Chapter Four: A New World

Another portal opened to spew the turtles and their father out, but not onto solid ground as they had hoped. Instead, the family now found themselves falling down a cliff with a waterfall nearby. Michelangelo was not particular happy about that, which was evident by his constant screaming on the way down.

"AHHHHHH! WHY DOES THIS ALWAYS HAPPEN TO ME!?"

That was true. It seemed that the turtles had a habit of falling off cliffs. Looks like this time was no different. As they were getting closer and closer to the bottom, Leonardo looked around at each of his brothers and called out to them.

"Guys, into your shells! Like back in Brazil!"

Mikey and Donnie quickly did as they were told and disappeared inside their shells. Although they did not need to be told to do that anyway. Raphael soon followed suit leaving Leonardo and Master Splinter. Without warning, the teen grabbed Splinter and twisted and turned until he was on his back with his master on his chest.

"Hang on, Sensei!"

Mikey, Donnie, and Raph soon fell into the pool of water below. Leo could see the huge splashes of water as did they so and prepared to land himself. He curled himself around Splinter and gritted his teeth, knowing that this was going to hurt. The two crashed into the water and floated about in the cool liquid for some time before they resurfaced. Master Splinter gasped as air was brought back into his lungs and Leo helped his father climb onto the shore where his brothers were waiting for them.

"Are you okay?"

Donatello helped Splinter to his feet while Raphael helped Leonardo. When Raph grabbed his older brother's hand, Leo winced and put his free hand back on his chest. Raphael frowned and carefully examined Leonardo for any new injuries, but he instantly saw red seeping through the bandages over his brother's upper body. The impact of the fall must have reopened Leo's wound.

"Come on, bro. I got ya."

Raph took Leo's right arm and slung it over his shoulders. The elder brother leaned on Raphael for support unable to stand on his own. The pain from both the fall and the wound was a little too much. And the trip through that portal was making his head spin. Leonardo prayed that he did not vomit.

Speaking of vomiting, Michelangelo suddenly ran to a nearby bush and puked within it. Raph and Donnie grimaced as they turned away from their youngest brother, immediately feeling the need to hurl themselves. But they managed to keep themselves from doing so. Once he was finished, Mikey wiped his mouth with the back of his hand and his eyes went wide when he took a closer look at what exactly he had thrown up.

"Yo dudes, I think I found my Bakugan!"

Donatello shook his head, but his main concern at the moment was Leonardo. He placed his elder brother's other arm around his own shoulders and assisted Raphael in getting Leonardo out of the water.

"We need to take care of that wound as soon as possible. There has to be someplace where we can find medical supplies."

"Yeah, genius. You see anywhere that fits the bill? We're in the middle of a forest!"

To emphasize his point, Raphael held his hand out towards the large trees and bushes that surrounded the clearing they were currently standing in. At first, the turtles did not see anything amiss, but when Michelangelo suddenly looked up at the sky, he had to blink once or twice to make sure what he was seeing was real.

"Um, guys? Is the sky supposed to be…you know…pink?"

"Not always, but during the morning, pinks and reds can be seen. During sunrise, sunlight takes some time to reach us as it has a long distance to travel and-"

"That's not what I mean, Don! Look!"

Donnie did as Mikey told him and looked up. His eyes instantly widened at the sight.

"Oooooookay. That is an unnatural pink color for the sky. Besides, it's the middle of the afternoon. The sky should be its normal blue color. Then again…"

As he looked back at the greenery, Donatello did notice a few things out of place. Such as the black snake that had small, red legs like that of a centipede. Or the vines that wrapped themselves around the trees as if they had minds of their own.

"I don't think we're on Earth anymore. At least not our Earth."

"…Sorry…"

Donnie and Raph had barely heard what Leo had said. They both turned to their eldest brother and Donatello shook his head.

"This isn't your fault, Leo. We had no choice but to go through the portal. If we hadn't, we'd be buried under rubble right now."

Raphael nodded.

"You made the right call. Wherever we are, we're alive. And we're going to get you some help, alright?"

Leonardo did not say anything else as his brothers carried him further into the clearing, but they did not make it far before they were surrounded by mysterious figures, who seemed to have appeared from thin air. They all wore armor similar to that of samurai, such as a kabuto helmet and the rectangular plates that covered their upper bodies, and they each carried a Kwan Dao as their weapon. Raphael reached his free hand down to grab one of his own weapons, but he was stopped by a samurai who held the bladed end of his Kwan Dao to the turtle's throat.

"Don't. Move."

Raph did not like being told what to do, especially by someone other than their fearless leader, but he pulled his hand away from his sais and stayed put.

"What is the meaning of this!?"

