Takes place during chapters 44 - 51 in "Realities Collide".

They stood off to the side as the drill began to burrow it's way down but Leonardo stood apart from his brothers. He had drawn a cocoon of anger around himself that none of them really wanted to disturb, because that would be one pissed off butterfly that came out of it, stinger and all.

He had to get that power source, that crystal. Everything depended on it. The security around this new drill was so tight you couldn't even fly a paper airplane trough it. But that didn't ease the turtle at all. He wouldn't be at ease until he handed that crystal over to his master. To much had gone wrong already and he was quickly learning that the before hand celebrations were not called for here. His double had a bad habit of stopping the music before they could even make it onto the dance floor.

His brothers shared his unease as they kept looking around, fully expecting a last minute interruption as the drill dug in deeper into the ground. Leonardo kept his gaze on the drill, so close...they were so close to getting it and getting the hell out of here. Go back to his own world and his old life. Maybe he could forget that this disaster of a fiasco ever happened. Yeah...and maybe Hun would wear a pink tutu and ballet slippers... He sighed, who was he kidding. Things had been brought back into the forefront of his mind that couldn't be so easily dismissed...he would never be the same again. He just didn't know what those changes held for his future.

"They are breaking through to the cave now." Donatello told him as he checked his readings. The crystal was almost right under them. Soon they would have it, and soon the cycle of death and destruction would begin all over again. Once again they would be used as pawns to secure the Master's plans. Where would it end? When would this insanity stop? Leonardo didn't know, but he wished he did.

"It's moving!" Donatello snapped, finally dragging his brother out of his thoughts.

"What?"

"The damn thing is moving!" Donatello told him again as the drill stopped, having reached the depth they needed.

Leonardo trembled in fury, an emotion that was coming to the surface more and more. Again! They had did it again! Somehow they had found another way to the crystal and snatched it out from under their noses! He didn't even need to have his brother confirm it, it had to be them! "Don't just stand there!" He roared at the men and turtles around him. "Follow it!"

Donatello led the chase and they all followed him as he ran all out across the field. Each running step fueled his burning anger more. Couldn't these fools understand what their interference was going to cost? No...of course they don't understand...how could they? a calmer voice asked. A voice Leonardo shoved away.

He skid to a stop at the edge of the field, but was angry enough he helped the first few over the edge...by personally throwing them over. The rest of them caught on fairly quickly and rapidly moved down the steep slopes themselves, just as a green explosion came bursting out of what Leonardo could now tell was a cave mouth. He watched in awe as his counterpart came out of the cave, already attacking. His arms were burdened with his woman, but his legs lashed out unhindered by her weight as he lashed out with a split lick and followed it up with a roundhouse kick. Even without his arms, the blue masked turtle was accurate, and deadly.

Suddenly, Leonardo didn't want to face him. He could have dropped down to help Bishop's men, but he stood frozen on the edge of the cliff. Unable to go down and face the other turtle, he just watched the events unfold below him as the others came rushing out of the cave.

Eight turtles? Now there were eight of them? Where in the hell did this buch come from! why wasn't he informed about them? He glared at Raphael, obviously he wasn't completely truthful about who exactly got the jump on him earlier. His brother just shrugged at him.

"Quickly, back up the slope!" The rabbit told his comrades. "I doubt their skill is as good as yours to climb it."

"He's right." The smaller blue masked turtle agreed. "We need to go back up."

"Then lets go!" Raphael's counterpart led the way easily back up the slope with the rest right behind him.

Once they began the climb up, Leonardo led his brother's back away from the edge and into the nearby woods. "Eight!" He hissed at Raphael. "There are eight of them now?"

"Yup." Came the unemotional answer.

"Where did those little freaks come from!"

"I dunno." Raphael shrugged.

Leonardo facepalmed.

"I would assume that they came from their own dimension, and also seemed to be allied with our counterparts." Donatello helpfully added, before Leonardo blew his top.

