A/N: SORRY FOR THE WAIT! I SUCK!

I wanted to explore Tiger Claw and Leo's relationship as a teen in this chapter, so the meeting of his real family has yet again been delayed. SORRY! Next Chapter I promise!

Also, one of the scenes here is based off a scene from a move called HANA. It's pretty good, but a lot of violence.

I WON NOTHING.

Enjoy!

Chapter 8

"It's a father's duty to give his sons a fine chance."

― George Eliot, Middlemarch

7 years later, September 2012…

His lungs burned harshly both from all of the smoke he had inhaled as he ran, panting heavily from the exertion…and from the near unbearable, fiery pain that never seemed to cease, but he would have to ignore it. If he stopped for even a moment, he knew he would be burned alive, along with the entire warehouse and its many occupants. This next mission was supposed to be simple, just like almost every other mission that The Shredder sent them on; find the target, eliminate any obstacles, dispose of said target, and then retreat and report back. He knew the man was an arms dealer, but he hadn't expected him to be a pyromaniac! And as for that other, strange assassin with the sword…that wretched thing would pay for what he did to him. He would make sure of that, unless he too perished in the fire along with his supposed target.

He and his charge ran side by side, avoiding the flames as the intense heat beat down upon them and the smoke clouded their vision. The warehouse was on its last stages of life as it began to fall and crumble around them, chunks of burning wood and melting metal dropping from above, and it took all of their agility to avoid the tumbling debris as they made a break for the exit, fighting simply to breathe as the smoke filled their lungs. Just as they were only inches away from freedom, the support beams above gave way, and the over-sized mutant tiger found himself suddenly half buried in burning wood, trapped with no way of freeing himself as the weight nearly crushed his legs. He growled and grunted as he tried to pull himself from the wreckage, digging his claws into the concrete ground, but to no avail. He could feel the fire pricking and burning his fur the longer he stayed trapped beneath the timber.

This was it. He was done for.

"Sensei!"

Tiger Claw looked up to find his pupil running back to him, his blue scarf draped over his mouth and nose to block out the smoke that was slowly suffocating him. As soon as he reached him, he immediately began to tear away at the wood crushing him with his bare hands, the fabric around his hand ripping as he worked as quickly as he could, but Tiger Claw knew he wasn't going to make it. He couldn't let the boy die here, not after everything. He had to leave without him, or he too would burn. He freed one paw and put it out in an attempt to push the boy away. "Go! You cannot stay here! Go on, get out of here!" he shouted over the noise around them, be it the sounds of the fire or the agonized screams of those now burning alive.

But the boy pushed his paw away from him and shouted back defiantly, "No! Not without you!" His voice was cracking, almost as if he were choking or on the verge of tears as he pulled at the wood. He didn't care if he suffocated. He didn't care if he was burned. All that mattered was that he got his sensei out of there alive. He couldn't let him die.

He couldn't be left alone. Not again.

To both their liberation, the mountain of wood became lose enough for Tiger Claw to finally slip through, though his legs were now very weak and slightly burned as he struggled to walk properly. The boy saw his struggle, and he hooked his arm around his shoulders as he quickly but carefully guided him outside the warehouse and then through the dark alleyways, gaining as much distance from the smouldering building as possible. He struggled to help the tiger up the stairs of a fire escape, but eventually they were finally able to land on the roof of the building, safely away from the flames. As soon as he released Tiger Claw, the boy fell onto his hands and knees, panting heavily before going into a full blown coughing fit, tugging his blue scarf from his face as he struggled to breathe right. Tiger Claw was instantly by his side, patting the back of his shell as he gazed down at him in concern. They were both covered in ash and splatters of blood, but he could care less of their state of cleanliness at the moment. "You were foolish to come back for me," he scolded, placing his hands on his shoulders as he helped him stand up once his coughing simmered down. "You could have been killed, Leonardo."

Taking a shaking breath as he wiped sweat off his brow, Leonardo looked up at the tiger with misty eyes through his blue mask. "…but you could have…as well," he huffed, his voice still cracking, and Tiger Claw couldn't tell if it was from the smoke inhalation, or if it was from the fear. "…I-If I let you die…I-I'd be a-alone again…I c-couldn't live on like that." He bent forwards and panted heavily again as he rested his hands on his knees. "Besides…I'd never leave you anyways…"

Tiger Claw looked down at him in surprise, but then and understanding smile replaced it as he lifted his hand patted the turtle's head. "In that case, thank you. And well done, my son," he said proudly, "though I would prefer next time, you'll be more gentle when dragging me out."

