HEY everyone! Tis another Tuesday, and here's another chapter! :) this chapter is mostly Leo-centric, and we're introduced to a new character! ;) anyway yeah…. Things for the guys will be dying down a bit for the rest of this fic. (no more kidnapping lol) but there's still some pretty good stuff coming up! I hope you enjoy!

To Nukas: I do this because I can. MWAHAHAHAHA! And if you like Apritello… just wait until the new ship coming up! :)

To efarraiz: Yeah, I wish I had written more of this. But it really was very time consuming, and I found it harder to write my other things. But don't you worry! After this finishes, I'll be posting a very special One-shot about Mikey and Joey, and after that, I might do one for each of the boys! As for today, here is your Leonardo. :D I know you like him best lol. Thanks again for all the nice things you said! It really makes me smile!

To Beakers47: aww thanks! I really do enjoy writing fluff when I make myself do it! It's so hard to get in the right mindset for fluff! (especially when you mainly torture them lol) so thank you. I really wanted to make Apritello clear, and I guess I did a good job. Lololol.

To Ladybug: haha thanks! I'm only sixteen, but I still want to get a head start on college if I want to be a good author. Thank you for reviewing!

Disclaimer: I ONLY own the OCS!

And now, the chapter!


"What's this room?" Leo asked, carrying a box into the large open space after Dad. It was different than the other part of the house, with sliding doors and ceiling to floor windows.

"This, my sons, is going to be our dojo," Dad explained, placing his own box down. "I have decided that, if you would like, I will teach all of you what I have been teaching Leonardo. Mikey and Raph's faces lit up.

"Really? Cool!" Mikey declared, "that means I can kick anyone's butt if they mess with me!"

"Where did Donnie go?" Leo wondered, peering down the hallway.

"He's makin' a video fer his girlfriend," Raph smirked. "Do ya really think I'll be any good at that ninjitsu stuff Dad?"

"I believe so." Dad nodded. "Go help Shen unpack the kitchen, I will be fine in here."

"Ok." they nodded and walked out, Leo lingered.

"Dad…" he hesitated. "When do you think...Raph's going to be adopted?" Dad sat back and frowned, thinking.

"Well, that is complicated, my son." he sighed, "as you know, a child must live with us for at least six months. If you counted from July, then Raphael could be, but if you counted from the end of November...he could not. I am currently trying to convince Mr. Lemon to press for an earlier one, to settle this once and for all."

"Alright, sorry, I was just wondering," Leo said, rubbing his arm. "I'll go help mom, now." and he hurried out of the room. He could hear Mikey chattering loudly.

"Hey! April can you hear me? Is this live? Hiiiii!"

"Mikey!" Donnie protested, "come on, get away from the camera!"

"Hey, April! Did you really ki-" someone covered the kid's mouth and Leo walked in, seeing it was Raph, who looked annoyed.

"Yer gettin' on my nerves," he mumbled.

"Let's move out of the kitchen." Donnie was saying to his camera, blushing thoroughly. "Hi, Leo." Leo nodded and smiled awkwardly at the camera as Klunk ran into the kitchen, wagging his orange and white tail excitedly.

"Mikey," Mom said, "why don't you go take Klunk for a walk? Get to know the neighborhood a bit? Your skateboard should be in Yoshi's car. And you should know where the leash is."

"Ok!" Mikey ran from the room. "Come on Klunky boy! We're going on an adventure!" Leo chuckled and watched him grab the leash from where he dropped it on the floor to the front room, then turned to Mom and Raph. Raph was ripping the tape off a box, which he seemed to be enjoying with boyish enthusiasm, Leo grinned.

"Having fun there, Raph?" he teased, Raph rolled his eyes, but couldn't suppress a smile as he pulled the cardboard flaps up.

"Geez, how many pots and pans do we need?" he grumbled, pulling them out and stacking them.

"In the cupboard, Raphael." Mom sighed, "there." she pointed. Leo got onto his knees next to Raph and picked up the pot he'd just put down.

"I'll do it." he offered, pulling open the wooden door.

"Pans on the right, pots on the left, lids on the shelf." Mom instructed, Leo nodded and started organizing the cookware the way she instructed.

"Dad says he's gonna teach me, Mike, and Don what he's been teachin' Leo," Raph said to Mom, looking up from the box. "Ain't that cool?"

"Yes, I think it's a wonderful idea. You will all do well in martial arts." Mom agreed. "But remember you start school on Monday, you will be late for class because you are going to meet the principal, he has a doctorate degree, Dr. Rockwell. But I assume you'll just call him Mr. Rockwell, we'll find out then."

"Cool," Leo said, half paying attention as he looked around the kitchen. The counters and sink were by the front of the house, the sink looking right out into the front yard through a window. Opposite the sink was a large open doorway that led to a dining room, which had a table and chairs already. "Did those come with the house?"

"The dining set? Yes, and the refrigerator." Mom nodded. "As I was saying, we will probably get most of the furniture moved in today, thanks to the movers helping us unpack into the garage shed and front room." the garage shed, Leo figured, was the large structure beside the house at the end of the driveway, to the left if you faced the front door.

