"The greatest gift you can give to somebody is your own personal development. I used to say , 'If you will take care of me, I will take care of you.' Now I say 'I will take care of me for you if you will take care of you for me." -Calvin and Hobbs

One of my favorite quotes! And right now, it just seemed fitting.

*Every line break for this chapter will mean a change in location and characters!*

Alone In that dark smelly grey garage Donnie had just finished making a successful pulley system, capable of lifting a cut up Iron I, right up from the floor. Donnie snickered happily as he maneuvered the beam into position. He may not have seen Rocksteady very often during his race for safety. But if he dares to show up tonight, this iron baby won't be his friend.

Outside Leo and Karai patrolled the area around Shredder's lair looking for any sign of which direction Donnie might have made a break for it. "I think he ran straight after he busted out of the lab," Karai speculated stopping the two as they tried to loop the area a second time.

"Why do you say that?" asked Leo.

"When we studied the scene it looked like the police hadn't touched anything yet. And there was one brick that was farther than all the others that were blasted forward. It was practically touching the building across the street. I almost didn't even see it. It's possible that while Donatello ran he kicked a brick that was already on the ground and spun it towards the wall," Karai explained.

Leo let himself think about this for a moment, but in the end a lost brick after an explosion wasn't much to go on. "Karai we know nothing about explosions, for all we know that brick being there was completely normal."

Karai narrowed her eyes at Leo, straightening her shoulders "Oh yeah? Well I'm telling you that your brother went up that building when he escaped. So I'm going to go check it out. Because I know I'm right. You can come along if you want," and without another word Karai turned around and ran towards the building in question.

She wasn't actually angry at Leo, annoyed yes, but not angry. In fact the only reason she could pull off that little stunt is because she knew that Leo would follow her. If he could he would always follow her.

"Karai WAIT!"

Karai only smirked as Leo chased her, proving her right.

Donnie took a step back, wiping the sweat from his brow across his arm. In front of him eight wooden boards, all partially hidden by the dark and the mess of other junk, lay in a circle on the floor. They looked something like a bloomed flower in there positioning. A thick rope was woven through the boards, and that rope was attached to more ropes and weights.

'If getting hit in the head by wooden boards from eight different sides isn't enough to knock someone out, then I don't know what is,' thought Donnie as he hurried to his next project.

"Okay so let's assume that he kept going straight, wanting to take the fastest course possible," said Karai momentarily taking control.

Which was a little weird for Leo, but he let it go.

"So he'd go this way. Oh and he'd definitely turn this way. Not what I would do, your brother doesn't realize how much Tigerclaw made us practice turning corners. But this would be the smartest turn to make. And if your brother is anything, he is predictably smart," Karai chuckled taking the corner in an impressively sharp angle just to make her point. "Ok around that corner, across this roof and gotcha!"

"What, what is it!?" asked Leo coming up behind her.

Before them was the broken glass of a hotel window.

"Hey me, you want to know the best thing about pitfalls?" Donnie asked himself amusingly.

"What would that be me?"

"You get to add spikes to the bottom," Donnie chuckled darkly as he continued to cover a conveniently pre-dug hole that he himself almost fell through.

"He entered a hotel room!?" Leo yelled in distress.

Karai rolled her eyes at his reaction, "Uh yeah, he was trying to get away from murderous mutants Leo, it's a little more important than you guys failing not to be seen by yet another human."

Leo glared halfheartedly at her, "Nothing is more important than-…. Karai?"

Karai had frozen right in front of Leo as she finally managed to find a position where she could get a look through the window. There was blood in the room. A lot of it, on the walls and on the bed. There was just so much blood! But blood Karai could handle. It was that darkened lump on those pretty flowered covers that she did not want a closer view of.

Leo saw the blood just a moment later.

"It's not your Donatello," stated Karai, finding comfort in the obvious. "The bodies still there, they wouldn't leave his body."

"Karai we have to check, we have to follow our clues," Leo said gently holding Karai arm in friendly support.

Karai sighed moving out of Leo's grasp, "I know, I'm not afraid of bodies, you're the one who might throw up."

"Maybe I will," Leo shrugged.

And the two ran towards the shattered window.

Donnie was grinning ear to ear as he positioned the magnet right behind this thin wooden board. "Those, bionic fish legs, are about to meet their match!"

Ignoring the dead couple on the bed, Karai and Leo made their way through the room and to the other side. But from there they could go no further. The hallway was covered in people, mostly men. Awakened by the ruckus Shredder's men had made earlier. Many of them were on their phones contacting the police, while some were simply about to leave and go back to their rooms.