"We can't handle one group! How are we going to get it from two!" Leonardo flared.

"I'll deal with it." Michelangelo said quietly. "I'll go in and get the woman. She's injured and shouldn't put up too much of a fight. Maybe we can use her to trade for the crystal." He turned to leave the clearing without another word.

"Are you sure your bumbling ass can handle that?" Raphael snarled at him.

Michelangelo paused a moment, then turned to face his brothers. "If I can't, I fully expect to be killed. I welcome it, because I, for one, am tired of living this way." Then he disappeared into the trees before any of his shocked brothers could respond.

They remained quiet as they waited, each one of them trying to take in what the youngest had so bluntly told them. Had it really come to that point? Had his little brother really lost all hope in everything that he was willing to die, just to escape the pain? A pain Leonardo was starting to face himself more often now. What had happened to the wise cracking, fun loving turtle? He had been lost, like the rest of their innocence, lost to the point where Michelangelo freely welcomed death. He wondered if the other two felt the same way, but couldn't dwell on it anymore as Michelangelo came back, with Vicky. He had her by the arm, knife at her throat and nothing in his eyes. No pain, no fear, remorse...nothing...it was like he was already dead.

"Well it looks like you can do something right after all." Leonardo said, hoping to snap him out of what ever despair was bothering him.

"Please, those idiots were distracted. Grabbing her was almost to easy. I got her without them even knowing." He replied in a dull tone, not even really proud ofthe fact he was able to swipe her from them.

"Bring her, we'll take her with us and set up a trade for the crystal. We can't count on those worthless troops." Leonardo turned to lead them away from here, ready to just end this all and get back. Then he could worry about Mikey... Mikey...his little brother...

"You're actually going to give her back?" Raphael asked, stunned.

"Of course not, you idiot." He absently replied, his mind still on how close he was coming to losing the youngest. He had often wished the little bumbling pain in his ass would just disappear...now concern flooded him as Mikey just listlessly began to follow them. Then the shock hit him that he was putting his little brother's well being first in his thoughts. "Not alive anyway. But they don't know that."

The three turtles leading then all feel forward as something heavy crashed into them. They all ended up a scrambled mess on the ground before they realized that it was their little brother who had crashed into them. Leonardo got to his feet as he looked into the eyes of a furious Leonardo. His blue eyes blazing as he glared at them. Even as he watched Their Mikey came out of his ambush spot even as their Raphael placed Vicky behind them, then they all squarely faced off, placing themselves between the woman and the dark brothers.

"That will be the last time any of you lay a hand on her or any other member of my family." Their Leonardo told them grimly.

Their Raphael spun his weapons and set himself. "It's time for some payback. And I think taking it out of your hide should cover the bill."

"Bring it punks." Their Michelangelo added. No one moved as the tension built in the air. Leonardo didn't want to fight them, was tired of fighting them. Knew that he more than likely couldn't beat them. "Buncha chicken shits." Their youngest popped off suddenly.

Leonardo flared with anger. He was trying to save his brothers! He didn't want to be here anymore than they did! And they had the nerve to taunt them? Without even stopping to think, he let his rage take control and he and his brothers attacked. And quickly found themselves flying over a ducking Vicky and back into the clearing they had just left. Leonardo hit the ground hard next to his brothers and quickly brought his blades up to keep the other set of katanas from cutting him open.

Leonardo was actually scared as he fought off this attack. The other turtle fought with more determination, more resolve. Leonardo then fully understood that he had pushed this turtle to far. He was now viewed as a permanent threat to Vicky, and this Leonardo would now take the necessary steps to take that threat out. He was now in a fight for his life as those blazing blue eyes, eyes that chilled him to the bone, didn't let up their relentless glare. Again and again his katanas came in, with a quiet fury as he pressed the attacks harder. Leonardo had to resort to the shadow. The shadow that had kept him alive so many other times. He was just now beginning to see around that dark monster, and was now forced to be blinded by it again just to stay live.

