A/N: HELLO! Yes, I have FINALLY updated after procrastinating for so long! And better still, this chapter is LONGER than I thought it would've been XD

I'm sorry for taking so long. My motivation nearly crashed and burned after a certain incident that shall not be named, but I think I'm getting back into the full swing of things :)

I OWN NOTHING!

Enjoy!

Chapter 39

"You make choices that are good and sound, but the gods have other plans for you."

― Lisa See

Several days later, things suddenly took a different turn for the three young ninja turtles of the Hamato Clan; a dangerous and most unexpected turn, one that not even the wise Hamato Yoshi could have ever possibly foreseen…

And it had all begun on a lone rooftop, the full moon shining down upon the mutant warriors that night, surrounded by the unconscious bodies of a dozen Foot Soldiers.

"Aw, man," Raphael sighed dejectedly, his Sais hanging loosely in his grip as he cast a disappointed gaze about the rooftop. The brawl between the Foot, who'd attempted to ambush them from the shadows and had failed miserably, had been over far too quickly for the battle hungry ninja turtle, who hadn't had a real fight in weeks; the Kraang had become oddly silent after their stealth ship was destroyed, with no activity from TCRI or any of their hidden labs whatsoever, and the Purple Dragons were hardly ever a challenge. Raph had gotten his hopes up for something to get his blood pumping when the black clad ninjas had shown up, however, his hopes were soon crushed once again…much like the ankle of one of the soldiers he'd taken out without so much as breaking a sweat.

"Raphael, if you continue to break your toys, we're not gonna buy you new ones," Donatello quipped with a wry grin, spinning his staff before sheathing it behind his shell. He then chuckled when Raph rolled his eyes skyward with an annoyed huff before sheathing his own weapons.

"Dude, it's like we cleared a video game on 'Easy'," Michelangelo said, jumping off his perch atop an air vent and maneuvering his way around the bodies of the soldiers they'd defeated.

Raising a brow as he watched his brother tiptoe around the ninjas, Donnie frowned. "Mikey, if Master Splinter has taught us anything," he pressed firmly, "it's that real combat, as I'd learned the hard way, is not like a video game – oh hey, coins!"

As Donnie eagerly bent down to gather the conveniently dropped change he'd found beside an unfortunate Foot Soldier, Raph and Mikey turned to each other, sharing a knowing smirk. "'Not like a video game', huh?" the youngest turtle repeated with a snicker, before mooching off to see if he could find some coins, too. "Hold up, Dee! Save some for me! 'Bonus Points', yo!"

Meanwhile, Raph shook his head at their antics – seriously, foes or not, this still qualified as stealing – before taking another look around at the fallen ninjas, a scowl set on his features as green eyes narrowed. Whilst the whole 'video game' conversation was totally crazy, Mikey did have a valid point, a point which Raph had already noted; the Foot Clan had been far too easy to fight. The Foot Clan, for crying out loud. They were supposed to be their greatest and strongest adversaries, an elite clan of deadly ninja warriors led by the fearsome Shredder and his mutant minions, one of them being their own older brother. Surely they were better than this, right?

"Man, the Foot haven't been much fun to pound lately. I kinda wonder why?" Mikey sighed, deciding that searching for any more coins – or 'bonus points' – was pointless as he came to stand by Raphael instead. "Do you think it's 'cause their training's getting sloppy or something? I mean, with Rad Brad being a giant mutant dog thing now, it's gotta be real hard to train ninjas properly."

Folding his arms, Raph shrugged. "Eh, could be. Or maybe it's because we're just that awesome," he grinned, bumping Mikey's arm with his elbow.

The young orange clad turtle returned the grin, nodding eagerly. "Yeah, that sounds about right!" he said, raising a hand in the air. "High Three, dude!"

As Mikey and Raph shared a victorious high three, Donnie was very much inclined to agree with Raphael as he smiled widely, stuffing the cash he'd found into his belt; they were getting better. With April living with them in the lair until further notice, Splinter had decided it would be best for them to intensify their training to a degree, getting April ready for the next inevitable confrontation with the Foot or the Kraang, and keeping the boys in top condition. At first, the idea had been met with a little protest – mainly from Mikey, of course – but since then, each battle had become increasingly easy; foes they'd once struggled against were no longer posing as much of a threat. And as of late, the Foot Clan had fallen into that rapidly growing list.

If they kept this up, the three of them could probably take down the rest of the Foot within the next week. And then they'd be a step closer to not only facing the Shredder, but in getting Leonardo back at long last.

Well, that was a very large 'if'. The soldiers were easy to defeat, but Shredder was an entirely different story. But they were getting close; that was the important thing.

And speaking of the bladed madman…

"Hey, you know who I'd hate to be?" Donnie said, catching Mikey and Raph's attention. He grinned, gesturing the soldiers strewn about the rooftop with a sweep of his arm.

"The guy who has to tell Shredder about all this."

Now, as much as Leonardo disliked Bradford, he had to admit, whilst watching him get his bushy-tailed behind handed to him by Shredder was to some degree entertaining – especially since it was him getting punished instead of Leo for a change – he couldn't help but feel the slightest bit sorry for the over-sized canine, and even winced a little when he hit the ground again with a shuddering 'thump'. It hadn't exactly been Bradford's fault that their newest members weren't as formidable as their predecessors, returning from battle with bruises and broken bones instead of the heads of the Hamato turtles; being a giant mutant dog – a very slow, bulky mutant dog with disproportionate limbs – hindered him from properly training as he'd done when he was human.

And with Karai's attention and time being focused solely on one particular student, and Tiger Claw going in and out of the lair too often to stand in on lessons anymore – a factor that Leonardo had started to begrudge more and more as the absence of his father added more unwanted weight on his shoulders – the number of soldiers they had left to send out after the Hamato's were growing fewer by the day.

And of course, Shredder was neither pleased nor amused in the slightest by any of this.

From where he stood leaning against the wall beside their Kraang hostage, restrained with chains around its robotic body to keep it from crawling away, Leonardo watched with only mild interest as Bradford hit the floor once more, a high-pitched whine of pain emitting from his throat.