Karai, being the only one even capable of looking into the lighted hallway, peeked her head out and noted a group of people gathering around one particular door down the hall. And if that hanging sign above the small crowd had anything to say about it, that door lead to the stairs.

"He went downstairs," Karai said pulling her head back into the room. She didn't even consider the possibility that Donnie ran up those stairs. With this many mutants after him that would've been foolish. And Donnie was no fool.

The two of them once again ran past the bloodied corpses and back out the window to take this search lower.

'Forget all those others. This one is the real beauty!' thought Donnie who was starting to feel the brunt of his nerves as more time passed and nothing happened. Even though he knew that in reality hardly any time had passed at all.

The door to the garage creaked open, jamming obnoxiously against the mountain of trash piled up suspiciously against the doorframe.

Donnie was out of time. Quietly, as Bebop cursed the people of New York for being such slobs, Donnie wall jumped to the balcony on the second floor, and hid. Or so he thought he would. In his rush to get things just right he forgot to add a hiding place up here.

So the young turtle settled for lying flat on his plastron, backing himself as far as he could into the side wall.

Rocksteady entered first, simply charging the door open with a comical head-butt.

"Was that necessary?" Fishface grumbled angrily following the rhino.

"Hey it's one way to get a door open, WEEeeeeeeHOOooooooo!" Bebop said dancing in after the fish.

*sniff* *sniff* "Aaaaah yeeees, the turtle is definitely in here, nice one Tigerclaw," complimented Razar as he stepped into the room beside the pig.

"Thank you Razor, my skills come with great training," Tigerclaw replied being the last to enter.

Tigerclaw closed the door behind him. Making it very clear to Stockman that he was to remain outside, in case of the turtle's escape.

The five mutants looked around at the sad looking mess of debris, smelling the blasted turtle, but unable to actually pinpoint his location.

"Eh, what the heck! Did that turtle just rub his body up on everything so we couldn't smell him out or something?" Bebop asked Tigerclaw, being only the second best smeller on the scene.

Tigerclaw walked forward, cautiously. "Perhaps he did," said Tigerclaw, "but that changes nothing, every second all creatures give off new odors. Just being alive has a smell to it. And that smell passes through this room with his very breath." *sniiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii* *haaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah* "I smell him he is up there. On that second floor."

"Then what we wait for? Let us get him!" Rocksteady shouted charging past Tigerclaw towards the wooden stairs that lead to the second floor.

Bebop, Razar, and Fishface followed after.

As Rocksteady ran, oblivious to his surroundings he ran right over a taught rope, snapping its connection. There was a groan, and Tigerclaw smashed his ears to the top of his head in discomfort. "NO!" Yelled Tigerclaw, "YOU FOO-"

A thick metal beam swept itself across the garage, smashing right into the side of Rocksteady's head. The Rhino man was flung across the room, his horn unintentionally imbedding itself into the cement beneath him as he landed.

"OH NO ROCKSTEADY! Hey buddy you ok!?" Cried Bebop racing towards his friend.

"This place is booby trapped," Razar said, stating the obvious. The bony dog took a step back, only to have the ground completely collapse beneath his foot. Razar fell backwards right into a hidden hole. Fishface spun around just in time to see Razar's claw disappear from sight, and to hear a howl of pain as Razar's body hit the extra surprise Donnie added to the bottom of the pitfall.

Fishface hurried forward and peered into the hole. Being thin Razar escaped most of the spikes. But one spike was completely imbedded into his leg. Fishface tried to think of an insult, but just couldn't come up with a good one. And besides that really did look like it hurt.

So he settled on putting on his best sympathetic face, not something he used often, and asked lamely, "Ehhhh you ok there amigo?"

By this time Bebop had made it to Rocksteady, only to step right in the middle of a ring of wooden planks. Before Bebop could even think of his mistake eight wooden beams shot up, smacking the Pig's cranium all at once.

There wasn't even enough time for Bebop to feel the pain before his brain decided it was best to shut down for now.

"HELP ME UP YOU STUPID FISHFRY!" yelled Razar as he desperately dug his claws into the sides of the hole in pain.

"Hey now, no need to talk to me that way, I'm not the one who fell into a trap," scoffed Fishface. And just to prove his point he took a few steps back from the hole. Just enough so he would be out of Razar's line of sight.

