Author's Note: I am so glad you guys are as excited as I am. 3 You are seriously the best. Also, I got a promotion at work which means a lot of things but most importantlyit means I have less time to daydream at work (ha!) so my chapters for this fic might take a little longer than my other stories. Don't be worried if I don't update for a bit. I promise I won't let it be more than 2 weeks between updates, though. That would drive me insane.

And yes, I did re-watch TMNT (2007) specifically to write one of these scenes. As if I needed a reason. That movie is freaking awesome. Not the villains, they were lame. But the characterization... the fights. Unf. Beautiful.

Here goes!

As usual, Michelangelo was the first to break the silence. "But how long are you gonna be gone?" he asked, arms folded on his knees. Leo could see he was trying to keep a straight face, trying not to show how bothered he was. Unfortunately for Mikey, he was pretty transparent. His discomfort read in his hunched shoulders and shimmering blue eyes.

"Just a few weeks, Mikey." Leo shouldered his bag with a sigh. "It won't be that bad."

"I don't get it," Raph frowned, his arms folded over his plastron. He looked disgruntled. "Why is Master Splinter sending you alone? If this village really is in trouble from a whole band of warriors, we should all go."

Donatello leaned against the arm of the couch nearby. "It would be pretty difficult to transport four full-grown mutant turtles, Raph. This is simpler." He glanced at Leo and offered a placating smile. "Besides, we have to stay here to protect the city."

Raphael tossed up his arms. "New York City lasted a long time before we came around, Donnie. Us bein' gone for a few weeks wouldn't make that much of a difference!"

"Actually, crime rate in the city has dropped 12% in the last five years," said Donnie sensibly. "So we are making a difference."

"Wow," said Raphael dryly. "A whole 12%. They should build us a memorial or somethin'."

Donnie huffed. "In a city with millions of people, that's pretty substantial, you know."

"Are you sure you have to go, Leo?" Mikey jumped up and shuffled over to his brother. "I mean – Like, what if we need you? Who's going to lead us while you're gone?"

"Ooh, I think that means I'm in charge," Raphael grinned. "Get goin', Leo. Japan needs you!"

Mikey's eyes widened and he threw himself at Leo's feet. "Oh, god! Doooo-o-o-on't gooo!" he pleaded, gripping Leo's arms.

The turtle in blue rolled his eyes and swatted Raphael's arm. "Stop scaring him – Mikey, stand up."

Helping his little brother to his feet, Leo led Mikey a few steps away from the others. To his surprise, his little brother sniffled and moved closer into his grip, the sensitive motion stirring Leo out of his stupor. Mikey may have been a crybaby when they were much younger, but it had been a long time since he'd actually seen him tear up and some of his annoyance faded away as a result.

This hadn't been an easy thing to tell his brothers, but some hard, gritty part of him – something he was uncomfortable thinking about – had been glad to do it. Pleased that his brothers would notice his absence. Glad to tell them he'd be going... away. It was such a struggle to get a moment alone here, these days in particular. He'd finally be able to get some peace.

No one to bother him or touch his things or try to cheer him up. Just... nothing.

Still, seeing his little brother so upset softened his heart. Leo touched Mikey's shoulder and then tugged him into a hug, hand on his brother's smaller shell. "Hey, bro. It's okay. I'll be back before you know it," he murmured. Mikey inhaled shakily and Leo knew he was trying to steady himself in front of Raph and Donnie. And maybe Leo, too. But Mikey had never been that great at keeping things to himself, emotions included. He wasn't like the other three, all of whom tended to keep things bottled up for years like a fine red wine.

"But we've never been apart like this," Mikey said in barely more than a whisper, his words muffled by Leo's arm. Leo pulled away a bit and swiped at his brother's cheeks to clear it of tears.

"I know," Leo said quietly. "But we're not little kids anymore. We can be.. separate." Brushing a hand over Mikey's head, Leo watched him carefully. "But we're brothers, too. So no matter how far away we are, we're still together. Got it?"

Mikey seemed to take comfort in that and he nodded, the last of his tears drying. "Just stay out of trouble and do what Master Splinter says," Leo instructed, pulling back.

Mikey considered this. "What about what Raph says?"

"No. Don't do that."

"Okay, sounds good." Mikey finally smiled again and Leo squeezed his shoulder once before turning back to the other two.

Before he had a chance to speak, Master Splinter appeared. "Leonardo. Your plane leaves shortly. You should leave."

