Over the next few days Leo found himself thinking about Mikey's question more and more. Every time the thought that the earth was dying crossed his mind, the more convinced he was that it was the truth. Maybe he couldn't speak for the rest of the world, but Leo knew that things on his island had been getting worse. The wildlife was dying or disappearing, and it was happening at a worrying pace. It was a frightening thought, that their island home was dying, but Leo just couldn't think of any better explanation. Nobody could.

And if there wasn't a more plausible explanation than an old myth, then maybe there was some truth to that old legend after all.

Leo had never considered that something that he had only ever thought of as a fairytale could be a reality, but since it was the only possibility he knew of, he wasn't going to dismiss it. Really though, the only way to know for sure was to go out, find the demigod brothers, and return the heart to Miwa.

Of course, that would require sailing out into the open sea, which Leo knew he was explicitly forbidden from doing. But there really wasn't much of a choice. Leo had to choose the better of two evils, disobeying his father, or sitting back and doing nothing as the world potentially died around him.

Leo knew what he had to do. Rule or no rule, he couldn't just wait for everything to fix itself. It just wasn't going to happen. He had to take action. And he knew just where to start.

"Hey, Casey," Leo ran up to his friend when he saw him trudging back into the village, an empty fishing basket slung over his shoulder. "Still no luck out there?"

"Man, I don't know what's going on out there, but there aren't any fish." Casey scowled and threw the basket on the ground, much more violently than was necessary. Leo had to keep himself back from scolding Casey, who had always had some anger issues. Leo knew from experience that if he mentioned it, Casey would just get more irritated, and that wasn't what he needed right now. Leo needed Casey's help, and that wasn't going to happen if he was mad.

Casey groaned and stretched slightly. "What's up, Leon?" Casey smirked at Leo, because he knew just how much he hated that stupid nickname. Casey had heard Mikey call Leo Leon once, and he hadn't stopped using the nickname himself.

For somebody who always got really irritated and upset when people pushed him too far when he was already on-edge, Casey sure loved to push buttons.

Leo took a deep breath to calm himself. There was no point in getting upset over a silly nickname. "Does that offer of showing me how to sail a fishing boat still stand?"

Casey grinned excitedly. "I thought you were too scared to go against your old man's orders." Casey teased.

"I wasn't scared," Leo glared at Casey in slight annoyance. It was as though Casey really couldn't understand that there were more motivators to obeying authority figures than just because of fear. "Things are just different now. So, can you help me or not?"

"Yeah, sure," Casey stretched, causing his shirt to ride up slightly. Leo couldn't help but stare at Casey's exposed skin. No matter how hot it was outside, Casey always seemed to wear as many layers as he possibly could, even when he was fishing. Casey hated showing skin, because he didn't want to show off his strangely bare skin. Unlike everybody else in the village, Casey hadn't been born with any birthmarks.

This was unusual, but not completely unheard of. Splinter had told them that Casey's lack of birthmarks didn't mean anything. He wasn't cursed, and he wasn't doomed to a future without guidance from a supposed spirit animal guide. There was nothing wrong with him, he was just a little different.

Leo knew this, and he certainly didn't think any less of Casey because of it, but he still couldn't help but stare whenever he saw Casey's bare skin. It was just because Casey was usually so careful to keep himself covered.

Casey hadn't noticed that Leo was staring, but he still immediately tugged his shirt back down. Whether or not he thought that people were staring, Casey was so self-conscious about his skin.

"Let's go," Casey punched Leo's shoulder, because he seemed to think that was an okay thing that normal people did, and lead the way back down the beach.

Leo felt a little bit of awe when they approached the fishing boats resting on the shore. He had never been on one himself out on the water, but he'd always admired them from a distance. It was hard to imagine that a little boat like this could be used to explore the vast ocean, gliding effortlessly over the unpredictable waves.

He couldn't believe he was really going to do this.

Casey walked over to one of the smaller boats sitting on the shore that looked only large enough for one or maybe two people. Without Casey having to say a word Leo joined him at the small boat and helped him to push it out into the water. Once it was no longer dragging on the sand, Casey gestured for Leo to get on, which he struggled to do, though he tried really hard to not let it show. Judging by Casey's barely concealed snicker as he effortlessly pulled himself onto the small fishing boat, Leo didn't hide it nearly as well as he would have wanted to.