"That was nice of them." Leo agreed.

"Tomorrow we'll start the actual homemaking," Mom continued, "my paintings and vases, and the rugs. It's too bad we don't have a fireplace anymore, though we have a large fire pit outside in the backyard." Leo nodded absently, moving with Raph to the next box which was full of platters and plates. As he went to take one out, a loud ringing filled the house and they all looked up.

"That's the doorbell." Mom said, going to stand up.

"I'll get it," Leo said, jumping to his feet before she could. Mom smiled thankfully and continued removing silverware from her box, Leo walked into the hallway and to the front door. When he opened it, his jaw nearly dropped.

"Hi." the girl, who looked to be of Japanese descent, greeted. "My name's Karai, My mom sent these over." she held out a plate wrapped in tin foil. "They're cookies, but I'd avoid the ones with powdered sugar, welcome to the neighborhood."

"Uh...hi." Leo blinked, smiling. "Uh, I'm Leonardo." he accepted the plate. "Thanks, I guess."

"You guys a big family?" Karai asked, tilting her head, which made her red eyeshadow seem to sparkle. "The Andersons had seven kids before they moved out. Heard they have an eighth."

"Big? Not really." Leo said, trying to focus on not being an idiot. "I have three brothers, Mikey has a dog and Raph has a turtle- I mean a tortoise. Not that big."

"Yeah, well," Karai shrugged. "I'll probably be seeing more of you, my..uh...parents like to welcome new families." she smiled. "See you around, Leo." and then the girl turned and walked back to the sidewalk, Leo realized his mouth had fallen open and closed it, then the door.

"Who was it, Leo?" Mom asked, coming into the hallway while dusting her off hands on her pants.

"Who- oh, just the neighbors." Leo held up the plate. "They sent cookies."

"Are they gone?" Mom asked, "oh well, we'll probably meet them."

"Yeah, probably." Leo agreed, following her back into the kitchen. Raph looked up at him and snorted.

"What are ya blushin' about, Fearless? Ya look like ya got dipped in red paint out there."

"Do not!" Leo said, raising a hand to his cheek.

"Yeah, sure."

"Raphael, be kind!" Mom said sharply, though she had a knowing look in her eye. Leo felt his cheeks grow warmer. "Put those cookies in on the table, Leo?"

"Uh, yeah, right." Leo nodded and walked to the large wooden table. He couldn't stop thinking about that girl, is this how Donnie felt? Leo suddenly regretted teasing his brother, if that was the case.

"Leo, why don't you start bringing boxes upstairs?" Mom called, "Raphael and I can handle the kitchen."

"Alright." Leo agreed, walking to the front room, which was piled high with boxes and other things. The first one he located had Mikey's name scrawled on the top, using 3d block letters. Mikey made everything he did an art piece.


"Here boy!" Mikey called, skating after klunk as he streaked toward a patch of trees. "Can't lose ya!" Klunk stopped and looked back at Mikey before turning toward the trees, but eventually decided on Mikey. He ran back and Mikey clicked on his leash. "Let's go back to the house." Mikey decided, "we can explore the yard and stuff." Klunk wagged his tail in agreement and Mikey started back down the sidewalk, toward the end of the street where it looped back around the park toward the rest of the city. As he did so, Klunk took off over the street, yanking his leash out of Mikey's hand and causing the teen to crash to the pavement. "Hey! Klunk!" he protested as his ribs ached, Klunk ignored him as he ran up to a Japanese girl who was on the other side of the street. Mikey jumped up and grabbed his board, running over.

"Hey, little dog." Karai petted Klunk gently.
"Sorry, he's a little crazy," Mikey said, running a hand through his hair. "Klunk, say sorry." Klunk yapped a few times and the girl smiled.

"His name's Klunk? That's cute." she said, "I'm Karai. Are you Mikey?" Mikey blinked, then grinned.

"Hey, you know my name? Am I famous or something?" he asked, grabbing Klunk's leash again. Karai smiled.

"Not exactly, I just met your brother, Leonardo."

"Oh, yeah, he's cool." Mikey agreed.

"But, you don't look like brothers." Karai tilted her head, her bangs falling to one side. "What's the story there?"

"Oh, me and my bros used to be foster kids." Mikey explained, "Raph technically still is, but Me, Leo, and Donnie got adopted by the Hamato's!" he beamed, "we're totally tight!"

"You were foster kids?" Karai asked in surprise. Mikey nodded. "Wow, small world. What do your other brothers look like?"

"Donnie's way tall and has brown hair and eyes." Mikey described, "Raph's a whole head shorter than him, even though he's a year older, and has red eyes and green hair- I mean the other way around. Red eyes? Hehe, he isn't that evil!" Mikey realized he was rambling and smiled sheepishly. "Sorry, I guess I'm kind of wasting your time." he mumbled, "see you around Karai!" she waved as he skated back toward the house with Klunk at his side, wondering vaguely why she seemed happy to hear they'd been foster kids. He shrugged it off and hopped the curb while Klunk started running again.

"We're back!" Michelangelo called as he shed his jacket in the front room, tossing it on a stack of boxes. "Klunk likes the park!" He walked into the room where Mom was, the kitchen.

