A/N: Hi guys! Long wait, very sorry!

This is a FREAKING long chapter, so get ready! I OWN NOTHING!

Enjoy!

Chapter 10; Kappa's of the Village

It was now late afternoon in the forest lands of Kyoto Japan, and the sky was painted a blend of orange and red as the sun slowly began to set behind the tips of the distant mountains.

Inside the large hut of one of Walker's campsites, two strange companions lay down together, sleeping soundly in the confinements of their chains and large metal cage. The young ninja turtle, Michelangelo, laid his head heavily on the side of his new mutant friend, now named Leather Head, as his long, scaly tail was wrapped around him in a protective manner as they both slept peacefully in each other's company.

However, the peace they shared was shattered by the sounds of uproar and harsh commands being shouted out, and brought the large mutant alligator out of his slumber as he raised his head from where it rested next to the chained sleeping turtle. Blinking once in confusion, Leather Head tilted his head and strained his ears intently to listen to what was going on, without waking his snoozing charge.

"Walker wants us at the resistance village now!" one of them cried, and Leather Head heard the clicking of a gun being loaded. "They're attacking to look for those two red heads that escaped last night!"

"What, seriously?! How'd they escape?!" exclaimed another.

"The hell if I know! Something about demons or some crap! Let's just get moving!"

"Wait, what about them mutants we got here?"

"Oh, good point…well, I guess the gator is too dangerous to keep around, so let's just kill it. We'll bring along the turtle kid to show to Walker and get our money for it!"

Leather Head's eyes widened in horror, and he looked down at the small turtle, his little freckled face a picture of peace as he slept next to the mighty creature he had called his friend, and even snuggled into him as he murmured something about brothers and a thing called pizza in his sleep.

Leather Head didn't care about himself, or hadn't until recently; he thought he had lived a long enough life, and death came to them all in the end one way or another, that much he knew. They could turn him into a little bag for all he cared.

But not little Michelangelo...he was still so young.

He wasn't ready for death, not even close.

Michelangelo had already given him so much within the space of a few hours; a name, a new sense of purpose…and a new friend to call his own.

And already he was going to lose him to a couple of selfish, greedy humans that had no right to even touch him. Just the thought of what those wretched, foul humans would do to him, make him suffer and cry the way he had first seen him, made Leather Head very angry.

So. Very. Angry…

The three guards who had been talking earlier entered the small hut where they had kept the two mutants, and their eyes widened to the size of saucers as the alligator suddenly leapt up from where it lay, and roared, the ground practically trembling at the sound. Before they could stop him or even aim their weapons, he viciously tore away the chains that bound him to the floor, and gripped the metal bars that caged him and bent them apart with ease.

The guards stood no chance against him.

Michelangelo's eyes snapped wide open, and he quickly sat up and gawked up at Leather Head, who was now flinging the guards away from him and clawing at them…from outside the bent cage bars.

Mikey gaped in surprise. Had he really done that?! Wasn't he unable to break out of his chains earlier?! Where the heck did all of this power come from –?

It was then that Mikey saw the look in Leather Head's eyes, and his heart sank in his chest, his eyes growing wide in fearful recognition.

His eyes were completely empty, white with blind rage, like Raph would sometimes get when he couldn't control himself…

Like when he had made Leo bleed.

That day had scared Mikey more than he wanted to admit. They had never made each other bleed like that during training, and to see Raph do that to his big brother, after all the arguments that the two had in the past, only made it all the more terrifying at the thought of the chance that it could happen again, and not be an accident.

Mikey gasped in terror. Leather Head was going to kill them if he didn't do something!

Struggling with the chains still confining him, Mikey pushed himself to his feet, leapt through the metal bars and ran over to his enraged friend, who had just picked up a guard by his face and was shaking him around roughly, the guard screaming in his grasp. "Leather Head! Stop, you're gonna break his neck, dude!" Mikey cried out, begging for his friend to calm down and listen.