Leo nodded and re-shouldered his bag. Eyeing Raphael and Donnie in turn, he finally gave in with a sigh and hugged them both, loose arms around their shoulders before he turned away, curiously afraid to meet either of their gazes.

"Bye, guys."

He hopped up the steps of the lair to the exit, his fingers growing tight around the pack strap. When he glanced back, his three brothers stood gathered together. Raphael gave him a weak, uncertain wave, his expression tight. Blue eyes shifted to Donatello. "Be safe, brother," said Donnie. Leo studied him for a moment before giving a faint nod in reply. Then he turned and headed out into the sewers with Master Splinter.

Once they reached the ladder to the surface, Leo paused. For the first time since his initial meeting with Sensei about the trip – all of twenty-four hours ago – he was assaulted with apprehension, a nervous clenching under his plastron that suddenly had him wishing for the dark comfort of the lair. When Master Splinter had first spoken to him about this mission (and he'd let it properly sink it), his first reaction had been a swift course of relief.

He was getting out of New York. Away from his family, away from their comforting words. Away from all the cutting, biting, nagging memories that bit and irritated like fleas. New York City in Leonardo's mind had settled under a hazy wave of blue, everything foggy and distorted in his mind's eye so that even when he was with friends and family, it was hard to stay focused. He could feel himself being pulled away from every moment, never truly engaged in whatever was going on around him, distant in a thousand ways from the others.

This was what he needed, nevermind the fact that he was needed by these people, these friends of his father and his clan. This renewed purpose was invigorating, if not a little frightening as well. "Sensei..." Leo glanced uncertainly at his adoptive father.

Splinter inclined his head in Leonardo's direction and his clawed hand rose, touching his shoulder lightly. "You will be fine, my son," the rat assured him.

"How do you know?" asked Leo, unable to keep the tremble out of his voice without his brothers there to bear witness.

"Because I have great faith in your strength... and your compassion," Splinter answered and Leonardo frowned. Compassion sounded like an ugly word in his head and he wondered when he'd begun to think that. Turning back to the sewer grate, Leonardo placed a hand on the metal rung. However, before he began to climb, he turned back to Splinter with his open arm and pulled his father into an embrace. Splinter returned it, furry head inclined towards Leo's.

"I'll miss you, father."

"As I will miss you, my son."

"Do these contain nuts?"

A bored looking stewardess turned from her spot in the center of the aisle. She eyed the package. "They're walnuts," she told the passenger. The portly woman in row 19A shifted in her seat and sniffed impatiently.

"Yes, but I am allergic to a particular kind of nuts. What sorts of nuts are these?"

"They're walnuts," the stewardess repeated flatly.

"Are those the ones used in peanut butter?"

"... You mean, besides peanuts?"

"Yes."

"Mommy, are we there yet?"

A shrill infant shriek sounded at the back of the plane but it was quickly cut off by a chirpy voice over the intercom. "Gogo no shinshi shukujo guddo. Watashitachi wa 15-bu de tanegashima kūkō ni tōchaku shimasu," and then the same in heavily accented English - "Good afternoon ladies and gentlemen. We will be arriving at Tanega-Shima airport in fifteen minutes." The voice disappeared with a shrill whir and static took over for a few moments before fading away completely.

An antsy little boy behind the complaining woman leaned far over in his seat, eyes eagerly peeking at the dark blue water as it raced below, now visible without the cloud cover underneath. The island seeped into view, a misty outline against the dying sunset. The little boy took in the ripples of the reflective clouds, his eyes wandering in search of anything new and exciting.

"Nothing cool ever happens," he muttered.

He kicked at the floor beneath his feet, over and over a steady thump at the floor. Which ran lower and lower, each thud echoing further into the bowels of the plane, past the cargo hold and into the rattling clinks and clangs of the plane's inner-workings. And then, further than that, a pit of wires and steel folds that slowly worked their way lose at the beckoning of a button in the cockpit.

Blinding winds and the salty spray of ocean raced up to meeting the landing gear as it dropped away from the plane, steady and waiting to brace the massive structure against the landing strip of Tanegashima Airport.

A pair of jagged white eyes opened between the metal bars supporting the plane's wheels, one green arm locked firmly around the center, feet planted above the steel plate that protected the plane's wheels. Leonardo reached up to his pack and made certain it was secure, body tense and ready to move at a moment's notice. Moving with careful steps around the front, Leonardo came to the front of the steel beams and lifted his head, eyes taking in the looming silhouette of the island of Tanegashima, jutting peaks layered in a dark green that was darkened by the night sky. Raising a hand to a strap at the center of his plastron, Leo crouched and waited.

