A/N: Alright, this is the last time I'm answering this question. The first chapter ties in with the story in the next chapter! cough cough, sort of cough I also know one reviewer (you know who you are) who really needs to calm down a little bit. But don't stop your reviews. I love them!
Disclaimer : I own them! Their mine! Mine! (is tackles by big men in white uniforms, given medication, and put in a big room with soft walls.) Doctor: Please excuse my patient. Her condition causes momentary lapses in reality. (in the distance) They're mine I tell you!
Chapter 3:
Leo was the first to rise that morning, as he almost always was. He rose silently, closing his door softly behind him. The doors to his brothers rooms were all closed, and he assumed they were still asleep. He padded down the hallway using all of his ninja stealth. Reaching the dojo, he made his way over to where his twin katanas were mounted to the wall.
He took them down and unsheathed them, then took a minute to admire the gleam of the polished metal reflecting the dim light in the room. He moved over to the middle of the room and began warming up. He soon moved into more difficult katas, and began moving faster and faster. His swords became a shining blur of metal as the blades flew around him. He took a deep breath and actually allowed himself a small smile. His early morning practices were one of the few times when he could truly relax.
He heard a noise by the door and whirled around, stopping to rest in a defensive stance. He relaxed when he saw his rat master standing in the doorway.
"You are up early my son."
"Yes sensei. I couldn't sleep."
"I see. Is something bothering you Leonardo?" Splinter looked concerned.
"No sensei." Leo said quickly. He didn't want his master to worry about him. "I just thought I could use a little individual practice." He replaced his katana on the wall and grabbed a towel. He had worked up quite a sweat. He wondered exactly how long he had been practicing.
"I had planned on starting morning practice now, but after your training you may be in need of some rest."
"No, we can start now sensei." Splinter nodded.
"Then would you please go and wake your brothers."
"Yes sensei." Leo bowed slightly, and left the room.
The first room in the hallway was Michelangelo's. He opened the door and looked around. He wrinkled his nose at the mess. The floor was covered with comic books, drawings, and pizza boxes that had been there for who knows how long. He picked his way through the mess, and made his way over to the bed in the corner of the room, where he saw a large lump underneath a mound of blankets.
"Mikey..." he called softly, not wanting to startle his brother. "Mikey?" he said again, louder this time. He saw no response from the lump under the covers. "MIKEY!" he shouted, and the slumbering turtle sat up with a snort.
"It wasn't me!" he shouted, looking around frantically. He finally saw Leo standing next to him, and his rigid form relaxed visibly. "Aw, Leo, what'dcha do that for?" His speech was slurred slightly, his body still infected with sleep. He lay back down, and pulled the blankets up over his head in an attempt to block out the light streaming in from the doorway.
Rolling his eyes, Leo moved to the foot of the bed and grabbed the bottom corners of the blankets, one in each hand. He stepped back and gave a mighty tug, and all of the blankets flew off of the bed, unveiling the still sleeping turtle curled up in the middle of the bed. The sudden cold caused Mikey to jolt slightly. He raised his head again.
"Whaaa-at?" he whined, blinking rapidly to help his eyes adjust to the light.
"Time for practice Mikey. You gotta get up."
"Yeah, sure. I'll be out in five minutes." He put his head down once more, and his breathing became slow and steady. Leo shrugged and left the room. He had done all that he could. Hopefully Mikey would make it to practice on time on his own.
He made his way to the next room, home to his genius brother Donatello. He walked in, not needing to turn on any lights. The room was illuminated by the glow from the computer screen. He walked over, thankful that at least one of his brothers could keep their room fairly clean.
He reached the bed, but it was empty. Glancing around the room, he sighed when he saw a sleeping figure hunched over the computer desk. On the screen was a long string of nonsensical letters, where Donny's face rested on the keyboard. Leo shook him gently, knowing it would be much easier to wake Donny then it was Mikey. He woke up almost instantly, looking around wildly. He saw Leo, and rubbed his neck, wincing. Falling asleep at the computer was a nasty habit he had picked up, and it caused quite a bit of neck pain.
"What time is it?" he asked quietly, rubbing the last of the sleep from his eyes.
"Practice time." Leo replied with a grin. Donny groaned.
"Great, that's my favorite part of the day."
"Isn't it everybody's? Sensei's waiting in the dojo. I gotta go get Raph."
"Good luck with that. After last night, you'll probably need it." He stood up and stretched, yawning hugely.
Leo made his way to the door, and left. He walked slowly to the last room, not looking forward to what would come next. He opened the door, and peered inside. The room was pitch black, and he knew better then to turn the light on while this brother was still sleeping. He called out to his brother, not wanting to venture into the room that was basically off limits to everyone.
"Raph? It's practice time. Raph?" No answer. Leo took a deep breath and went in. He tripped almost instantly over something, he didn't really want to know what. He felt his way over to the hammock and called out to his brother again, and once again received no reply.
Something was wrong here. It was much too quiet. He could normally here Raph's snoring from the living room, but in here it was dead silent. He reached out to shake his brother awake, but...
"Master Splinter!"
A/N: Yeah, since I normally write from either over donny's shoulder or Raph's shoulder, I thought I would put in a little Leo time. By the way, I just thought you should know that I was a writing machine today, and I wrote almost two more chapters. Of course, I need to wait a bit before posting them, so I don't spoil you. Toodles!