Shredder loomed over the dog, like a dark, murderous shadow. "You promised me an army of the best, most lethal ninjas in the world. But the turtles have decimated them!" he growled, unsheathing the blades from his gauntlets and directing their honed tips at Bradford's face. "The ones left are hardly worthy of wearing the emblem of the Foot!"

From his standpoint, Leo could see the dog mutant practically shaking in his fur coat as he bowed low, his forehead pressing against the pristine glass floor. "I can find more soldiers, just give me time!" he pressed, trying his hardest not to sound desperate, but ultimately failing.

"No more time!" Shredder barked, sweeping his blades at Bradford, making the mutt scramble backwards to avoid being sliced in half. "I need more soldiers, I need better soldiers, and I need them now!"

With another yelp, Bradford ducked out of the way, moments before his master's blades pierced the glass case where his head had once been. "B-But – that's impossible!" the dog mutant creature cried, tail twitching nervously behind him as he gazed up fearfully at the furious ninja master.

And not for the first time, oddly enough, Leonardo couldn't help but agree with the mutt. The Foot Clan was renowned for their skilled warriors, taking in only the most elite, the most merciless ninjas they could find, with Leonardo ranking the highest, second only to Karai, who'd been trained by the very best. To be reduced to a few 'above-average' ninjas was an embarrassment to the Foot Clan's name.

The situation was rather distressing. If they were going to fight back against the Kraang – or, so Leo, Karai and Tiger Claw hoped – they were going to need to need more capable men, and fast. However, as Bradford had said, that simply was impossible at this rate.

Then, as Shredder once again loomed over the cowering canine, his discolored gaze drifted from the dog to Leonardo leaning against the wall. Leo stared right back at the man dispassionately, even letting out the faintest of snarls despite his better judgement. The blue clad turtle had always despised the way his 'master' looked at him, like he was no better than the insects he squashed beneath his boot. But this time, there was something calculating in the man's eyes, as though he were looking at a science experiment. And if that didn't boil the turtle's blood, he knew not what else would.

Shredder's eyes then narrowed in thought, before he looked down at the Kraang at Leo's feet. Much like Leo had done, the alien creature met the humans' eyes and growled through its jagged teeth.

The ninja master hummed aloud. "…Perhaps not," he mused. "Perhaps there is a method for building an army of Foot Soldiers powerful enough to destroy those turtles once and for all. A method we shall steal from the Kraang."

Leo's snarl vanished, blue eyes widening as the faintest gasp escaped his lips. Looking down at the Kraang, and then whipping his head back up to stare at the Shredder, he quickly put the pieces together.

Shredder wanted to create an army of mutants.

It made sense, in a very twisted way. The mutants were without a doubt the most powerful fighters in the Foot, and had come closer to anyone else in capturing or killing the turtles. If Shredder wanted his brothers dead, the only way to go about it would be to create an army of creatures that matched them in strength, capable of taking them down in minutes. And the only way to do that was to go back to the source of the mutation process…which lay within the clutches of the beings that had been haunting Leo's nightmares since he was a child, the very creatures that intended to dominate the world regardless of what stood in their way.

Though it was really a no-brainer, the young turtle couldn't help but wonder if Shredder was truly out of his mind for thinking that this, that any of this, was in any way a good idea. Leo had seen the power the mutagen possessed first-hand, what it could create, how unstable it was…and what disastrous consequences would arise should such a substance fall into the hands of a man as wicked and cruel as Oroku Saki.

"Leonardo."

Blinking out of his distressed reverie, Leo looked up to find Shredder striding towards him, his steps slow and deliberate. His countenance as indifferent as ever, Leo came off the wall and faced his master as the man drew to a halt. He lifted his gloved hand, resting it atop Leo's right shoulder, and Leo once again was forced to withhold a shiver of disgust at the gesture, instead clenching his jaw as he glared up at the Shredder.

"I have an important task for you, boy," he said. "Tonight, you must gather the best of what soldiers we have left, infiltrate the Kraang's hideout, and retrieve the mutagen. And I want you to lead them."

Leo blinked hard, his earlier disgust melting into confusion and surprise at the order he'd just been given.

Wait…he wanted him to lead the Foot this time? But…but that was Bradford or Tiger Claw's job, and occasionally Karai's, not Leo's. He wasn't a commander or a leader like they were; if anything, he was just another soldier a rank or so higher than the rest of them. So why…?

"…uh, I beg your pardon, Master Shredder?" Leo stuttered despite himself, his brow raised. "Isn't this a job more suited for Bradford or Tiger Claw?"

"Aside from Karai, you are the only one who knows the location of the Kraang's main base," Shredder elaborated, releasing Leo's shoulder as he folded his hands behind his back. "You are more than capable of leading a handful of ninjas on a mission, are you not? Think of this as a…'promotion', a reward for your early accomplishments. As of this moment, you are the new commander of the troops."

For a moment, Leo could do nothing but stare up at Shredder, doing everything in his power to prevent his jaw from dropping comically to the floor. He…he was being promoted, by the Shredder? Was the world ending already or something? Was he hallucinating due to sheer boredom? And what on earth did he mean by his 'earlier accomplishments'?

Could it be that he was talking about…about how he was deceiving his brothers, using them as a means to get to Hamato Yoshi? If that was truly the case, then…oh no…

"However, you would be wise not to become overconfident with your new position, Leonardo," Shredder added warningly, turning his back on the turtle as he strode back towards his throne. "If you fail me, the consequences will be just as severe. Is that understood?"

Snapping himself out his inner musings, remembering that he was still in Shredder's presence, Leonardo nodded once before bowing his head low. "I assure you, Master Shredder, I will not fail you," he said, before straightening and turning on his heel, making his way towards the door. In the corner of his eye, he caught Bradford casting him a hard glare as he walked passed, his upper lip lifted in a menacing snarl. Of course, the blue clad turtle wasn't intimidated in the slightest by the dog's resentment over being so mercilessly demoted and replaced by a teenager...actually, now that he thought of it, it was kind of funny.