Without hesitation, he jumped.

The vortex of the speeding plane sent him flying back into the air and when the timing was just right, he yanked on a cord in the strap on his chest and a glider spread with a quick flap, catching the wind and throwing him back further into the air before it steadied and leveled out. The plane raced on without him but Leo flew on as well, slower now and close to the dark blue water, ripples catching his reflection and shooting a distorted image back at him. He twisted and brushed his fingers along the water as he glided, the stinging sensation pleasant and cool against his skin.

When he was close to the island, he snapped the glider closed and disappeared into the water with a splash.

He caught a train.

The fourth car from the back, loaded with packing crates full of grocery stock, ready to brave the night. Carefully, Leonardo maneuvered into the traincar and waited. It started off with a rumble, screeching against the aged tracks, whistling every time it raced through a town or village. He couldn't see much of the surrounding area but he knew where this train was heading, knew it would get him where he needed to go. So Leo climbed aboard and waited, getting in a few lazy naps against a heavy box, his pack a welcome weight on his front. When the dawn began to creep up the horizon, Leo shouldered his pack and climbed out of the moving traincar, hands pulling him to the top. There, he found a seat against one of the unused smokestacks, his arms settled on his upraised knees.

The light grew bright and afforded him his first real glance of Japan.

Everything was so green. He'd landed in a well-populated city but now he was far from the dense metropolitan areas of the main islands. The train did not run near the coast, not now as Leonardo watched, but instead it snaked and twisted through towering mountains and unusual forests, plants Leo had never seen before winding into old homes and villages as they passed without stopping. The sun created a warm orange glow, piercing through cuts in the foliage and alternating pleasant warmth with blinding light, indecisive.

The train rolled on as Leo watched from his spot atop the traincar, the engineer blasting a horn ever so often even though Leo didn't see it cross any major roads. The cities grew further between, leaving behind the industrialization and falling into simpler structures and smaller populations. Tall buildings gave way to massive fields, some lined with barbed wire that carefully enclosed around the area where cattle roamed.

One side of the mountains suddenly fell away and the brilliant shoreline came into view, water pushing hungrily against jagged rocks that lay far below the cliff face. Leo looked out, his body lax with wonder, his lips parted and his heart thumping wildly. In the distance, another much smaller island was visible, scarcely more than the foundation for a volcano wrapped in a ring of smoky sky. It, too, was green, patched with a small house or business here or there but mostly only home to nature.

It felt to Leo as though no matter how long he watched or how far away he traveled, that island would always be within view, the outline of which was so devastating against the backdrop of the ocean.

The train finally came to a stop and Leo hopped down, hiding away and quickly ducking into a heavy brown cloak. He pulled the hood up and kept the itchy material close over his arms, a thick string tied over his collarbone to keep him concealed. The train station was housed in a small town near the shore and people moved around him with absent purpose, paying him little attention. Careful to keep his face covered, Leo moved away from the train and looked around, trying to spot someone that gave any indication of knowing him.

"Hamato!"

He stopped, his shoulders tensing for a moment. He'd tucked his katana away in his bag, unwilling to explain them to a law official who might stop him. Now he sorely felt their absence in this unfamiliar territory.

Turning slowly, Leo tilted his head under the shadow of his cloak hood.

A young man followed the motion of his head and then, to Leo's surprise, he grinned. Leo immediately noticed that, unlike most everyone else he had seen in this town, this young man was wearing more traditional clothing – a light kimono and dark hakama. He had hair to his shoulders and just a hint of the same on his chin, eyes light and youthful. He might've been Leo's age, or perhaps just a few years older.

Leo shifted in the young man's direction and tentatively raised his head to speak. "Yes. I'm Hamato," he said in English. He spoke enough Japanese to get by – certainly more than any of his brothers – but he blanked, the nervous part of him that jumped at this new environment suddenly forgetting everything he ever thought he knew.

Hmph. And here he thought he was cool and collected.

The man stopped in front of him with a friendly smile and bowed. Leo did the same and was glad for the brief respite to gather his nerves. "I'm Hiroshi," the young man said. "Kiyoshi-san sent me here to pick you up and bring you to our island." Leo breathed out an inward sigh of relief. Hiroshi's English was very good, certainly better than Leo's Japanese. He made a mental note to improve it while he was here.

"It's nice to meet you," Leo nodded. "My name is Leonardo."