Leo looked back up at him and huffed a laugh. "You're welcome, you over-sized sarcastic cat," he joked, before his blue eyed gaze wandered behind him. His eyes grew very large and he let out a startled yelp. "Oh my god, Sensei, your tail!" he cried, pointing at Tiger Claw's backside with a shaking green finger.

Tiger Claw was well aware of the new state of his tail, but even so he turned around to look at the damage. It was worse than he thought; all that remained of his once long, furry tail was a short, bloodied stub. He grimaced at the state of it. It looked like it was going to need some form of stitching when they got back, but it was not nearly as bad as it could have been. He turned back to Leo and smirked. "It's just a flesh wound, Leonardo, there's no need to worry. It will heal over time. But that wretched man will pay the price for taking it," he said with a little growl as he began walking to the other side of the building, and he crouched down, preparing to take off. "Come now. We must report back to Master Shredder."

At the mention of their master, Leo lost his surprised expression as he instead frowned deeply. Ever since he first met him, not as Oroku Saki, Karai's nice father, but as the ruthless cold hearted ninja master that he was forced to serve, Leonardo instantly hated him. Every time they were sent off on another mission to kill more and more people, or forced to be 'tested' on his skills and his loyalty to that shell of a man, or had to look into those dark, soulless eyes, he loathed it. Every minute spent within fifty feet of that man sickened him to the very core. If it weren't for the fact that they had no other choice, Leo would have already killed him himself. And it was because of him that Leo even knew what it was like to kill. Shredder had ruined him, and only at the age of eight years. He was probably the only person he wouldn't actually mind killing.

But if he did, he knew he would lose a very important friend of his in the process.

His only friend.

He let out a long sigh of resignation, rolling his eyes as he made his way over to Tiger Claw and climbing onto his back and hanging onto his shirt for support. "Fine," he said lowly, "but if he expects me to offer him any respect this time, he has another thing coming. I'd really like to just grab my katana and stick it right up his –"

"Leonardo," Tiger Claw growled in warning as he activated his jet-pack and flew off into the night with the turtle clinging onto him for dear life, "You will respect him, unless you want to lose your arm, or worse, your head."

Leo scoffed. "He can take my eyesight for all I care, so I wouldn't have to look at his gross face," he replied, and then fell silent as he gazed down at the night-time city of Tokyo, watching the millions of people as they walked and laughed together, the brilliant shimmering, blinking lights of shops, restaurants and bars, and the whimsical clothes shops he could catch a glimpse of. He frowned in thought as he continued to gaze, almost longingly. If Shredder ever did decide to take his eyesight away from him, he would miss seeing the beautiful city, the forest he lived in…and he would always be in darkness.

The darkness scared him more than Shredder did. It made him feel as if he was alone, completely isolated and cold…just like that night…

Leo shivered, but not from the cold breeze that swept over them as they flew. "…on second thought," he admitted quietly, "I think I'll keep my eyes."

Tiger Claw chuckled. "I thought you would say that."

He hadn't even properly passed the door to their room as Leo flopped onto the futon like a sack of potatoes, letting out a long, over-dramatic sigh, hugging the pillow to his face as he rolled onto his shell. "That was hell…" he moaned. After a long night of fighting crazed arms dealers and henchmen, having to report back to Shredder again, and then taking a long bath to wash off the grime and blood from his skin and shell, all he wanted to do was sleep…

…and eat.

He sniffed the air, and smelled the sweet aroma of tea and fried fish filling into the room. Oh yeah, Tiger Claw was making dinner tonight this time. From the smell of it, it looked like it was fried fish again. Leo didn't really mind though; he liked fish, mostly salmon or whatever sushi they could get from the markets whenever Tiger Claw went out for groceries (he looked more human that Leo, so he could get away with going out without being suspected of much). And they had finished work early today for once, so why skip dinner when they night was still young?

Shrugging to himself, he finally stood up, leaving the warm pillow and futon behind as he stepped out of their bedroom and into the living room, where Tiger Claw was already knelt down at the table, lapping at his skimmed milk. Leo smiled fondly. "Once a feline, always a feline," he teased as he walked into the kitchen to grab himself a fried fish from the stove and make himself some tea.