Leather Head snapped his empty gaze to the mutant turtle, dropping the guard as he ran away screaming, and he loomed over Mikey, snarling angrily and baring his large teeth, preparing to bite down on the smaller mutant.

Mikey shrunk backwards with a tiny whimper of fear, but then he shook his head and stood up tall, standing his ground.

This was no monster he was up against. This was his friend, his friend that was scared, lost and alone in this crazy world, just as he was. He wouldn't harm him even if he could. He just needed to do what Leonardo always did whenever he was faced with an enraged Raphael.

Stand your ground. Don't back down or let him see your fear.

"Leather Head," he said calmly, staring up at him with serene baby blue eyes, "It's me, Mikey. Turn off the crazy eyes, buddy. It's gonna be okay."

As if something had finally clicked, Leather Head blinked several times, his eyes returning to their normal green hue, and the angry haze vanishing as he looked down at the young turtle, who in turn stared up at him with a calmness that rivaled a statue, which didn't sit right on the orange clad child.

"M…Michelangelo?" he stuttered.

Mikey's staid face finally broke out into a large freckled grin. "You're back!" he cried, running up to him and nuzzling his face against his belly in what would have been a hug, if not for the chains that still bound him. "I'm glad you're okay, buddy!"

Leather Head stared down at the child in wonder, and then looked around him and down at his wrists to find that he was no longer in the cage or in chains. He saw that the bars of the cage had been bent like toothpicks, and he stared at them nonplussed.

"…did I do that?" he asked.

Mikey looked back at the broken cage and nodded eagerly. "Yep! You got us out dude, just like you promised!"

Leather Head looked down again at Mikey, and then back up t the bars. He smiled to himself.

Well, finally, something he could be proud of doing, and not even knowing he did it!

And better still, he had protected Michelangelo. Though he could not yet bring himself to embrace him back, his smile was all Mikey needed.

Mikey grinned back up at him, and then he drew away from the gator to move towards the curtains at the entrance of the hut, and he peeked through them. He scanned the area, but found nothing but a dying campfire and a few other empty tents.

It seemed as though whatever had driven the men away, they had finally left the two mutants alone. Perfect!

With a nod, Mikey drew his head back in and addressed Leather Head. "Those guys are gone, let's get the heck outta here before they come back!" he said. He then looked down at the chains around his body. "Um…could you do me a solid and cut me loose?"

Leather Head nodded with a grunt, and he ripped of the chains with little effort. Mikey stretched his free arms with a happy sigh. "Finally! Thanks dude!" he giggled, before moving over to one of the crates in the corner of the hut, kneeling down as he opened it and rummaged through it, tossing out other objects like ropes, more chains, a carrot, and he practically flung a gun as far away from him as possible before he finally found what he was looking for.

"Ah ha!" he cried out in success as he pulled out his beloved nunchaku, rubbing his cheek against them affectionately before standing up and twirling them back into his belt where they belonged.

He turned back to Leather Head with a beam. "C'mon, let's go!" he chimed happily, and he took Leather Head by his giant webbed hand as they ran out of the hut, across the empty campsite and finally escaped into the forest.

Leather Head allowed himself to be dragged along by the hand as the little turtle led him away from that godforsaken campsite, and back into the familiar serene forests that he had grown accustomed to living in for several years.

He looked down at the tiny hand that held his own monstrous one, and with a small smile, he gently held it back.

"So, where do you think we should go to hide?" Mikey asked over his shoulder as they ran through the dense trees and bushes that surrounded them.

Leather Head hummed in thought, looking at their surroundings. There were no caves or mountains that he could see from where they were, nor where there any burrows big enough for either of them to fit in, which only meant one thing…

"…I have no idea."

Mikey slowly decreased his running speed to a steady walk as he held onto Leather Head's hand.

"…me neither," he sighed hopelessly. Maybe he should have thought this through better. "Well, we'll work something out. Who knows? Maybe we'll find someone who can help us?"