Hiroshi's eyes widened and he stared before letting out a bark of laughter. "Even my English isn't that good. I think I will just call you Hamato," he grinned. Turning swiftly, he began a quick trot across the street towards a parking lot of cars, most of which appeared to be old and well-worn. Leo had to jog to keep up with him, one hand reaching up to fist the hood of his cloak.

"Why didn't your father give you Japanese names?" Hiro asked frankly, his easy saunter and quick smile reminding Leo a bit of Casey. There was something assured and confident, maybe even a bit smug about Hiroshi, but his eyes were kind and held no hint of condescension. "Seems like it would have made more sense," added Hiro.

Leo chuckled, a bit caught off guard. "I don't know. I'll have to ask him when I get home."

"You should," said Hiro, pausing at a beat-up truck and unlocking it after several minutes of work on the door. He hopped in and when Leo did the same, he tilted his head enough to see Leo's face under the hood. Then he started the ignition and laughed.

"Mako. You look like a Mako."

They drove for another 45 minutes, yet another new sensation for Leonardo. He'd been in very few vehicles in his life and most of the time, he'd been driving the Shellraiser. To ride shotgun in a pickup truck with a man he didn't really know was strange. He kept his hood up even though there was no one on the roads to stop them or see him through the windows.

"I hope you are as good as they said," Hiro said after a little while. His playful grin had gone away and was replaced by a thoughtful appraisal of Leo. The blue-banded turtle glanced up and raised a brow ridge at his companion.

"Is is that bad in your village?" he asked curiously.

"Worse," Hiro said after a pause. "We have lost thirteen people since this began. And many more have been injured." He shifted the truck and wound around a stomach-dropping turn that sat on top of a cliff's edge. Leo eyed it nervously from his side of the truck but Hiro seemed unconcerned.

"I'm sorry," Leo said quietly, forcing himself to focus on the conversation. He pulled his hands into his lap and shifted in Hiro's direction. "I'll do whatever I can to help. Can you tell me anything else about it?"

Hiro shrugged from his side of the truck. "I'm sure Kiyoshi-san will tell you..." he said uncertainly, but then went on. "It makes no sense. They come from the mountains at night, attacking and destroying whatever they come in contact with. Few people have seen them and even fewer have lived to tell it. Some say they are ninja, like you." He nodded in Leo's direction. "But I tell them that ninja are honorable and would not do a thing like that."

Leo looked back to the windshield, his jaw tight. "Not all ninja are honorable." Hiro raised a brow at him but did not press it and so Leo spoke next. "Why don't you just notify the local authorities? Surely even on an island as remote as yours..."

"The law enforcement of Tanegashima has spent time on our island, but they are corrupt and we do not want them there. Our island is very important to us. It is not for outsiders to inhabit or control," Hiro said firmly. Leo's brows furrowed, curiosity pressing on the corners of his mind. But, like Hiroshi, he did not pursue the subject.

Several minutes later, Hiro spoke up once more.

"Things have grown worse over the past few weeks. We've had thieves and cut-throats attacking during the day. We do not know if they are with the clan that is coming for us in the night or if they are simply taking advantage of our weakness and fear. It is difficult to know your enemy when it feels like they are everywhere at once."

Leo curled his fingers on the edge of the window.

"The bandits even tried to carry off a woman the other day," Hiro added with an angry snort. Leo glanced up, his eyes narrowed and fingers curled on the window, tight in the lines of his palms.

"Not while I'm here," Leo murmured lowly, his eyes turning to the window once more. "Not unless they plan to leave a very important limb behind."

They reached the coast and the trip was still not done. Leonardo stepped out with Hiroshi, who stopped next to an aged Japanese man in a traditional men's kimono. He handed him the keys and thanked him with a deep bow before hopping up to Leonardo, his grin back in place.

"Ready to boat?" he asked, and Leo could gauge from the other man's excitement that this was going to be an interesting ride. Clouds of smoke and mist kept their destination from view but it wasn't long before Leonardo was praying for its appearance, his hands gripped tightly to the edge of the small motor-driven boat currently racing through the waves. Hiro whooped happily from his place at the back, hand firmly planted on the steering rod of the motor.

"I love the water!" he shouted over the noise to Leonardo.

For the love of god. I traveled all this way to drown in the ocean with a daredevil boat-driver.

The boat lurched high in the air when it caught a wave and Leo nearly bounced out, prompting him to turn and yell – or shriek, rather – at Hiro to slow down. Hiro laughed, free arm gripping his stomach. "It is a long way! Speed is better!"

