Author's Note: Ok, so I'm kinda late updating. Buuut I had to fly down south to my dad's, and that's where I am now. I sent all of the chapters to myself through e-mail, though, so don't worry about that. Anyways, enough of my ranting. Here's chapter 2!!

Special thanks to my wonderful friend and editor, Stephanie. You rock, dudette!!


Leo grunted when he landed harshly on the ground. Don fell from the portal next, crashing in the grassy area beside the blue-clad ninja. Just as he was about to get up, Mike landed right on top of him. Leo sat up and quickly pulled the younger turtle off of Don, who was dazed from the sudden force of being pushed back down. Hiding a smile, Leo got up and helped both of them to their feet. After checking to make sure everyone was ok, he took a look at his surroundings.

They were in a small clearing, with tall pine trees all around them. The full moon was starting to sink below the horizon, but the sun still hadn't shed its light. In the distance, rising above the tops of the trees, were huge mountains.

"Where are we?" Mike whispered, staring around in bewilderment.

"It was a portal!" Don bent down and picked a blade of grass, inspecting it closely. "It must have sent us somewhere!"

"But where?" Leo wondered aloud.

They were interrupted when men suddenly appeared from the forest, surrounding them within moments. Leo swiftly pulled out his weapons, and Mike followed suit, twirling his nunchucks. Don straightened up, pulling out his bo as he looked around at the armored humans that had encircled them.

"Who are you?" Leo demanded. "What do you want?"

"Seize them!"

The voice was the only response they got before the enemies attacked, their spears as sharp as their swords. Leo blocked the first strike, easily knocking the man out with the hilt of his katana. Don and Mike dodged and blocked as well, but it hadn't been more than a few minutes before they started to get overwhelmed by their opponents. There were at least thirty men here, and apparently they were trained very well.

"I don't think I can take much more of this!" Don grunted as his bo was hit yet again by a spear.

"What do we do!?"

"Calm down, Mikey!" Leo dodged another attack. "Just keep fighting!"

Mike's eyes suddenly got wide. "Leo! Look out!"

Leo whipped around too late as he saw the sword being swung at him. He closed his eyes, bracing himself, but pain never came. Slowly, he opened his eyes, and saw that the man before him now had an arrow protruding from his chest, despite the fact that he had a heavy layer of armor on. His attacker collapsed, and Leo turned to see who had shot the arrow. What he discovered made him freeze with absolute shock.

A young mutant stood barely ten feet away, his bow still clutched in one hand. He looked almost exactly like Raph, but still had many differences. The biggest was the fact that he had dark gray hair as well as a tail and ears of the same color. His eyes were cat-like, their bright white contrasting with the black bandanna he wore. He had knee pads, elbow pads, wrist bands, and a belt, and his skin was even the same dark green of the brother Leo always missed so much. The turtle-cat mutant looked so much like Raphael that, for a second, he imagined it really was him. But that was impossible.

The mutant pulled out another arrow and stuck it on his bow, shooting another of the soldiers. Leo snapped back to reality and turned to see that Mike and Don had been staring at the new arrival as well, apparently with the same thoughts. With the turtle-cat helping, the attackers were forced to retreat barely a few minutes later. They left behind the wounded and dead, fleeing the clearing. Everything was suddenly silent, and the three brothers turned to the mutant that had saved them.

He said nothing, only staring at him with his bright white eyes as if he were inspecting every inch of them. Leo cleared his throat, catching the mutant's attention.

"Umm...thanks." For once, his voice sounded unsure. "We probably wouldn't have won that battle if it weren't for you. I'm Leonardo, and these are my brothers - Donatello, and Michelangelo." He gestured to each of them in turn. The mutant stayed as silent as ever. "Er...what's your name?" Again, he got no answer.

"Ookaaay..." Mike put his nunchucks back in his belt, the uneasiness clear in his eyes. Don and Leo sheathed their weapons as well, neither one sure of what to say.

After what seemed like an eternity, the mutant motioned for them to follow him, still carrying his bow as he turned away and headed into the forest. The brothers exchanged nervous glances, but padded after the turtle-cat nonetheless.

The woods were dark even though the sun was beginning to peek over the horizon. It only took about twenty minutes for them to reach their destination, but it felt like hours. Even Leo was starting to tire when they finally came to another clearing. But this one was much bigger.

There were creatures all around - some chatting and some eating. All of them looked like a mix of different species, which is what made the place look so strange. There was no less than twenty. Mike gasped sharply at the sight, while Leo and Don only stared in awe.

The ground was covered with soft grass, and there were walls of stone built around the area - which was at least half a square mile - in a huge circle, with only a small gap to act as an entrance. There were a few other small doorways, probably for emergency exits. Caves carved from stone as well as bushes and even hollow trees were being used as dens by the strange animals. Some looked human, while there were others that didn't look like anything any of the three turtles had ever seen before. Leo spotted a woman diving into a small pond, and for a moment he wondered if she was...well, normal. But as she emerged from the water, he saw that she now had scales, and her legs had turned into one tail. Somehow, seeing a mermaid in this strange place didn't really surprise Leo that much.