Leather Head smiled. This child's innocence was far too pure.

A twig snapped loudly in the bushes.

Leather Head's eyes widened, and he quickly grabbed onto Mikey and held him close to his side. Mikey let out an "oomph!" as he collided with Leather Head's good side, and he looked up at him in confusion. "Um, dude, what're you –"

"Shh! I hear something coming closer," he growled in caution, his reptilian eyes glaring at the forest around him.

His eyes widening in realization, Mikey held back onto him, turning his head from left to right in search of whatever Leather Head had seen or heard. He prayed that they weren't more humans from that campsite.

Voices and footsteps came from the bushes, growing louder and louder as they came nearer and nearer. Leather Head let out an animalistic growl, subconsciously holding Mikey closer. He had already lost one friend; he was not going to lose another, not now, not ever.

The offenders finally broke through the bushes.

" – and I'm telling you, we were just here – w-what the?!"

Leather Head tilted his head in both surprise and confusion. Stood before him, staring up at him with wide eyes and slightly paling faces, was a teenaged boy wearing a skull faced hockey mask and armed with hockey sticks and a baseball bat strapped to his back, a giant humanoid, brown and white furred rat dressed in a crimson Japanese robe, and a frightened red haired woman stood behind him, quivering in terror.

As they stared at each other in stunned silence, Mikey's eyes grew wide as his face broke out into a grin, and he ran out of Leather Head's arms towards the giant rat. "SENSEI!" he cried.

Splinter tore his gaze away from the giant lizard and smiled widely as Mikey ran into his arms, clinging to him with all his might as the rat held him back, nuzzling his cheek against Mikey's head. "Michelangelo, my son, are you alright?" Splinter queried worriedly, drawing back slightly as he knelt down to Mikey's level, taking his face in his hands as he looked into his youngest son's eyes.

Nodding, Mikey put his hands on his father's wrists as tears started in his eyes, "Yeah, I-I'm okay, Sensei," he replied shakily, trying to keep the tears at bay for Splinter's sake.

He couldn't even begin to explain how happy he was to see his father again.

Splinter drew him back into his chest briefly once more, his heart pounding against his chest. "Don't you ever worry me like that again, my son!" he ordered, and he felt Mikey nod in his chest before he finally allowed himself to release his youngest child.

"Dude, we were worried about you!" Casey cried, a relived smile on his face as he rubbed the little turtle's head with his gloved hand.

Robin moved around Splinter as she fell to her knees, drawing Mikey in for a short loving hug, "We were looking everywhere for you! What happened to you, sweetheart?!" she probed worriedly as she drew away.

Sniffling, Mikey regained himself and replied, "Well, I was with Donnie, and out of nowhere, these creeps grabbed me, and I tried to get away but then they knocked me out and chained me up…and then I met Leather Head," he said with a smile, looking back at the mutant gator that stood by and watched as they reunited.

Splinter quirked a confused furry brow as he glanced at the alligator mutant he had seen hugging his son to his chest earlier. "Who?" he queried.

Mikey moved back to Leather Head, petting his snout affectionately. "Master Splinter, Casey Jones and Miss Aunt Robyn, meet my new fellow mutant buddy, Leather Head!" he announced with a smile and a flourish, "he's the reason why we were able to get outta that human campsite they threw us in!"

Leather Head gave the trio a shy toothy smile.

Casey gulped nervously. Robyn simply stared at the gator. Then both humans turned to look at the rat master, wondering what his reaction would be.

Splinter only nodded, and then stepped closer to the giant reptile, putting an arm around his youngest son's shoulder.

Leather Head rarely feared anything, but the intense gaze that the old rat master sent him made him turn his own gaze downwards.

"Leather Head, correct?" Splinter asked.

Leather Head nodded. "Yes. That is the name Michelangelo has given to me."

