Leo watched his family cleaned up after an alien army calling themselves the Krang attacked them. With a longing face, he wished could be there, leading them like he use to, but you could only do so much when you're just a ghost with a very limited way of speaking to people.
"Man, how many of those Krang bots were there?" Asked Raph, picking some robot parts.
"I say there were about twenty of them." Donnie answered walking past their brother in the background.
Raphael shot Donnie a glare.
"You should be proud of your accomplishment my son."
The eldest living turtle looked behind him to see Master Splinter standing.
"Your leadership skills are improving. With time you will a great ninja."
"Agh, I am proud Sensei, I just thought there would be more action."
"There will be plenty more of action as you grow, but now you practice on being content with how things are. Hm? I sense something else is troubling you?"
Raph appeared to be ready to say something, but didn't. He sighed, putting his head down then looking back up. "No, Sensei."
With that the spirit watched Master Splinter took his leave.
Right after Master Splinter walked away, Raph went back to cleaning.
Leo noticed walking towards his brother in red was his younger brother Mikey holding something behind his shell. Though what the ghost did not know what is was, he guessed that it was going to be another water balloon or Mikey had found something he thought was cool. Whatever is it was might not be good.
"Hey, check it out?" Mikey called as he brought out thing behind him. It was his katanas. "Cool, huh?"
"What?!" both Leo and Raph uttered. The turtle spirit's eyes widen as he sure Raph's did as well. He thought he lost those spares when he alive
"I found them laying in a pile, back there." The orange clad turtle said pointing one of the swords, behind him. "I 'm like some samurai." He started showing some sloppy swords man skills.
Leo looked back over to Raph, to see his clad brother walking towards their brother with a scowl on his face. "You shouldn't be playing with them Mikey."He said taking the swords out of his brother's hands.
"Aw, come on Raph? They're cool."
"You don't even know who these are?"
"Maybe they're Leo's?"
"Huh?" Raph gave a raised eyebrow.
"What are you talking about Mikey?"
"Huh?" Mikey turned to see Donnie.
"I 'am saying that they must be guardian spirit Leo's to help protect us from any evil spirits." Mikey explained.
"You know that Leo was apart of our imagination brought on by stress, right?"
Leo's widen in shock. Did his little brother just dismiss the time he helped him as a mere case of seeing things? I couldn't be?
"Please, I know imagination D and Leo wasn't no imagination."
At that moment, Mikey's words brought a small smile to Leo's face. Nice to know his youngest brother still believes.
"Agh, keep debating? I 'm taking these too my room." Raphael said as Leo watched him walked to his room before turning to see Mikey and Donnie going their separate ways.
The spirit then look to direction of the dojo and sighed. He knew what he have to do.
When he went in and found his father meditating.
He took a few steps forward when all of the sudden Master Splinter opened his eyes and gave baffled look.
Leo did the same.
As Master Splinter closed his eyes again, Leo sighed spoke with a sadden expression. "Sensei I... I don't know what to do. I know that you were trying keep Donnie safe, but he needs to know sometime about me, he thinks I was one of his imaginations. I wish you hear what I was saying."
"I could hear you, Leonardo."
"What, you can?" He asked eyes widen again.
"Yes. Though I could not see you, I can hear you and sense that you are standing at the entrance."
"Oh, so could you tell Donnie about me? About who I was?"
"Hm? I have thought about what I should about Donatello's memories for quite sometime."
"So will you tell him?"
"No."
"Wha-why?"
"He is still not ready. He is far too emotional too handle the truth."
"Sensei, he's getting older, he went through the battle with the Krang. He's been through so much with the guys. He's ready, Sensei."
Master Splinter thought for a moment, before saying "I believe you are right. I have been too afraid of Donatello relapsing to what he was before that I had not pay attention of his growth.
"So you'll tell him."
"I believe I should."
"Yay! Thanks Sensei. I-"
"But do you believe they all will be ready when you have to leave to go to the other side?"
"Well, I watched them over the years, becoming stronger, more better at handling things. I 'am going to miss them when I do, but I believe they are, Sensei." He answered with pure honesty.
Master splinter smiled.
At that moment, Leo hugged his dad, not caring if he could not feel him doing it, just gave off a bright smile when he did.
"Thanks Sensei."
Back in the now clean leaving room, Raph dump more rang parts in the trash can. "There that should be the last of it." He said before looking at Donnie in the distance who was going into his lab. His annoyed expression shifted to a sadden one. Turning his head, he whispered. "Sorry, Leo."
"My Sons?" His farther's voice popped up, loud, yet stern.
As he heard the lab doors opening, he looked as he was his brothers was doing as well, to other side, over at the entrance to the hall way of the dojo to see Master Splinter standing.
"Come? There is something I would like to discuss; that includes you Donetello."
Raph could hear Mikey shuddering behind him as watched Master Splinter walked back to the dojo. He couldn't really couldn't his little brother as he too was nervous about their farther's sudden request and stern manner.
He and his brothers followed Master Splinter to the dojo.
As they went in and knelt down, Raph was the first to questioned. "So what's this about, Sensei?"
"Yeah, did one of Donnie's cockroaches gotten out again?" Mikey questioned, that made Raph jumped back with big eyes.
"AH! Where?!"