However, his mind continued to reel, his heart dropping into the pit of his chest as he replayed everything that had just happened in that room, over and over again. And as he moved through the hallways, quickening his pace, he suddenly had a desperate need to talk to Karai.

I am in so much trouble.

"Lift your leg up higher!"

"I'm trying!"

"Try harder!"

With a huff of aggravation, Karai watched with angered, narrowed amber eyes as her pupil – for the hundredth time that night – toppled to the floor with a cry and a strangled grunt of pain. She'd been practically imprisoned within the dojo for several days with this doofus, a boy no older than herself who called himself 'The Pulverizer' – she had so many concerns with that name – and despite her best efforts to train him, to instill some, if not any, discipline into him, he'd proven to be just as useless as he'd been when he'd first arrived.

She'd thought sending him out on missions with the rest of the new recruits would've helped, giving him experience in working as part of a team on the 'front lines' as it were…however, after their first mission to infiltrate a suspected Kraang lab had gone awry – with every single soldier nearly getting their heads blown off their shoulders after the clumsy buffoon had given them away – he was quickly pulled back into the dojo for extra training, much to Karai's immense displeasure.

Slapping a hand against her face and sighing heavily, Karai rolled her eyes for the umpteenth time as the kid rolled back to his feet, albeit unsteadily, patting the dust off his black uniform. A uniform that, in Karai's honest opinion despite its brutality, he had no business in wearing.

"Look…I get that this is hard for someone like you…especially you," she said, dropping her hand back to her side. "But this is an elite ninja clan, not a gym. I don't have all the time in the world to train you; I've actually got missions and a life of my own, so either you step up your game, or I'm walking out of here."

Well, that wasn't entirely true. She actually had no choice but to stay with him, for if her father found out she'd decided to ditch the kid, go against his direct orders, she would undoubtedly receive the punishment she'd deserved the night she'd been beaten by April O'Neil.

But Pulverizer didn't know that, and nodded his head rapidly at the empty threat. "Yeah, of course, gotcha!" he said. "I'll do my best…uh, Sensei, right? So, you got any more pointers on how to do that move? Just so I've got it?"

Regardless of her opinion of him, she couldn't deny that she found his persistence and endurance somewhat admirable. Then again, she could be mistaking that with pure stupidity. Nevertheless, Karai decided to just get on with it. "Alright, one more time," she began reluctantly, getting into position. "To pull off this kata, you don't focus only on the power of your strike. You have to remember your form, the flow of your movement. Think of yourself as a crane –"

"You mean the anchor thing at the end of a –"

"No. The bird. The Japanese Cranes are some of the most graceful birds on the planet; they're a symbol of luck, endurance and loyalty. Picture yourself as one of them, and flow through the kata, slowly, like you're dancing. But…seeing that you have no idea what a Japanese Crane is –"

"Nope."

"–right, and you 'dance' as gracefully as a wild boar on a rampage. So, instead…you've seen how Leonardo fights, right? His movements are smooth, like a river, but they're hard, fast, strong and steady at the same time, like an immovable stone. So, picture yourself as him, like a river over stone –"

"KARAI I'VE GOTTA TALK TO YOU – WUAAAAGH!"

Just then, the aforementioned turtle skidded into the dojo in a mad rush, tripping over his own two feet before tumbling across the floor, crashing into the wall on the other side of the room with a shuddering 'bang'. The weapons lined across the walls on their racks shuddered, before rolling off and clattering on top of him. Underneath the pile of weapons, he muttered a string of vulgar curse words in Japanese, rubbing his aching nose that was already dripping with blood.

Karai and Pulverizer stared at the turtle, nonplussed, watching as he stumbled to his feet. Pulveriser then tapped the kunoichi on the shoulder. "You mean like that?"

Karai shook her head. "No, no, nothing like – no," she said, before once again bringing her hand to her face, pinching the space between her brows. His timing couldn't have been better, could it? Lifting her head, she crossed over to him. "You okay there, three-toes?"

Groaning, Leonardo turned to her, pinching the bridge of his nose between his fingers. "I might've broke my dnose, but I'm good. I sthink," he slurred, making Karai crack a real smirk for the first time that day as she shook her head.

"Serves you right for tripping over yourself, idiot. You're supposed to be a ninja, not a bowling ball," she teased, clapping him on the shoulder once and smiling wider when she received an exasperated look from the poor blue clad turtle. After a moment, checking once more to see if he was still bleeding, he dropped his hand back to his side and turned to face her fully. The look on his face, despite the drying blood above his lip and the dark purple bruise swelling above his nose, washed away the humour as quickly as it had come as her smile faded, her brow quirking upwards.

"Karai, I need to talk to you, in private. It's important," he said, pinning her with a look that screamed 'I'm in way over my head and I really need your help'.

Sensing that hidden urgency, Karai wordlessly nodded her head before looking over her shoulder, eyeing her 'pupil' standing there watching them. "We're taking a break. Hang out in your quarters until I call you out again," she ordered. The boy nodded, saluting her with that goofy smile plastered on his rounded face before he trotted off. Rolling her eyes, she turned back to Leo. "So, what did you have to tell me that was so important you literally had to roll yourself headfirst into a wall for?"

Scowling, Leo huffed, lifting up a finger. "First of all, that was an accident," he growled, earning a wry snort from the dark haired human. "Second…I think I just got promoted by Shredder."

Her smile fell in an instant, amber eyes widening to dinner plates. And it was only after several minutes of gaping at him like a fish out water that she finally managed to get her mouth working properly again. "…are you serious?"

Leo nodded. "Yep. Apparently I'm the new commander of the troops, and I'm leading them out on a mission to invade TCRI in the next hour."

Karai blinked, hard, and fought the urge to pinch or slap herself to snap out of whatever dream or alternate universe she'd happened to fall into, before raking a hand through her short mane of hair, shaking her head. What could she possibly say to that? The Shredder, a man who clearly had little if no interest in Leonardo whatsoever, as far as she knew, had suddenly decided to honor him with a new position? Just like that?

At that moment, her emotions were a tangled mess. Should she feel proud of him? Should she feel shocked? Confused? Envious – wait, no, she was still a full rank above him.