"Not if we're dead!" Leo shouted in return, wondering how in the hell he'd gone to the other side of the world just to find someone who was a dangerous mix of all his wild brothers wrapped in one. Thankfully, the boat pierced the layer of heavy fog and the island came into view like a spirit on the sea. Leonardo looked up and fought to calm the racing of his heart, but the sight of the striking island took his breath away once more.

Water pushed high on cliff walls, clear pools of varying depths gathering around the edges of the island, lapping at the sandy and rocky shores. The mountains Hiroshi had spoken of moved into the air like great green pyramids, and it instantly occurred to Leo that it was no wonder the attacking warriors could hide there.

To someone who had never seen anything outside the city of New York, the island looked like an ancient ruin grown over, as if buildings had once stood tall and then toppled to form steeples that pumped smoke out in the air and fought in vain against the vines and roots that held it there. He couldn't see the village from the shore but Hiro assured him it wasn't far, and by the time they'd hit dry land and tied up the boat on a small wooden dock, Leo had forgotten his fear on the water.

"Welcome to Takeshima," said Hiro behind him with a mysterious smile.

They walked the rest of the way to the village, nothing but hills and valleys thick with trees for miles. And then, as they traveled a well-worn road, the trees split and the path widened into a true road, though it was nothing like the black streets Leonardo knew from home.

He stopped at the top of a hill, his eyes wide and his lips parted.

The village sat below them, spread wide with open fields laced with narrow roads and minka houses, thatched roofs made of bamboo and thin wooden shingles covering many of the windows. Mountains surrounded them on all sides, varying in size and shape but one no less intimidating and mystical than the others. Leo stepped forward, fighting to take in the images of the cattle roaming in their fields and the farmers working against the crop. A river came down one of the mountains and widened to the western side, and from his vantage point Leonardo could see people standing knee-deep in the water, working fabric through the crystal clear water and flapping the drying sheets in the wind.

Leo and Hiro moved down the length of the road until they came to the village proper.

All the villagers, Leo noticed, wore traditional clothing, some nicer or more elegant than others but all more or less the same. Hiro took a step out ahead, greeting many people as they passed. He glanced over his shoulder at Leonardo and smiled. "You can lower your hood, Hamato."

Leo glanced up, the instinct to shrink away from the crowd almost overwhelming. He'd never been particularly afraid of humans seeing him, but the practice of keeping far away from even his closest loved ones had made him wary. "I don't think that's a good idea," he said quietly, even as a child raced by and brushed his arm.

"Really," Hiro said, pausing to allow Leo to catch up. "You have nothing to fear from these people."

Leo huffed. "They do know I'm a mutant turtle, right?"

Hiroshi laughed and took the lead once more. He spared Leo a smile over his shoulder. "Well, they certainly do not think you are a regular turtle. That would not be very much help at all."

Leo eyed Hiroshi for a long moment under the shadow of his hood. After a long moment of thoughtful silence, he reached up and gripped the hood. Hesitation caused him to linger, the motion frozen. Then, with a great deal of apprehension, he lowered the hood to his shoulders and looked around the bustling village center.

"You are in a different place now," Hiroshi said, comforting.

An old man in a faded kimono walked by as he dropped the hood away. When Leo glanced at him, the old man stopped and stared. Leo moved to tug his hood back up but his fingers paused when the man smiled. He gestured at Leonardo and then shuffled, quickly tucking his old frail body into a deep bow. Then he nodded, moving away again. Leonardo stared, his blue eyes wide.

As he watched, other people paused to stare at him and smile, many of them nodding and even bowing as he began to walk slowly once more, his expression contorted with disbelief. A toddler on the run from its mother hurried by and even ducked behind Leonardo before waddling on his way, giggling madly at his mother's attempts to catch him. Leo's gaze followed the toddler and then moved with a start as someone brushed by him, offering him a simple apology for the motion and then moving on.

"I … I don't understand," Leo's voice cracked.

"I told you. This place is different," Hiro said simply, his smile growing larger at Leo's startled confusion.

"Why are they bowing to me? They don't even know me," Leo said, hurrying to Hiroshi's side.

Hiro answered with a smirk, "Because they know who you are, of course. And they know you're here to help."

"They know who I am?" Leo asked, shocked. "The entire village?"

"Certainly," Hiro grinned. "Don't you think we know of the great defeat of Oroku Saki?"