Two of the samurais stepped back to make room for someone else to enter their circle. The man, who must be their leader, stomped towards the turtles and their father with anger in his eyes. He wore a red Oni mask that covered only half of his face and his matching-colored hair was tied back into a ponytail. His green eyes, which seemed to have an unnatural glow, stuck out the most and he wore an outfit similar to the men under his command, except for a few gold accessories. Master Splinter assumed that must mean the red-haired man is someone of high rank.

"First the rabbit and rhino, and now a rat and…kappa?"

So, Usagi and Gennosuke had made it here. But where were they now?

"How dare you trespass on this land!? How did you even get here!?"

Splinter stepped forward to answer the man's question.

"Please, we mean you no harm. This is all just a misunderstandi…"

"Silence! You expect me to believe you came here with good intentions? Access to this arena is restricted and only those worthy are allowed within the Battle Nexus."

Frowning, the turtles looked to Master Splinter to see if he knew what the redhead was talking about, but by the expression on the rat's face, he too knew nothing about this "Battle Nexus." And it did not look like the samurai was going to explain himself. The red-haired man pulled one of his swords from behind his back, which in total he had two, and pointed it at Splinter. Michelangelo, Donatello, and Raphael, despite still being restrained by the samurai's Kwan Dao, all moved to rush towards their master to aid him. But Master Splinter quickly held up his hand before they had the chance.

"Stand down, my sons! It is alright."

The redhead arched a brow.

"Your "sons"?"

Under his mask, the man smirked. And then he started to laugh.

"You call yourselves a family? This rat your father and they your sons!? How amusing!"

The red-haired samurai raised the tip of his katana under Splinter's chin to force the rat to look up.

"You are indeed strange creatures. And you are trespassers who need to be punished. Much more for my entertainment."

"And your idea of "entertainment" is cruel, Ue-sama."

The redhead, who the turtles and Splinter now knew was called Ue-sama, turned around to face the newcomer. His eyes widened when he recognized who had spoken to him.

"F..Father?"

Towering over the red-haired samurai, an elder man with long, white hair stood with his arms crossed over his chest. He wore red and black robes with gold accessories like his son along with a gold Oni mask with horns. He was definitely someone of authority.

"Look at them, my son. They are clearly as confused about this situation as we are."

"But, Father…!"

"Return to the palace. NOW."

Knowing his father was not going to change his mind, Ue-sama held his tongue and simply nodded. He then clenched his fists at his sides and walked past the old man back to his home. Once the redhead was out of sight, his father turned his attention to the family his son was interrogating.

"Please, forgive my son. I know he seems cruel, but he has not been the same since…"

The man trailed off. Splinter could see the sadness in the elder's eyes, but he quickly shook it off before the rat could say anything about it.

"Weapons down men."

The samurais surrounding Master Splinter and his sons immediately lowered their arms and stepped back. As they did so, Leonardo's face contorted in pain and he grunted as his chest burned again. The old man looked to the turtle in question and could see that the bandages Leo wore were almost completely red.

"He is injured."

Splinter was already by his eldest son's side and he gently placed a hand on Leonardo's shoulder.

"Yes. We were attempting to find help when your son approached us."

"I see. That wound reeks of dark magic. Blood magic."

The man took a step towards Leo, but Master Splinter scowled at him as a warning to stay back. The old man understood the rat's mistrust of him.

"I only wish to examine his injury. With your permission, of course."

After the whole situation with Ue-sama, Splinter was not sure if he should trust the elder man. But Leonardo needed help and it seemed that the man truly did not wish to hurt them. He would have done so already if that was his intention. With that in mind, Master Splinter nodded and let the old man pass. The man nodded back and stood in front of Leo, ignoring the glares he got from the other turtles. Especially Raphael.

"Do not worry."

The old man spoke to Leonardo in a stern, yet soothing voice as if he were speaking to a child. His hand hovered over the turtle's form and a light glow emitted from.

"And who was the one responsible for your wound, young one?"

Leo was in no state to answer, so Raph answered for him.

"Some maniac named Jei."

The man suddenly jerked his hand back as though he had been burned. He scowled under his mask.

"Jei. I should have known. His magic is strong. And deadly."

The old man turned back to Splinter.

"We need to get the boy to a proper healer. A wound such as that will not heal so easily. This magic is poison to the body."

Again, the man's hand glowed and out of nowhere, a long, wooden staff appeared in his hand.

"I can take you to a healer if you will allow me. We will be there in an instant, I assure you."

Hearing the man's offer, Raphael looked to his father with a questioning look.

"Should we trust him, sensei?"

Splinter sighed.

"…I believe we should, Raphael."

Master Splinter again nodded his approval, and the old man took that as his cue to move. The man raised his staff in the air and a white light suddenly burst from it, engulfing everyone with its intensity. The turtles were forced to close their eyes to shield them from the light, but when they opened them again, they were standing in a huge hallway surrounded by pillars with torches attached to them. Stone dragons were coiled around the pillars like snakes and banners hung from the ceiling, each with a phrase written in what appeared to be Japanese inscribed on them.

"My lord."