"I…I honestly don't know whether I should laugh or congratulate you, because, this is crazy," she breathed, the beginnings of a smile creeping across her lips.

"I know, right?! This is a disaster!" Leo cried, throwing his hands up in the air before letting them flop to his side.

At that, Karai frowned. Did he just say disaster?

And it was then that Karai noticed he wasn't smiling, nor was he happy in the slightest sense. If anything, he looked ready to jump off the nearest skyscraper.

"Wait, what? You mean you're not happy?" she exclaimed, finally deciding that she was shocked as she stared at Leo. "Why not? Shredder has hated your guts since day one, and now all of a sudden he's promoting you. Leo, this is great news! I mean, I know you really hate him too – and I can't really find it in me to blame your for it – but come on; commander of the troops! You should be happy –"

"He said it's a 'reward for my earlier accomplishments', Karai," Leo interjected with a heavy sigh.

Then, his fist clenched at his side, his other hand lifting up to nervously rub the back of his neck, the actions triggering alarm bells in Karai's brain as she tilted her head, narrowing her eyes. Something was up.

"…uh…hey, do you know if Tiger Claw came back yet or not?" he suddenly asked.

If he was trying to throw her off and change the subject, it didn't work, but she answered regardless. "No, not yet. He left earlier this afternoon, but he might not be back until tomorrow, give or take. Why?"

Dropping his hand, Leo's eyes suddenly turned from mildly uncomfortable to dark and distant. "Figures. I don't know what I expected, he's hardly ever around anymore," he muttered under his breath, though it was just loud enough for Karai to catch. But what inwardly alarmed her most was the resenting undertone in his voice, and the fact it was directed at Tiger Claw…

No, that wasn't resentment. Leo could never find it in himself to feel that way about Tiger Claw, not ever. He just missed him. If anything, the turtle's bitterness was probably the man who kept sending him out on missions all the time, keeping him away from his father.

However, said antipathy was gone as quickly as it had come as he looked up at her again. "Well, I guess I'll have to fill him in later. Do you remember a few nights ago, when I was so tired I couldn't even train without getting my shell handed to me, and I never told you why?"

"Of course I do," Karai answered immediately with a shrug of one shoulder, retaining a casual appearance despite her 'older sibling senses' going haywire. "Partly because I'd enjoyed stomping you into the carpet and partly because you were worrying me. Why?"

Leo bit down on his bottom lip, and it wouldn't take a psychic to tell her that the turtle was about to drop a bombshell on her, and that he knew she wasn't going to like what she heard. 'Older sibling senses' were never wrong.

"Okay," he began with a resigned sigh. "The thing is…Shredder knows I've been seeing my brothers; he's been sending out some of his soldiers out to follow me, and I'd never even noticed until it was too late. But he'd thought it was all a part of some elaborate scheme I have to get to Splinter through them, and I went along with it, because, y'know, I'm not quite ready to die just yet, and after that I couldn't really sleep because I was paranoid about him eventually finding out the truth. So far, he hasn't, which is great, but now that he's 'rewarding' me for something I'm not doing, if or when he does find out –"

He paused to draw in a deep breath.

"– I'm gonna be in a whole lot of trouble."

Nothing was said for several moments as the kunoichi stared at the turtle, her face void of any emotion at all.

Then she blinked. "First of all, that is pretty bad, I guess," she said at last.

Leo nodded his head rapidly in agreement. "Ya think?"

"Mhm. And second of all –"

THWACK!

"OW!" Leo cried, rubbing his shoulder as he flinched away from the suddenly ticked-off kunoichi who'd just thrown a rapid, hard, punch at him. "Jeez, that hurt! What'd you do that for?" he hissed through clenched teeth, blue eyes narrowed.

"What did we say, Leo?!" Karai scolded, prodding an accusing finger at Leo's chest, scowling deeply. "You promised me and Tiger Claw that from now on you'd tell us everything, no more secrets no more lies. So why are you only telling me this stuff now?!"

"Ugh, I know, I know, I should've told you about this sooner, and I'm sorry," Leonardo huffed, releasing his shoulder to rub a weary hand over his eyes, lowering his head. "I just didn't want to worry you guys. At the time, that was all I was doing; making you worry. And I didn't want to do it again. But now, everything is just spiraling out of control, and…"

Her frustration and anger at his stubbornness and stupidity fading away in the face of such sincerity, Karai watched as Leo lifted his head up again, pinning her with the most exhausted yet most frustrated expression she'd ever seen.

"…what the heck am I gonna do now, Karai?" he muttered despondently. "With Tiger Claw gone so much in the last few days, and now with this crazy new position I have…"

Shaking her head, Karai silenced him as she reached out and laid a soft, consoling hand on his shoulder. "The only thing you can do now, Leo, is stay calm," she said, offering him a lopsided smile. "Your new status might make you more at risk of getting caught on Shredder's radar if you slip up, but look at it this way; the chances of you being followed by any soldiers if you ever run into your brothers again are minimal, because now you're in charge of them. You can tell them to kiss it and leave you alone, and unless they want their head gone, they'll do what you say. Just lay low, or accept it and move on as if nothing's happened. Y'know, like you normally do when you know you've done something you should've told me about from the very beginning but kept it in until the last second."

At the obvious jab she'd just delivered, Leo sent her a very dry look. "Well, I learned from the best, Little Miss Fibber."

"I will hit you again."

"I know," he said, finally cracking a small but real smile despite the pure hopelessness of the situation he'd found himself in. He lifted his hand to cover the one Karai had braced on his shoulder, squeezing it lightly. "Thanks, Karai. Really," he said earnestly.

Slipping her hand off his shoulder, Karai nodded, her smile still in place as she planted her hands on her hips instead. "Don't worry about it. But seriously, this is the last time I'm gonna tell you to stop keeping things from me, you dork," she scolded, but was grinning as she lifted her hand to flick Leo's forehead. "You're either gonna give yourself a heart attack or frustrate the living hell outta me and Tiger Claw. And I hope, for your sake, that neither of those things happen."