The shadow had him now as he fought back, a snarl now on his face as he began to press back. His hate clashed with the hate of his counterpart, their blades clashing harder and harder together. Leonardo's blde was blocked and he blocked the other blade that came for him. "Keep trying fool." He taunted the blue masked turtle.

"I will." He calmly replied, not disturbed in the slightest.

Leonardo just narrowed his eyes as they came together again. The shadow now gave him an edge as they fought and he managed, after a few feints and dodges, to take the blue eyed turtle's legs out from under him and twisting one of his blades from his hand, sending it flying off to the side. He pressed his attack as the other Leonardo found himself pinned. Still the other turtle refused to back down, even with one blade and on the ground he more than held his own but Leonardo would not let him back onto his feet and every move his counterpart tried was effectively blocked. The shadow was in full control of the situation, and pushed it even further. "You're out here alone. Let's see you block this one." He gave an evil grin at the pinned turtle and flipped a katana in the air, then his hand moving quickly, he pulled out a kunai and threw it at Vicky who was standing not far away.

"NO!" The prone turtle screamed as he took in what was thrown, his eyes following the kunai as it made it's way toward her, helpless to stop it.

Before it reached it's mark, another katana slapped it out of the air. Leonardo's eyes widened as he took in the new arrival. He was smaller, but his brown eyes were flaring with anger as he stopped to pick up the dropped katana. "No, he is not alone." He tossed the katana to it's owner who had used the distraction to roll back to his feet. "You have a lot to answer for."

Leonardo now faced two angry turtles as they both stalked in on him. Vicky's lover actually snarled a little as he moved in. "All the pain and suffering you have caused her, tonight you will regret it."

Leonardo just snarled in return as he readied his blades. The shadow wanted, demanded, their blood to be spilled. Again blades clashed in the night as they came together. The sounds he heard behind him clued him into the fact that his brother's faced the same odds now.

He didn't concern himself with what was happening behind him, all of his attention was focused on those two turtles who stood in front of him now, their katanas weaving around each other as if they had been training together for years. He was finding it hard to keep both of them at bay, much less win this fight. Even his shadow clouded mind knew that he was going to lose this fight. Stubbornly he kept at it however. It was then that he realized that his little brother wasn't the only one who wanted out. He wanted to die, he was tired of this life, the shadow, the nightmares. He was tired of all of it. His brothers were now still, he couldn't hear them anymore and he hoped that death had already found them. He kept pushing on, wanting them to end a life that had no meaning to him anymore. He ignored all of the cuts they were raining down on him and pushed them even more.

The smaller turtle blocked his blade, up high, even as the larger turtle, the blue eyed twin who's eyes showed no mercy, brought his own blade up from below. Pain shot through Leonardo's left arm as the blue eyed Leonardo took his hand off at the wrist. His pain and shadow raged filled scream rang out into the night before there was another pain in his head and he saw stars before he saw nothing else. He briefly met Vicky's eyes before the darkness clouded his vision. Now, now he finally understood what he fought for. Now he understood why he always seemed to win. He fought so hard for her because he loved her. Leonardo could not compete with that.

He collapsed to the ground, rapidly fading out now. Love...he knew what that was once...had felt it before...Father...

.

.

It was the feeling of a foot nudging him that roused him from his black slumber. He weakly opened his eyes, wanting nothing more than to just lay there and die. It was what he deserved...

"Such a shame." Bishop mumbled as he nonchalantly picked up the severed hand as Leonardo watched, to weak to even be disgusted. "I had hoped that you would be able to rid me of those meddlesome reptiles, but they seem to be beyond even your skills." He dropped the hand in a large plastic bag and sealed it. "Still, you are still of use to me. I have something planned for them, and you are going to help me with it. If you like it or not."

Again chills flowed down his spine as he was hoisted up, along with his brothers. His ordeal wasn't over yet it seemed, he would live... But was this life even worth living...