I do not own the episodes of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 2003 series the characters, places, and dialogue here are taken from. I'm attempting to show what might have been Leo's thoughts on his situation then and his new friend. :)

Please enjoy.

"I have to tell you Usagi san, the way you fight I'd rather not go up against you if I can help it."

Turtle luck running true to form … that's what Raph would have called it. Then he would have laughed at his brother's expense. Leonardo gave a wry grin at his own imaginings.

There, across from him, was the rabbit Samurai, he was sure from his dress, swords, and mannerisms, who'd saved his neck in the Pavilion of Past Champions. It had never occurred to him before a rabbit would make an awesome warrior. Now it would never "not."

Usagi had also given him Splinter-level advice. He was good, and he was his opponent. "It's just like you said Usagi-san. We have to fight each other."

The rabbit gazed back at him eyes focused, but mouth curling up at the corners. "Fate often has such a wry sense of humor." The warrior drew his sword and went down into an impressive crouch. He raised his sword in an equally impressive block. "Come, let us fight as friends and may the best swordsman win!"

Leonardo couldn't have agreed more if Usagi had said "Live with honor!"

Leonardo drew his own blade. He and Usagi both waited, staring at each other. Then they both charged. As Leonardo watched, reacted to, and watched his opponent again, he learned a lot from Usagi.

His father had sparred with Leonardo using blades. Splinter was … well … Splinter was as excellent with blades as he was with any other weapon. Just when he thought he knew all his teacher's moves, Splinter would do something new.

Usagi's style felt similar, yet different, from his father's. They both moved fast jumping over strikes, striking out with their feet as well as their blades. Usagi moved differently, though. It was obvious he had a "lot" of power in his legs. He bounced higher with less effort. His kicks moved more air. Leonardo was careful not to let those kicks connect with him. Leonardo found sparring with Usagi like trying a favorite dish from a new restaurant. The flavor, the look, even the smell was slightly different, and yet familiar too. Leonardo felt excited rather than disappointed by this.

When he fought with his brothers, and he and they both wielded swords (his father tried to prepare them to take up weapons they didn't usually wield at a moment's notice), he often found himself more a teacher than a opponent. "Hold them like this." "Good." "Don't forget to use both hands and blades simultaneously, Don. They aren't your staff." "Yes, they're heavier and longer than sai, Raph." "I know, you prefer your sai. "Careful, don't drop them." "Don't 'really' cut me!" (sigh) "Mikey, take this seriously. They're Katanna not sabres. You don't have to keep quoting 'Princess Bride.'"

Swords were obviously Usagi's preferred weapon. After the start of their match, there had been no banter let along movie lines thrown around. Leonardo didn't think he'd be teaching Usagi a thing or two about how to use his blades any time soon.

When Leonardo fought a foot ninja wielding a blade, it was for his life and often the lives of friends and family members. He could not hold back, might even have to kill. Something inside him felt frozen then. Something told him he couldn't make a mistake, couldn't let anyone down, everything depended upon him.

His brothers were elsewhere right now. He was a little nervous about that, but he'd heard his father give them permission to compete. The old rat had seemed worried, but he'd given them his blessing in the end. That said a lot. And Leonardo had seen his last opponent just disappear after his landing following his last blow before he could "really" hurt him. His brothers should be fine. The warrior who faced him now was no enemy. He was a friend. He could relax ... somewhat. Usagi wasn't going easy on him either.

Leonardo didn't mind. Usagi had saved his life. Without him, his father and brothers might be mourning now instead of competing too. He owed him a lot, enough to give him a battle to brag about, however, this went.

Leonardo felt later, he never got a chance to do that.

He, getting up close to Usagi, had the upper "sword hand." He was pressing his blades down into Usagi's. Usagi was strong, as well as small. Leonardo could feel the rabbits resistance through his Katanna. If he didn't win this bout right away, trying this would have been a mistake. It would use up too much of his energy well before the competition was over.

Then came the sting in the back of his shoulder, and all those concerns flew away. A burning sensation spread through the muscle after the initial sting. He felt wrong. Not just pain, but "Wrongness." It was the same kinda feeling he got when adrenaline was carrying him through, but he knew his gait and balance were off and later realized he was bleeding out. His body's alarms were going off, His intuition's sirens were blaring.

He didn't have to be afraid of Usagi. Afraid to lose to him, sure, but there were more important things to lose. His time in the Pavilion of Past Champions had just retaught him that.

Leonardo turned away and began trying to sift through his now sluggish mind to clarify the problem so he could address it with his now sluggish body. He dropped his swords. He usually treated his Katanna with more respect, but if he didn't drop them soon, he may never pick them up again.

He reached for the source of his pain, the sting … He couldn't even feel if he touched what was causing it or not. His fingers were going numb. What if ..?

No! No, he couldn't die here! His father! His brothers! They needed him! He needed to find help soon, so he could help them!

He turned to the rabbit, the Samurai who had helped him before. He hated asking for another favor from the Samurai so soon, but … "Usagi … I … I …"

I what? Leonardo boiled with frustration. The right words to tell him what he needed, indeed even the concept of what he wanted, flew from him as his world went dark.