Splinter nodded back in understanding, and then a warm smile appeared on his furry muzzle as he gave him a short bow. "Thank you for rescuing my son. I am forever grateful to you," he expressed.

Leather Head looked back up in surprise, and then smiled back. "You are welcome. Michelangelo is my friend, and I would do anything to help him," he alleged, looking down at the orange clad turtle that beamed up at him.

Behind them, Casey and Robyn shared a surprised look. Then they both smiled, turning back to look up at their new mutant ally. Of course Mikey would have befriended this creature; Mikey could melt even the coldest or angriest of hearts.

That was just who he was.

Suddenly, Splinter's smile disappeared as he put his nose in the air and sniffed, along with Leather Head as a strange and foul scent filled the air. It wasn't long until Mikey, Casey and Robyn could smell it too, an all too familiar smell that they instantly recognized with a chorus of soft gasps.

Smoke.

Lots and lots of smoke.

There was a fire somewhere near where they stood. And now that they were silent, they could hear the many screams and shouts of humans, fleeing for their lives.

"The village!" Leather Head grasped with a sharp intake of breath, "the one filled with the refugees from the other village north of here. There must be an attack by Norinaga!"

"Nora-who?" Mikey barked in confusion.

"I will explain later, but we must hurry! There are innocent people in that village that will die if something is not done!" he hastened, grabbing Mikey and setting him securely on his back as he began to run in the direction of the smoke. "Hurry, my friends!" he called over his shoulder to Splinter and Casey.

Splinter nodded, turning to Robyn. "Forgive me, but we must make haste," he said simply, before scooping up Robyn in his arms as she let out a surprised squeak, and he ran after the mutant gator with Casey Jones on his heels.

AS they ran, Splinter had a feeling deep within his chest that they were going to find something more than just humans in that village. He knew from experience that whenever there was trouble of any sort…

…his sons would always follow.

The entire village was filled with the sounds of screaming citizens and crying children as one after another, homes became ablaze and goons blasted their guns in the air, many being injured in the process. It was truly a horrible sight to behold, but not to the eyes of Walker as he rode through on his white horse, the simplest mode of transportation for now. He sneered over his dark sunglasses, and wafted away the odor of the beast he sat upon. He never did like horses that much, but it was all he had for the moment.

"Find the girl! Find Kenshin! Find the scepter, and then burn this place to the ground!" he shouted over the noise, "There's a reward for the one who brings me the scepter! Go!"

His men obeyed eagerly, blasting their way into the village and tearing through the houses, not caring about the people who fled or begged for their lives as they searched, but they found no trace of the red haired girl, the headman's son, or the scepter.

Through all the chaos, an elderly man with a long white beard and carrying a wooden staff ran back into the village, searching frantically. "Yoshi?! Yoshi!" he cried desperately. He prayed to the gods that his little grandson had not already perished in the flames or by the hands of the gunmen.

But his desperate search was interrupted as he was suddenly dragged and thrown roughly to the ground, and two of Walker's men stood over him, smirking coldly at his prone form. "Well, well, well gramps," one laughed, aiming his gun at the frightened old man's head, "It looks like you're outta time!"

"No, you're the one who's outta time, pal!"

The two men spun around, and they gasped in horror as they came face to face with a giant, green faced, and red bandanna wearing turtle, who glared at them with furious green eyes as he pounded his fist into his palm.

The men wasted no time in screaming and running away from the turtle, and he leapt over the stunned old man as ran after them, drawing his Sai from his belt as he laughed. "Wait, don't go! I'm really a beautiful princess in disguise!" he taunted, "Break the spell! Gimme a kiss!"

The two men sprinted away from the creature, and ran into 'Potbelly', 'Skeleton Face' and 'Dopey', and they began stammering in fear about a monster, until Walker finally rode towards them with a deep frown of disapproval. "Excuse me, boys. What do you think you're doing?" he queried.

One of the men looked up at his master and stammered, "S-sir, there's a wild demon on the loose, with a body of a man, a-and the eyes of the devil himself!"

