"I'm glad you all came."

"I'm not," Raph growled while glaring at me.

"What? I promised you I wouldn't kill Leo, we had no contract on me not paralyzing him."

"I'm gonna kill you!"

"Please enjoy this chapter while I'm-RUNNING FOR MY LIFE!"

I do not own TMNT. Theme song rocks!

After regaining his senses Leo reached for the folder and continued looking on. The pictures growing more and more grotesque as he furthered on. When the next picture revealed a marker line drawn across his throat he slammed the folder shut and let it fall to the ground. He had been on that ship, had been captured and examined possibly experimented on. He would've thrown up at the thoughts if there had been anything in his stomach but thankfully it was just dry heaving. Although, it hurt, a lot. Leo carefully slipped out papers from the back of the folder without opening it and found them to be journal entries.

Day 1

The hunters have caught a fascinating specimen in the jungle today. It seems to be a humanoid like reptile. They managed to drug the beast, although it's shoulder has been damaged by the pit trap they drove it in to. They warned us it was quite fast and would escape if given the chance. We've managed to observe how different drugs are affecting it. The reactions are very close to that of a human being's. Using an experimental technique we've managed to manipulate his body and mind to fall into a comatose state.

Day 4

We've successfully cut into-

Leo slammed the folder down. If he had been on that ship, cut up by scientists then it would only be a matter of time before these things were found out. He had to destroy that ship! All the evidence had to be obliterated. He couldn't risk leading anyone here back to his family in New York. His stomach turned at the thought of home. He calmed himself down and reminded himself that he was only 180 days away from going home. Which told him he had better send a letter home before his family thought the worst.

The next night he dove back into the bay and searched for the most effective way to be rid of the ship. He couldn't really start a fire underwater. Things could explode underwater though, but what were the chances that a ship full of scientists had anything close to what he would need? His answer was given as he slipped into a small room at the bottom of the boat. Apparently not all the scientists were studying strange, unusual animals. Someone there had been building a weird type of missile. Leo smiled and quickly scooped it up. It was very unlikely that it would work, but it was worth a shot.

Once the missile was set in a launching pipe Leo surfaced for a breath of fresh air before pulling himself up on the bay. Now all he needed was a big rock. That is, if the missile launching pipe would still function. It took a few dives but he managed to clog the pipe with stones, debris, and vegetation. Finally he was back outside. Turtle luck true to form, the launcher wouldn't operate.

Wait, Leo knew there were still hunters in the village. He smiled sinisterly and shot to the surface. If he couldn't create a bomb, he would borrow one. So it was at 8:00om the next evening that certain explosives were stolen from some hunters while they were in the jungle. They all came back speaking of a ghost. The cry of the Ghost of the Jungle excited the villagers. At 4:00am the next day the sunken research ship exploded underwater and sunk into the sand below, the earth burying all it's secrets. Satisfied Leo turned to his next problem. Since he had 'borrowed' those mines to be rid of the ship and any evidence anyone could possibly have on him hunters began marching in by greater numbers than ever. They set up heavy guards at the dock, a few restaurants and even the post office. Leo gulped, that meant he couldn't get a letter home. He couldn't phone, the telephone lines had more security than the lair back home.

Despite the guards he did try to send letters until he found that every piece of mail was simply burned. The dock had been shut down. He couldn't send anything that way. The chances of a helicopter flying in were one to one million. He was stuck. Well, he couldn't go home early he was only halfway done with his training. His new mission became to get rid of the hunters, the Black Wolves so he could find a way home. He only managed to settle his thoughts with the fact that he would be home very soon and then he could get his life back.

"I'm confused," Mikey said, "If you did all that, it was only one year right?"

Leo shook his head, "I thought I had been under those scientists eyes a few days, a week at most. What I learned later is that it had been much longer," Leo explained.

"A year?" Raph asked his voice rising higher with each word, "You're telling us they had you on all those drugs and in a coma for a year!"

