Author's Note: Thanks again for visiting my story! A big thank you goes out to those who reviewed the last chapter! You are all amazing and I really appreciate the feedback. Please feel free to leave a review on chapter four! Enjoy the read! :)

Chapter Four: A Deadly Night

Leo was sitting in his dimly lit bedroom, contemplating the night to come.

It was sure to be challenging and draining and…full of pizza.

Earlier in the week, Leo had promised Mikey that on Friday, they would go downtown to get pizza from Uncle Piero's, who just so made what Leo thought was the most unbelievably greasy pizza around.

Leo couldn't help but like Uncle Piero's Pizzeria though as it was tucked away behind a back street, hidden from mainstream New York. Leo was pretty sure that the owner, Piero, cut every corner known to man, to keep expenses low. This of course resulted in slimy pizzas, loaded with more cheese than anything else, but the poor quality kept customers away, which made getting pizza even easier for Leo and his brothers.

Piero was a good person though. Leo could tell. The old New Yorker didn't ask any questions and wasn't the kind to pry. Leonardo strangely trusted him.

Collecting his Katana blades from their stand in his bedroom, Leo took a deep calming breath. Going out into the city meant that his walls needed to be extra strong all night, which in turn meant he needed to relax for a moment, whilst it was still relatively safe to do so in the Lair. Leo breathed, his walls lessening and allowing thoughts that weren't his to streamline into his mind.

Mikey's thoughts were as clear as crystal and filled with glee: Pizza, here I come! Mmmm-mmm cheese and salami get in my belly-

Leo couldn't help but smile; making his brothers happy temporarily helped in forgetting that so much in his life was...wrong.

Next Leo heard Donnie: Uuuuhhhg why won't this thing work? I've double checked the wires. The sensor plate is set right, I'm sure. Could it be the…no, that's not it...maybe the readout isn't working…I'll try that next. Then I can see if-

Leo tried to shift his mind away from Donnie who was clearly in the middle of inventing something. It didn't seem to be going well but Leo knew that Don would figure it out, one way or another. He always did.

I should ask Leo if he's okay.

Leo frowned. It was Raphael's thoughts entering his head now. Leo knew that his red banded brother cared, but he rarely showed it. They had grown up a lot since when they were thirteen; they fought less about the trivial things, but Raphael was always guarded. He was always looking for a fight, even when there wasn't one.

Raphael's voice continued - He's been acting off. Sometimes he's fine, but other times…I dunno. Maybe it's just me.

It wasn't just him. Leo sighed sadly but his heart warmed a little as he solidified his wall once more, making sure that it was as strong as it could be for the night to come. Almost instantly his head began to throb with the wall standing once more, but he didn't want to pry. The thoughts of his brothers were private after-all.

With a slight spring in his step, which came rarely, Leo left his room and headed towards Master Splinter's own quarters. Not once had he ever been able to read his Sensei's thoughts, though he had shamefully tried, out of curiosity. Leo guessed that it had something to do with his Sensei's ultimate state of mind. The thought of asking his Sensei for more mental and spiritual training had occurred to Leo, but he had always hesitated to ask, fearing that his Father would sense that something else was going on. One day he would ask. Someday.

Sliding open the doors to Master Splinter's room, Leo was hit by the overwhelming smell of sandalwood incense. The room was bathed in a soft candle light but Leo could clearly make out the shape of his Father kneeling before an altar. Everything in the room was clear to him, from the delicate paper details of the Japanese shōji to the tiny whispers of smoke wafting around the room, his eyes sharper than any of his brothers, thanks to his 'gifts'.

Quietly slipping inside, Leo approached and took his place to the left of his Sensei, folding his legs beneath him in meditation. He inhaled deeply, calming himself. With his heightened senses expanding, he could feel every fibre of the carpet underneath his legs and he could hear the normally unnoticed sound of the incense burning, as it sizzled away.

The presence of his Sensei was comforting.

"Is something troubling you, my Son?" his Sensei asked.