"Grk! Ow," the turtle whined, rubbing the spot on his head where she'd flicked him with a sour pout. Ticking him off seemed to be one of her many talents as well. "Yeah, yeah, I know, I'm sorry I never told you about it sooner, you're right," he droned with a tolerant roll of his eyes and a half-smile. "Maybe all of this could've been avoided if –"

"Leonardo!"

Both of them jumped out of their skins and whirled around at the sound of Xever's voice calling from the doorway. Somehow, neither of them had heard the robotic fish mutant come in, not even with the loud, metallic squeak his legs emitted whenever he moved. Had they been that distracted, or were they getting as sloppy as the rest of the Foot Clan had become?

The mutant fish entered the dojo, followed closely by four Foot Soldiers. And much to their surprise, there was a wide smile spread across the other mutant's face. It was a rare sight to see on the usually grumpy fish out of water, and even stranger, it was directed at Leonardo.

"I've heard the news about your 'promotion' floating around HQ," Xever said as he approached the confused turtle, before suddenly draping a lanky arm around his shoulders, pulling him close for a near suffocating side-hug, making Leo's breath hitch in surprise. "Nice going, amigo!"

Still trapped in Xever's unyielding side embrace as the other Foot soldiers echoed his words of praise, even patting him on the back of his shell, Leo's eyes were wide open with a muddle of different emotions raging within them as they darted from Xever to Karai, who shrugged her shoulders in response.

What the heck was going on? First, Shredder promotes him to commander. That, in itself, had been bizarre. Second, Xever was actually hugging him – Xever, of all people – and though neither of them could deny that they were friends now, Leo hadn't thought they'd been that close. And third, he was congratulating him for his new position? He'd expected jealousy and resentment if anything, much like what he was expecting from Bradford later on. But this? This was just too much for him to take in a single day, and now he was sure he was going insane.

"W-Wait, what?" he managed to mutter, his cheek still pressed against Xever's shoulder. "You mean you've heard about it?"

Xever chuckled. "Of course; everyone's probably heard of it by now. News travels fast in the Foot Clan, eh?" he said, finally releasing Leo and allowing him to suck in a much needed breath as he took a step back, crossing his arms. "Seriously though, this is not something I ever believed would come out of my mouth, so do not think you'll be hearing it again. Got it?"

Rubbing his sore neck, Leo found it in him to crack the slightest smile as he nodded at his fishy companion. "Duly noted," he wheezed.

"Yeah, I think we'd all be happy if you never did that again, Xever. That was weird even for someone like you," Karai said, earning a slight hiss from the fish mutant, replying with a sly smirk.

After that, the other Foot soldiers gathered around him, repeating their congratulations and declaring their excitement to be working under his instruction rather than Bradford's for a change. And for a fleeting moment, Leonardo thought that having such a new position, gaining the respect of his fellow comrades despite his hatred for the clan and what it stood for under the leadership of the Shredder…perhaps not everything that came out of this could be bad.

As long as he followed Karai's instructions, and stayed well out of Shredder's radar, he was partially sure that everything would be okay. Right?

Then one of the soldiers held out a bundle of something in his arms, handing it over to Leo. And as he took the bundle and unraveled it, his eyes widening in realization, Leo promptly decided to take back everything he'd thought beforehand as he groaned in despair, ignoring Karai's loud snort of amusement.

This day just keeps getting better…

Meanwhile on the other side of the city, the Hamato turtles had decided to stakeout nearby TCRI, just in case the Kraang were up to anything even remotely suspicious after a nearly a whole week of no activity. However, with the disappointing Foot beat down hampering their moods, the turtle's so-called 'stakeout' quickly turned into more of a 'hang out'.

Whilst Donnie was standing at the edge of the building, telescope in hand and actually doing something as he peered up at the skyscraper a few blocks away, Raph was leaning against the support beams of the water tower, his eyes closed and his hands behind his head. Sitting above him, Mikey was repeatedly, lazily, bouncing a small pink ball he'd found in one of the trashcans on their way here. And whether or not he knew if the noise was grating on Raph's last nerve, he was probably to numb with boredom to care.

With a long sigh, Donnie lowered the telescope and stood up straight. Just as he'd feared; the Kraang were as silent as ever. It'd been a solid hour already, and with no action forthcoming from the alien invaders, Donnie was no longer willing to stay out in the cold for much longer. "Alright guys, let's pack it up," he said, turning to his brothers with a shrug. "Nothing's happening. Again."

Standing up and cracking his neck from side to side, Raphael echoed Donnie's disdained sigh. "I was afraid this day would come; we've run out of butts to kick," he muttered sourly. Being a highly trained ninja warrior was no fun if it meant one could beat their once formidable enemies without much effort. Usually, that would be a good thing, a cause for celebration even, but right now, it was just boring and tedious...

…almost as tedious as the ball Mikey was still bouncing.

So it was with little regret that Raph spun and kicked the ball mid-bounce, sending it flying over the edge of the roof, barely missing the bridge of Donnie's nose. "Hey!" Mikey whined. Raph just shrugged and grinned. That was the most entertaining thing he'd done all evening.

Donnie's eyes had lazily followed the pink projectile as it flew past him, watching as it fell to the concrete in the alleyway below with an inaudible bounce…and it was then that he spotted a lone, shady figure moving in the darkness, creeping slowly along the side of the building.

His brown eyes widened. "Actually, Raph…maybe not," he said, beckoning his brothers over to the edge with a flick of his hand. Following Donnie's gaze as they silently moved to stand by his side, they spotted the figure. It was large, clothed in black, and wearing a red headband with an unmistakable symbol embellished upon it.

"Foot Clan!" Mikey gasped.

Raph quirked a brow. "I don't get it. Just one guy?" he muttered, watching the rather big Foot Soldier scan the area around him, his back pressed against the building.

"Maybe they only need one guy," Mikey alleged, blue eyes rounded with a mixture of excitement and slight dread. "Maybe this guy is the meanest, baddest, most deadly ninja we've ever seen!"

Soon after Michelangelo's most dramatic observation, the Foot Soldier then tried and failed to reach the edge of a window, promptly tumbling onto his rear before rolling flat on his face with a grunt of pain.