Tiger Claw smirked at the remark as he watched him go. "The same could go for you, turtle," he teased right back, "always taking your time in the shower. You'll waste our water, you know."

"We live in a forest," Leo snickered from the kitchen as he began making himself some tea, "we don't even pay bills. And besides, you're the one who always eats all the fish. I'm surprised you even left one for me this time, you greedy-ass cat!"

"Watch your tongue, child," he chuckled. But then his voice took a more serious tone as he looked down at his cup. "But in all seriousness, Leonardo," he said, "you must pay more attention whilst in battle. I saw what happened with that one man that had managed to sneak up on you. You were lucky he was disarmed beforehand, or you would have been dead. A warrior must always be on his guard. Do not forget that."

Inside the kitchen, Leo frowned deeply. Great; he had noticed his little slip-up. That was exactly what he needed; more failures. But then that gave him more reason to push himself, perfect every skill, fighting style or technique that he could. Not for the likes of The Shredder, but for his father. That would ensure that he never left him. "Hai, Sensei. I'll do better next time," he said, taking the fish from the stove and setting on a plate with his steaming cup of tea.

Tiger Claw lapped his milk again. "Say that again, but in Spanish. You're also falling behind in your languages, so as punishment for your recklessness today, you shall recite that for me," he said.

Leo bit down on his lip to restrain the growl. "Lo haré mejor la próxima vez," he said as he walked into the living room and sat down at the table opposite Tiger Claw.

Tiger Claw raised a brow. Was he actually giving him attitude? He huffed a little laugh at that. "Good. Now in German."

Leo narrowed his eyes as he picked up his chopsticks and took a bite out of his fish. "Ich werde es besser machen beim nächsten Mal," he recited after swallowing.

Tiger Claw fought the smirk. The boy was getting testy. Leo actually loved learning different languages; it was his way of getting in touch with the rest of the world, something that he would never be able to do by himself, not as a mutant turtle. But he absolutely hated it when Tiger Claw used it as a method of discipline. "Italian," he said.

Leo seemed to glare down at his food. "Farò meglio la prossima volta," he forced out.

This was getting really fun now. "Japanese."

"Watashi wa yoriyoi jikai o okonau chau," he said automatically, since Japanese was their first language. But the way Leo said caused Tiger Claw to actually fight back the grin that threatened to appear as he took a bite out of his fish.

"Portuguese."

Leo then looked up at him, his expression unreadable as he carefully set down his chopsticks. He looked calmly up at his father. "Você quer que eu quebrar seu pescoço?" he asked, an angry pout now creasing his features.

You want me to break your neck?

Tiger Claw raised a brow at Leo as the young turtle stared him with a pout. Tiger Claw narrowed his amber eyes down at him as he slowly set his cup down on the table. Neither of them said anything for what seemed like hours, simply glaring each other down like a hunter and its prey. The only sounds heard were the chirping of cicadas outside in the darkness and the ticking of the clock on the wall.

Leo smirked.

Tiger Claw smirked back. "No, I don't want you to break my neck," he said, reaching out a paw and rubbing the top of Leo's head affectionately. The two of them would often throw death threats at each other as a way of teasing, and then smirk or laugh to show that they really were just kidding. "Though that was a little harsh, don't you think?" he joked.

Leo grinned, reaching up and resting his hand over the paw on his head, an old habit he hadn't yet grown out of. "Not really. You were annoying me," he sassed, a smug grin gracing his features.

Tiger Claw shook his head. "Don't make me bite you again," he chuckled, giving Leo's head on last rub before standing up, taking his dishes into the kitchen to wash. "Finish eating and then get ready for bed," he said over his shoulder as he made his way to the sink, "you have training in the morning, remember?"

"…can I sleep in?" Leo squeaked with a pleading grin, "…or even…have the day off?"

"No."

"Please? Just this once!"

"That's what you said last time."

"But tomorrow's my birthday! And I swear this is the last time!"

"That's what you said last time, too. And just because it's your birthday doesn't mean you can be lazy."

"…Ue ni cherī o shite kudasai?"

"No, even with cherries on top."

"Come oooooon! You get to sleep in too! Have a nice catnap?"

From where he stood at the kitchen sink, Tiger Claw sighed heavily and shook his head with a tolerant smile as he washed the dishes. It was true; they both really needed their rest. After all, they had at least another three months until their next mission, and tomorrow was a special day for the young turtle. He supposed they could afford a day off this time. He turned back to where Leo was sat at the table, only to find he was right in front of him on his knees, his hands clasped together as he looked at him with big, beady, pleading eyes. Tiger Claw sighed again and rolled his eyes. "Very well," he relented, "we can have the day off."

