My Favorite Son

Disclaimer: I deny any ownership of any adolescent transformed shadow warrior chelonians.

Author's Note: This is a story idea I've had kicking around in the back of my mind now for some time I decided this morning to haul it out and give it a go. It will be a four part story and if you loyal readers have a preference on who you want to see next let me know.

Don't worry fans of Rama; I'm not giving Bond up to do this. I just wanted to write a story without Rama in it, as I haven't done one for a while. This is sort of new for me, as I've never done a Splinter story before. Hope you enjoy and please R & R Thanks.

Chapter One: Leonardo

Leo sighed it had been a long day and he decided he could use a little relaxation before going to sleep for the night.

He cast his eyes over his favorite books finally choosing one that he had not read for some time now. It wouldn't hurt to read it again he often found new insights when reading the same book over. Also it helped to refresh old views or he found as he aged that a different perspective might be revealed on some thing he had read before.

He pulled the book free and a small white sealed envelope fell out of the book to the concrete floor of his bedroom. Leo gave it a puzzled look for he did not recall ever using an envelope as a bookmark or even placing one amongst his books.

He bent down and picked it up flipping it over he noticed his name written on the front in large yet neat writing. Writing that was familiar to him and he recalled now where this envelope had come from.

Splinter had died a few months back, died quietly in his sleep it was just his time and even now it hurt to think about not having his Master around to seek advice from, to learn from. Splinter had meant so much more to all of them after all he had been both father and teacher, guide and guardian to them.

Leo had found this letter and three others in by Splinter's books and scrolls a few weeks after their Master's demise he had been looking for some thing that day and had found these in his search.

Knowing that their Master had obviously wanted them to have the letters or why would their names be on them? Leo had handed the other letters to his brothers. Though at that time none of them had much felt like opening or reading them. The pain of their loss was still too fresh and raw. It hurt enough to go through the grief the mourning without digging deeper inside at that point.

They had all stood around wondering if they ought to and Leo had finally said that maybe they ought to open them only as each of them felt ready to, and if they wished to share their contents of what was inside would be entirely up to each of them alone.

Leo sighed wondering if he was ready and he felt that all though it might hurt a little now that he was prepared and he could deal with the contents inside what ever it might be.

With that decision made he used a thick green finger to open the envelope and withdrew the papers from with in.

Leonardo,

I realize that my time is growing short though how much more time I may have I do not know nor, would I want to. I only know that I have lived long enough and have accomplished a great deal with the time I had and am not dissatisfied with how it has gone.

I have lived long enough to raise all of you to maturity and I know that when I do finally leave this world and time I leave you four with enough skills to get by on and to survive whatever life may hand you in the future.

You may feel Leonardo, that you do not know enough to help your brothers when they may need it especially when I am gone but I assure you that you do know all that you really need to know.

Your heart and soul know the answers. Your mind has the intelligence. Combine the two and surely you can guide yourselves and your brothers along the right path, as you may need it.

Time, maturity and growth will also help you along as well giving you different perspectives. You though have always been older then your years my son.

You have always strived for perfection but never forget that in striving for perfection it is all right to fail or make mistakes along the way.

For such mistakes help guide us and true perfection cannot come without some stumbling or falling along the way. It is the mistakes we make, the trials we go through and suffer through which makes us better people.

We become stronger for those things and so they are valuable to us for past strengths born through hardship only help us to weather future hardship and turmoil. For that is where true strength, the strength of character, which will never fail you as physical strength may, comes from.

So our mistakes let us know that perfection like any goal must be obtained only through facing the challenge of being perfect.

You were always responsible and caring. You often looked out for your brothers even without being asked or told to as a child and you always strove to do what was right. Though even in the early years Raphael had a way of challenging you not wishing to play the games you had decided to play with the others.

Yet as often as Raphael has challenged you I know even then as a child that you still felt the burden of guilt when Raphael choose to go his own way and do something fool hardy.

You were born to lead the traits of leadership already showing before you were five years old and I took that and helped mold those traits, helping you to strengthen them for I knew your brothers would need someone when I was gone, that they could trust and rely on but I did not work alone.

For you were a willing partner my son. You practiced diligently, spending long hours focusing on your training, concentrating on each lesson and then you spent almost the same amount of hours plaguing and pestering me to learn more and do more.

You accepted the challenge that I gave you and I knew that the challenge I presented would not be an easy one but it could be both a rewarding experience and a burden to you.

Being a leader of others means often feeling responsible for them and you feel that responsibility greatly my son, and leadership is never with out a price. But in leadership too you must find a balance.

You must do your best to keep the others safe and to help them and guide them when they are troubled and seek advice but in the end Leonardo, you are only responsible for yourself.

You cannot protect your brothers from every injury and every mistake they make. They have their own lives and their own choices to make and in making their own choices they become responsible for their own actions and the consequences of them.

You are only there to lend assistance to them, as they need it. A parent must know when to hold back and when to let the child learn and this is something you may have to learn my son to fully help your brothers.

Responsibility also has a point where you realize you cannot be held responsible for another's actions. With this said maybe you could be more understanding of Raphael.

I would hope that you and your brother find peace and brotherhood in your later years. I would also hope that you would be able to set aside your differences and realize that the two of you are not as different as it seems. You are both more similar and alike then the other would care to agree.

I hope that you two would find a way to be friends with the passing of time.

I have something to tell you my son, and I wish that you do not share this with any of your brothers.

You were always my favorite son, Leonardo.

You seemed most like the child of my heart, if I could have had a son of my own flesh and blood I would want him to be very much like you.

Of all my sons Leonardo, you were the one closest to my heart.

For you followed closely in my footsteps, paying close attention to my instructions, sometimes a little too close I think, and you practiced far more then I ever asked or would have demanded of you.

You were the one devoted to being a ninja, of learning and achieving as much as you could of the art of ninjitsu and so you went further as a ninja then any of your brothers.

Your brothers viewed it only as something they needed in life. You my son took it to be so much more.

The discipline, hard work and the dedication you gave to your lessons has made of you a true ninja as well as a leader.

I am proud of you my son and every time I see you work out I am filled with pride that I have managed to raise someone as fine, as noble of a warrior as you have turned out to be.

I could not have asked for a better son then what I have in you Leonardo.

Bold, courageous and strong in the face of adversity.

Calm, controlled and skilled in battle.

You will go far and do well in whatever you decide to do and I wish you a long and happy life.

Splinter.

Leo smiled this had so much of his Master's wisdom and he knew that he could never part with such a special letter. He would put it somewhere safe where he knew he could find it again.

Those words had not hurt half as much as he had been expecting them to and truth be known he felt better for having read them. He even felt more at ease with his grief over Splinter's loss.

Splinter could not have given him a better gift then what he had given in these last few words of love and encouragement. Leo knew that nothing could equal or measure, or be as valuable as what he had read this night.

" Thanks Sensei" He whispered softly before turning off the light as he lay there waiting to sleep he felt that this letter was his alone and he didn't want to share any of it with his brothers for it was personal like the many talks he and his beloved father had shared while he was alive. It was something between him and his Master alone.

With that thought in mind Leo drifted off into a deep and peaceful sleep.

TBC