Two of my new OCs make an appearance in this chapter and they may or may not become an important part of this story. Enjoy :)

Disclaimer: I do not own TMNT but all OCs are mine.


What I Never Told You

Ghosts of the past

"Can you pass me the cheese please Mikey?"

Michelangelo passed a small bowl containing grated cheese across the round table to Leonardo, snickering, "Cheese please."

Gratefully the Japanese teen took the bowl and sprinkled some over the top of his spaghetti bolognese. Mikey's loving Grandmother had kindly whipped up the meal to feed the teenage boys after the painful hour they just suffered through. Chased by The Red Strips, fought The Red Strips, fled from The Red Strips and Leo's asthma attack had all happened in the past hour.

Yep- just one hour.

"This is delicious Joan!" Complimented Donatello after he swallowed his mouthful. He scooped some more onto his fork and shovelled it into his mouth, a little bit of sauce staying around the edge of his mouth.

However, that was nothing compared to Mikey who was as messy as a 2-year-old with sauce around half his face, "See, I told you guys that Nanny's cooking is the best!" He beamed before slurping the last of his spaghetti.

A damp flannel was pushed against Mikey's filthy face as Joan scrubbed at the sauce. Mikey leaned back in protest and tried to escape but the elderly woman had a strong grip on his chin. She licked the cloth and continued to scrub, only to have Mikey squeal in disgust.

"Gross, gross, groooooooossssssssssssssssssssss!"

"I wouldn't have to do this if you learned to get your food in your mouth and not around your mouth." Stated Joan, removing the last of the sauce from her grandson's face.

Mikey immediately wiped his face dry with the sleeve of his hoodie. Leo and Donnie, who had silently been watching the show, chuckled and received a stuck-out tongue from the blond.

At that moment, the front door flew open and a panicking Japanese man ran in. He calmed down when he spotted his injured son smiling at him.

"Kon'nichiwa chichi." Greeted Leo as he painfully stood up.

"Let's get you home musuko. Thank you Joan for taking care of him. If there is anything you ever need, don't be afraid to ask and I will be happy to help." Yoshi shook the older woman's hand before assisting his only son across the hall and to Leo's bedroom. He got Leo comfy with plenty of pillows to support him.

Leo groaned at all the fuss over him, "It's just a few scratches and bruises. I just need time to rest father and I will be perfectly fine tomorrow. You'll see."

Yoshi jabbed two fingers into Leo's ribs which caused the teenager to hiss in pain and curl his arms around his aching rubs, "That is what I thought." He smugly said, "You are my son Leonardo and when Joan informed me of you turning up injured, I was scared that I would lose you too."

"No Leonardo," Yoshi continued when Leo was going to object, "I lost your mother and sister and then sat by your hospital bed for days, waiting for you to wake up and smile at me again. You were hooked up to multiple monitors and for the first 24 hours, had a tube down your throat to help you breath."

Sadly smiling at his son, Yoshi ran and hand through Leo's jet black locks, "I am glad Tang Shen didn't take you with her."

"Me too. I just… I just wish mother and Miwa could have stayed too." Leo's watery eyes were drooping so Yoshi made one final check to make sure the teen was comfy before he left.

"He is right sir." Donatello spoke from the front door. Yoshi had just silently closed the bedroom door when Don spoke so he hadn't realised he was there, "I wasn't eavesdropping, but Leo is right when he says he will be fine with rest."

"I know he will be Donatello." Yoshi replied, "But when you watch your child fighting for their life, it mentally scars you for life."

"How-"

Chuckling, Yoshi patted the young man's shoulder, "Joan told me about how my son and Michelangelo saved you. I am glad you three are alright."

"Leo was a true hero sir," Don explained, "He held off the attackers long enough for me and Mikey to get to safety. If it wasn't for him, I'm… I'm not sure what would have happened to me and truthfully, I don't even want to consider that possibility."

Yoshi smiled kindly at the stranger, "Leonardo takes his honour very seriously. He has done since he was a young boy."

"And he is a super kick-butt ninja." Piped in Mikey who chose that moment to stick his head around the door, "You should have seen him, he was all POW, BANG, PUNCH, KICK, DODGE…" He disappeared down the corridor sloppily mimicking fighting while two pairs of eyes watched.