"Sailing is actually pretty easy once you get the hang of it," Casey grinned as he adjusted the rope attached to the sail with one hand, while his other hand held onto an oar, probably just in case. "Just let the wind do all the work for you. Oh, and don't try to fight the waves either, because you will lose."

Casey gestured out towards where a wave was approaching. It wasn't a large one, but as it came closer Leo realized that even a small wave was probably going to feel like a big one while they were on a boat that almost seemed to threaten to tip over with every little push the ocean gave it. Leo instinctively gripped the edge of the boat tightly to brace himself. He stiffened and glared at the wave, which just seemed to get bigger as it approached them. This wave was sorely mistaken if it thought that it could scare him.

Casey guided them straight towards the wave, and they passed through it so easily that it was as though it wasn't even there at all.

Leo relaxed and let out a breath that he hadn't even noticed he had been holding. Casey just laughed at him.

"Relax, Leon, it's just water. It's not going to hurt you." Casey held the rope out to Leo, who accepted it and tried to do just what Casey had done to keep the sail in place. Leo's grip on the rope was tight, probably too tight. He just didn't want to lose his grip on the rope and cause the sail to collapse on them.

What Leo hadn't thought of, and what Casey definitely hadn't bothered to point out, was that pulling on the rope could be just as bad as not keeping it tight enough. Leo's stiff grip pulled the sail towards them, which ended up turning the boat too.

"Leo, what are you doing?!" Casey snatched the rope out of Leo's hands and tried to set their boat straight again. "A boat this small wasn't built to hit waves at an angle!"

"I know that!" Leo shouted back, more frustrated with himself than with Casey. Leo grabbed the oar and desperately tried to use it to help turn them. There was another wave, about the same size as the first one, coming towards them. The first wave hadn't been so bad, but they hadn't been practically sideways when they'd hit it. Leo didn't have to have experience sailing to know that this wouldn't end up nearly as smooth as the first time. "Hold on to something." Leo warned just before the wave hit them, and when it hit, it hit.

Leo felt the wave hit him with so much force it felt like he had been physically pushed by something, and that force just kept on going. It was enough to not only knock the air right out of him, but also make him feel like his chest couldn't fight against the force enough to expand just so he could take in a breath. Leo supposed this was a good thing, as trying to take in a breath while underwater would be a mistake, but it was still a scary feeling.

Though deceivingly strong, the wave only lasted for a brief moment before the boat drifted harmlessly through the other side. Leo and Casey were both soaked and a little bit stunned, but no worse for wear.

"Are you okay?" Casey coughed as he tried to straighten the boat out again.

"I'm fine," Leo muttered, still feeling slightly dazed. He moved to use the oar to help Casey only to realize that it was no longer in his hands. He must have dropped it in his rush to grab the boat. A quick glance told Leo that it wasn't sitting on the floor of the boat, so he quickly began to scan the sea and almost immediately spotted it. "Casey, the oar!"

"What?" Casey turned to where Leo was looking, and his eyes widened in alarm. "Dude, we need that!" Casey dropped the rope entirely, much to Leo's alarm, and began to reach out over the side of the boat in an attempt to reach the oar. He was nowhere close to it, but Casey still reached. To Leo's alarm, the boat began to tip towards where Casey was leaning.

Leo was worried that they were going to capsize, and tried to shift his weight to balance it out, without moving too much that he ended up rocking the boat and flipping them over anyways. Because of Leo's caution, he didn't lean over the opposite side of the ship nearly enough to really balance them out. He probably would have eventually, if given more time, but it seemed like the ocean had other ideas.

Leo's eyes widened as he noticed another wave, larger than the previous two, almost on top of them. He knew that it wasn't all that big, but at that moment it might as well be the size of the mountain. If Leo had been worried about being flipped over earlier, it was nothing compared to the terrifying knowledge he had of it now. "Ca-" Leo barely began to get the warning out before the wave crashed into them, and it felt like the world collapsed around him.