The question caught Leo off-guard, his voice cracking in his hurry to reply, "Uhhh no Sensei!" Leo looked across at his Sensei who was still a picture of serenity, his eyes half closed and not giving anything away. "I was just about to inform you that we're going topside for pizza. Afterwards, I was thinking about taking the guys on a quick patrol of the city. We shouldn't run into too much trouble though."

Master Splinter nodded, "Be careful...and be home by eleven."

Leo bowed his head at his Father, "Hai Sensei. I'll make sure of it."

Pushing off the meditation mat, Leo made his way to the door, about to slide it open but stopped when his Sensei's voice called out after him.

"Leonardo-"

He turned to find Master Splinter looking directly at him, with a concerned look in his eyes as his whiskers twitched.

His voice was calm. "I am your father and, as such, I want to remind you that you can come to me with anything. No matter how alone you think you may be, your family will always be there for you…and so will I."

Leo gripped the door tighter. His body went rigid. Did his Sensei know somehow? Leo managed a wobbly smile and hoped that it was enough to disguise that his stomach had decided to join the circus, with his insides doing somersaults. "I know father. I'm okay," he managed to say.

Master Splinter nodded and returned to his meditation.

Finally leaving his Sensei's room, Leo let out a breath he hadn't been aware that he was holding.

Turning back into the Lair and walking into the living, where the television was playing an old episode of Space Heroes, Leo raised his voice, "Alright guys, pizza and patrol time!"

Within seconds, Mikey was practically on top of him, bursting down from the top level of the Lair and then running around the living room, waving his nun-chucks like a mad man. Or mad turtle, in this case. "OHHH YEAH BOYEEE! I've been looking forward to this AAALLLL week man!" he hollered.

"Clearly," Leo deadpanned.

Raphael emerged from the kitchen, tucking his Sai into his belt. He briefly looked at Leo as if deciding something, but then shrugged. "Where's Don?" he asked, looking around. "YO DON! Get your shell out here!"

As if on cue, Donnie pelted from his lab and hurled himself over the couch, shielding his head with his arms. "GET DOWN!" he yelled, a panicked look on his face.

In a second, Mikey had disappeared behind the pin ball machine and Raphael ducked back into the kitchen. Knowing that his brothers were safe, Leo dove for the couch, taking up a spot next to his purple banded brother. He looked up just in time to see Donnie grimace before –

BOOM!

With the explosion, Leo's own head erupted in white hot pain. The sound erupted in his head, as if someone had pulled a pin to a grenade in his brain. He hadn't been prepared for the sound. Or the heat. True, it probably wasn't much to his brothers, but to Leo, his skin was on fire. His sensitive ears were ringing.

He bit down hard on his lip and tasted his own metallic blood.

Everything rung.

His head was spinning.

His vision wasn't clear, the Lair becoming a blur of murky blues and greens.

He put every fibre of his body into not passing out.

A voice was there though, cutting through. Donnie's voice - "Whoa. Okay, I was not expecting that. That was my bad everyone. Yeap, my bad."

He had to get up.

He had to act fine.

Leo raised his head. His vision was clearing, as he could make out the blurry shapes of his brothers as they emerged from their cover positions.

"What the hell Donnie?!" Raphael was yelling, waving smoke from around his head, walking from the kitchen.

Donnie was clambering to his feet, "I know! I know! I'm sorry! The Lair looks okay, albeit slightly seared, but I need to check on my lab before something else explodes. Mikey, care to lend a hand?"

Mikey's eyes appeared from behind the pin ball machine, "Sure thing D, as long as you show me exactly how to do that again!"

"Mikey, of all the people, why on Earth would I show you how to operate explosives?" Donnie asked, as he and Mikey disappeared into the lab.

Leo's head was throbbing. He swallowed the blood in his mouth and closed his eyes, trying to collect himself. Trying to force his limbs to work.

The wall inside his head was swaying and Leo was desperately trying to make it stand strong again.

"Ahhhh Leo? You okay down there?" asked Raph.

For a second, Leo thought his voice wasn't going to work as his throat felt like someone had taken to it with sand paper, but he managed to find a few words, forcing them out of his mouth, "Yeap. I'm good."