"Kage!"

The mutant that had helped them winced at the stern female voice, quickly putting his bow away. 'So that's his name,' Leo mused. Kage glanced at the three behind him, the exasperation clear on his features, then turned his gaze to the other mutant approaching.

She was a cat - that much was obvious. She had long, light gray hair and eyes the same bright white as Kage's. Her fur was as white as snow and her cat-like nose was black. She wore a strapless shirt that showed part of her stomach, capris that went down just past her knees, and boots with a slight heel on them, which stopped just above her ankles. All of them were a shade of gray just a bit darker than her hair. She had a necklace as well with a black string instead of a chain. The pendant on it looked like a cat's eye, with the pupil being a black crystal positioned in the center and the rest of it being the same bright white as her own eyes. She was slim, just a bit shorter than the three turtles standing behind Kage, with a small muzzle protruding from her face just like a cat's. She had a long tail as well as pointed ears, and her hands and feet had four fingers and toes instead of five. Despite her petite appearance, she spoke with anger in her voice.

"You went outside again, didn't you!?" She snapped, stopping in front of Kage. He just glared at her. "Oh, what am I going to do with you!? You know what your father said! It's dangerous out there!"

'That must be his mother,' Leo guessed. 'But who's his father, then?'

The mutant cat suddenly seemed to notice them. Her eyes softened a bit and she moved around Kage to get a better look at them.

"I'm sorry about that," she apologized, her voice calmer now. "My name is Crystal. Who are you three?"

"My name is Leonardo," Leo introduced himself.

"Michelangelo, but you can call me Mikey!" Mike winked at her in his usual lighthearted manner.

Don smiled a bit. "Donatello, or Don, if you'd like."

Crystal stared at them for a moment, a hint of surprise in her gaze. She glanced curiously at Kage, who just shrugged.

"Well, I'm guessing you aren't from this world, then..."

"This world?" Don echoed. "You mean that portal sent us to another world?"

"Yes," Crystal replied. "I'll explain everything soon, but first..." She suddenly smiled, her tail flicking excitedly. "I think there's someone who would like to see you."

The three exchanged glances, a strange hope inside all of them. It seemed almost impossible, but there was always a chance - no matter how small.

Crystal turned and headed in one direction, Kage close behind. Leo was the first to follow, though he was still a bit hesitant. He glanced back at Mike and Don. The younger of the two just shrugged, padding after his brother. Don gazed around once more before catching up with them.

They passed many of the strange creatures. Some of them called out a friendly greeting, which was returned by Crystal. Others watched the group, suspicion clear in their eyes. Leo tried not to look too nervous, but it was hard to ignore the numerous gazes trained on him and his brothers. Crystal finally stopped at the far edge of the camp. A huge rock jutted out of the ground, rising almost as high as the thirty-foot stone walls. Leo's heart froze when he saw who was on top, and he was on the brink of crying from pure joy.

"Raphael!" Crystal called above the noise.

The red-clad turtle turned away from a creature that resembled a winged jaguar. His light brown eyes widened when he saw who was with the mutant cat. Suddenly he couldn't breathe, let alone speak. He simply stared down at his brothers, shock written all over his face.

He felt a slight nudge from the creature he had been talking to, and glanced back. The winged feline gave an encouraging nod, a knowing look in his dark blue eyes. Raph gave him a grateful smile.

"H-hold on, Sairo...I'll be back in a sec," he stammered, his voice hardly more than a whisper.

Sairo nodded, padding over to sit down in the shade. Raph made his way down the pile of rocks, a slight limp in his stride. He stopped a little ways from the group, wondering vaguely if this was all a dream.

Leo stared at his long-lost brother, still unable to form words. He was even more startled at how much Raph had changed. Now that the red-masked ninja was closer, he could see him clearly.

The first thing he noticed was that Raph's left leg was wrapped in bandages, and there was a chain around his right ankle. He also had scars - eight of them altogether. There was one across his right eye, and another on his left shoulder just below his neck. Another wrapped around his right arm close to his wrist, and there was one on his upper left arm as well. A jagged scratch ran diagonally across the top of his plastron. There were two more on his left leg a little ways above his ankle, and the last was on his right thigh. The thing that Leo found the most mystifying, though, was the mark on Raph's right shoulder. It looked like an X, but there were lines coming from each corner. The four, short, extra edges made it look something like two snakes wrapped around each other as if they intended to attack.

"R-Raph...?"

He was pulled out of his thoughts at Don's voice. Mike was the first to move.

"Raphie!" The orange-clad turtle dashed forward, almost knocking his older sibling over as he wrapped his arms around him in a tight embrace. "I can't believe it's really you!"

Raph blinked, still a bit stunned. A small smile finally spread across his snout, and he returned his little brother's hug.

"It's good to see you too, Mikey," he chuckled.

Mike finally let go and stepped back, bouncing up and down with excitement. Don snapped out of his trance next, though his actions were more controlled than Mike's. He paced forward until he was in front of Raph, looking him up and down.

"I'm guessing we've missed a lot," he muttered, but grinned nonetheless. "But at least you're ok."