Their farther sighed as Mikey chuckled and Raph went back kneeling punching his little brother in the shoulder. "My sons," He said. "I have told you many times about my past and how we become who we are today, but what I didn't tell you is that there were four of you that were mutated that day."
"Four?" Donatello asked.
"Wo, so we had another brother?" Mikey added.
Master rat replied with "Correct. His name was Leonardo. He was the most skilled fighter out of four."
At that moment, Splinter handed Donnie a picture in a picture frame.
As Mikey went looked at the photo from the side, they both saw young turtle much like they were, however this one sported a dark blue mask with equally dark blue eyes and double katana strapped on to his shell, knelling, looking at audience with a smile.
"I took that photo after you fixed the camera that I got for your mutation day present."
Donnie looked away from the image and on to his Sensei asked "You mean that Leo was really just the ghost of our deceased older brother?"
Master splinter didn't say a thing as he hung his head with a sadden face.
"So what happen to him, Sensei?" Mikey questioned, now getting a sadden expression that matches the one Donnie was getting. Raph however sat with a longer face.
"I may not have any knowledge of what transpired that day, but when I went looking for Leonardo and you, Donatello after I noticed you two had disappeared, I have heard screaming near-bye. I followed it until I came across A beast. the same one I had slayed when Michelangelo broke his leg."
Raph and the others stared at each other.
Master Splinter "After I drove the beast away, I had realized what had happen."
As the wise master hung his head and took a deep breath, Raph answered for him "Okay they get it. You found Leo dead and you found Donnie scared tothe point of having nightmares."
Master Splinter kept silent. Donnie and Mikey looked shocked.
"I had took Donatello home and came back to buried Leonardo's body in a secret location, deep with in the sewers where no human could reach."
Just then, all of the family members looked over at Donnie speaking "So I had killed Leo? It was because of me?" asking with head down and wearing a frighten expression.
Both Raph's and Master Splinter's eyes widen in fear of Donnie relapsing.
"NO!" A voice popped up.
Everyone turn to see the very turtle they thought they would never see again, Leo standing a few fear away from Raph with a face that looked like he was regretting something.
"No Donnie, it wasn't you." He said.
Everyone stared in shock, as Leo look away and took a deep breath.
"It was me." He uttered, looking like he was going to cry. "I wanted to go to that area because I wanted to show Raph that I didn't always follow the rules. I 'm sorry." muttering that last part.
Donnie got up and walked over to his ghost brother. "I should be saying sorry too for thinking you were just an imagination." He said kneeling down and placing a hand on his brother's shoulder, giving a smile.
"It's okay Donnie. Glad that you remember me."
"Wo, what's happening to Leo?" Mikey asked.
The family turn to see Leo's body was flickering like a light bulb.
"What's happening Sensei?" Leo questioned.
Master Splinter soon closed and looked away. He responded. "I 'am afraid that your spirit's finally at peace my son. You are beginning to take leave to the spirit world."
"What?!" some of the group gasped.
Mikey on the other hand said "No way."
"So he's leaving, again?!" Raph asked.
"You are correct Raphael. Leonardo was held down by his grief of causing Donatello harm that he was unable to move on. Though I may not know of what his journey will bring, I 'am certain that he'll be ready."
"LEO!" Mikey screamed as dashed around Donnie and hug Leo only for him to go right trough the ghost. "Don't go?"
"Sorry Mikey, It looks like I don't have much of a choice." Leo said in a sadden tone.
"Gosh?" Donnie uttered. "I wish I gotten know to you more. There so much questions I want to ask."
"I'm sure we'll get the chance one day." Leo told him in a certain tone.
As Donnie walked over hugged his ghostly brother and hugged him along with Mikey it was at this that Leo's body start flicker less.
"Hey," Raph spoken up. "sorry for teasing you about being a rule follower."
"It's alright. Though you can be jerk a at times, you only trying to push me to be better."
It was at this moment that Raph walked over and joined his brothers along with Master Splinter.
"I 'm..." Leo said trough a sniffle. "I 'm going to miss you guys."
"I 'am going to miss you too." Commented Raph.
"Me too."
Just then Master Splinter spoke "It has been said that end of one's life is not the end, only the beginning. I wish you the best, my son."
"Thanks." Leo said with a smile on his face dispite his family unable to see it.
Just as both Donnie and Mikey felt a tear drop on landing on their arms, Leo's from glowed more before it was engulfed him. It went out like a light leaving nothing behind. Leo was gone, but the group stayed for a bit until, they heard a familiar voice coming from the living room. "Hey, guys?"
"That sounds like April's here." Donnie said wiping away a bit of tears from his eyes and on to his wrist.
"Welp," Raph uttered as the group gotten up "Let's get out and greet her?"
While Mikey and Donnie was leaving, Raph and asked Master Splinter who was looking at the shrine he had for his departed family. "Coming, Sensei?"
"Just one minute." Splinter told him as he place the photo of Leo back on the shrine. He looked back to Rapp with a soft smile. "Now I can go."
The last of the Hamatos walked out and joined the others.
Author's note: Fun fact, I was going to have one of these be about April finding out about Leo but I couldn't think of a way to make that work so I just scraped it.
Also, I have a epilogue coming up in the next chapter. So this one isn't the final one, it's the next one.