Feeling and sound still came to him, though. He felt the slam of stone connecting with his face, arms, and plastron. His knees too. Ouch.

At least he hadn't fallen on his swords. They were behind him. Weren't they? What was happening to him? Was that his father's voice? Don's?

"Leonardo san …"

Usagi … Couldn't he have found a way to tell the rabbit Samurai a "little" more bit more about his predicament before he partially-passed out?

"Turtle luck runnin true to form."

This time, Leo did not laugh, not even on the inside.

He thought he felt a warm body drawing closer to him. Then warm, fuzzy hands lifted him. They had him half-turned over.

Now Leo almost did laugh, definitely on the inside. He didn't have enough breath to laugh on the "outside" just yet. He'd been thinking of how Mikey would make a "cute, little bunny is helping you out" joke if he was with him.

Somehow, he didn't think Usagi could appreciate such a joke even if he could understand it. The rabbit seemed completely in the dark about how his warrior skills would seem out of place on an earth where little girls dreamed of cuddling forms like his as a soft plushy or cute pet. After exhausting his arm muscles trying to break through Usagi's defense, Leo thought he'd never look at a stuffed-bunny as appropriate again, not unless its owner expected it to slice through the monsters in their closet. Right now, he'd settle for Usagi figuring out what was wrong with him before he expired.

The Gyoji's voice broke through his musings. "Warrior, what has happened here?"

Which of them was he talking to? Leonardo tried to reply and then remembered. Oh right … the one of us who can answer.

He heard Usagi's voice much closer. Indeed, he felt his warm breath waft over his skin. "Something is very wrong."

No kidding.

Leo tried to think who might have done this to him. He thought he'd seen Shredder's helmet or a likeness of it in the Pavilion of Past Champions, which annoyed him no end. Had his enemy or another close to him found him here?

What about the assassins in the Pavilion of Past Champions, who'd caused him to grab that likeness of his mortal enemy's head-garb? Yeah, they likely had something to do with this. They'd been assassins, but hadn't looked like Foot. Unlikely the Purple Dragons had hired them. Who else would ..?

A thin face, with a long, red ponytail behind it came to mind. Oh man … I should have been more like Raph this one time and stayed more suspicious of the Daimyo's son even after that apology he gave us …

Leo heard Usagi's voice again. "His breathing is very shallow."

Great … I'm toast. I didn't even get to say goodbye to my father or brothers, fight more than three rounds in the Battle Nexus tournament, or avenge myself! How on earth, or in the battle nexus, are my brothers and father going to avenge me against those shadowy assassins "or" the Daimyo's son?

If his breathing wasn't "very shallow," Leo would have growled.

The Gyoji's voice broke through his thoughts again. "This warrior will require a healer at once."

Yeah, that'd be nice.

Leo's thoughts were always more like Raph's words, when he was sick, he recalled now. Although, only in his own mind. They never left his mouth that way. Leo knew he'd speak with more respect to Usagi and the Gyoji if he could speak ...

The Gyoji's next words alarmed him to the point he wished just that even more. "This match will be nullified pending a thorough investigation into this incident." The words sounded aimed at Usagi!

He supposed he should have been relieved even if he died the matter would be looked into and hopefully the real culprits discovered. But what if they weren't? What if Usagi got blamed? And even if he didn't, unless they stopped the whole tournament until the investigation was considered complete, Usagi's chances of continuing to compete were shot. Leo's heart, already acting weird, dropped.

Ah man, poor Usagi …

An interesting thought for a possibly dying turtle to have, but he had it nonetheless. The rabbit's own voice pulled him from his morose thoughts as did the fact he felt himself lifted up so his feet were set back on the stone floor and his arm was slung over a small, warm form. "Very well, but I insist on accompanying him to the healer's pavilion."

Leo's heart went from plummeting to warming immediately. Usagi didn't sound upset at all, but he did sound firm. That was the tone Splinter used when making up his mind.

Then Leo wandered if he'd gotten even worse. He thought he felt the stone beneath his feet move. A familiar, yet, somewhat unfamiliar voice filled his ear. "And I insist you get your paws off my brother!"

Oh crud. Don …

Don didn't usually get mad, but when he did …

"Please …" Usagi's voice again, clear, soft and polite all at the same time. "I only want to help Leonardo …"

He had to interfere, he had to. Maybe it was being on his feet instead of having his front or even his shell digging into the stone floor, maybe it was adrenaline from picturing his brother pounding his new friend into that same floor with his bo staff, maybe turtle luck, for once, wasn't "running true to form."

Whatever it was, he managed to straighten a little further and get a little more breath as he moved toward his brainy, usually calm brother. "Don, it's alright …"

Aaaaand … that was all he had. His world went dark again, and everything went even more muffled and fuzzy than before. He hoped that had been enough.

He did think he felt both Usagi and Don's forms nearby, one so familiar and the other so warm. Warm-blooded friends and family members had their purpose. If there was a bright side to all this, well, maybe there were actually "two," not just one, bright sides here, despite everything. 1. His brother was with him. He would not be dying alone or without family nearby. 2. He had made a true friend today …

God Bless

ScribeofHeroes