Leo was knocked backward, though he didn't know if it was because the boat had finally tipped, or from the force of the wave hitting him directly. Leo felt his limbs hit blunt objects, possibly the boat, possibly Casey, possibly something else entirely, with so much force that he thought that it was surely going to bruise. Despite his every instinct screaming at him to squirm and get his head above the water, Leo tried to keep still. The wave was still on them, and Casey had told Leo to not try to fight the waves, so he wasn't.

Just when Leo thought that things had calmed down enough for him to safely try to swim to the surface he felt a blow to the side of his head that was strong enough to make him see stars. Leo continued to not move, because he was too dazed to even try. He knew that he should get to the surface soon, but it was as though whatever had hit his head had knocked away his ability to tell his limbs to move.

Leo's head slowly began to clear. He could finally, finally begin kicking his legs and moving his arms in an attempt to swim up. Because he'd never been allowed in the ocean before though, he had never actually swam. Leo theoretically knew what to do, but there was a huge difference between knowing what he was supposed to do, and actually being able to do it. Leo's attempt at swimming much more resembled flailing, and he knew that he was in trouble.

Suddenly he felt an arm wrap around his chest. Leo turned and saw Casey next to him. Casey nodded and gestured to his own legs, showing Leo how he was kicking. Leo immediately followed Casey's example and the two of them slowly swam to the surface. Leo felt like his lungs were burning when his head finally rose over the water. Leo coughed and gasped for air. Casey looked at him in concern.

"Are you okay?" Casey asked. "That boat seemed to hit you pretty hard." Oh, so that was what had hit him.

"I-I'm fine," Leo brought his hand to his head, where he had been hit, and winced. He brought his hand away and frowned when he saw blood on his fingers. Casey grimaced sympathetically.

"That doesn't look very fine to me," Casey helped swim Leo to the boat, which had floated to the surface. It was still tipped over, but having something to hold onto to help stay afloat was better than nothing. "Hold on to the boat and help me push it to shore," Casey said. Leo looked towards where the island was. While they'd been on the boat, it hadn't seemed like they were too far from the island, but now that Leo knew they had to swim there it felt like they'd never make it.

"Just keep your eye on the boat," Casey said. "Don't look at the island. Just help me kick."

"Yeah, okay," Leo sighed, and they began the long swim back home. Leo knew that Casey was doing almost all of the work, but he made sure to at least carry his own weight. Every little bit of help that he did was less work that Casey had to do.

Leo lost himself in the swimming. Master Splinter had taught him how to properly meditate, even with physical distractions. It was harder and took more focus to meditate while he was doing physical work, but Leo didn't mind it. It gave him something to focus on other than how much his head was hurting and how sore his legs were. He just let himself get lost in his thoughts and continued kicking.

After some time Leo felt his feet brush against the bottom of the sea. He finally looked up to see that they were almost right on the island. Leo grinned when he Mikey and April sitting on the shore, watching them. He was happy to see them, though as they got closer Leo realized that April at least wasn't nearly as excited as he was.

"Casey Jones, Leonardo Hamato, what were you thinking?!" April put her hands on her hips and glared at them. Leo had been worried about how Splinter would react if he knew that they had gone out to sea, but he hadn't even considered what April would do if she found out.

"Oh, hey Red," Casey grinned, though Leo could see a nervous glint in his eyes. It didn't matter how much bravado Casey had, he wouldn't dare mess with April. "What are you guys doing here?"

"We saw you sailing off," Mikey sat contently on the ground as he scratched the ears of his pet cat, a mischievous little orange monster named Mayunk, though half the time Mikey just called him Kitty. "Seriously, dude, going out to sea without me? That's cold, bro." Leo couldn't tell if Mikey was just messing with him, or if he was honestly disappointed.

April turned her glare towards Mikey. "They shouldn't have been out there either. You two are lucky that the worst thing that happened was that you got tipped."

"Calm down, April," Casey said quietly and apologetically. He must have known that April wasn't in the mood to deal with a nickname. "I go out on the water all the time. I knew what I was doing."

"But you don't normally go out that far," April dropped her hands and her eyes softened slightly, though now she looked more upset than angry, and that just made them feel worse. "And you took Leo out with you, even though you know he can't swim."

