Leo had been cursing himself in his head ever since they left the lair, having found that Mikey was gone… undoubtably slipping out as they had been following Leo's mastermind idea to 'give him some space'. What did he know anyway? He hadn't known his own little brother well enough to keep this from happening… hadn't been smart enough to follow his intuition. If he had just spoken up, contested his sensei's decision for a change, he might have been able to prevent this whole mess.

Trying to push that thought to the back of his mind and focus on their current task, Leo glanced back at his other two brothers as they stepped into a wide alley.

"Does anyone have any idea where else to look?"

Raph let out a frustrated growl.

"Agh, who knows?! We've looked everywhere he usually goes… if he's not there, he could be anywhere!"

Donnie let out a heavy sigh.

"We really messed up, guys."

"I know," Leo conceded. "But we can't dwell on that now. We need to focus on finding Mikey and making it up to him somehow."

Suddenly he stopped; he hadn't heard anything, but a strange sensation had come over him, as if he could feel someone watching.

"Guys, hold up. I've got a funny feeling suddenly."

Donnie and Raph stopped right away, looking around.

"Yeah…" the red banded turtle said slowly. "Me too. Kinda like someone's…"

Before he could finish, a strange voice, a deep and strong woman's voice, interrupted.

"Your senses serve you well… but they could serve you better."

The turtles immediately tensed and yanked out their weapons, looking around. Before they could pinpoint where the voice had come from, several dark figures leaped down from the rooftops. Leo held his katana at the ready, but the figures only clustered near the inner end of the alley. All were masked, but each wore the colors of the Gawa clan, and Leo's eyes widened even more when he saw two familiar figures standing near the speaker, a somewhat taller woman. The one closest to her he knew was Grace, and beside her was Hamari. Despite their distance from them, he could read their uncertainty written in their postures. Before he could ask any question, the sound of hurried footsteps came from right behind them. A glance behind revealed six more masked ninjas at the entrance of the alley. Leo felt a sinking unease but kept his voice calm.

"Master Sakura." It was more or less a guess, but he knew he was right when the woman spoke again.

"You at least deduce well. My daughter and acolyte did speak well of you."

Leo's eyes moved to Grace, who seemed to be uneasily shifting from one foot to another. Sakura spoke again, drawing his attention.

"You are looking for your brother, I imagine?"

Leo felt a twinge of unease at that, but before he could say anything Raph beat him to it.

"Ya know where he is?!" he demanded. "Where?! If you did somethin' t' him, I swear…"

"Hmm." The older woman sounded almost amused. "It seems you do have a bit of a temper. Such a shame you did not put such ferocity into defending him before."

That roused some anger in Leo too, along with an uncomfortable pang. His eyes moved to Grace and narrowed, but before he could say anything Sakura spoke again.

"Do not blame my daughter… she swore she would tell me nothing and she kept her word. I learned what I know myself."

Leo blinked, somewhat surprised by this statement, then looked back at her.

"You heard him. If you know where our brother is, tell us."

"Your brother has a decision to make," Sakura said coolly. "And you do as well."

"What are you talking about?" Donnie asked, his tone suspicious.

"I have extended him an offer to join us. I would have done the same for you, but you have shown where your loyalty will always lie."

Leo's eyes widened, and a growl came from behind him.

"If you think Mikey's gonna do somethin' like that, you're crazy," Raph growled. Sakura merely cocked her head.

"Oh? And why would he choose the family that belittles and undervalues him when we can offer him better?"

Leo felt a sick twist in his stomach hearing those words, and he apparently had let his unease show, because Sakura gave a curt nod.

"Indeed." She narrowed her eyes. "I came here to warn you… should your brother choose to follow his own path, make no attempt to interfere, or you and your master will face the full might of our clan."

Leo narrowed his eyes as he braced his feet, knowing Raph and Donnie were doing the same. Sakura crossed her arms, her voice distinctly colder.

"I will not repeat this warning again. Go. Now."

"We're not leaving without our brother," Leo said, his voice just as icy. Sakura met his gaze for a few moments before shaking her head.

"As I thought. Such a pity."

"Sensei, wait!" Grace blurted. "Please, there must be some way we can…"

"Enough," Sakura said, raising a hand. "They have chosen the hard way. You must accept this."

Leo held his swords at the ready, his eyes shifting around the alley as he readied for attack.

"Stop!"

The sound of that voice made Leo's eyes immediately snap to the rooftops just in time to see a flash of orange as an all too familiar figure leaped down, landing nimbly in front of him.

"Mikey?" he stammered. The youngest turtle gave no sign of hearing, his voice accusing as he addressed Sakura.

"You never said you were gonna attack them!"

The female ninja master showed no sign of surprise beyond raising her brows.

"You possess intuition beyond your years, Michelangelo," she said. "Yet also lingering naivety. You still believe you owe this family of yours anything, after how they have treated you?"