Don was about to follow Mikey when he turned back to Yoshi, "I just wanted to say thank you to Leo, he is lucky to have you as a father." And with that Don jogged away to catch up with Mikey.

"And I am grateful to have him as my son."


Leo kicked off his thin blanket, feeling unnaturally warm. He rolled over to see if that cooled him down but there was no luck. He rolled over again and rubbed his sapphire eyes to wake himself up. When he opened them, he realised that the room was darker then it usually was at night, even his nightlight was duller than usual.

"Mummy? Daddy?" Leo called out when he heard a voice… voices? He wasn't sure. The boy crawled out of his futon and across his bedroom floor, sliding the door open when he reached it.

Leo crawled into the smoke-filled corridor and followed the voices which increased in volume as he got closer. Several times, Leo had to stop to cough into his sleeved arm. The whole way he kept calling out, "Mummy? Daddy?"

When he reached the dojo (the largest room in the building), he finally stood up. The heat had greatly intensified as he moved through his home and now, he saw why. Fire spread across most of the beloved dojo, causing pieces of the celling to fall. In the centre of the room, Leo could see his mother and it looked like she was talking…no, arguing with someone who the child couldn't quite make out.

"MUMMY!"

Tang Shen's head whipped round when she heard her son's shout. She yelled over the growing inferno, "GET OUT OF HERE LEONARDO!"

"Mummy what's happening?" The 6-year-old asked, realising just how severe the situation was. He covered his mouth and weakly cough before he wheezed out, "Why is there… fire… everywhere?"

"LEONARDO RUN!" The Japanese woman commanded.

Just then Leo heard a cracking sound above him. He looked up and screamed as the burning ceiling collapsed above him.

Leo's eyes shot open and he hastily sat up, trying to take deep breaths. Thankfully the nightmare didn't cause Leo to have an asthma attack so after sitting in his bed for several minutes, Leo's breathing was back to normal.

The Japanese teenager rested his head on his knees, whispering, "Why can't I just forget that day? Why does it have to haunt me? I miss you haha… I wish you were still here…I…" By the end, Leo could no longer contain his emotions and the tears spilled out.


"Then all you have to do is shoot the flying octopus and you collect the glowing orb that it leaves behind. That orb is what powers your spaceship." Michelangelo instructed as Don played one of the games Mikey had downloaded on his smart phone, "You need to have your spaceship working be able to fly back home before the green goop guys find you because when they find you- and they will- they attack you with everything they have which kills you unless you have the mega awesome pistol which you have to buy on another plant."

The large red words spelling, "You died" flashed across the phones screen.

Mikey fell forward onto his bed groaning in disappointment, "How are you so bad at this?"

"Hey," Donnie defended himself, standing from his perch on the edge of the blond's bed, "I have never played a video game before today, so I say I am doing very well for getting as far as I did. Plus, who even invented a game with green goop guys? What even are those?"

"Ryan Rogers is an amazing game developer and all my favourite video games are from RR Games." Explained Mikey, sitting back up.

"I like the fluffy bunnies!" A young girl with red hair exclaimed as she walked in, clutching Joan's much larger hand.

At the sight of the child, Mikey leaped off his bed and scooped the little girl up in a huge hug, "NUGGET!"

"Mikey!" The girl laughed as she was spun around in the air, "I missed you."

"I missed you too Chicken Nugget!" Replied Mikey as he gave the girl a quick kiss on his cheek. He placed the child back on her feet and ruffled her curly red bunches that were held in by two yellow ribbons.

Gesturing to the little girl standing next to Mikey, Joan filled Donnie in, "Donatello, meet Sarah Jane York. I babysit her when her parents have to work late."

Don kindly smiled at Sarah, "It's an honour to meet you, Sarah. I'm Donnie."

Sarah shook Donnie's hand and sweetly smiled back at him, "Hi."

"She's adorable, isn't she?" Mikey squealed in the genius's ear, "I wish she was my sister, that way I could get all the ladies chasing after me."

"In your dreams." Scoffed Donnie, sticking his tongue at the girl when she did it to him, "I'd better head home. I snuck out and I am not sure how much longer my cover up is going to last for."