With trembling arms, Leo pushed himself up off the floor. The room tilted on its axis, he staggered backwards and would have toppled over onto his shell, if Raphael hadn't ran from the kitchen to catch him.

Raph held him strongly but there was concern in his voice, "Whoa, steady bro. You hit your head or somethin'?"

Leo tried to find his feet but found that he was already slowly being lead and lowered to sit on the couch. Sitting was much easier. Sitting was good. His brother's emerald green eyes were studying him closely.

"Yeah, must have," Leo nodded.

He was lying again.

"Okay, well, just sit 'ere for a second," Raph replied. "I'll go get some ice or something."

Leo waved the idea away with his hand, knowing that ice wouldn't help with what he was going through, "No, no…I'm okay, really Raph. I'll be good in no time."

He doesn't look good. He's not with it. What is he not telling me?! Something's wrong- Raph's thoughts seeped into Leonardo's head and he strained to strengthen his mental barriers until Raph's thoughts slowly faded away.

Raph planted his shell firmly on the couch, annoyance in his voice, "Suit yourself then. Don't let me help you."

Leo sighed. His vision was clear now and although Raphael made out that he was annoyed, Leo caught him glancing his way intermittently, scanning him and checking if was okay.

After a while of sitting in silence, Donatello and Mikey appeared from the lab again. Donnie was holding what looked like half of a flat metal disk, with wires and pistons protruding it, whilst the other half was now warped metal and blown to bits, dangling in Donnie's arms. "Sooooo, turns out that my homemade mines aren't as stable as I thought," Don giggled. "We took care of the flames."

Mikey had a fire extinguisher in his hands and was spraying the last of the foam onto the lab's entrance where small flames still were flickering away, "This foam stuff is cool Don. Do you think that if I attached it to my skateboard, it would go faster or even make me fly, like in the cartoons?"

Don shook his head, "No Mikey, I do not think that."

Mikey looked deflated but smiled, looking at Leo, "Soooo, we are still going for pizza, right?"

Leo nodded, causing his head to thump. His skin was tingling but he faked a wobbly smile, "Yeap. Uncle Piero's here we come."

Instantly Mikey dropped the extinguisher and ran for the sewer entrance, disappearing into the dark. Donatello followed, placing the mine carefully on a side table, stepping away slowly as if it was going to blow up again. It made Leo uneasy.

Raph stood and offered his hand to Leo, which he took gratefully.

Being pulled to his feet, Leo's legs trembled slightly but he remained upright. A mere explosion wasn't the worst that had happened since he had obtained his heightened senses or abilities. This was his life and he had to adapt to it.

He walked with Raphael through the sewer, testing out his legs, until he could maintain a steady jog.

Together they reached the ladder and climbed up into the world above.

The night was a cold one.

Winter was most surely on its way. There was a bite to the air but it helped to clear Leo's head and soon he was strong and steady enough to run with his brothers across the rooftops of New York. He enjoyed these nights, where it almost seemed as though nothing had changed.

Out in the open, he had to maintain impenetrable walls inside his head in order to lock out the thoughts of the eight and a half million people who lived in NYC. Occasionally a stone would slip and voices would rush in; angry feelings, sad realisations, procrastinating thoughts and sleepy dreams. Quickly, Leo would concentrate again, straining his head, but managing eventually to patch the wall once more.

His blue bandanna whipped behind him and together, with his three brothers, they ran all the way to Uncle Pieros. His brothers showed off, skidding down fire escapes, leaping across large gaps between buildings and flipping over water tanks and satellite dishes. Leo just ran, his full concentration on remaining in control.

When they arrived, Uncle Pieros was almost empty. Crouching high on the ledge of the building opposite, Leo could see through the grime tinged windows. A hooded teenager was staring into his phone, sitting under a flickering yellow light, at one of the window booths. 'The Pink Lady' as Mikey had named her was in her usual spot, at the chefs table, hunched over a sickly pink strawberry milkshake. She looked well into her eighties with ashen skin and a tuft of fluffy white hair, but she was still a beacon of colour in the shop, dressed in her cherry blossom pink cardigan and matching skirt. She wore several heavy necklaces and clutched her cat-themed handbag as though it was about to be ripped from her grasp by a mugger. Uncle Piero was working behind the counter, cutting giant pizzas, with his bulging belly hanging out from under his not-so-white stained tank top.