Walker growled. "Listen to me, you blithering idiot. They're nothing but one of those stupid mountain monkeys in their ridiculous masks! Now get on with it!" he shouted, and he rode away.

After losing the two scumbags, Raphael shrugged his shoulders and turned back into the fray of gunmen, who screamed in terror at the sight of him before he beat them down one by one. Just the way he liked it.

But these dirt bags deserved worse than this though for what they had done.

He was about to go off in search for Leonardo, Donatello and April, (who had all split up as soon as they reached the village both in search for Mikey and Robyn, and in order for April and Kenshin to help the people escape the burning buildings,) and he turned to find a middle aged, blonde haired man sat upon a white horse, staring at him in awe, frozen on the spot.

Raph turned around fully and glared at him. He could only assume that this 'cowboy' was the leader of this merry band of fools. Walker, wasn't it?

"See something you like, Butch?" he spat, twirling his Sai in his three fingered hands, "Didn't you know Westerns are dead, pal?"

Walker stared at the creature for a moment longer, before smirking as he whipped out a gun, aiming it at the red clad creature. "Speaking of dead…" he jeered.

Raph froze, his green eyes going wide. There was no way he was going to get out of the way in time, and not even his shell could save him from a bullet.

Walker aimed. "Goodbye, freak!"

Raph covered his face with his arms and squeezed his eyes shut.

He was done for.

However, just as the bullet was fired, time seemed to come to a stop as a green and blue figure, in a speed no man could hope match, moved in front of Raph, and using his katana blade, sliced the bullet directly in half, and the two halves hit the house behind them instead.

Gasps and cries of shock were heard, and Raph lifted his head to find Leonardo stood with his shell facing him, a single katana held sideways in front of him as his ocean blue eyes glared almost savagely at Walker, who in turn gazed at the new turtle in incredulity and what he had just seen, and horror upon the look in his eyes.

"You wanna try that again?" Leo snarled lowly, his voice nearly freezing the blood in Walker's veins.

Raph let out the breath he hadn't realized he had been holding, and smiled at his brother. "Dude, great timing!" he laughed shakily.

Leo slid his gaze to his younger brother and gave him the smallest but most sincere smile, then it was gone again as he glared back up at Walker. "Turn your horse," he hissed, "And get. The hell. Out of here."

Walker growled angrily, and turned his horse. "You haven't seen the last of me, creature!" he spat as he rode his horse away from the angry blue turtle. But his escape was short lived when he was then surrounded by the village men that had followed the turtles from the river, with Mitsu and Donatello at the lead, much to Walker's shock.

A third turtle?! How many of these creatures were there?!

"Not so fast, Zorro!" Donnie scowled, his Bo staff at the ready as Mitsu raised her arrow, "I heard you tried to shoot my brother. You're gonna pay for that!"

Walker found himself surrounded by angry armed villagers, and three very angry mutant turtles. Most of his men had already fled the area once they saw the mutants, being the cowards they were.

Finally, he saw a way out; one of the wooden gates had been carelessly broken, and it was large enough for his horse to fit through. With a grin, he whipped the reins on the horse, making a beeline for the gate, pushing past anyone that got in his way as the horse leapt through the gap with little effort, and Walker made his escape.

Just as Walker rode through the forest, Leather Head, Michelangelo, Casey, Splinter and Robyn had just burst past the gates, and watched as he galloped away.

Leather Head growled. "That was Walker!" he snarled.

On Leather Head's back, Mikey quirked a confused brow, "Really? I thought he was Clint Eastwood," he stated simply.

"Besides," Casey laughed, "when does anybody ride a horse these days?"

"Casey? Splinter? MIKEY?!" cried a voice from the village center.

All heads turned to find Raphael, Leonardo, Donatello and April all staring at them from where they stood in the middle of a crowd of curious villagers.