Mikey playfully complained, "Your no fun. First you have no idea how to play video games and then you leave us when the party is just starting."

"I like video games." Sarah stated, hugging the tallest teenagers' skinny legs, "Bye-bye Donnie."

"Bye-bye Sarah." Don hugged the 4-year-old before receiving a high five from Mikey, "Bye Mikey."

"Bye Global Genius Guy!" Donnie rolled his eyes at the nickname Mikey refused to stop calling him as he left the small apartment.

"So what do you want to do munchkin?" Questioned Mikey while he lifted Sarah to sit on his lap. Sarah looked up at the teen and smiled innocently but there was the same mischievous glint in her emerald eyes that Mikey got in his baby blue ones when he was planning something.

Without Sarah saying anything, Mikey agreed with her, "I like how you think Nugget."

Sarah just giggled behind her hands.


Donatello climbed up the side of the Carpenter estate and in through his bedroom window that he had left open when he left. He landed softly on the floor and started to remove his disguise.

"And where have you been?" A sharp voice full of authority demanded.

"Um…" Donnie stumbled for words as he saw his father- a man who was practically a strange to him- glaring at him.

"Answer me son." The word "son" had no feelings behind it, making the man sound cold and heartless.

"I went out." Don truthfully answered though a little hesitantly.

Mr Carpenters glare hardened, causing his only son to gulp and hang his head, suddenly finding the wooden floor interesting. In a low voice the celebrity said, "You did what?"

"I went out." Repeated Don in a barely audible voice.

"Without telling any one!" Mr Carpenter snapped, Don flinched at the increase in volume, "You are my son Donatello, that means you are to listen and obey my orders! And when I say you are not to go out- you do not go out!"

"I am sorry father." Apologized the teenager, his eyes still examining the floor.

Once more the man snapped at him, "Look at me when you speak."

Don awkwardly made eye contact with his father, "I am sorry father, it will not happen again."

"It better not." Mr Carpenter turned to speak to Klay Lancaster (Don's bodyguard) next, "Make sure he does not leave his room again, he is grounded until further notice."

Lancaster politely replied, "Yes sir." Before his boss left.

"I understand that you hate being supervised but it is for your own good." Lancaster spoke to the teenager, "Your father is just trying to keep you safe."

"Since when have I been his main priority, that always been held by his baby- C-Technology." Complained Don as he plopped down on his king-sized bed, "I'm just a pest he can't get rid of."

"You are just as stubborn as your father you know." Lancaster gave a rare show of emotion as he smirked, "No matter how much I tell you that your father has your best interests at heart, you refuse to believe it."

"He never punishes Reni like he does me."

"That is because you sister doesn't disobey his orders. When she is told to stay in her room, she does." Explained Lancaster, walking towards the door, "Get on with your Italian lessons and I will be back to check on you in a few minutes."

"Oh," The bodyguard quickly added as he left, "And I would apricate it if you didn't pull a Houdini on me again Young Master."

Donatello lay on his bed, staring at his plainly painted celling. Lost in the recent memories that he made that day, including his two new friends.

"Do you have a girlfriend?" A feminine voice teased.

Don let out a high pitch scream and fell off his bed in surprise. When he clambered back to his feet, he found his twin sister- Serenity Carpenter- lying on the other side of his bed. She smiled at his surprised look and asked again, "Do you have a girlfriend? It would explain why you are so determined to escape."

"Do you have a boyfriend?" Don countered while he reclaimed his space on the bed, "What do you want Reni?"

"I want to talk to my genius little brother." Reni smirked, then giggled when her twin rolled his chocolate eyes.

"Six minutes." Don stated, "I am only younger than you by six minutes, that does not make me your "little brother". Especially seeing that I am taller than you."

"Still six minutes." Reni grabbed one of the fluffy pillows under her head and wacked Donnie with it, "I'm older than you and there is nothing you can do about it."

Grabbing the pillow when Reni tried to hit him a second time, Don pulled it out of her grasp before looking at her seriously, "Do you ever wander what it would be like to have prober friends?"

"What," Reni sounded slightly offended, "I'm not good enough for you? Is that why you found yourself a secret girlfriend?"