Mikey didn't move, hesitating just a moment before speaking in a firm, steady tone.

"They're disappointed in me… I know that." Those words brought a new kind of shock to Leo… a nasty, terrible shock that was almost painful. Mikey pushed on. "I also know when push comes to shove, they'll give their lives for me. So aren't I honor bound to do that too?"

His head turned a little, and his voice carried so much regret and sadness it made Leo's eyes sting.

"Grace… I'm so sorry. But they're my brothers… I can't let anyone hurt them."

With that, he pulled out his nunchakus and braced his feet. Leo stared, so stunned and relieved at the same time he wasn't sure what he felt more.

Sakura gazed at Mikey, then let out a sigh. Her voice sounded regretful, even a little sad.

"So be it."

With one quick motion, she unsheathed her sword from a sheath on her back and charged forward. Her other companions did the same, and Leo just saw that Grace and Hamari hadn't moved before he blocked an attack, and then the sound of clashing steel and sharp thunks of wooden weapons filled the air.

Forced to focus entirely on the relentless attacks from his opponents, Leo couldn't spare a glance for any of his brothers. All he could do was fight, and pray they were holding their own. The Gawa ninja put up a fierce resistance, and it was taking all Leo's effort to take his adversaries down without seriously hurting them. It felt like hours passed before he finally got enough breathing room to look for the others, and his heart leaped into his throat. Mikey was near the center of the alley, going toe-to-toe with Sakura and looking fiercer and more focused than Leo had ever seen. A quick look around confirmed that Raph and Donnie were taking down the last of their attackers.

"Guys!" the leader shouted. "We've got to help Mikey!"

He had barely turned to race to his orange banded brother's aid when Sakura aimed a hard swipe that Mikey blocked, locking weapons with her. Before Leo could take a step, the woman's hand suddenly moved to her waist. In one swift motion, she had yanked a shuriken from her belt. There was a flash of metal, then the sickening sound of sharp steel plunging into flesh.

Mikey let out a choked gasp, the sound hitting Leo like an icy stab to the heart. He heard Grace's horrified cry and saw her start to rush forward only to be held back by Hamari, who looked almost just as shocked. His attention quickly returned to Mikey as Sakura pulled her shuriken free, watching with cold eyes as his nunchucks fell to the ground and he staggered back a few steps, his hand pressed to his shoulder. Then he fell, his shell hitting the ground with a sharp whack that seemed to reverberate around the alley.

"MIKEY!"

The absolute terror and wrath in Raph's voice snapped Leo out of his haze. A dangerous fury rose in him as he gripped the hilts of his katana.

"You'll pay for this!" he snarled. "You hear me?! You'll pay!"

But before they could charge forward, Sakura looked at them with that same cold look. Her tone was just as icy.

"And you will watch your precious brother die, knowing it was you who brought this on him."

Leo leaped forward, hearing Raph let out a roar of pure, almost animalistic rage as his brothers raced after him. The leader ran faster than he had ever run before as Sakura lifted her sword, raising it high. He was too far away, he knew, but he had to get there before it fell… had to stop her from…

"NO!"

The sound of Grace's scream pierced the night, and before anyone could blink, she had broken out of Hamari's hold and was charging forward with a fierce yell.

There was a loud CLANG as her ninjato blocked the killing blow, and her mother stared with startled, disbelieving eyes. Grace braced her feet, her own eyes narrowed and blazing.

"Get back!" she hissed through clenched teeth, then shoved Sakura back and took a defensive stance in front of Mikey's motionless form. "Stay away from him!"

The older woman looked at a complete loss, clearly having never expected this. Then she narrowed her eyes, her voice firm and commanding.

"Stand aside, daughter."

Grace didn't move, her own voice just as firm and a look of absolute determination on her face.

"No. I won't. I don't want to hurt you, but I won't let you kill him… you or anyone else."

Despite his deep gratitude and relief, Leo found himself dumbstruck as well. Grace had always been so loyal, so firmly dedicated to her clan. Defying her sensei, her mother, raising a weapon to her and her clanmates, must be as painful to her as any injury. Yet there she stood, doing it without a second thought, to save his brother's life. The astonishment only increased when Hamari broke from the Gawa ranks, racing to Grace's side and facing her fellow ninja with sais held ready. Grace looked at her with wide eyes and opened her mouth, but Hamari shook her head. Her hands were trembling a little, but her voice was firm.

"Sensei told me I have a choice, Grace. I choose to stand with you. I choose to protect my friends." Her voice rose. "Help him!"

Knowing she was addressing him and his brothers, Leo looked back at Raph and Donnie, who looked equally stunned.

"Move!" he ordered. The two younger turtles jumped into motion, bolting after him to their fallen brother. Leo focused on no one else but Mikey. He'd failed his brother so many times, in so many ways, and not just tonight. He wouldn't fail him again… not now, not ever.