I own nothing. Happens between "Obsolete" and "Home Invasion."

Leo watched Cody for the next few days. The kid wasn't unhealthy physically, mentally, or even emotionally, really. He just seemed … young, naïve, even after the kidnapping he'd experienced. He had a happy grin on his face most of the time. His eyes shone. And his shoulders were loose like he didn't carry a feather on them. That made Leonardo nervous.

According to his robot/butler/guardian, this kid was one day going to have a whole company, a whole legacy on his shoulders. Not to mention getting himself and his family home was on Cody too. However, Leonardo soon found the kid working on something in another room, a very large room, larger than their whole lair back in their own time. The turtle's voice came out a little sharper than he'd meant it to. "Cody, shouldn't you be working on the time-window?"

"Oh," Cody looked up. For once, his face's expression seemed serious. "I'm stuck on that. Even with all the stuff I got from O'Neil Tech and Donatello's help, we still can't figure out what's missing from either our programming or the machine itself to recreate or reverse what happened to you guys. If we could, we might be able to, if not replicate it, maybe compensate for whatever we can't replicate somehow, but we have to figure it out first." The kid grinned wider. "And I always do my best solution-finding while working on other projects, which is why I'm doing this for you guys now!"

And just like that, Leo couldn't be mad anymore. Instead, he grinned and asked, "So you're working on something for us?"

Cody gave a mischievous smirk back. "Yep!"

Leo raised his eye-ridges, "And you're not going to tell us what it is until you're done, are you?"

"Nope!" The kid's grin grew.

Leo's own grin grew in return. "Can I guess?"

Cody tilted his head, and then shrugged. "Sure."

Leo looked over all the equipment and then nodded to something. "What's that?"

"A holoprojector."

Leo looked up with more wrinkles on his still, now painfully smiling face. "Please tell me you're not making an even 'more' all-consuming video game player for Mikey."

Cody smiled raising and shaking his head. "No, this should help 'keep' a ninja in shape, and it's for all of you guys."

Leo raised another eye-ridge. "A weight-lifting room?"

Cody chuckled before answering, "Nope."

Leo's face went blank for a moment. Then a smile, warm like a sunrise, spread over his face. "A dojo."

Cody's own brow wrinkled. The corners of his mouth turned down. His voice went low and tired. He flopped to hang like a rag over a larger part of equipment nearby. "Ooooooh … Yes."

Leo grinned widely at the almost-teenager. "Do you want me to get Donnie to help you with this?"

Cody rose out of his extreme slouch before kneeling over something else and working further on it with a screwdriver. "No. I'd like to keep it a secret from 'some' of you before its finished."

Leo smiled again. "It is a great surprise for everybody." His face went straight again. "Have 'you' ever been in a dojo before, Cody?"

Cody's mouth turned down at the corners, and his brow furrowed again as he hummed to himself for a moment. "Mmmmmmmm … No … Serling and Uncle Darius have told me the need for all that is over. Which seemed a bummer at the time. Though, after the day before yesterday, I'm almost glad of it."

Leonardo stared at the young human a moment like a baked, clay, turtle figurine. "Um, Cody, not to tell you to disrespect your uncle or Serling, but … it kinda 'was' needed the day before yesterday."

"It wouldn't have been if Master Cody had only stayed inside … like I asked ..."

Both the young human and turtle turned to see Serling standing in the wide doorway with a tray. "I'm here with your lunch, Master Cody."

The boy beamed at him. Leo smiled softly at the sight, even eating only healthy stuff, the young still had healthy appetites in the future. The gratitude in the boy's voice reaffirmed this for him. "Thanks Serling, can you get something for Leo too?"

"Do I have to, sir?"

Leo smiled over his shoulder, though a little painfully again. "No, it's okay, I was just leaving anyway."

He turned and did just that. He grinned and relaxed a little bit as he heard Cody's "Awwww …" following him out. Well, as his sensei, he might get Cody tired of his company soon. Then Leo frowned again as he headed for Raph's room.

. . .

"Cody will definitely be starting at the very beginning in training."

Raph growled as he punched at a bunch of pillows wrapped in a blanket hanging by a rope made of sheets from an antique chandelier. "Yeah, Fearless! You can see that just by wondering around this house here."

Leo walked past his fuming brother while rubbing his chin for a moment before turning back to look at him with a furrowed brow, and narrowed eyes. "Raph?"

"Yeah, Fearless?" Raph didn't even look at him as he swung his fist at the lumpy bag again.

"Do you remember our first lessons with Master Splinter?"

Raph froze as the bag keep swinging in front of him. "Um."

Both turtles stood stock still searching their minds for a moment. Raph slouched and then began scratching his head before tilting his face so it was "almost" turned toward his brother. "We gotta right? I mean that's pretty important stuff."

Leo shook his head. "I don't think we do. It was so early. My whole life I remember training with Master Splinter. I can't remember a time before it."

Raph's eyes widened. "Me neither ..."

After another moment, Leonardo continued. "How do you teach someone something you can't even remember?"

Raph scratched his head again before replying "Maybe you should talk to Master Splinter again."

. . .

The old rat stared at the ceiling while stroking his chin before speaking. "Hmmmmm … You 'were' all very young …"

"So, where did you start with us?"

The rat looked back at Leonardo and shook his head. "Not where you will with young Cody Jones, I think."

Leo's eyes widened at his sensei. "But Master Splinter, why not?"

"You are not him. You were mutant, baby turtles growing up in the sewers. I taught you to step silently, move in the dark, and not draw attention to yourselves. Young Cody Jones will gain attention wherever he goes especially if he keeps traveling in a giant, flying, turtle shell."

Leo frowned in thought. He raised a hand to rub at his own chin. "So, defending himself and getting away from would-be kidnappers should be our first priority."

The old rat smiled up at his son. "Perhaps."

Leo narrowed his eyes at his sensei. "Why do you sensei always seem to enjoy watching students try something for the first time and struggle with it so much?"

Splinter grinned gently while reaching out and patting his son's hand with gentleness as well. "You will learn soon, Leonardo. You will learn."

What do you think? :)

God Bless

ScribeofHeroes