Leo could only nod. Raph growled and tightened his hands into fists. A soft touch to his hand made him relax.

"My son," Splinter said, looking at his eldest in the eyes, "If this is true then why do you believe you have failed your training?"

"I was supposed to train a full year, all the strength I had managed to build up those first six months was wore down by that year of being in a coma. Once I was free I began training again but I had already lost everything I had gained. I didn't train for a year, only six months. That's why I told April that I couldn't come home a failure. I didn't know it had been so long. I trained six months, got captured, thought it had been a week at the most when in reality it had been a full year and then I trained six months more then found out I really had been gone two years."

Here, Leo took a deep breath, "After that I ran into the forest and just stayed inside that hallowed out tree. I snapped back into reality a few minutes later and started packing as fast as I could, but when I got back to find April, she had already left. The hunters were still there too, they had the dock and the roads closed off."

"Then, how did you get home?" Mikey asked.

Leo shrugged while his mouth tugged into a deep frown, "I started walking until I reached an airport."

"Why didn't you just tell us?" Don suddenly snapped, leaning over Leo and staring down at him with a hateful glare.

"Don!" Mikey shouted and pulled him away.

"No one was really in a talkative mood when I returned. If you remember," Leo said, his eyes dropping to the floor.

The family grew silent at that truth. Even if Leo had told them when he returned it was unlikely any of them would've listened.

"Then where did April get the folder?" Mikey wondered out loud.

"I don't know, I was so sure I had destroyed all the evidence. I'm sorry, I failed you all."

Leo's head fell forward, causing a shadow to cover his eyes.

"Leonardo," Splinter spoke in an stern voice.

Leo unwilling glanced up at his father, ready for anything from death to abandonment.

"What did you learn on your trip? The purpose was not only to increase your strength and improve on your physical skills but-"

"To learn a new survival skill," Leo said with little emotion.

He had figured that out after he returned to New York.

"What are you talking about sensei?" Mikey asked.

"Are jungle survival skills required of a ninja?" Don inquired.

Splinter smiled, "Ah, there were indeed many survival skills learned from living in the jungle but your brother has learned one you three will learn in time."

"So what is it?" Raph asked.

Leo smiled and rolled his eyes, "If you remember Raph, your training starts soon, you'll have to figure it out on your own."

"Ah, come on!" Raph whined.

Splinter chuckled and leaned over to lay his hand on Leonardo's forehead, "That lesson is primarily why I sent you Leonardo. It is the most important skill you must possess in your life. You did not fail my son, you simply learned a new lesson which I hope you will not forget."

Leo glanced around the room uneasily, still waiting for the punishment he was certain would come but grew confused when his sensei reached over and hugged him.

"I am glad you have come to tell us the truth behind this mystery. Perhaps now, we can allow our emotions of anger," he looked at Donatello, "Envy," he said with a glance at Michelangelo, "And impatience," he said at Raphael, "to be swept away from our conscious."

"I haven't disappointed you?" Leo asked.

"No, my son, now you must rest. This injury will take time to heal."

"Feels like I'm in a coma all over again," Leo said with a slight smile before he laid back and dozed off.

Later that night he opened his eyes slightly to see a form curled up by his side. It was snoring loudly, Raphael. Light breathing from his other side made him turn a bit to see Don at his other side. A stirring at the foot of the bed made him look down to see Mikey curled up at the foot of the bed like a cat. Leo smiled and reached out to pull Don and Raph closer. Finally, the truth was out and everything was ok.

The End.

Ok, that's it! Oh wait, an epilogue! I almost forgot. It'll be out soon.

Well stay tuned for the epilogue. Figure out if Leo's been permanently paralyzed, if Don's still angry, if Mikey gets more time with Leo, and what ultimately happened to the village in Central America.

See ya TMNT fan fiction readers and authors!

Please review! I want to post the epilogue ASAP!

~Moonsetta