"I'm serious Reni, I want to have friends… well, other than you of course. I met these friendly, fun boys while I was out. They saved my life." The male teenager examined the ceiling again and only looked at his sister when she traced her elegant fingers over his cheek.

"You alright Donnie? You're not hurt because if you are, I should check you out." Reni fussed over her only sibling.

"I wasn't hurt Reni!" Donnie insisted, trying to push his twins' hands away from his face, "Serenity, leave my face alone!"

Pulling her hands out of Don's grasp, Reni stated, "I'm the doctor-in-training in this family so you can tell me that you are fine however often you want, but I will still have a check for myself."

"You're not a doctor-in-training yet." Don pointed out as he gave into his sister's check-up, "You don't start med school at Harvard until September so until then, I do not need to tell you about every bruise and scrap I receive."

"Doctor or not, I am still your big sister which means I will find out eventually." Reni smirked, patting Donnie on the shoulder once she finished checking him over, "Everything looks good. Drink plenty of water and if you feel dizzy or nauseous tell me immediately."

"Worry wort." Don mumbled, rolling off his bed and grabbing some tools on his desk, "I'm going to crack on with some of this work. Maybe then I could get out again tonight, maybe even meet up with my new friends. At least, I think they are my friends. I only met them today, but they were nice and super friendly."

"You shall do no such thing Donatello Carpenter!" Reni imitated their celebrity father and stood on Donnie's bed, her hands on her hips and her face a mask of seriousness like David Carpenter's always was, "Going out in public will ruin my reputation and that is all I care about. Now get back to your studies, my son needs to be perfect in every way to take over the business one day."

"Shut up!" Don chuckled as he threw a scrunched-up piece of paper at the girl only to find her no longer on his bed.

"Reni!" Called out Don when he couldn't locate his twin, "Reni! Serenity!"

There was still no sight of the girl, so Don shrugged and got back to his work, muttering, "Well that was weird."


Leo wandered aimlessly around his bedroom, trying to ease the dull ache in his muscles. After his twenty seventh lap- yes, he was counting- of the room, Leo donned his thin coat and was about to exit the apartment when his father's hand on the door stopped him.

"I need to stretch my legs father." Leonardo explained while zipping up the front of his black coat, "I feel much better after that nap, but the fresh air is what I need right now."

Yoshi had raised Leonardo single handily since he was widowed by his beloved Tang Shen when Leonardo was 6. He knew that his son found comfort sitting next to the stream that ran past the Hamato dojo in Japan but unfortunately, they were no longer in Japan. Leo just had to make do.

"Be careful my son. Today's events have proven just how dangerous the world can be." Yoshi pointed out, "Have you got-"

Having had the same speech many times in his young life, Leo respectful interrupted his father, "Yes, I have my mobile. Yes, I have my inhaler this time. Yes, I will return if any feels weird. Yes, I will do my best not to be a hero, but I can never promise that one."

Yoshi chuckled at Leo's response, "When you become a father, you will do the exact same thing my son."

"Well, I am not planning that for quite some time…" The teenager muttered, a slight blush on his cheeks.

Escaping from anymore embarrassment, Leo rushed out the door before his father could stop him again. He strolled through the corridor and up the stairs that lead to the roof.

Once on the roof, the Japanese teen perched on the edge and dangled his legs over the side. The cool breeze ruffled his jet-black hair and numbed his sore body. He watched as the traffic down below moved along, blurring into one single line.

Leo gently closed his eyes and relaxed as he listened to the sounds of the city, a small smile gracing his face when remembered what it was like back home in Tokyo. When his mother would take care of him while his father was working or training. When his grandfather would tell him old Japanese legends. When his sister Miwa would hold his hand as they explored the city together.

The teenager's eyes snapped open when he thought he heard the faintest of voices whispering his name. Knowing that no one was on the rooftop with him, Leo went back to watching the street below only to hear it again but louder this time.

Leo flew to his feet and took a defensive position. His stance faltered and his eyes widened in shock at the person who stood before him. A few quiet words absently slipping out of his numb mouth.

"You're supposed to be dead…"


Translations:

Kon'nichiwa chichi- Hello father

Musuko- Son

Haha- Mother