Splinter let out a breath of relief as he set Robyn back on her feet. It appeared that his hunch had been right after all; his three sons had indeed been involved in the madness.

And for once, he thanked the stars that they were.

"GUYS!" Mikey cried, sliding off of Leather Head's back and sprinting over to his brothers, followed by Casey, Splinter and Robyn. Leather Head stayed behind, not yet allowing himself to be seen by the other humans just yet.

Mikey charged right into Raph's awaiting arms, the force nearly knocking the two of them over as Raph spun his laughing little brother as he hugged him with all the force he could muster. "Thank god you're okay, Mikey!" he cried as he stopped spinning, nuzzling his face into the crook of Mikey's neck, "If you ever scare me like that again, I will slap those stupid freckles off your face! You understand me?!"

Mikey sniffed, tears running down his face despite his smile as he hugged his older red clad brother. "Sure thing, dude," he muffled, drawing away as he rubbed his wet cheek with the back of his hand, "It's good to see you, bro."

Raph grinned, putting his hand at the back of Mikey's head and bringing it close so that their foreheads were touching, a sign of comfort and reassurance between the four brothers. "You too, knucklehead."

Leonardo smiled at the sight, before he caught sight of Splinter rushing towards them, and his smile grew wider. "Sensei!" Leonardo cried as he ran up to his ninja rat master, "We were looking everywhere for –"

He let out an "oof!" as he was suddenly pulled into a strong embrace as Splinter wrapped his arms around him and pulled him to his chest.

"I am relived you are all alive and safe," he said softly, and pulled away enough to lay a hand on his eldest son's cheek. "You have succeeded in finding April, and saving this village. Well done, my son."

Leonardo smiled, putting his hand over his father's. "Thank you, Sensei," he said.

Donnie watched as April and Robyn shared a tearful embrace, smiling at the fact that Robyn was safe and sound, and April was finally happy again. He then felt a gloved hand slap him hard on the shell, and turned to find Casey grinning down at him. "You guys didn't get yourselves killed. Nice work, gap tooth!" he laughed.

Donnie rolled his eyes with a tolerant smile. "Thanks, Cave Mouth!"

From where he hid, Leather Head gazed upon the reunion between them, and a warm smile tugged on his lips.

This strange, strange family were finally together again.

Suddenly, a sound from a burning building caught all of their attention.

"Help! Grandpa! Help me!"

They all turned to find a young child, no older than six years old it seemed, trapped inside the burning building with no way in or out, his dirty face streaked with tears as he cried out desperately.

"Holy crap! That kid's stuck!" Leo cried.

"Yoshi!" the elderly man that Raph had saved ran and pushed passed the other villagers as he tried to get to the building.

Raph struck out an arm and held him back, "Wait! You can't go in there!" Raph barked, but the old man shook his head.

"No, please! My grandson, Yoshi! I must save him!" he wailed.

"But if we go in there, the whole thing might collapse!" Donnie cried, looking back at the house desolately, "I-I'm sorry but – MIKEY! What are you doing?!" he then screamed.

They all spun around, and gasped in shock to find Mikey running towards the blazing building before any of them could stop him, his face creased with determination as he grabbed a ripped potato sack from a smashed crate. "Don't worry! I'll get him out of there!" he called over his shoulder.

"Mikey! Get back here!" Leo called, preparing to run after him, but Splinter held him back firmly. Leo looked up at his master in shock and confusion. "Sensei, why are you – ?!"

"We cannot go after him now, Leonardo" Splinter warned, not taking his eyes away from his youngest son, not moving an inch as he restrained Leonardo, and refusing to leap after him and stop him from entering that building, even though his heart beat furiously in fear, "It is too late to stop him. He must go in alone."

Every instinct Splinter held within him told him to go after him, save him before he lost him like he lost Tang Shen, and little Miwa. But if he were in the elderly man's place and one of his sons were inside that house, and there was absolutely nothing he could do, he too would have wanted someone, anyone to do something to save them.