"Did you have fun?"

"Yeah, I met one of the neighbors, she said she was over here." Mikey said, "her name's Karai, she's cool."

"That's an interesting name." Mom said, looking up. "It's Japanese, it means fortune, health, and spirituality."

"Yeah, she looked Japanese." Mikey agreed. "Do we have any water?"

"Bottles in the fridge." Mom said, going back to unpacking the toaster from a box. "Only take one and write your name on it." Mikey nodded and pulled open the door to the fridge, smiling at the sight of the refreshing liquid.

"Bet ya that's why Leo was blushin' so much." Raph was muttering, Mom playfully slapped his shoulder.

"Raphael, be kind!" she reprimanded him, Mikey took a sip of water and grinned. "One day you might find a girl who likes you!" Raph snorted.

"Sure, I don't need a girl." he mumbled, "I got Chompy. Right bud?" the small tortoise on the counter squeaked in supposed agreement, Mikey laughed. "ah shaddup."

"Why don't you help Leo unpack you boys' things?" Mom said, looking at Mikey, he nodded.

"Sure thing Mom!" he sang, skipping to the front room to pick up a box, and wincing as it strained his ribs. The doctor had said that it would just be uncomfortable for a while, just as Mikey predicted, and they could do nothing about it. He found Leo in his bedroom. "Hey bro!"

"Hi, Mikey." Leo greeted, looking up from his box. "I put a few of your boxes in your room, who's is that one?" Mikey looked down at the label.

"Uh...I think this one's Raphs. I can't read the handwriting."

"It's Raph's." Leo agreed, smiling a bit. "Now that you're helping, do you want to try and move the beds up from the garage shed thing? And the dressers and stuff, it will be hard to organize without that."

"Sure thing brah!" Mikey declared, "let me put this in Raphie boy's room, then I'll be right there!" he hurried to Raphael's bedroom, humming under his breath.


When Leo met Mikey down in the garage, he was surprised that Donnie and Dad were already there.

"Hi, Leo, coming to help move furniture?" Don asked. Leo nodded.

"Mikey's coming in a second, too," he said, nodding toward the house where they heard the front door bang open. "Here he comes now."

"I must talk to him about not damaging the door," Dad muttered, half to himself, as they caught sight of two men walking up the driveway. "Hello," Dad called. The men stopped at the entrance to the garage.

"Hello, are you the Hamato's?" one asked, eyes skating over them. "We're here to ask if you need any help moving anything, I'm Rob Poulson, I live two doors down with my wife and daughter." he shook dad's hand.

"Rich Greening." the second man introduced himself. "Pleased to meet you. I live just at the end of the street, on the corner."

"I am Hamato Yoshi." dad said, smiling with a twinkle in his eye. "These are my sons Donatello, Leonardo, and-"

"I'm Mikey!" Mikey declared, running past the men into the garage. "I'm his favorite son!"

"Are not." Leo and Don said in unison.

"And this is Michelangelo." Dad agreed, shaking his head at Mikey's craziness. "And it would be nice to have a few more hands. My wife and other son are inside unpacking boxes." Leo looked over at Donnie, who, with one arm in a sling, wouldn't be much help in moving the beds and dressers. As if Don read his mind, he spoke up.

"Why don't I go trade Raph places?" he suggested, "he's stronger than me anyway, and I can't use my arm." Dad seemed surprised, like he'd forgotten about Don's problem, then nodded.

"Ah, yes, of course." he said, "be careful with it, Donatello. Nothing too hard."

"I know, I know," Don said as he walked back. "It's my arm."

"Beds first?" Rob suggested, looking at the wooden bed frames. "You can show us where to go."

"I'm getting one end!" Mikey shouted, jumping over near it.

"Michelangelo, be careful." Dad cautioned, "your ribs are still healing."

"I can handle it!" Mikey declared as he helped the man lift a headboard. "Follow me, Mr. Poulson! I've already memorized this house! I think this one's Raph's bed, there's a crack in it." Leo smiled at Mikey's reasoning and lifted a pile of slats for the beds, following. Raphael passed them on the way in and Leo held back a wince at the sight of the large -still partially healing- scar on his forehead.

"That bed's mine, Mike!" Raph called after him, then smiled at Leo. "keep workin' fearless, maybe someday you'll be as strong as I am." Leo snorted.

"Someday in the past." he teased, Raph shrugged and walked to join Dad and the other man in the garage. Leo followed Mikey and Rob up the stairs, listening to Mikey chatter about how they'd been adopted and pretty much their life stories since last June.

"Oh, really? My daughter was adopted out of foster care too, but she was ten. I think you met her, Mike, her name's Karai."


Okay okay okay okayyyy! Before any of you get any - and I mean ANY- Ideas, Leo is not crushing on his sister. I don't do things like this often, but in this fic, Miwa and Karai are two very separate people, and never even met. Really. I promise. That being said… what do you think? Do you think that was a good thing to do? (splitting Karai/Miwa) what do you think their new school will be like next chapter? Any positive vibes are welcome! Negative is less welcome but I can't stop you! Thank Y'all for reading and please please review!

Until Friday,

-Jelly