A/N: Sorry about the short chapter!
Disclaimer: Don't own them.
Review Replies from Chapter 24:
Insanity21: You're dying? NOO! I'll bring you back to life with this chapter! You're going to college? I wish you luck! Maybe this will help relieve some stress! Thank you so much for sticking with me and leaving a review since Chapter 1! It really means so much! You are amazing!
Sairey13: Probably one of my most favorite traits Leo has is his dedication and will to protect his family! At this point in the story, no one knows if it will be possible for the young turtle to return to his age before Baxter Stockman turned him into an infant. Donnie has been a bit too focused on Miwa, since her mind was slowly going away. Also, I believe Miwa sees this small Leo as a totally different person than the ninja Leo we all know and love, calling him her son rather than her own brother.
BubbleShell22: Yeah, Leo leaving probably wasn't very good… or was it? *cue mystery/suspicious music* Thank you for leaving a review! :)
Leonardo's P.O.V
I feel bad for lying to Master Splinter and leaving Mommy, but I know something is wrong. Since my uncles left, I have had a bad feeling in my tummy. To let them know where I went, I left Kino next to the exit; just in case they realize I'm gone and start to get worried. Hopefully, I can get my uncles back before they even notice I'm not there anymore.
The sounds of water and small animals running fill my ears as I run through the hard tunnels. Even though I have only been in the sewers once, with my Uncle Donnie after he and the others helped me and Mommy, I somehow know where to go. It's like I have seen it in a dream, running through the tunnels before pushing the heavy cover to the side, finding myself on the streets where the horrible humans live. I guess not all of them are horrible, though, since April and Casey seem very nice.
Gasping, I feel my foot slide on something wet, causing me to fall onto the hard ground below. Hissing sharply, I roll around, sitting down and looking at my knee. In the dark, I can make out a small red mark, gently dripping with blood. It wasn't bad, but it hurts a lot, causing tears to fill my eyes. Swallowing hard, I sniff loudly, standing up and rubbing my knee.
Then, I feel it; a sharp pain centering in my stomach again; however, this one was different than the one from earlier. This time, it seemed to burn and jump around, almost like the butterflies in my stomach were on fire, burning me from the inside. My head pounded, like when the Fish-guy from the Bad Place punched me a lot. I want to cry; I want to curl up into a ball and wait for Mommy to find me and carry me back home. Maybe my uncles would find me, and it turned out that bad feeling I was feeling was just me getting sick.
Before I am able to lay on the ground, something quick flashes through my mind. Run, I can hear something say; they sound worried. Hurry!
Swallowing hard and gathering my strength, I finally stand up, my knees shaking a little. Once I begin to run through the sewers again, the pain in my head and stomach slowly goes away. By the time I finally reach a long, metal ladder, I'm breathing heavily and loud; however, I almost wish I was still running. The ladder is tall, causing me to shake at the fear I'm starting to feel.
You need to go, the voice seems to tell me. They need you!
I sigh, trying to be brave like my mommy. "You can do this," I tell myself, grabbing onto the first rung. "It's just climbing a ladder; there's nothing to it." Looking upward, trying to focus on going upward instead of looking down at the ground. Feeling my knees rattle together twice, I put one foot on the bottom rung, quickly followed by my other foot. "Nothing to it."
Holding my breath, I reach for the next rung, lifting my body up a little. Releasing the breath I was keeping, I force my other hand to let go before moving onto the next rung, one higher than my right hand. My legs copy the same movement as my hands performed, one moving upward before the other goes up one higher. Never leaving the heavy lids above me, my eyes stare upward, my breathing trying to be even and keep the fear away.
Reaching the lid, I know I have reached a problem. To open the lid, I would have to push it open and remove one of my hands from the ladder. Looking down, I stare at my hands unblinkingly, like if I would look at them long enough, they would just do it. Knowing it won't happen, though, I swallow hard and slowly remove my left hand from the metal rung. Moving quickly, but slow enough I won't lose my balance, I press my hand against the cool lid above me. Swallowing my panic, I put all my focus into pushing it, realizing it was a lot heavier than I thought.
"I have to help them," I try to tell myself, closing my eyes tightly. Giving a small yell, I give the cover a final push, finally pushing it out of the way. My yell turns into one of fear, though, when I feel my body fall away from the ladder. Before my brain can leave its panicked state, my right hand grips the rung tightly, my left hand quickly moving to grab the metal that will keep me from falling. The force causes me to swing back towards the ladder, my body banging against it roughly. Biting my lip, I let my body just rest there, trying to calm myself and breath in and out deeply. After this, I never want to climb a ladder ever again!