The three brothers blinked.

"Or not," Donnie smirked.

It was pretty clear that this supposed 'ninja' was no deadlier than a slightly overweight squirrel trying to climb up a tree. And the longer they watched him, the more they began to feel sorry for the poor sucker, so much so that when he finally did manage to bust the window open and climb into it, Donnie almost wanted to cheer for him. That is, until he tried to crawl through the opening he'd made and got stuck, his legs flailing about in such a comical manner. Then Donnie just wanted to laugh. And he very nearly did.

"Anyone else find this dude kind of adorable?" Mikey asked with a light smile. To Donnie's surprise, Raph actually shrugged and nodded in agreement. And in all honestly, Donnie kind of thought so, too, though he found him more pitiful than adorable.

"Well, he's not much but he's all we've got. Let's go," said Donnie with a nonchalant shrug, and the three of them leapt off the building, bounding off the fire escapes and landing soundlessly in the alleyway. Of course, the unfortunate ninja – who's legs were still flailing about – hadn't heard them, so Donatello mused that taking the poor clod out would be even less of a challenge than the rest of the soldiers had been.

Just as they were mere inches away from said target, several Foot Soldiers leapt out of the shadows, blocking their path and surrounding them from all sides, their weapons drawn and poised to strike. Eyes widening and breath catching in his chest, Donnie cursed testily as he and his brothers unsheathed their own weapons, ready to face off their attackers. He should've known this would be an ambush.

Stupid Donnie, you're supposed to be the leader! Use your stupid brain!

However, despite his blunder, Donnie had no real cause for worry, as the battle was over as quickly as it had begun; even with the odds stacked against them, these Foot Soldiers were still no match for the three of them combined, and were soon lying in a heap at the turtle's feet. Still, in the back of his mind, Donnie made a mental note to never make that mistake again. They'd been lucky this time around, but next time, such a foolish decision could cost them their lives.

As the black clad ninjas climbed back to their feet, looking ready to jump back into the fray despite their defeat only seconds prior, a sharp sound echoed from the shadows, capturing their attention; someone snapping their fingers. The turtles couldn't see where the sound came from, though not for lack of trying…but a strange sense of familiarity washed over Donnie upon sensing the presence of the Foot Clan's hidden leader…

But before he could decipher what this all meant, the Foot vanished, weaving their way back up to the rooftops and disappearing from sight.

And they left their luckless comrade behind.

Said Foot Soldier finally slid back down to solid ground, turning and walking warily into the alleyway. "Everything okay?" he asked, his voice muffled by the mask. "I heard – WHOA!"

With a startled cry, the soldier fell flat on his face after being tripped by the business end of Donnie's Bo staff. When he rolled onto his back, he was met with three scowling turtles, who looked ready and willing to beat the ever loving crap out of him. And as Donnie tightened his grip on the staff, he was very ready and very willing to raise it and –

"Wait, Donnie, it's me!"

Donnie blinked, hard, his hold on his staff slackening as he stared down at the Foot Soldier. "What?" he barked, reaching out to grab the soldier's mask and pulling it off –

For a breathless instant, Donnie couldn't believe that what he was seeing was real. And if it was, he prayed to whatever force was listening to him that it wasn't, because there was no way, no way in hell, that the Foot Soldier sat on his rump could possibly be –

"The Pulverizer?!"

As cruel as fate would have it, the infamous wannabe vigilante of the night, the Pulverizer himself, was grinning up at them all. "Hey, guys!" he chimed, bouncing to his feet. "How awesome is this?! Bet you guys were wondering when you'd see me again!"

Looking thoroughly done with the world already, Raph crossed his arms over his chest and turned his head away. "No," he muttered, just loud enough for Pulverizer to hear.

Zooming over, Pulverizer slung an arm around Raph's shoulders, laughing despite the look of murder that lit up within the turtle's green eyes. "Ha! Raphael, still the jokester I see! Good one – ow!" He cried out when he lifted his fist for a fist bump, and Raph twisted his wrist instead. Not enough to break it of course; not even Raph was that cruel. Well, most of the time.

Nursing his throbbing hand, Pulverizer took a step back from the turtles, his grin soon returning full-force. "Hey, what do guys think of my new threads?" he chimed, striking a dramatic pose. "I'm a ninja now!"

Stunned to silence, the three mutant turtles stared at the boy, utterly nonplussed, before sharing a dubious glance with one another. Then, at last, Donnie found his voice. "How and what are you doing with the Foot?!" he exclaimed, gesturing the mask he held in his hand. Seriously, not even the genius of the team could understand why this boy, who had wanted nothing but to 'protect the city from evil' as he'd so eloquently put it, would so casually proclaim he was fighting alongside their greatest enemies.

"Well," the human began, folding his arms as he reiterated his 'thrilling' tale to them, "last time, you told me I needed to practice, so I joined a Bradford Dojo to hone my craft! I wowed 'em with my smooth moves, and BOOM! They liked me so much, they asked me if I wanted to join the Foot Clan!"

Again, the three brothers were silent, staring at Pulverizer incomprehensibly. He was kidding. He had to be kidding, right?

"Wow," Mikey breathed in disbelief. "They must reeeally be hurtin' for dudes."

Donatello was very much in agreement with his younger brother on that one. How desperate the rival ninja clan must have been to recruit this poor sod into their ranks.

Either Pulverizer hadn't heard Mikey or he was simply too giddy to care, for in the next instant, he was striking yet another dramatic pose before them all, his fist clenched over his heart. "I've only been with them a few days, and I've already made the rank of Ashigaru Sha!" he chimed brightly with a proud laugh.

Donnie felt his heart drop into the pit of his gut at this. Oh lord no, they didn't…

Whilst Raphael began to smirk beside him, taking some twisted sense of hilarity out of this entire situation, Donnie smacked a hand over his eyes in despair, letting it drag down his face before letting it fall uselessly back to his side. "…do you know what Ashigaru Sha means?" he probed, though he already knew – and dreaded – what the boy's answer would be.

Inevitably, Pulverizer shook his head. "No."