He had to let Michelangelo do this alone, and pray that he came out safely.

Mitsu and Kenshin finally arrived on the scene, and Mitsu's face was written with panic as she approached the old man. "Grandfather! Where is Yoshi?!" she cried.

"He is inside!" Grandfather replied, pointing to the burning building, "He cannot get out!".

Mitsu's face turned pale with horror as Kenshin held her shoulders to keep her from fainting. "No…my little brother…" she whimpered.

Mikey wrapped the ripped sack over his head, coughing as the smoke invaded his lungs. "Here I go!" he shouted, "BOOYAKASHAA!"

He then took a deep breath and rammed his right shoulder hard into the blocked door, rolling into the house and disappearing into the flames.

"I don't believe it! He went in!" Raph cried, "That idiot's gonna get himself killed!"

"Mikey get out of there!" Donnie screeched, "That building's gonna come down any minute! It'll bury them both!"

"Mikey, NO!" Leo cried, still struggling in his father's grip, though he knew it was futile; he wasn't going anywhere near that house now.

Robyn clung onto April's hand, and April gripped onto Casey's as the three of them stared at the blazing house, their eyes wide and fearful. April whispered a prayer over and over again, with everything she had, hoping that someone would hear her, that their little brother lived.

Seconds passed, and there was still no sign of the young freckled turtle as everyone watched in distress and hope that he reappeared with the child soon. Leather Head had seen him charge into the burning house from where he stood, and his heart throbbed. His actions were noble, but he could see the building begin to crumble.

There wasn't much time until it all came down and buried them both.

Splinter held Leonardo tighter around his shoulders, closing his eyes as he prayed, over and over. He had to make it out.

He had to.

He couldn't bear to lose another child.

Suddenly, just as the house finally gave in to the burning flames and came crashing down, crumbling apart into a pile of burnt, black wood and ashes, Michelangelo came tumbling from out from the wreckage, a blanketed bundle in his arms as he rolled along the ground, coughing up a storm.

"MIKEY!" his brothers cried, and they were all instantly by his side, helping him to stand as he coughed.

Mitsu, Kenshin and Grandpa rushed over also, as well as several other amazed and worried villagers, in search for the little boy that the young creature had hopefully rescued.

"Mikey, I can't believe you did that, you idiot! Are you okay?!" Donnie cried worriedly, quickly scanning his younger brother's body for any signs of burns or fatal wounds, but he was covered in ash, so it was hard to tell.

Mikey looked up at them and smiled. "Not really…but I think he is…" and he lifted the blanket to reveal the unconscious form of Yoshi in the orange clad turtle's arms.

Mitsu let out a gasp as Mikey held him out to her, and she gently took the child from his arms, kneeling on the ground as she put her hand over his ash covered face. She looked up at the mutant turtle, and nodded at him once in gratitude.

Mikey smiled and nodded back.

Raph, Donnie and Leo began to praise and scold Mikey for his actions, with April and Casey not far behind. "Way to go, Mikey!" Raph chortled, then his smile vanished as he smacked Mikey over the head, "but what did I tell you about scaring me like that, man?! You could've gotten killed!"

Before Mikey could retort, Splinter and Leo enveloped him into a tight hug. "Don't you ever do that to me again, Michelangelo! You scared me half to death! Do you understand?" Splinter cried, holding both his sons close to him, and never wanting to let them go again. He had come only seconds from losing another child…

"You could've died, Mikey…but you're a hero," Leo said, looking down at Mikey with pride, "Nice work."

Mikey beamed up at them. Finally, he had done something right!

"Grandfather," Mitsu breathed, her eyes wide and full of fear as she drew her ear away from Yoshi's chest, looking up at the elderly man, "there is no life in him."

The turtles snapped their gazes to her, looking down at the child that lay motionless in her arms. His chest was not moving, and his face had gone quite pale, even though he had just come out from a burning building. The turtles drew closer, and Donnie put two fingers to the child's neck. His expression fell.