Turning his attention away from the shop's interior, Leo inspected the dark alleyway below, where a brittle homeless man was searching through overstuffed trash bags with his frail gloved hands. He wore dark blue jeans which were shredded at the knees. He was muttering to himself, puffs of cold air escaping his lips.

A pang of fresh guilt washed over Leo.

The man reminded him of a stranger he had once met…and killed.

With shame, Leo tried to push the memory aside, at least for the night.

Leo put one finger to his lips, signalling for his brothers to maintain in stealth mode whilst he moved in. As usual, Leo made eye contact with Raph, "Keep watch. Keep quiet."

Raph grunted in response and took up his place at the edge of the roof, watching for anything or anyone.

Leo turned back to Donnie and Mikey. His orange banded brother, was shifting from foot to foot with excitement, unable to remain still. "You know the drill," Leo said. "Just stay here for a couple minutes. I'll be back soon."

Mikey nodded enthusiastically.

"Make sure Mikey doesn't get impatient and break in to eat the whole store somehow," Leo joked to Donnie.

"Hey," Mikey protested, "I'm right here, ya know!"

Donnie laughed, "I would defend you but Leo has a point."

With one final check on his brothers, Leo flipped down and off the building, landing silently on his feet by the backdoor of the shop. The homeless man a few meters away continued to search through the trash bags, completely unaware of Leo's presence. Clenching his fist, Leo knocked two times hard on the old rusted door, then three times in quick succession followed by a single knock once more.

A secret knock. It was corny but effective.

Waiting for his pizza to be made, a chill crept into Leo's shell. Sometimes it sucked to be cold-blooded, especially in winter. He shivered, his teeth beginning to chatter.

And then the door opened. Leo made sure to be tucked behind it, so that Piero couldn't see him.

"Special Order," Uncle Piero announced, his extremely hairy arm outstretching a steaming pizza box.

"Thanks," replied Leo, taking the pizza and handing Piero a 20-dollar bill, "keep the change."

"Thanks green man. 'ave a good night, yeah."

The metal door swung shut and Leo grapple hooked up the wall, back to the roof where his brothers were waiting.

Mikey was on him instantly, "Ooooo, did you get it?"

"Yes, Mikey. Come on, the faster we get back up there," Leo indicated to the taller apartment block roof above them, "the sooner you can have some."

Leo didn't need to tell him twice. Mikey was the first to whip out his grapple hook and soar up onto the building, disappearing over its ledge. His head popped back over the side and he madly swung his arms about, "COME ON! HURRY UP GUYS!"

His voice rang into the night and even disturbed some sleeping pigeons who startled. Leo felt the air push against his face as they flew into the night.

Next to Leo, Raphael dragged a hand down his face in dismay, "And to think that he's a ninja."

Leo shook his head, "He's not exactly what I would call stealthy."

In unison, Leo and his remaining brothers, aimed their grapple hooks, fired and ascended onto the roof to join their pizza enthusiast of a brother.

Hot grease and cheese oozed down Leo's fingers, dripping down onto the cement roof below, as he sat on top of the apartment's rooftop water tank.

Below him Raph was propped on a railing of the water tank, eating his pizza which he had kebabbed onto one of his Sai. On the roof below them, Mikey, who had already devoured his own slices, was giving Donnie his best puppy-dog eyes, watching him intently as his brother reached for his second New York sized slice.

"If you think I'm going to give this to you," Donnie announced as Mikey's eyes widened even further, "then you better think again."

Leo could see the devastation befall upon his youngest brother's face, as he slumped away from Donnie, in a huff.

A truck horn blasted from below and Leo winced, the noise ringing in his ears.

Tonight just wasn't his night.