Leo then grinned triumphantly as he nodded. "Awesome! Thanks! Goodnight!" he cheered as he practically skipped off smugly to their room. The giant cat chuckled to himself. He still couldn't believe that almost seven years had passed since that fateful day, back when he and his young cub had their first mission together…when Leonardo had made his first killing. After the night Leo had finally spoken to him, the two of them began working together to help the boy cope with everything that had happened. He meditated more, practiced more after their training sessions, and ventured into the forest more often than he used to, taking Karai's old radio with him sometimes. He seemed to be making good progress; he had retained his playful quirkiness, but had also matured a great deal due to discipline and hard work. Leo had even been able to look Shredder in the eye without showing any signs of fear on their next mission arrived a few months later, which made Tiger Claw proud.

But for Shredder, his sudden confidence seemed to irk him. So yet again, he was forced to make the killing.

And when they returned home that night after the mission, Leonardo told him exactly what he saw when he killed those people…

He saw the creatures that had tried to kill him that night, the ones who called themselves the Kraang. They must have moved on to another location years ago, because Tiger Claw had not seen nor heard from or about them in some time, which was good news for the both of them…but it was still worrying that Leo still remembered that night. It was burned deep into his memory, and no matter how much he mediated, those faces would never go away.

And neither would the fear and paranoia of being left alone, nor the slowly building hatred for his past family that not even Tiger Claw could stop on his own.

His fifteenth birthday was tomorrow…he had been living with that hate for far too long.

After finishing both his dishes and Leonardo's, he switched off all the lights and made his way to their bedroom. He looked down and saw that Leo was already fast asleep. He smiled fondly. Even at fifteen, Leo still couldn't sleep alone; another side-effect from that night. At least now he had his own futon, so now they weren't so squashed.

He bent down and gently laid a paw atop his head. Behind that somewhat serious demeanor, he was still only a cub.

It was now early in the morning, the moon now replaced by the rising sun in the distance, slowly finding its rightful place in the sky once again as the forest below began to awaken, the occasional cicada chirping and the scuffling of animals across the forest floor as they prepared to start the day anew. Tiger Claw and Leonardo were still fast asleep in their futons, seemingly at peace in their dreams as the forest outside became alive. Normally, they would have woken up for training, but today was an acceptation.

Something slowly, quietly slid the door of the bedroom open.

Their bare feet made no sound as they crept quietly into the room, not even waking the tiger as they moved to where the mutant turtle slept, completely unaware of their presence, even as their shadow fell over him, coming closer and closer until they were kneeling by his head. The shadowy figure smirked smugly. The turtle was completely defenseless in his sleep. There would be nothing to save him now. The figure reached out a hand…

…and prodded Leo's snout.

Leo's nose twitched slightly from an unexpected touch. Perhaps it was just another bug. They were always flying around in here. It would end up in Tiger Claw's open mouth in a moment.

"…Leo? Wake up," whispered a voice.

Leo's brow quirked in confusion, and he slowly opened his eyes drowsily. Then they became wide as saucers as he found that he was face to face with a girl with a strange short hairstyle, rouge lipstick painted on her lips, thick black eyeliner with red paint dashed at the edge of her eyes.

He knew that face anywhere.

She smirked down at his shocked expression.

"How are you?" Karai whispered.

Leo sat straight up and practically screamed, "KARAI, WHAT THE EVER LOVING –?!" before Karai slapped a hand over his mouth and glared hotly at him, her cheeks flushing red from slight embarrassment.

Tiger Claw jumped upright from his futon, claws already extended as he turned to the side, where Leo's screams had come from. But his angered expression turned to that of slight annoyance at the sight of the female ninja with her hands slapped over Leo's mouth, and he lowered his paw, retracting his claws as he folded his arms across his chest. "Well, good morning to you too, Karai," he said with a flat expression. Seriously, did that girl have any idea what time it was?

Karai finally lost her embarrassed blush as she released Leo from her hold, bowing her head once in respect. She wasn't dressed in her usual kunoichi attire, and instead wearing something fit for the warmish weather; a plain white tank top, black fingerless leather gloves and baggy jeans that were ripped at the knees. It seemed she was on her day off as well. "Ohaiyo, Tiger Claw," she greeted, "Sorry to drop in so early in the morning, but I thought I'd say hi to the birthday turtle over here," she teased, giving Leo a playful punch on his shoulder and grinning.