"He must've inhaled too much smoke…" he said gravely, "…he suffocated…"

Mitsu choked back a sob as she held the poor child, and Grandpa began to quietly weep. The young turtle had done all that he could, but in the end, it was still not enough.

Leonardo gritted his teeth together and knelt down in front of Mitsu, his arms spread out. "Give him to me," he said. When Mitsu only looked up at him in alarm, he urged her, "Please, I can help, let me take him!"

Mitsu looked into the turtle's blue eyes, and she nodded, gently handing the child over to him as he stood up and held him in his arm. "Everyone, keep back!" he ordered, "give me some room!"

His brothers knew what Leo was going to do and they ushered the villagers away, with the help of Splinter, Casey and April. "Everyone stand back, give the guy some room!" Casey called, and they turned back to watch as Leo lay Yoshi's still body on the ground again. Leo bent down, pinching the child's nose as he performed 'mouth to mouth', breathing air into him repeatedly.

Mitsu gasped, and was about to rush over and stop him, but Kenshin held her back. "No, Mitsu! You must let him try!" he urged.

"No!" she cried, "he is casting an evil spell!"

Donnie shook his head, placing a hand on her shoulder. "No, he's trying to help. Just let him try, please."

Despite herself, Mitsu did as Donatello had asked her and stayed back, watching as Leonardo now pushed his hands down firmly on the boy's chest. "Keep back everyone, I need more time!" he said.

The villagers continued to watch, peering over the shoulders of the creatures that stood before them in concern. Splinter observed his eldest son with a firm expression, but his heart was beating fast in slight dread; the child did not respond whatsoever to his CPR tactics, and the old ninja master feared the worst.

Raph watched as he supported Mikey with an arm around his shell. "Come on, Leo," he urged quietly, "you can do it…"

Suddenly, Yoshi began to cough and gasp for air, his little body trembling as he struggled to breathe. The crowd of humans gasped, others crying out in relief as the child began to move and breathe again, and Mitsu's eyes widened. Her little brother was alive!

Leo heaved a sigh of relief, helping the little one regain his breath as

he sat him up in his arms and patted his back. "Easy there, Yoshi," he soothed, standing up with the boy in his arms, "you're gonna be okay now, alright?" The little boy nodded shakily at the mutant.

Leo smiled down at him, and then looked back up at Mitsu, who had moved past Donatello and rushed up to him, and he eased Yoshi into her arms. "He'll be okay," he reassured.

Mitsu nodded as she held her little brother close to her heart, traces of tears trickling down her cheeks as she embraced the little one. "Arigatou…," she whispered. Leo smiled and bowed to her in return.

It was then that his brothers, April and Casey swarmed him, patting his back and praising him for his actions. "Way to go, Leo! You did it, bro!" Mikey croaked, his voice still cracking after inhaling so much smoke.

Splinter and Robyn watched the teenagers, and they shared a knowing smile. The village had been saved, and so had the life of an innocent child, thanks to his four, highly trained warriors that continued to make him proud every day. For now, it seemed as though the worst was behind them.

"Thanks guys," Leo said as his family finally pulled away, "I just hope after all of this that the villagers won't be afraid of us anymore…"

Donnie tapped Leo on the shoulder, not tearing his eyes away from the human crowd around them. "Uh, Leo…you might wanna look," he said.

They all turned to find the humans bending down on their knees, their heads bowed down in respect. "Praise the Kappa!" Mitsu's grandfather called, "they are here to save our village!"

"Praise the kappa!" another shouted.

"Thank you so much for saving us!"

"Kappa, Kappa!"

Soon, the entire village was filled with the sounds of cheering and laughter as they all applauded the mutants and their human companions, who had come from afar to save their homeland. The aforementioned 'saviors' all shared looks of confusion.

Raphael smirked, folding his arms over his chest. "…well, it's a start!"