Raph merely nodded, not really sure what to say. His gaze landed on Leo, who still hadn't moved at all. He smiled a bit wider.

"Cat got your tongue, Leo?"

Leo laughed a bit. "Yeah," he admitted. He paused for a moment, but pushed his uneasiness away. "It's been so long..."

Raph nodded, shifting nervously from foot to foot. Crystal finally broke the silence.

"Raph," she began, getting the turtle's attention. She glanced at Kage, who had been silent the whole time. "Kage went out again."

"He what!?" Raph's gaze snapped to the young mutant. He went up to the turtle-cat, his arms crossed. "Kage, what have I told you about going out there alone? You know how dangerous it is out there!" Kage said nothing, glaring back at Raph steadily. "Xekon has men all over the woods. You're only 10 years old, for Christ's sake! You could've been killed!"

Realization suddenly dawned on Leo. Kage was Raph's son! He looked over at Mike and Don, and saw his surprised expression reflected in their faces.

"Do you enjoy being punished?" Raph continued. "I've lost track of how many times I've had to confine you to the camp! What were you thinking!?"

"This sounds oddly familiar," Mike muttered to Don, who smirked in reply, obviously doing his best not to laugh.

"Like father, like son, I guess," Leo mused.

"Shadow!"

Everyone turned toward the new voice save for Kage, who was currently scowling at the ground. The young woman Leo had seen before was approaching, her light blue hair - which went down almost to her waist - still soaked from her swim in the pool.

"Yeah, Navaki?" Raph replied. His brothers stared at him, not sure if he had really been addressed as 'Shadow' or not.

"Karo's wings are still damaged, but they're beginning to heal," she reported. She suddenly narrowed her ice-blue eyes. "And you know you were supposed to be in my den almost an hour ago."

"I don't need you worrying about my leg with everything else you have to deal with." Raph sighed. "It can't be fixed - you said so yourself."

"Shadow, you get to my den! Now!" Navaki snapped.

"Alright, alright!" Raph held his hands up in surrender. "Calm down!"

Navaki glanced at the three new turtles. "Who are they?"

"My brothers," Raph replied quietly.

"Oh...I see." Navaki's gaze turned sympathetic. "Well, bring them with you. I'm sure they'll want to hear your story."

"Yeah...I'll be there in a second, ok?" Navaki nodded and turned away, heading toward one of the caves. Raph looked back up at the jaguar creature, who was still waiting on the rock. "Sairo!"

Sairo casually padded forward and jumped straight off the edge. His black-feathered wings spread out and he glided down to the ground, landing gracefully.

"Yes, Shadow?"

"You can get Naya and Nayru to help you repair the wall." Raph gestured to a crack in the stone barrier set up around the camp. "Get it fixed as quickly as you can. Xekon could attack any second now."

"Of course," Sairo replied, nodding respectfully.

Raph watched as he trotted off, then turned to his brothers. He sighed when he saw the blank looks they were giving him.

"Look, I'll explain everything later," he promised. "I just need to hurry up and get this check-up thing over with. Navaki will kill me if I don't get over there."

With that, he turned away. Crystal pulled Kage along behind her as she padded after him, her tail twitching slightly. Leo, Don, and Mike finally followed, though they were still beyond confused.

Navaki was waiting for them in her den. It was a small cave with a makeshift bed near the back along with several others for the sick and injured. The scent of herbs filled the air, and there were various plants collected in piles all around the cavern. There was what looked like a wooden pot that Navaki was currently standing over. She held a wooden spoon in one hand as she apparently mixed some herbs that she had placed in the pot. She looked up, however, when she heard the group come in.

"It's about time," she muttered, setting the ladle aside and turning to them, arms crossed.

"Sorry," Raph apologized quickly, knowing that the young healer could have quite a temper. Lord have mercy on the unfortunate soul that had to endure her wrath.

"Mhm." Navaki pointed to a small, flat stone that resembled a bench. "Sit."

Raph resisted the urge to roll his eyes and did as he was told. He leaned back against the wall and sighed, his left leg stretched out. Navaki turned back to her pot, checking on the herbs. She nodded, apparently satisfied, then strolled over to the red-clad turtle. His brothers watched curiously, while Crystal was keeping a close eye on Kage. The turtle-cat still hadn't even made a sound since he'd rescued his 'uncles'.

"I still don't see why you bother," Raph grumbled, crossing his arms over his plastron.

"Sit still!" Navaki snapped as she started to unwrap the bandages part of the way.

"I am sitting still!"

"No you're not!"

"Ow! Quit poking it!"

"I swear, out of all of my patients, I've no doubt you're the worst!"

Mike couldn't help but snicker as the two quarreled. Leo and Don exchanged an amused glance, both wondering if this happened regularly. Kage merely rolled his eyes, obviously bored, and earned a sharp glare from his mother.


Author's Note: lol Raph and Navaki are funny, aren't they?? X3 Well, now ya know where Raph was all this time, and Crystal and Kage come in, along with some other of my OCs. Crys looks a bit different in this one, I know, but it's still the same Crystal. There are a lotta new surprises and characters still to come, so I'll put the next chapter up soon!!