A big breeze causes me shiver, wrapping my arms tightly around myself. It's so much colder here on the surface; and it the ground isn't as nice as the smooth ground in the sewers. I wonder why my uncles wanted to come up here in the first place. Before I can think much about it, though, another bad feeling spikes through my stomach. Trying to stick to the shadows like Mommy taught me when we were in the Bad Room, I head forward, hoping to find my uncles before something bad happens to them!
My legs start to hurt; it feels like I have been running forever. I know I haven't, but I don't think I have ever ran this far before! Deciding to take a break, I turn into a dark street between two really tall buildings, leaning forward and putting my hands on my knees. Taking deep breaths, I try to calm myself down and catch my breath.
Yelling and loud noises come from above. It's fighting and I know it for a fact. Looking up, I immediately know the source of it, mentally grimacing at how high the noises are coming from. Getting ready to again convince myself that I can climb to the top of the building, I feel another sharp pain, quickly being followed by a "Raph!" from the battle above. It's Donnie, and something is not right. Throwing fear out the window and no longer thinking, I begin to make my way up the building, the trip seeming a blur as I focus on getting there in time.
Pushing myself onto the roof, I let out a small gasp as I see the scene before me. Uncle Mikey is on the ground, looking kind of sick with some dark spots across his skin. There's some robots in black clothing, just like the ninjas in the Bad Room, next to him. They seem like they are trying to move him; are they trying to take him away?
Next to them is Uncle Raphie, laying on his shell. Like Uncle Mikey, his eyes are close and his face is kind of pale. I feel a little sick myself when I notice a bunch of red on his left arm; it looks like it got cut up really bad. Also like Mikey, his body is covered in bruises and some small cuts; however, the cut on his lower leg doesn't look very good either. Swallowing hard, I try not to think of all the blood that is coming out of my uncle. Instead, I turn my attention to the ninjas trying to take him away as well, moving him further and further away from the battle that holds my final uncle in the middle of the fighting.
Uncle Donnie seems to be standing above all the ninjas, taking two down at a time with his Bo staff. It scares me how tired and worn out he looks, his movements seeming less like a dance and more like jerky moves. Watching a ninja trip him, causing his body to fall onto the stone roof, I panic. "Stop!" I scream, slamming my mouth shut as soon as the word leaves my mouth.
The damage is done, though. Everyone is surprised by my voice, obviously not realizing I am here. Between the ninjas' legs, I can see Donnie staring at me, his eyes wide and his face looking lighter. His head moves slightly from side-to-side, as if he isn't believing I'm here. Swallowing, I stand my ground, wanting to do everything I can to stop them from hurting my family.
Two ninjas in front of me turn towards each other before running towards me. Letting out a breath and closing my eyes, I try to push my fear away. Telling myself I can do it, I run forward to meet them. Before we run into each other, I slide down between his legs, grabbing his right leg and pulling. It causes the ninja to fall to the ground with a loud thump. Wincing slightly at the sound, I push myself back to my legs. The second ninja watches his partner to fall before coming back towards me. Thinking quickly, I roll to the side so I get behind him before kicking the back of his knee, causing him to fall. Not giving him a chance to get back up, I send a punch to the side of his face, causing him to look just like his friend.
That's when they realize I won't be as easy to take down as they originally thought. More come at me, causing me to gasp before dodging their attempts. It scares me how quick they are. Somewhere in the background, I hear Uncle Donnie yelling at them to leave me alone and to focus on him.
Feeling something sharp scrape my arm, I let out a small yelp, realizing I can't keep dodging them forever. Rolling away from another ninja, a grab a handful of rocks before throwing them at the nearest one. It doesn't do anything but causes his head to turn slightly at the force. Standing on my two feet again, I get ready to run, trying to find a way to go help my only standing uncle. Before I can come up with a plan, I feel two strong, metal arms lift me off of the ground before tightly holding me against their chest. Panic fills me when I realize I have failed, allowing myself to become captured.
As soon as they have me in their hold, the ninja runs away from the fight, the rest of the army following us. I let out a terrified scream when he jumps to another rooftop, showing me how high we are and how far we would fall in gravity pulled us down.
"If that's how you want it to be," the Sharp Man says to Mommy before snapping his fingers. The hands let go, causing me to fall. I scream. I'm helpless, unable to do anything! Air smacks my face as the ground gets closer and closer.
"NO!" Uncle Donnie's yell brings me back from the terrifying memory. Turning my head, I can see him fighting off the last of the ninja, looking at me in desperation. I want to yell for him, to beg the ninjas to let me go, to do something! However, fear causes me to only stare at them with wide eyes until I can no longer see my family.
A/N: Leo getting captured is only HALF of the idea JamesBondfan007 gave me. Thank you so much for sharing the idea! The other half may or may not be used later ;). You'll have to wait to find out. Please share your thoughts in review form.