Disclaimer: If I owned the ninja turtles, I would not be here writing fan fiction. I do not own the turtles or any associated characters or places. They are the property of Mirage Studios. I make no money from this and I mean no harm. Please do not sue.


Chapter 28

Leonardo awoke to what might have been the lingering echoes of a scream. Some part of him insisted that it was and that the voice had been painfully familiar, but in his semi-conscious state, he couldn't place it. Looking up from his prone position on the floor, he immediately recognized where he was.

"No, not here again." He muttered softly as he stood. Last time he had taken the door behind him, but he was quick to notice that the doors were not the same as they had been before. This time there were three, and not one of them was behind him. "Shell..." He muttered to himself.

"That was a very noble thing you did, Leonardo." An unfamiliar voice said. "Risking yourself to save your family. And while it paid off, you now have a choice to make."

"Yeah... I remember." Leo muttered as he turned to see the owner of the voice. It was Master Yoshi. His eyes widened and he immediately bowed to the ninja master. Yoshi chuckled.

You need not bow to me here, Leonardo." The human said with a smile.

"Wait a minute, isn't this supposed to be done by the closest relative?" Leo objected. He could have sworn that Don had mentioned something like that the last time Leo had been here.

"Yes," Hamato Yoshi agreed. "It is supposed to be the closest relative, but I'm afraid that your Master Splinter is occupied with another individual."

That got Leo's attention.

"Someone who has knowledge of him, but little to no knowledge of me."

Leo's eyes widened as he realized who Master Yoshi was talking about. "Donnie..."

Yoshi kept his face expressionless with the exception of his eyes. There, Leo found confirmation of his guess.

"But how?" The blue-masked turtle started. Yoshi did not answer as he was not allowed to. Still Leo was able to put it together. Donnie had been sick before Leo had separated from his family.

"You have some options, Leonardo. Before you lies-"

"new places and things which you cannot imagine." Leo finished, quoting what Don had told him the last time he had been here. He took a step away from the door in front of him.

"You have some lessons to learn in patience." Yoshi scolded.

Leo looked at the ninja master and apologized sheepishly before waiting for what he was being told.

"Before you lies the path you were on." Yoshi explained. "To your left you will find new places and things which you cannot imagine, and on your right... is your son's current location." Yoshi hesitated there, seeing Leo make a move to the right. He knew the end result of Leo choosing the door to the right, but he was not allowed to share that with the turtle. At the last possible moment Leonardo stopped.

Yoshi nodded at the hesitation. "You can help him from any of your destinations. What changes is how."

Leo looked to his left, then his right. "I trust him to make the right decision, and I trust that Master Splinter will give him the guidance he needs." The turtle said, more to himself than to Yoshi.

"In that case, I believe your decision is made." Yoshi stated. "I also believe a lesson has been learned." He smiled at the turtle.

Leo smiled softly, then bowed and dove through the opening in front of him. As he dove, he mentally shouted his son's name, hoping to draw the child back to the living realm.


"G-g'ampa Sp'inte'?" Donnie asked in shock when he opened his eyes in the dark room and saw who was standing over him.

"Yes, child." Splinter affirmed as he put a hand on the young turtle's shoulder.

Donnie's shock registered clearly on his face, but he was also happy to see his grandfather again. He ran to the rat and hugged him tightly.

"I see that you are still not much of a talker." Splinter commented.

The turtle smiled sheepishly, eliciting a chuckle from Splinter. "You should really work on that, but that is not why you are here."

Donnie looked around the room, his attention drifting away from Splinter and the guidance he was meant to receive. He seemed a little frightened by the location.

"Donatello." Splinter said firmly, drawing the child's focus back to the task at hand.

"Whe'e Daddy?" Donnie asked in a small voice.

"Your daddy has a decision of his own to make. Just as you must make a decision now."

Donatello frowned and looked up at Splinter.

"There are going to be some lights, do not be afraid of them, child."

Once the young turtle had nodded a door opened in front of the pair. Again Donnie's eyes widened, but he did not run.

"Very good, Donatello." Splinter praised when the boy stood his ground. The rat wrapped a gentle arm around the child. "Through that door you will find new places and things which you cannot imagine."

Donnie cocked his head to the side and looked up at his grandfather as Splinter spoke.

"There is going to be another light." Splinter warned, before the second door opened behind them. "Behind you, lies that with which you are familiar."

Donnie looked back at the second door. "But whe'e Daddy?" The child asked, looking up at his grandfather.

"That is up to him." Splinter explained gently.

The child frowned. Donnie suddenly heard his name and turned quickly to look behind him.

"I do believe that your father has made his decision." Splinter smiled.

The young turtle stood up and looked at the door that had been behind him.

"Donatello," Splinter said in a slightly warning tone. "behind you lies that with which you are familiar."

The young turtle blinked a couple of times before moving to the other door and giving Splinter a questioning glance.

"behind you lies that with which you are familiar." Splinter repeated.

Donatello took a single step backward, then another and another before crossing the threshold.


"Raph! He's awake!" Mikey called in relief. Raph raced over and was next to Mikey in an instant.

Donnie blinked groggily up at his uncles and started shivering.

"You really scared us that time, pipsqueak." Mikey said to the child as he hugged Donnie tightly. "We've got to find somewhere to stop, Raph." The orange-masked turtle continued as he hugged his little nephew. "Or we are really going to lose him."

Donnie coughed weakly and snuggled against his uncle. Mikey looked down and wrapped the blanket more tightly around the child and pulled him close again.

"Look around, Mike." Raph chastised. "There's nowhere to hide here."

Mikey sighed and looked down at Donnie. The child looked groggy and out of sorts. "Think you can hold on for us, little guy?"

Donatello coughed.

"Yeah, I know. I'm sorry, pipsqueak." Mikey apologized as he gave his small nephew a tight hug. "We'll find somewhere to stop soon."

"Daddy?" Donnie asked hopefully.

Michelangelo's breath caught in his throat and tears welled in his eyes. Leo had said a week, and it had been almost ten days. "I'm sorry, Donnie. I'm so sorry."

Raph glanced at his passengers. It might not be right away, but the Foot would pay for this. That much he promised himself and his clan.


Leonardo woke up in a sewer tunnel, half covered in water. When he struggled to sit up a moment later, he realized that he was lucky he had not drowned. In fact, sitting up at that moment, had been one of the most difficult challenges Leonardo had ever had to face. He felt winded and a little woozy. What he did know was that he needed to find out how long he had been out, and he needed to find some way to contact his family. Digging through his pockets, he quickly discovered that his shell cell had been smashed beyond repair. Right now, his best bet was April. Leo forced himself up and struggled to stand. He nearly dropped to the tunnel floor, but managed to get to his feet and lean heavily against the wall.

"No one said it was going to be easy." He muttered to himself as he started the painful and slow trek to April's place.