Hey, guys. I know that this update was a long, LONG time in coming, and I'm sorry about that...things have been crazy lately.

Anyway, here you go.

Chapter 25

"Whoa," Mikey said, awed. "Look at this clover! Ooh! There's another one!" His excitement was cut short as Raph slapped him. "Ow!"

"That's because we're in a clover field, genius," the hothead replied sarcastically.

Sighing, Leo led his brothers out to the top of a hill, where they began to scan the field. "It's no use, Leo," Donnie said eventually. "We're never going to find her. It's pitch black out here."

"We have to find her, Don," Leo said firmly. "It's my - our fault that she's gone in the first place, and who knows what could happen to her overnight if she stayed out here?"

"How do we even know she's-" Raph began.

Mikey cut him off. "I see her!"

And indeed, there was the brunette, sprawled unconscious in the midst of the grass. Leo's hear clenched and he ran over, scooping her up gently. She moaned, shivering a little.

"The wind is picking up," Donnie observed. "We need to get her back to the Lair and warmed up. It's only August but there's a definite chill in the air. She could get very sick if she stayed out much longer."

When they returned home, Master Splinter was waiting at the door. He frowned, checking Kayla's forehead and pulse after Leo placed her on the couch. "Hmm..." was all he said.

"Will she be okay?" the youngest turtle asked anxiously.

"That remains to be seen," Splinter said gravely. "Donatello, I will need a basin of hot water. Raphael, find her some warm clothes. Michelangelo, go make soup for when she wakes up." They nodded, hurrying to do what he said. Leo sank down in the chair next to the couch, at a loss.

"What have I done, Sensei?"

"Leonardo, you are not the first man – or turtle – to make a fool of yourself over a woman. However, when you make a mistake such as this, you must realize that you may not be forgiven."

"Hai, Sensei. It's just that...if I hadn't acted the way that I did then she wouldn't have run off."

"Do not place all the blame on your own shoulders, my son. Your brothers were at fault as well." Kayla gave a sudden groan and Leo jumped, looking miserable. "Perhaps it would do you good to meditate for a while, Leonardo."

The leader stared at the rat for a moment. "I don't want to leave her, Sensei. I-I-"

Splinter's face grew stern. "Nothing will happen. She is in the capable hands of myself and Donatello. Your brooding is helping no one."

Leo swallowed and rose, nodding. As soon as he was gone, Kayla peeled her eyelids open and she glanced at Splinter. "Thank you," she murmured, her teeth chattering. "I was s-starting to think you might've had to knock h-him out just to get him out of the r-room."

The aging rat couldn't hide his smile as he tucked a blanket around her. "He is stubborn...The two of you would make a fine pair indeed, if he was less focused on the flaws and the supposed danger in front of him."

Kayla had no response to that, so she burrowed down into the sofa instead. Soon, Donnie and Raph came back with the items they'd been sent to obtain. Raph awkwardly thrust the bundle of clothes at the brunette, shrugging it off when she tried to thank him. In less than ten minutes, she was seated on the couch with her feet soaking in hot water, sweatpants and a jacket on, and a bowl of hot soup in her lap.

"Thanks, guys," she whispered, her shivering abated. She couldn't look them in the eyes, however - she had no way of knowing what had transpired since she ran from the Lair.

So it came as a complete surprise when Mikey threw his arms around her and squeezed her tight. Donnie yelped and grabbed the soup bowl before it could spill on her lap. Mikey ignored his brother. "I'm so sorry, dudette!" the youngest wailed. "It wasn't right of me to judge you, and I wouldn't want you to leave, no matter what the guys said. You're part of our family, and nothing can change that. If you want to take over the Foot, that's fine, but you're still gonna be family to me no matter what."

The brunette gasped at that, glancing at the other two turtles. Donnie and Raph both nodded, confirming what their sibling said. "He's right," Donnie agreed quietly. "We were wrong to act that way...after all, you did it on your own. And being part of the Foot doesn't make you a bad person...I'm really sorry, Kayla."

"Sorry," Raph mumbled.

Kayla's eyes were huge. Of all the things they could've said, this was the most unexpected. That's not to say that it was unwelcome, however, and she was soon engulfed in a huge hug by all three of the youngest turtles.

Splinter smiled and shook his head as he rose, deciding to check on his eldest son. When he looked into the dojo, he frowned slightly. Leo was inside, trying to meditate, but his glow kept fading as quickly as it appeared. "Leonardo?"

The blue-clad turtle jumped at his father's voice. "Hai, Sensei?"

"What is on your mind, my son?" Splinter asked, joining him on the rug.

"It was brave of Kayla to tell us her secret," Leo admitted. "I'm just...I guess I'm shocked, is all. I never thought that she could have that kind of secret. I mean, she's sweet and kind, a-and trustworthy. Not at all the traits of the Foot Clan..." He looked up suddenly. "Sensei, Kayla is the daughter of the leader of the Foot Clan. That doesn't mean she is a Foot, does it?"

"No, it does not." The aging rat put a hand on Leo's shoulder. "We are what we choose to be, not what our past dictates. You cannot change the past, Leonardo. Nor should you worry about the future. Tomorrow will take care of itself. Focus on the present, and on what you have. Everything else will follow."

"Hai, Sensei," Leo replied, bowing deeply. He rose, oblivious to the smile on Splinter's face, and rejoined his brothers in the living room. Upon entering, however, he immediately burst out laughing. "What is...going on?" he managed between bursts of laughter. Mikey was dressed in a toga that looked suspiciously like the shower curtain from the hallway bathroom, and Raph was dressed in a trench coat, sunglasses, and a fedora.

"Donnie told me that I had to rest for a while, so Mikey and Raph offered to entertain me." Kayla smiled, but it was a smile that didn't quite reach her eyes.

At the look on Kayla's face, Donnie gestured for his brothers to follow him. Kayla and Leo were alone in the main room. The grin melted off of Leo's face and he walked over, his shoulders sagging. "Kayla, I..."

"Don't worry about it," she whispered, picking at a loose threat on her blanket. "It's fine."

"No, it's not," Leo replied fiercely. "I hurt you, Kayla, whether intentionally or not, and I need to apologize to you for it."

"Leo-"

"Being the daughter of the Foot Clan doesn't make you part of them. You're...you're way better than they could ever hope to be - you're not like them at all."

"But I am," she said suddenly, tears springing up in her eyes. "I am part of them. And I am like them...part of the way they used to be. When my father ran things, the Foot were better - nicer. They helped people. Then Saki came and took all that away. And maybe...maybe I want to be part of it. Maybe I want to fix it, to take the Clan - my Clan - back, and make it the way it should be."

Kayla's expression was scared, her eyes wild. Leo had never seen her this vulnerable before. She had just bared her soul to him, and now she was cowering, expecting him to explode again. To set his cold fury upon her and let it swallow her up.

But when Hamato Leonardo responded, it wasn't in fury, or wrath, or hatred. He cupped her face with his large hands, slowly but surely bringing her lips to his in a gentle kiss.

"Okay," he told her softly.

"Really?" she whispered, biting her lip.

"Really."

Whew! I feel like I just bared my own soul to write that, guys. You know the feeling when you pour yourself out into a chapter of a story you're writing, and it might possibly be one of the best chapters you've ever written? (I don't necessarily feel the latter part, but I do feel emotionally exhausted now. I used the original chapter, but this is quite a bit different - and the end of it is all new writing.)

Please review.