Mikey ran until he got to the river. It briefly flashed into his mind to throw himself in, but he knew he would survive anyway. He was a turtle, after all.
"Why did I do that?" he whispered, crouching and watching the water lap at him gently. Mikey had the urge to jump in a swim away, out to the ocean, where he could float all day long without a care in the world.
"Except for sharks, humans, and other meat eaters," a voice said coldly behind him. Mike whirled to find a human facing him.
"Wh-Who are you?" he asked, a finger rest on his nunchucks just in case.
"A friend, perhaps a foe, who are we to know?" another voice asked. A similar human stepped out of the shadows. "You may call me friend, for I am here to mend."
"And I am a friend, perhaps, if you are truly trustworthy. Of course, seeing what you look like, it must be difficult to trust me. Can I trust you?"
"That depends," Mikey answered, peering around suspiciously. "Is anyone going to jump out at me?"
"Not that I can account for," the first one answered. The two humans were male, Mikey realized, as they stepped forward a little farther. "I trust you enough to stand before you unarmed. Can you trust me, at least hear me out?"
"I suppose, but not alone. It is not my decision to make if I can help you."
"You are a free being, are you not? Why do you worry, little turtle spot?" The second man, shorter and younger, smiling brightly.
"Do you always talk in rhymes?" Mikey asked curiously.
"Sometime yes, sometimes no, who are you to know?" He giggled and suddenly flipped onto his hands, staring up at Mikey.
"I am Silan," the other stated. "And this is my little brother, Slinan."
"Silan and Slinan. Got it. I'm Mikey, Michelangelo." Mike bowed a bit and faced the older one. "Why aren't you screaming?"
"I do not find your appearance startling," the elder shrugged. "I am not from Earth Sol, you see. I am from another dimension. We heard that the most recent Battle Nexus Champion and his brothers lived here. We also saw his statue. Do you know who and where he is?"
"Find a friend, indeed, in our greatest time of need," the smaller one chirped.
"So, if you're not human, what are you?"
"We are what your world would call aliens," the older explained, shooting his brother a look. The younger one hopped back up and landed on his feet again, smiling brightly still. "But that is incorrect. We are the equivilant of humans, we live on a planet called H'Trea."
"That spells "Earth" backwards."
"Yes, an interesting things to see," the smaller one noticed. "And it might lead to the key."
"What is the key?"
"One of you four… But we know not which one. May we speak to your brothers?" the elder asked courteously.
"That's kinda… Not possible right now. I'm kinda running away for a little while. I hurt Beth. She's my eldest brother's girlfriend and carrying his baby. He's kinda pissed… Really pissed." Mikey winced and looked down; the ground was suddenly very interesting to him.
"Why did you hurt Beth?" the smaller one asked, a serious expression on his face. "Does she still draw breath?"
"Yeah, I just nicked her hand with a knife while we were making dinner. It was an accident… But Leo doesn't know that. At least, he didn't act like it. He's… Changed. Just… Could you come back? Tomorrow, maybe?"
"No, we have searched high and low for you. We must speak to your brothers if you cannot promise help."
"Mikey!" a voice cried out from above. A shape was seen against the stars. "Raph, I found him!"
Leo landed with a ground-shaking thump, facing the two "humans" with his wings open pretty far. Raph landed next to him, dwarfed but still formidable. Mikey peeked around Leo's wings to see the two humans.
"I take it Michelangelo is your brother?" the eldest asked coolly.
"Who wants to know?" Raph spat.
"I am Silan, and this is Slinan. We are brothers. We have been searching for you across many worlds. The Daimyo helped us find you. We must speak to your family. We need help from the Battle Nexus Champion and his brothers. I have spoken with the Champion Michelangelo already. He told me that he is not in a position to grant us help. Are you the leader?"
"I am the head of the family for the moment," Leo nodded, closing his wings slightly. "My name is Leonardo." He bowed formally, which the other two were hasty to return. "This is my second-in-command, Raphael. And Michelangelo, who you've already met."
