless, where has our very own hothead wandered off this time?"

I could immediately see the regret in his eyes as I winced, remembering our earlier fight.

"That bad huh." He said looking at me with concern. I knew he had noticed that my clashes with my immediate younger brother were getting more frequent, but I just couldn't help but become concerned at Raph's increasing recklessness. (yeah, I know. I didn't think it could get any worse either) Not to mention the tension everyone felt from that evil aura mixed with my nightmares…it was the perfect recipe for disaster – turtle style.

You know you'll have to clear the air sooner or later. Might as well get it over with. I sighed and turned to walk over to the dojo. "I'll go talk to him. You go take care of Mikey." I called behind me, but stopped when I felt a hand on my shoulder.

I turned to look into Don's worried eyes, "You sure you just don't want him to cool off a little? It might decrease your bruise count, which at the end of the day is less work for me." He tried to joke, but I could sense his uneasiness.

"Donnie," I said gently, "you know that doesn't work when Raph's really ticked off. He'll just stew, letting his anger build until he could blow up on one of you guys. I'd rather he let it out on me than you."

He sighed, squeezing my shoulder, "I know, I'm just worried. You two have been at each other's throats more and more, and it's affecting all of us. Even the 'Battle Nexus Champion' has been cracking less jokes."

He shook his head and smirked at me slightly, trying to regain some humor, "You want me to write up your will before you go in there? I did pass the online bar exam last year."

I laughed a little and affectionately rubbed his head with my hand, "No thanks, genius. I'll survive. Though I'd get the ice packs ready if I were you…and stay out of the dojo for the next half hour or so."

He nodded in understanding and turned away. Suddenly a sharp pain lanced through my chest and wracked my body, causing me to slump and fall on one knee.

Don turned back when he heard the soft thump and widened his eyes, "LEO!" he shouted and rushed over to help me up.

"You okay?" he asked, his voice nearly bordering on panic.

Regaining my sense of balance, I quickly tried to steady myself. I put a hand on his shoulder. "I'm fine, Don." I said, trying to smile through the persevering pain.

He gave me a yeah-right look and practically dragged me over to the couch, where he gave me a quick physical examination, a no-nonsense glint in his eyes.

"Really, Donnie, I'm fine." I said with mild exasperation, gently but firmly slapping his hands away.

He glared at me, "No, you are not. You've lost a good amount of weight in the past few weeks. I can practically count all of your ribs." He sighed, "Geez, Leo. I already have Mikey's ankle to worry about. Please don't overwork yourself again AND skip your meals."

Look who's talking mister practically-lives-on-coffee…I thought but still I couldn't help but smile slightly at the Braniac's scolding, Donnie's still looking out for me. I put a hand on his shoulder, "Thanks little bro. I'll make sure to eat some more."

But underneath my expressionless face I was hiding my grimace from the continuing pain. Idiot, you can't let them notice. They'll begin to suspect that it's more than just stress from overworking. I berated myself, You can't let them be burdened by it.

I quickly pulled myself together and got off the couch, smiling slightly at Don to show I was okay. "Thanks for your concern, Donny. I don't know where we'd be without that big brain and big heart of yours."

I turned and walked towards the dojo, "Now if you'll please excuse me, I have a date with a certain hothead."

"Come back to my lab after you're done. I still want to check you over to make sure the stress has not badly affected your systems."

Great, I thought, now I'm screwed. If Don gives me a checkup he'll find out why I really collapsed. And no one in the history of the universe has ever been able to avoid Doctor Don's checkups…Ugh, this is why I hate keeping secrets.

Annoyed, I flung open the sliding bamboo door to settle things once and for all with my younger brother.

At least this fight will take my mind off all these issues…

Read & Review (If you dare...)

~ N.B. - For anyone confused I decided to MERGE DON'S LAB WITH THE INFIRMARY (so Doctor Don can keep an eye on his restless patients...) ~