Leo shifted uncomfortably. He knew that today had been his first time really swimming, and he felt embarrassed about that. He lived on an island, he was surrounded by water, which he'd always had a fascination with, and yet he could barely swim. Casey looked at Leo, his expression full of regret. Neither of them had really thought this little adventure through.

April sighed and rubbed her forehead, looking pained. Leo and Casey had already felt guilty, but seeing that April seemed to be getting a headache they both felt even worse. Over the past few weeks April had been getting headaches that come and go, and they only seemed to be getting worse. None of them knew what was wrong with her, but they were all worried.

"Hang on, Red," Casey approached April and put his arm over her shoulder. He was right there to support her in case she got too dizzy to support herself, which had happened before. "Let's get you back to the village."

"Y-yeah, okay," April agreed easily.

"Wait," Mikey stood up, holding Mayunk in his arms, and he passed the cat to April. "Take Kitty with you. His purrs have healing properties." Once again, Leo couldn't tell if Mikey was serious or not. Leo himself doubted that cats could heal anything, but Mikey was always talking about the unbelievable things that nature could do, so he wouldn't be surprised if animals could, in fact, heal headaches.

April smiled and held Mayunk close to her chest. It was Mikey's pet, but she'd always felt close to the cat. "Thanks, Mikey." April and Casey began to make their way back to the village. Mikey and Leo stayed on the beach and watched them go.

After awhile Mikey stretched and looked at Leo. "So...what made you want to go out on the ocean again? You usually just pine from a distance."

"I was thinking about what you were talking about last night," Leo looked out towards the horizon. "About how the Earth might be dying, just like the legend says."

Mikey grimaced. "Yeah?"

"Well, if that part of the legend is true, then maybe the rest of it might be too." Leo said. "The part about the demigod brothers."

Mikey froze, a strange look in his eyes. "You mean...the Heart of Miwa?" Mikey touched the stone on his necklace. Mikey was still for a minute before pulled the necklace up over his head, taking it off. Mikey looked at the stone, and then held it out for Leo to see. "If we get this back to the demigod brothers and help them to return it to Miwa, everything will go back to normal?"

"I...That's the Heart of Miwa?" Leo didn't really believe it, but Mikey had always acted like there was something special about this stone. It was naturally pink, which just wasn't something that happened. Mikey had also had the stone ever since they were little kids. He had found it the day that they had helped the baby sea turtle make its way safely to the sea. The day that they had both imaged the ocean doing some pretty crazy things. At least, Leo was pretty sure that they had imagined it, but Mikey always insisted that it was all real. It seemed pretty unbelievable, but if a missing stone could cause the world to die, then maybe it wasn't so unbelievable that the ocean could act like it had a mind of its own.

"It might be," Mikey said quietly. He put his necklace back on again. "If we're going to sail off to find the brothers though, I think we'll need something a little more sturdy than a little sailing boat."

"Well, yeah, but there aren't any other boats on the island," Leo said, like it was obvious. Splinter didn't want anybody on the ocean any more than was absolutely necessary, and almost nobody seemed to have a problem with it.

Mikey grinned mischievously. "Man, I've got something you've got to see," Mikey grabbed Leo's hand and began to pull him down the beach towards the cliffs. Leo didn't know where they were going, and Mikey didn't bother saying another word about it, but Mikey seemed excited and confident. Whatever Mikey wanted to show him, Leo knew that it was going to be worth the small wait. Mikey wouldn't get his hopes up like this for nothing. Leo just had to trust his brother, and they both had to trust that this impulsive plan of theirs would work.

They didn't have a lot of evidence that the old legend was true, and even if it was they didn't know for sure that they'd be able to even do anything about it. They had to try though, because there was nothing else that they could do.

A/N: We were really back and forth about what April's birthmark animal should be. For reasons, I chose a cat. Speaking of cats, let's talk about Mikey's cat. I wanted to include Ice Cream Kitty in this story, but I couldn't exactly have it's name being Ice Cream Kitty. I couldn't decide between using Klunk, which is the name of his pet cat in the 2003 series, and Mayhem, which is the name of April's pet cat-like creature in Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Because I couldn't decide on a name, I just combined Mayhem and Klunk, giving us Mayunk.