A/N: Poor Mikey and Raph will have to wait. Leo demanded a chapter all about him, and I was only too happy to comply. And a big thank you for reading and for writing reviews. They reviews keep me motivated!

Please note: Character thoughts are in italics.

Disclaimer: As much as I wish it wasn't true, I do not own the turtles. Sigh.

Chapter 4-I'm Not Alone

Leonardo wasn't in any hurry to return to Foot Headquarters. With tonight's heist successful, he knew that Hun would want to be the one to fill in the Shredder on the evenings events and to take the credit for its success. Leonardo could care less about who had the credit. Hun was a fool. He would be sure to tell Master Shredder about the appearance of their foe. And once Hun mentioned that their foe was a ninja fighting turtle, Shredder would know that Leonardo had intervened and stopped their foe from interrupting their heist of the evening. Hun may be a good fighter, but he was no match for a fully trained ninja warrior. Hun would think he had come out on top with the success of tonight's raid, but the Shredder would know that it was his son who had ensured that the evening's mission was a success.

And then Master Shredder would want a recap from Leonardo on what happened. Since Hun's recap would mention a ninja fighting turtle, it would be Leonardo's detailed recap of that evening's fight which would inform the Ninjitsu Master that they had a new enemy, with a protégé. Leonardo did not know who had taught the orange turtle to fight, but he recognized the fighting style immediately. The nunchaku wielding turtle could have only learned those skills from a Ninjitsu Master. But clearly the orange turtle did not learn from Oroku Saki, so then who taught him? And was this person a new foe or a recently resurfaced old enemy? Knowing his father, Leonardo assumed the turtle was working for an enemy, which meant that the appearance of this orange masked turtle was going to leave Leonardo dealing with one very angry Shredder. Something the black banded turtle was not looking forward to.

So the confused turtle took his time as he ran along the rooftops to his home. He wanted a few moments alone to think about what had happened tonight before dealing with his father's outrage. Where did that ninja fighting turtle come from anyway? And are there more like him? His father never mentioned that there were other mutant turtles out there. And what was Master Shredder going to do about it?

Leonardo stopped on his favorite rooftop. Sitting on the water tower for a minute to catch his breath the sword wielding turtle let out a sigh. He didn't know what new plans the Shredder would have after tonight's events and the turtle didn't care. It was always the same thing with Master Shredder anyway. Everything he did was to gain power and to prepare for a fight against his enemies, of which he had many. Lately the Shredder seemed to be preparing to fight a bigger foe, but the appearance of this new, or maybe old, enemy was not going to be ignored. And Leonardo knew he would be dragged into it, same as always.

Leonardo growled as he ran a hand over his face, thinking about his place at Foot Headquarters. While Master Shredder would call him his 'son' Leonardo didn't really feel like one. He may have given Leonardo food and shelter, but he had also taught him how to fight and to steal. Just once it would be nice to be involved in doing some good. To actually help others instead of always hurting them. Then Leonardo shook his head. Because that's not how his father did things.

Leonardo's thoughts kept returning to the ninja turtle. Who was that orange masked turtle anyway? He kept talking about how alike we are. Yes, Leonardo had to agree as he shifted his position. We are obviously both ninja fighting mutant turtles. But that is where the similarities end. That orange turtle was fast and agile, but also undisciplined and easily distracted. He couldn't even maintain focus in actual combat. How on earth did that turtle ever learn to fight as well as he did? And out of all the weapons, with the nunchaku, a challenging weapon to master. And what was all that chatter about brothers? Brothers, plural, does this mean there are more of them? And if so how many of them are there? And what are they to me? Friends? Foes? Siblings? And why didn't Master Shredder ever tell me that I might have brothers? Did he know all along?

Leonardo let out a groan as he stood, ready to continue his trek back to Foot Headquarters. Too many questions and not enough answers! The only thing the black banded turtle knew for certain, was that there was more to the story of when the Shredder had found Leonardo than he'd been told. And now he had to figure out what to do about it. For the first time in the black banded turtle's life, he might actually have found a true purpose.