Leo stopped in his tracks, his shaking fingers finding the strap of his pack once more. He turned on his heel, eyes drinking in the details of the village as it carried on with its normal business. People spoke at merchant stalls. Children that were not old enough for school played outside of their homes under the watchful eyes of a parent. Old men shared drinks and stories.

Turning back to Hiro, Leo fought to find words. Hiro clapped a hand on his shoulder. "Come on, Hamato. It is time for you to meet Kiyoshi-san." Leonardo nodded, pushing away the shock that threatened to arrest his every motion. He moved further down the street with Hiro and the two paused at the corner while Hiro greeted a friend.

Leo used the respite to let his eyes wander. He spotted children through the window of a classroom, happily singing in unison. A fisherman stepped in Leo's view, distracting him for a moment before he caught sight of something beyond the street, a beautiful courtyard on the outcrop of a hill above the other homes.

A young woman in a powder blue kimono sat on a stone bench, gaze turned in the direction of a book cradled in her lap. As Leo watched, she glanced up from the book and instantly met his gaze, her hand poised on the corner of a page. Her lips quirked in a gentle smile.

Leo quickly ducked his head away and continued walking.

He and Hiro walked a few minutes more, the courtyard now well out of view. They paused to allow a group of merchants to walk by. As they waited, something changed in the air. Leonardo contemplative silence grew tense, even as the others continued around him amiably, indifferent to the change. Blue eyes narrowed, Leo glanced around slowly. The itching – the skin-crawling sensation of being watched.

But it was more than that. Leo was experienced enough to know that now. He wasn't just being watched. He was being hunted.

Even in the midst of the crowding groups in the village's center, with people filing all around him and conversation filling the air, he waited with practiced patience, eyes closed. "Hamato?" questioned Hiro in front of him, oblivious. However, no sooner had he spoken than Leo dropped his pack to the ground and whipped his arms around, catching the sudden assailant by the throat and slamming him to the street.

People screamed and darted out of the way because more had come, men sporting swords and staffs, darting out of the shadows and alleyways of the village with no warning. Leonardo released the first man and snapped into the instinctive motions, his body alert. Half a dozen men gathered around him, the villagers all turning and running away with panicked shouts. Leonardo slid his feet into a defensive crouch and faced his opponents in the split-second it took them to recover and charge.

A split-second was all he needed.

Twisting into a kick, Leo caught the first man in the jaw and sent him spinning into the ground, quickly turning to throw up an arm to block a hit from a staff. Yanking it from that man's grip, he twirled it behind him and caught another man in the stomach. A scruffy man came at him with a sword but he quickly dipped out of the way, rolling back to his pack and reaching in its depths, yanking out one of his katana and blocking the attack with ease. Knocking the other man's katana away, Leo dropped low and kicked his legs out from underneath him.

Behind him, one of the gruff men made the mistake of cracking a bo staff against his shell.

Leonardo straightened slowly, turning to face the man with narrowed eyes. A flick of his glinting katana and the man took a step back, dropping the broken staff with a terrified quiver. Two quick steps and Leo leaped into the air, snatching the man around the neck with his legs and twisting, slamming him back into the ground with a painful thud against the street. A few quick jabs from another man and he was down too, bloody face pressed against the unforgiving ground and katana tight and cool against the sensitive skin of his throat.

"Who are you?" snarled Leo, but the man in his tight grip only turned a deep glare to the mutant turtle before jerking suddenly, his body going rigid underneath under Leo's grasp. The other fallen men did the same, bodies writhing briefly before each falling lax. The man in Leo's grip dropped suddenly, his eyes closing. Leonardo jumped up, his hand falling away before he turned to look at Hiro, who stepped out of the crowd, his eyes wide.

He moved down next to the men and pressed at their pulse points.

"Dead. They are all dead," he said in bewilderment. "I did not see you strike them a fatal blow."

Leonardo shook his head, his eyes moving up over the strange village. "I didn't," he said quietly, uncomfortably aware of the stares of the crowd around him. Just as he considered pulling his cloak securely over his face once more, the people around him began to move.

They bowed, each in turn, some even going so far as to fall to their knees. Leonardo turned in a circle, his sword falling at his side as he took in the sight of the villagers lowered respectfully around him. Uncertain what to do, Leonardo turned back to Hiroshi. His new friend stepped forward and spoke loudly enough for the entire crowd to hear.

"Train us to fight," he said to Leonardo. "We need your help, Hamato Sensei."

Author's Note: Tonight... on Unsolved Mysteries: Japan Edition.