Appearing before the group, a man wearing a white robe with long, gray hair bowed to the old man. He wore a white mask and had a long beard as well. The old man nodded to the gray-haired man to signal him to stand up.

"It is good to see you, my friend. Impeccable timing, as always."

"Lay him here."

The white-garbed man, who turned out to be the healer the elder had mentioned, instructed Raphael and Donatello to place Leonardo on one of the blue mats that were scattered around the Healer's Pavilion. Shelves filled with medicine bottles and scrolls surrounded the small area and banners depicting the anatomies of various beings hung from the walls. Raph and Donnie sat Leo down on a mat and as they did, the Healer took out a small knife. He saw how Raphael glared at him when the turtle saw the weapon, but the man instantly held his free hand up and spoke in a calm voice.

"For the bandages."

The rational part of Raph's mind knew that, but the overprotective part of him was screaming at him to knock the knife out of the Healer's hand and get his family out of there. He felt very paranoid being in this unfamiliar place in an unfamiliar world. And after what happened in the forest, the turtle was even more on edge than before. But Raphael managed to slip his sais back into their sheaths and he took a seat on the floor by Leonardo. His younger brothers crowded around them while Master Splinter spoke to the golden-masked man.

"We appreciate you bringing us here. I pray your healer can help my son."

"If anyone can help him, the Healer can. He is known throughout the realms for his skills, and he has not lost a patient in years."

"That is comforting. I suppose."

Splinter then held out his hand to the old man.

"I am called Splinter."

The man took the rat's hand and shook it.

"It is a pleasure to meet you, Splinter. I am called-"

"DAIMYO!"

The old man turned around to see two samurais burst through the entrance doors. While he confronted his soldiers, Master Splinter stayed behind and watched the old man walk away in awe.

"Daimyo? Is he…?"

Humming from behind him drew the rat's attention back to his sons, where he could see that it was the Healer that was producing the noise. The gray-haired man had his hands clasped together with his eyes closed and a blue aura surrounded his form. Splinter walked towards the turtles and watched as the healer worked.

"What's he doing?"

The rat looked down at Michelangelo, who had asked the question. Master Splinter put his hand on his youngest son's shoulder.

"I am not sure, Michelangelo. But I am sure it is necessary to help your brother."

Speaking of him, Splinter turned to the now sleeping Leonardo. This was the most relaxed the rat has seen his eldest son in a while. Too bad it took him getting hurt to rest as he should have been doing when they were home. Master Splinter just hoped that Leo would be alright.

"Leonardo?"

Leo slowly opened his eyes and let out a breath he did not realize he had been holding. He could still feel the burning in his chest, but it was more annoying than it painful.

"Leonardo."

That voice again. It sounded much clearer this time. Leonardo looked around the area, which was nothing but some sort of black abyss. He took a step forward and the floor moved like water, blue ripples forming and spreading throughout the room. While his attention was on that, Leo could feel eyes staring at him from behind.

"Who are you?"

Standing behind him was the healer, but his body glowed blue as well and Leonardo could see right through him.

"I am a friend. Currently, I have linked my spirit to yours to find the source of the poison."

"Poison? You mean…?"

Leo laid his hand on his chest where the wound he received from Jei was. The Healer nodded.

"The poison, the dark magic Jei used to harm, feeds on negative energy. When did the pain flare up the worst, young one?"

"Um…?"

"During your battle with Jei, when you knew you could not defeat him, the burning sensation became more than you could handle. And when you awoke from your slumber, your first thoughts were how you let Jei get away and how he could have hurt your family. The pain returned then, did it not?"

"How…how do you know that?"

"As long as our souls are linked, so are our memories. But do not worry. I respect your privacy and I have only accessed memories of yours that are connected to your condition."

Leonardo breathed a sigh of relief. He did not like the idea of someone peeking into his memories like this.

"But if I may, Leonardo…is there something else that weighs heavy on your mind?"

Leo frowned.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, Jei's magic has rooted itself deep into your spirit. There must be something, something more, that is causing you pain. Maybe your past battles or something a bit more…personal."

"…Maybe."

The Healer knew by the sullen look on Leonardo's face that he was right about the turtle dealing with a serious problem. But he could also tell that Leo was not really sure what that problem was himself. Especially all that has happened. Something had changed within the teen and the Healer had to allow Leonardo time to figure that before the turtle's soul could be completely healed.

"…I see. Then I have done all I can do at the moment. You will be fine for now, but you must confront your problems soon."

"Soon? Wait, why soon?"

But before he could answer, the Healer had disappeared, and Leonardo was thrown back into reality. He jolted upright and took a few deep breaths to calm himself.

"Leonardo."

A hand was placed on his forearm and Leo looked up to see it belonged to his father. Master Splinter smiled at his eldest son and Leonardo laid his hand on top of the rat's, smiling back.

"I'm here, Dad. I'm here."