He could only protect himself against so much and if a noise or feeling came out of no-where, he had no chance of focusing on something else or on his larger surroundings.

The pizza was good though. Greasy, cheesy and good. Leo popped the last bit of crust in his mouth, revelling in its taste.

Standing, he stretched. "Alright guys, let's patrol and then head home. I promised Sensei that we wouldn't be late."

Below him, Raphael jumped from the water tower. Donnie was dusting off crumbs from his lap and Mikey was still pouting but now swinging his nun-chucks in tight circles, amusing himself.

With ease, Leo slid from water tower, solidly landing next to Raphael.

His brothers were looking at him, ready for instructions.

Leo opened his mouth to speak, about to give the all clear for them to begin their city wide patrol, but then he felt it. In fact, he heard it first. A sharp whistling. Coming from behind Mikey.

Leo's eyes widened. He felt the arrow pushing through the air, "MIKEY! DROP!"

His orange brother flattened himself to the floor and Leo side stepped aside as an arrow shot through the air and embedded itself into the water tank with a 'tink' sound.

Raph drew his Sai and lowered his body, ready for an attack.

Donnie was wildly looking around, bo staff also drawn.

Leo unsheathed his Katana blades, hovering over Mikey who was slowly picking himself and his chucks up from the floor. "Be ready guys," Leo warned.

A whistling.

From behind.

Near Raphael.

"RAPH! MOVE!" Leo yelled.

Not seconds after he had said it, Leo slashed his blades through the air, finding the arrow and cutting it in two, the pieces falling to the ground.

Leo clenched his Katana tighter, yelling into the night, "Shooting at us, from the shadows?! You have no honour!"

"Honour is irrelevant to this fight, Leonardo," boomed a menacing voice from all around. The voice was gruff, low and captured the attention of the night, as if the darkness was listening. And it was so very awfully familiar.

The Shredder.

He was somewhere. Close by.

Raphael twirled his Sai, "SHREDDER! COME OUT AND FIGHT, YOU GUTLESS COWARD!"

Leo glanced at his brother, "Easy Raph. Keep your cool."

"As you wish," Shredder's voice echoed again, "FOOT – ATTACK!"

Across the roof tops of the surrounding high rises, Foot soldiers suddenly emerged, jumping down onto the roof where Leo and his brothers stood. Facing outwards, Leo adjusted his Katana swords, feeling every fibre of fabric in the palm of his hands, "Ready guys?"

"Born ready," Raphael boasted.

And then, without Leo giving the word, Raph leapt forward with a war-cry and the battle began.

On the rooftop, Leo's brothers fought ferociously.

Raphael was pummelling through Foot soldiers, knocking one after the other down to the ground. Donnie was holding his own, sending enemy weapons flying with fancy swings and spins of his bo-staff. Mikey, well Mikey, was gleefully prancing around the rooftop, clubbing enemies over the head with his nun-chucks as he ran.

The battle filled the night with metallic sounds as weapons crashed and clanged together.

Leo spun in the air, taking down two members of the foot. Another came at him screaming, but Leo ducked under the attacker's blade and wiped the soldier out with a swift kick to the back of the knees. The next soldier, an Odachi wielder, with burning eyes filled with hatred, ran at Leo with his long blade set to slice him in half.

Leo charged, his Katanas in hand.

Their swords met.

Leo spun, flipping in the air, slashing out with his Katana, only to his blow blocked by the Odachi wielder who then advanced, furiously aiming for Leo's neck with each precise swing of his deadly weapon. Backing up, Leo ducked and swerved, aiming low with his Katana as he made calculated strikes, succeeding only in hitting the Foot Soldier's body armour.

This Foot Soldier was skilled, unlike the foot bots that Shredder had constructed. This enemy was trained and deadly. He was different.

With the Foot Soldier pushing Leo back further across the roof, Leo spotted a ventilation duct. Thrusting off the ground, Leo jumped and wall ran, defying gravity and then flying down upon the Soldier with a yell. His Katana found the Odachi and with his foot, Leo kicked out.