When Leonardo finally arrived back as Foot Headquarters everything was silent. Even the Shredder's office was dark. Thankful that he wouldn't have to talk to his master until tomorrow morning, Leonardo walked down the long hallway to his room. But just before his hand touched the doorknob and he could enter the safety of his bedroom, Leonardo felt someone standing behind him.

"Leonardo, come."

Oroku Saki sat behind his desk. His face showed no emotion, but his coal black eyes stared intensely at the turtle kneeled before him. Saki sat patiently, slowly looking for any sign of what his young charge was thinking about tonight's events. He had listened to Hun's earlier report. And at first Saki was thrilled that this latest heist was successful. But the appearance of another turtle was unexpected. And he needed to know how this was going to affect his pawn. Saki had put a lot of time and effort into molding Leonardo into a prized addition to the Foot Clan. But he cannot afford to have a warrior that does not listen to his orders. The appearance of a fellow turtle, could be the spark that Leonardo needs to break out of his shell, so to speak, and become a leader. But that spark is useless if he does not remain obedient to his master and he becomes loyal to this missing brother. Unless he could use that to his advantage somehow.

Saki continued his musings as he looked down upon the kneeling turtle. He remembers the day he captured Leonardo quite well. There had been four turtles. But at the time, he could only get his hands on one of them before the room exploded. Saki had thought the other three had been destroyed in the explosion. But now it looks like at least one of them survived. And this raises the possibility that the others did as well. This new development could be just the advantage I need to finally get rid of those blasted Utroms!

Finished with his roaming thoughts, Saki addressed the black masked turtle before him. "Tell me about this new turtle you fought tonight, my son."

Leonardo kept his gaze downward on the floor as he tried not to grimace at the term of endearment. He never knew why Saki would call him that. It wasn't often but when he did it really bothered the turtle. It was almost like he was trying to soften him up, make him comfortable enough to open up to him. He certainly didn't treat Leonardo like a son, at least Leo didn't think that was how a son should be treated.

Yet the kneeling turtle was still tempted to open up to Master Saki. He was curious about the orange banded turtle, and perhaps his master could answer his questions. But curiosity was not something his master encouraged, nor looked upon favorably. Master Saki demanded obedience, loyalty and nothing else. The only thing curiosity could do is get him into trouble. So Leonardo avoided his master's piercing eyes and tried to keep his body and breath as neutral as possible. He knew that his physical reaction would be weighed just as heavily as his verbal reply. It was important now more than ever to remain disinterested and indifferent about what his master wanted of him. No, the best plan of action was to keep his answers short and to the point. The less he said, the less risk that his curiosity could slip out, and the faster he could return to his room for some much needed sleep.

"He's a mutant turtle. He fights well. He is fast, agile and his weapon of choice appears to be the nunchaku." Leonardo paused for a second before continuing, uncertain how his master was going to react to the next statement. "And his fighting style, it seems familiar."

Saki's eyes narrowed but he otherwise remained still. "And what do you think of this new turtle, my son?"

Leonardo couldn't help looking up, puzzled by the repeated question. "Master?"

Saki approached the black masked turtle as he repeated the question, kneeling down to look into his eyes. "What do you think of this new turtle, my son?" He would not tolerate the turtle's reclusive nature this time. It was important that he know what Leonardo was thinking.

Leonardo's pulse began to race as his father approached him. His thoughts kept returning to the orange masked turtle's chatter that they could be brothers. But Leonardo had no intention of letting his master know that he was curious about the turtle. If he did then Master Saki might end up confining him to headquarters. And the black clad turtle had already decided that he wanted to get a little more information before deciding for himself if the orange turtle was friend or foe.

He remembered his last words to the energetic turtle when he sliced the orange turtle's arm with his katana. Hoping he was going to give Master Saki the answer he wanted to hear, he repeated it, finishing with the phrase of endearment he knew his Master expected when he referred to Leonardo as his son. "We are nothing alike…Father."

A/N: Looks like Leo is starting to waver just a tad. And in the next Chapter, Mikey and Raph meet for the first time. Please write a review before you go. Virtual warm brownies with vanilla ice cream and syrup to those who do. And thanks for reading!