Donnie made a face. "It means 'Cannon Fodder'."

Pulverizer's eyes widened, not in shock, but in astonishment. "Ohohoho, wow!"

Feeling his sanity slip further and further into insanity with each passing second he remained in this kid's presence, Donnie inhaled deeply, taking a step closer to Pulverizer. "Do you know what that means?" he asked, again, already knowing his answer.

Again, Pulverizer shook his head. "No."

With a roll of his eyes, Donnie began his explanation, and prayed that he understood. "In traditional Japanese warfare, the Ashigaru Sha were the expendable soldiers who were sent in first, to waste the enemies' ammunition and set off traps before the real soldiers arrived."

Pulverizer hardly batted an eye, waving his arm dismissively. "N-nah, no, the Foot wouldn't do that, we're the good guys!" he insisted

At that, Donnie did a literal double-take. He actually believed that the Foot Clan were the heroes? Is that why he'd joined and trusted them so blindly? For goodness sakes, did he not find the fact that they were a freaking ninja clan, run under a very intimidating man who wore blades all over him, even the least bit conspicuous? "Why would you think that?" he finally asked.

"We're out there fighting the Kraang, just like you!" Pulverizer replied. "I mean, I-I do check for traps, and I do get shot at a lot, and…"

At last, his smile fell as the realization began to sink in. "…now that you mention it, they do keep calling me 'expendable'."

Nodding his head, Donnie sighed again heavily, already feeling a throbbing headache coming on. "Yeah, you see what I mean? The Foot are no – wait, wait, what did you say?" He lifted his head, brows creasing, as he fully registered what Pulverizer had just said...aside from stating his obvious unfortunate circumstances. "The Foot are fighting the Kraang?"

"But why would the Foot wanna pick a fight with the Kraang?" Raph barked, sharing a curious glance with Mikey, who could only shrug and shake his head. Unless the Kraang had something that rightly belonged to Shredder, there was no real reason for them to want to wage war against the aliens. Then again, they had been indirectly responsible for the near-death of Shredder, so maybe they were out for revenge? But that was a bit of a stretch, even for someone as crazed and bloodthirsty as Oroku Saki.

As they pondered over their options, Pulverizer's hand shot up excitedly. "I could totally find that out for you! I could be a spy!" he exclaimed, striking yet another pose as he grinned wide enough to split his face.

Donnie stared at him flatly. No, no, this was not happening, this couldn't be happening right now. Pulverizer couldn't seriously be thinking that staying in the Foot was a good idea, not after realizing how they were literally just using him. The longer he stayed with them, the more likely he would end up dead before the week was done.

No, Donnie couldn't – wouldn't – allow this to go on. Pulverizer was annoying, and unbearably naïve for someone that was clearly at least a year or two older than them…but in the end, he was still an innocent kid, one with friends and a family that were probably wondering where he was and what he was doing. And in all fairness, he meant well; he just wanted to help them. But Donatello was not going to let him risk his life so foolishly over something that didn't concern him.

It was just as Leonardo had said; involving innocents into their affairs was a detestable thing to him, and Donnie was in total agreement.

"Pulverizer, do yourself a favor and quit the Foot," Donnie said plainly, tossing the black mask to the floor. As Pulverizer gasped, bending down to retrieve his mask with a downcast frown creasing his features, Donnie hoped – prayed – that he listened to reason. That he saw the dangers, saw the huge risk he was taking just by wearing that uniform, and went home where he'd be safe from the chaos that was sure to follow.

Unfortunately, as the boy lifted his head up and turned around to face the turtles again, there was a sly smile on his face. "Oh sure. I'll quit the Foot," he said with an obvious wink.

Donnie frowned, folding his arms. "No, I'm serious," he pressed.

"Of course you're serious," Pulverizer continued, winking after every word.

Finally, Donnie's patience waned. "I am! Stop winking!" he shouted, making Pulverizer reel backwards.

After a moment of hesitation, Pulverizer nodded, slipping past the turtles and heading towards the mouth of the alley. "Right, I'll recon intel and, uh…send you a text! I'm in ninja stealth mode…" he said theatrically, before sliding out of their sight…and directly into the traffic, if the sounds of crashing cars were anything to go by.

Wincing at the crash as cars collided with the sidewalk, Donnie shook his head, staring in the direction the human boy had left in. Well, he'd tried, but the Pulverizer had made his choice. At this point, there was nothing that Donnie could really do to stop him. The kid was either far too stubborn to listen to reason, or simply far too –

Wait a second, how could he send them a text if he had none of their numbers –?

Oh, wait…Donnie had given him his number, during their 'training' sessions together in case of an emergency. Right.

For the umpteenth time, Donnie shook his head in despair.

This day just keeps getting better and better, doesn't it?

It was early the next morning when Tiger Claw arrived at Shredder's lair, having successfully completed his third mission in the past week – and still feeling the burn on his arm that he'd earned from that insufferable bugger's torch – and though he was tired after a long night, he still had things to do before he could finally get some rest.

First, he had to report to Shredder of his success – seriously, this man had a lot of enemies that he needed to get rid of, didn't he? – and then, most importantly, he had to find Leonardo. It was clear that their time spent together since the incident regarding his spat with Karai had been limited, if non-existent, due to how often he was away. He hardly even saw him when they retired to bed either, which was especially disconcerting, considering the fact that Leo simply couldn't sleep on his own.

And the longer he spent away from his cub, the farther away they seemed to become.

This was exactly what Tiger Claw had wanted to avoid. In fact, the very reason why the two cubs had fought in the first place was because he hadn't been there previously to put out the flames of anger before they grew too high to tame; it was only after he'd taken Leonardo aside to vent through a sparring match that the matter had been resolved. However, despite its effectiveness, it was not something the old tiger mutant wanted to resort to on a recurring basis. Leonardo needed support, encouragement…he needed his father. His father, who was hardly ever around anymore.

The mutant tiger cursed himself. What kind of parent was he for leaving his cub alone, at a time where he needed him the most?