Leo's foot met the soldier's rib cage and Leo felt a distinct crack as he shattered one or more of his opponents ribs. The Soldier staggered backwards, clutching his side and lowering his weapon, moaning in pain.

Leo paused, waiting to see if the Soldier would retreat on his own terms.

It was the honourable thing to do.

He didn't want to kill anyone.

"Just retreat," Leo warned, "leave now and don't come back."

The Foot Soldier nodded, his eyes scrunched in pain, as he turned and walked away towards the fire escape.

Leo looked away then, searching for his brothers amongst the fray.

But then there was a thought, which seeped through the cracks of Leo's wall. A blurred and pained thought from the retreating Soldier.

Stars. Stars…

Leo's eyes widened.

He felt the Shuriken stars spinning towards his face and he swiftly raised his Katana blades, swatting the stars away, one after the other, from every angle. Trying to defend himself from the onslaught, Leo staggered backwards, his foot clipping an unconscious soldier and then before he knew what was happening, he was falling.

Leo's shell slammed down upon the cement rooftop; his heightened senses fired and a white hot pain shot up his spine. He couldn't help the gasp that escaped his lips as his vision turned black for a second, as he blipped in and out of consciousness.

The Odachi wielder was advancing towards him, weapon in hand, whilst he clutched his broken ribs with the other. He had pulled down his mask to reveal an old three pronged scar which travelled from his left eye to chin, but it was his smile which was haunting. He smiled like a victorious hunter, about to slaughter his prey.

Leo reached for his Katana blades, only to find them gone, meters away and out of reach. His vision blackened again and he tried to hold on. He tried to do something, anything, but the pain was too much and he lost consciousness again, slipping back into the darkness.

And then there was pain.

It ripped him back into consciousness and he screamed.

Somewhere across the battle, he heard his brothers yelling his name, trying to get to him.

"LEO!"

"NOOO!"

"LEAVE HIM ALONE!"

The Odachi was deep in Leo's right shoulder, twisting.

The Foot Soldier was standing over him, smiling his awful smile.

The blade twisted again. The searing hot pain enveloped Leo.

There was a tug in his gut.

Leo knew the feeling and for a second he panicked, not wanting to lose control and hurt anyone, but then the feeling melted away. He could do this. This was his only chance.

He screamed upwards at the Soldier.

An invisible force was pushed out of him and the Soldier was propelled through the air to slam against the ventilation duct before crumpling to the ground.

Leo moaned, looking at the Odachi that was left still embedded in his shoulder. He reached out, pain rippling down his arm. He gripped the blade and pulled upwards. The blade slid out of his shoulder, blood spilling down his plastron. It was slippery. Leo hadn't ever seen so much before and he swallowed, trying to keep himself from vomiting.

He threw the Odachi to the ground and it clattered across the rooftop.

Picking himself off the roof, his legs wobbled. Blood gushed from his wound, but he stemmed it with his hands, applying steady pressure.

His vision was blurry, bobbing in and out of focus.

"LEO!" Raphael called from somewhere near him. "You okay?!"

Leo managed a thumbs up, not really knowing where his brother was, but hoping that the hand signal was enough to reassure his worried brother. Around him the battle was slowing, the small army of Foot soldiers was beginning to thin out, with some fleeing but many others laying on the rooftop groaning or unconscious.

Pride filled Leo's chest, even as blood flowed from his shoulder, as for the first time ever he had used his 'gifts' for good. He had used them in battle and he had managed to stay in control.

For once, this was the night that no one died.

Beaming, he looked around to check on his brothers.

He blinked until his vision cleared but then what he saw made his heart skip a beat.

Mikey and Raph were finishing off their own attackers, knocking them to the ground.

But it was Donnie who was in trouble.

Donnie knocked the last Foot soldier out with a swift blow to the back of the head and he turned to smile at Leo, absolutely oblivious to the foreboding figure which now loomed behind him. The figure already had raised his weapon of choice, a bladed gauntlet.

And then, within a second and without hesitation, the Shredder sliced down his gauntlet of death upon Donnie.

And in that second all Leo could do was reach out and scream-

"DONATELLO!

To Be Continued…