Leo grinned back, rubbing his shoulder as he nudged her back with his elbow. "Knock it off, Karai," he chuckled, rubbing the back of his head as a light blush tinted his cheeks, "I'm only fifteen, it's no big deal."

Karai wrapped an arm around his shoulder, tugging him close in a playfully rough fashion. "No big deal? Dude, you're in your mid-teens now! I'd say that's a big deal," she teased, giving him a light squeeze. "You know what? I just had an awesome idea. Do you know what I was doing at fifteen?"

Looking up at the sixteen year old, Leo shook his head, or as much as he could with her arm around his neck.

Karai smirked mischievously. "I had a night on the town. Out in the big city, causing trouble, you know how it is. And I was thinking," she said as she casually examined her black painted fingernails, "since it's your big day…maybe later tonight, I dunno…you and I could go into the city and screw around like I did, have a good time. What do you say, goodie-three-toes? It's better than just sitting here listening to the radio, and you still don't have a T.V, so…" she turned back to him and smiled again.

Leo's face lit up as a smile crept its way onto his features. "Are you serious?! You and me in the city?!" he crowed excitedly, "That would be –"

"Out of the question," Tiger Claw interrupted as he stood up, folding his arms across his chest as he looked down at the two teenagers, and before either of them could argue, he said "Leonardo, it is true that you have grown powerful, but you are still young. You still lack the maturity to use your skills wisely…with the right company, that is," he sent Karai a pointed look, and she darted her eyes to the side, whistling tunelessly.

Leo let out a sigh as he stood up, Karai following his lead. "Come on, Sensei. How many times have I already proved that I'm ready to go out into the city, and not just for another lousy mission? I can protect myself, and I'll be with Karai. I promise we won't get into any trouble," he insisted, "I know you're just trying to protect me…but I can't spend my whole life just hiding out here without ever really getting to know what the real world is like through my own eyes…and not just though the eyes of a killer…"

It was that which made Tiger Claw's eyes widen ever so slightly as he looked down at his son. Even Karai couldn't help but look at him in surprise. She had no idea that Leo, her best and only friend since childhood, truly felt this way. Sure, she never liked the concept of killing people, but because of the way her father chose to raise her, she was taught to just get over it and move on. Show no mercy, and show no remorse, that was it. But Leo was different. He had been raised with more love than she had, which made her quite jealous, but she would never tell him that. It was one of the reasons why she would often hang out here with him in the forest instead of staying at her own home. Tiger Claw thought she had grown into a rebellious troublemaker, but he welcomed her all the same.

The city could prove to be too condensed at times, and it often reminded her of just how contained she really was in this land, somehow always under the watch of her father. It was only out here, in the forest of all places, with her only friend being a talking mutant turtle, that she really be herself and be free.

Leo had given her that freedom and fun that she wanted, and all she wanted to do was return the favor, free him from all the killing and hiding, just for one night. So far, that wasn't looking too great.

Tiger Claw turned to the side for a moment, pondering on his options. Forbid Leo to go out with his friend and continue to keep him away from the one thing he wanted more than anything, or for once let him spread his wings and relish in that freedom? He was still young though…there were still so many unknown dangers they could get themselves caught into, and he would be there to protect either of them. Or perhaps the tiger had grown to be a little too protective? After all, the boy was going out there side by side with him to go kill people for goodness sakes…

He sighed heavily. Being a father was harder than ever, now that his cub had grown.

"…you may go. Tonight," he relented eventually.

Leo and Karai gasped in delight, turning to each other as they grinned wide. "WOO! Yes!" Leo crowed, pumping his fist in the air triumphantly, before running up to Tiger Claw and wrapping his arms around his waist in a tight hug. "Thank you, Sensei!" he laughed. Behind him, Karai let out a small laugh at the sight.

Tiger Claw only rolled his eyes with a tolerant smile as he patted his son's head. They hadn't even had breakfast yet, and already he knew that this was going to be a long, long day.

A/N: I hope you enjoyed that! I went on Google Translate for the languages, so if I got them wrong, please feel free to correct me, and I will fix that.

But in the next chapter, Leo and Karai's little trip might be cut short. I wonder why?