Leo watched his brothers as they settled in to go back to sleep. Despite his weak protests, they insisted on sleeping in his room. Honestly, he was glad they didn't want to sleep in their own rooms. Ever since being rescued, he just wanted his brothers close. He let out a soft sigh as his mind suddenly became jumbled.
"What's it gonna take for you to be serious, Leo?"
"Shouldn't we talk about this before we run off all half-cocked, willy nilly, pell mell?!"
"You don't have all the answers all the time!"
"You are a team! You are brothers!"
"You're impulsive! You're arrogant! And you don't see that every decision you make could cost someone their life! You want to know what really happens to your brothers in the future?! They die. Everybody dies fighting the Kraang. The world needs Master Leonardo. And all we got is this guy."
Leo was pulled out of his thoughts by Raph's voice. He looked up to see his brothers staring at him, concern on their faces. He quickly plastered on what he hoped was a convincing smile.
"Sorry, what were you saying?"
"You okay, Leo? You sorta zoned out for a minute."
"I'm fine, Raph. Just kinda had a stressful day. You know, alien invasion, trapped in a prison dimension, etc." Leo gave them his trademark smirk/smile. His brothers exchanged looks before turning back to him.
"You had a nightmare, too, didn't you?"
"Don't know what you're talking about, Donnie." Leo was surprised when Mikey climbed up on the bed, wrapping his arms around him.
"It's okay, Leo. Everything's fine. The Kraang are gone. It was just a dream." Leo suddenly pushed Mikey away and stood up.
"That's just it. It wasn't just a dream! Everything happened because of me! The entire invasion was my fault!" Raph got up and placed a hand on his younger brother's shoulder.
"Leo, that ain't true. You didn't bring the Kraang here."
"How can you say that? You had the key, Raph. If I had just listened to you from the beginning, none of this would've happened."
"Leo, nobody's blaming you." Donnie's voice was low. Mikey stood up and wrapped his arms around Leo's waist.
"Yeah, we didn't know what the Foot Clan wanted it for."
"But if I hadn't tried to be the hero, they would never have gotten it in the first place."
"Okay, that's true." Raph and Mikey glared at Donnie. He ignored them and continued to talk.
"But, if Raph had gotten the key, we would've just taken it back to the museum without a second thought." Mikey suddenly realized what Donnie was doing and chimed in.
"Yeah, and the Foot Clan would've gone after it again."
"Leo, The Foot Clan opening that portal was inevitable." Donnie took a step towards his brothers.
"You just made a mistake, little brother." Leo looked at Raph and his eyes wandered to the broken shell over his big brother's left shoulder. He turned to Donnie and Mikey. He could still hear their screams as the Kraang tightened his grip on them. Leo suddenly felt tears stinging his eyes and took a step back.
"It wasn't just a mistake, Raph! I almost got you killed because…" Leo suddenly grabbed his side and collapsed. His brothers rushed to him, but he waved them away.
"I'm fine."
"Leo, we're you're brothers. Please, let us help you." Leo couldn't handle the loving, concerned look his brothers had and turned away from them.
"Fine. You want to know what's really wrong? What my nightmare was? I was so happy when you guys saved me. But, every time I close my eyes, all I see is the Kraang. I keep seeing the portal opening and him coming back. He wants revenge on me for trapping him in the prison dimension. So, he takes all of you and there's nothing I can do to stop him."
"Leo, there's no way for him to come back."
"How do you know, Raph? The female Kraang is still here. Who's to say she can't find a way to bring him back."
"Because we won't let that happen." Leo looked up to see a stern look on Donnie's face. A look that was mirrored on Raph and Mikey's.
"I…I just don't know if I'm strong enough to do this, again." Leo's voice was barely a whisper as fresh tears filled his eyes. He was surprised when his brothers wrapped him in a tight hug.
"You don't have to be. We'll be strong for you. Anyone who messes with us is gonna find out what happens when we fight together." Leo couldn't help smiling at the smug look on Raph's face.
"Because we are…" Leo stood up.
"The Teenage!" Mikey joined him.
"Mutant!" Donnie stood beside his brothers.
"Ninja!" Raph towered above them.
"Turtles!"