Walking through the hallways leading to the dojo – Shredder could stand to wait a little longer for his report – Tiger Claw narrowed his amber eyes, his shoulders set and his resolve firm. This could go on no longer. He should never have neglected his child for as long as he had. Starting today, that was going to change, permanently.

The sounds of early morning sparring matches echoed from the dojo as he approached, stepping into the room. There, as he'd hoped, he found his son –

He blinked. What on earth?

Standing in the center of the dojo, folding his arms over his chest as he stared down at their newest addition to the Foot Clan, was Leonardo, still very much the same mutant turtle that Tiger Claw had raised for over twelve years…but his attire had changed drastically. His blue mask and beloved blue scarf remained, but the worn brown leather straps and scabbards were gone, as were the wooden pads on his knees and elbows, and the once white tape he'd wrapped around his feet, ankles, wrists and hands had been changed.

Now, there was black tape wrapped around his hands trailing all the way up to his biceps, and from his feet all the way up to his thighs. His scabbards were now metal, fastened to his shell by black leather straps across his right shoulder, connecting to the leather belt around his waist. His knee and elbow guards, along with a new shoulder pad on his left shoulder, were now metal plates, glistening seamlessly in the light, fastened on with dark navy blue bands.

The old tiger tilted his head. The strange new garb changed Leonardo in a way; it accented his muscles, made him appear taller, almost intimidating, and made him look much older than fifteen. It wasn't actually a bad look for him, he had to admit. It was simply jarring to see him look so different.

However, what truly disconcerted Tiger Claw, was that the red emblem of the Foot Clan was embellished upon the silver surface of the shoulder pad. Just looking at the crest sent a very unpleasant feeling rushing through his very being as he stood there, frozen in the doorway.

It was as if it were a sign, reading 'danger', rather than a symbol of honor…

"Like I said, Pulverizer," the young turtle scolded, taking the fallen soldier by the arm and hauling him effortlessly to his feet, pulling off the blindfold he'd tied around the human's eyes, "when you can no longer rely on your eyes, you need to keep all your senses on high alert, meaning touch, smell, and your sense of hearing. I'm not Karai, so I'm not going to pound you into the ground for messing up, but seriously, get this stuff memorized. It could cost you your life on the battlefield. Got it?"

Blinking rapidly as his eyes adjusted to the light, Pulverizer nodded, giving Leonardo a thumbs up. "Y-Yes, sir, I got it!" he said, looking very sure for someone who must have gotten knocked on his backside more times than even he could count. Then his eyes drifted to the doorway, and locked onto Tiger Claw. "Oh, hey there, giant tiger dude! Good to see you again."

His shoulders tensing, Leonardo instantly whipped his head around, azure eyes widened in surprise. But in the next instant, the surprise faded, and the corners of his mouth morphed into something that was not quite a frown, but not quite a smile, as he turned to face his father. "Sensei, you're back," he said, respectfully bowing his head. "Good to see you. How'd the mission go?"

Stepping further into the dojo, Tiger Claw offered his boy a light smile. "It went as well as any confrontation with a crazed man and a flame thrower would go, my student," he replied, inwardly taking delight in the small but real smirk that grew across the turtle's face; they both knew that this wasn't Tiger Claw's first encounter with a pyromaniac, nor would it be the last. The cat mutant then turned to look down at Pulverizer. "Would you mind giving me and my pupil a moment?"

Pulverizer blinked, his thoughts obviously somewhere else until now, before nodding. "Sure thing – I-I mean, Hai!" he announced clumsily, before hopping out the room, taking his phone out of his pocket and typing away before disappearing from sight.

Leonardo rolled his eyes to the heavens as the boy left, before returning his attention to Tiger Claw, folding his arms over his chest in a casual manner. He shrugged one shoulder, looking uncertain of what to say as the two of them continued to stand there, the silence weighing heavily upon them. For a moment, Tiger Claw was certain that they would be standing here all day, with neither of them ready to be the first to break the uncomfortable silence. Worse still, as he gazed into the youthful eyes of his cub, he could find traces of resentment, uncertainty…everything Tiger Claw had feared he would find after being absent.

A part of the old tiger knew that he deserved it, despite the pain that spread throughout his very being, for he hadn't meant to be gone for as long as he had. He'd had no intention of leaving his child alone, without guidance or –

"Oof!"

He grunted, the wind knocked right out of him, when Leonardo suddenly charged into Tiger Claw's chest, strong arms locking around his waist in a fierce, almost desperate embrace. Completely taken aback, Tiger Claw stared down at the top of Leo's green head. "…Leonardo?" he stammered.

The turtle tightened his hold, his face buried into the tiger's chest.

"…I missed you, father."

It was as if the universe itself was shining down upon them both at that very moment, for relief flooded through Tiger Claw like a river released from its dam as he smiled. With a soft chuckle, he wrapped his arms around the boy, returning the embrace with gusto, his cheek coming to rest atop Leo's head. "I have missed you as well, young cub," he said, a low purr rumbling from his chest. He didn't need to look down to know that Leonardo was smiling against him.

Father and son remained in the warmth of each others embrace for a time, relishing in the love and contact that had been long overdue within the empty dojo, the silence no longer oppressing, but comfortable, welcoming…

"So…what's with the new uniform?"

He would've burst out laughing at the irritated, exasperated groan that came out of Leonardo, had he not been himself. Instead, he simply grinned. Ah yes, he had missed this indeed, especially the teasing.

However, though his tone had been jesting, Tiger Claw's query had been sincere. He did require an explanation as to why his cub was now wearing the symbol of the clan he'd come to loath…

…and why the feeling of dread resting within the pit of his stomach continued to grow.

A/N: Wow, so much drama, am I right? XD Well, the good news is that Tiger Claw and Leo are still as close as ever :) The bad news...well, Pulverizer is in the Foot Clan, and Leo becoming a commander...well, we'll just have to wait and see, won't we? XD I hope you all enjoyed it, and I'll see you in the next chapter!

Next Chapter: The Hamato turtles aren't on their A Game after Splinter forces them to switch weapons, Leonardo is forced to carry out a most daunting order concerning the Pulverizer, who has yet to realize how much danger he's in 0_o