"There is a fourth. Donatello, was it?"
"Yes."
"Friends around, foes around," the littler one suddenly squeaked. "We must hurry below ground!"
Leo sniffed the air cautiously before nodded and making a quick decision.
"Raph, grab Mikey. You two head to the lair. I'll take these two by warehouse and blind fold them. Go!" he ordered when Raph hesitated. The hothead snorted and grabbed Mikey's waist as he opened his wings. He beat them and lifted off slowly, the extra weight clearly dragging him down. However, he managed to land on a roof and dropped Mikey before they ran off, disappearing.
Leo pulled two his bandana off and tore it in two. He then tied it tightly around the humans' heads and picked them up with his arms.
"Hold on and do not try to squirm," Leo instructed.
"Yes, Dragon Lord," the eldest whispered, feeling his wings and then fingering the scales on Leo's arm. Leo gulped down his questions and took to the wing easily. These two hardly weigh anything! Leo thought to himself, surprised.
When he landed in front of the warehouse, he quickly ducked inside and only then did he call up the elevator. Once they were inside, he removed the men's masks and tucked the cloth back in his belt. He'd fix his mask later; he had a spare for now. However, the bright light in the lair would hurt. He winced in apprehension and shut his eyes tightly, throwing an arm over his face as the door opened again and light bombarded him.
To his surprise, he felt Donnie approach him. The scientist tied another of his black-eye masks over his head and Leo opened his eyes to find Mikey and Raph sitting with the newcomers in the living room. Donnie smiled when Leo thanked him and then ushered his brother to the living room.
"So… Let's get this started," Leo said, gazing at his three brothers and then at the humans. "Donnie, these two are Silan and Slinan."
"Well met, Donatello," the youngest smiled. "Wielder of the Bo."
"How did you know that?" Raph asked, suspiciously.
"It is his job to know," the eldest explained. "He's the technician and know-it-all of our team. You could say he is Donatello's counterpart."
"Not possible," Don insisted. "Alternative realities don't exist."
"You just haven't discovered them. Slinan?"
Slinan stood up as Silan did and made a quick gesture. He muttered a word that Leo recognized from his lessons with Usagi about portal openings. It was a word that meant, "Change me back to my original form".
A flash of bright light later, two turtles just like Don and Raph stood in front of the brothers. Leonardo hissed gently, not liking this new development.
"Sorry, guys, but we had to hide ourselves from our enemies," the eldest, Raphael's twin, explained. "I am known as Master Raphael. This is Professor Donatello."
"Cool!" Mikey exploded, bouncing in his seat. "Do I have a twin?"
"Yes. He was left in our hideout, though. We didn't want to risk anything happening to all of us."
"Master Raphael?" Raph asked, curious.
"I have graduated to Ninja Master rank," Master Raphael explained. "Do you have a rat mentor?"
"Master Splinter," Leo said curtly.
"Ah. Our is actually named High Sensei Splinter, but I can see that both are the same. Well, in the sense that I am the same as Raphael."
"So… Does Leo have a twin?" Mikey asked excitedly.
The two visibly winced and Master Raphael glared at Professor Donatello until the turtle shook his head and snorted slightly.
"Yes and no," Master Raphael answered.
"What do you mean?" Leo asked cautiously.
"Our leader was named Leonardo, too," the professor said quietly. "But…"
"He died."
Leo blinked and Mikey gasped. Raph looked sharply at his counterpart, and Donnie inhaled quickly.
"No, he didn't," Professor Donatello interrupted.
"Yes, he did," Master Raphael insisted, his voice hard. However, Leo saw how his temple twitched, just like Raph's when the hothead was in a state near to tears.
"Please excuse my brother," Donatello said hurriedly. "He died, and yet he didn't. Let me explained. Please, sit down," he asked, pushing Master Raphael down harshly. "It all began a few Earth Sol years ago…"