His robotic leg stepped right next to a very thin, flat wooden board. Suddenly Fishface felt himself fall sideways as his legs forced the rest of his body to follow their path. The force of the magnification was so strong that the thin board was snapped in half as Fishface and the hidden magnet connected. Fishface immediately tried to push himself back up with his hands, but found the magnet encircling a metal pole, with his leg withholding the only other opening for the magnet's escape. Fishface was going nowhere anytime soon.

"I'll KILL THAT TURTLE!"

"YOU HEAR THAT SCRAWNY?! YOU'RE DEAD!"

"WHEN I GET OUT OF HERE-"

"SILENCE!" Shouted Tigerclaw stopping Razar's and Fishface's unhelpful threats.

Tigerclaw growled in disgust at his comrade's inability to avoid such simple, childish traps. Tigerclaw began his own march towards the wooden stairs, cautiously, carefully. He doubted there was anything the young one could have made that would actually ensnare him. But caution is what keeps you alive, not carelessness.

Tigerclaw reached the stairs without running into any traps. He could hear the small movements the young one made as he squirmed in fear.

Yes, he could tell it was fear, he could smell it.

"It is no use young cub," said Tigerclaw speaking calmly as he climbed the questionably safe steps, "you have done well to make it this far. But you cannot beat me."

Tigerclaw almost made it to the top of the stairs but he froze when he saw Donnie rising into a standing position, arms raised, ready to fight.

Tigerclaw smiled, "Aw, it seems you are done with cheap tricks."

Donnie turned his hands into tight fists.

There was no noise to alert Tigerclaw to this next part. The stairs didn't creak or crack. The wood didn't give or slant.

Tigerclaw expected the stairs to collapse. It was just the sort of impressive yet childish feint that this enemy would perform. Yet Tigerclaw was a warrior, and as a warrior he lived by reaction through action.

Some sort of sign is given towards a certain option of attack, and he reacts based on that sign. Even if that sign was nothing more than an intake of breath, or a rustle of leaves.

That is the only reason why this trap worked, because nothing was given for the Tigerclaw to go on. No noise, no feeling of change in tell the last possible second. For this trap wasn't activated by anything Tigerclaw did or could have seen. The button for this trap was scotched tapped securely to Donatello's palm.

And so Tigerclaw crashed roughly to the ground on top of a splintery pile of wood and debris as the stairs and part of the wooden balcony itself broke beneath him.

Donnie felt a wave of exhilaration and triumph race through him as the tiger fell. He couldn't believe it! He had barely any time at all to come up with and build those second rate traps. And yet he'd managed to trick every single one of them! Honestly Donnie had expected only two of Shredder's goons, maybe three if he was lucky, too actually fall for those traps. Then hopefully he'd be able to at least make use of the traps that didn't go off when he was forced to fight the rest of whichever villains were left. But how could he have guessed that the scenario of the evil mutants' attack on him would play out just as he imagined it in his head!?

Donnie knew he was smart, but he didn't know he was that smart!

Unfortunately, as is the way of the world, there were two things that Donnie failed to account for.

One Tigerclaw was a tiger. A very sturdy, well trained in the art of falling, tiger. So yeah, Tigerclaw did not pass out after his unexpected fall.

And two, Tigerclaw had A DAMN JETPACK!

Just as Donnie began to flee the scene, deciding it best to gain as much distance as possible before the two still conscious cursing mutants could continue their chase. Tigerclaw blasted himself upwards with his tiny jetpack.

Donnie spun back around looking at the larger mutant nervously, "Uh, sewerapples?"

"Karai look isn't that Stockman?" asked Leo pointing out the strange shadowed shape of a man with dangly legs, flying through the air?

"Huh, I always thought his name was Steakman," Karai said giving Leo her version of an agreement.

The two were currently scaling the side of the hotel, lowering themselves one floor at a time below the first floor they visited. The two took turns peeking through windows to try and see if any sort of disturbance had been caused in that area before they lowered themselves to the next level.

But since they were having trouble finding windows that actually looked out into a hallway and not some poor sleeping occupant's room, the two were not making much progress. And Karai for one was more than grateful that Leo had picked up on something else for them to go on.

Now following Leo's lead the pair jumped to the hotels neighboring building grabbing onto the uniquely decorated wall much like Donnie had done before them. The two of them sped up the building and immediately positioned themselves into the best spot to observe the possible Stockmanfly.

Maybe it was the claw, or the giant head. But the two were quick to confirm that that was indeed Stockman.

The ugly fly mutant flew itself around and around a dismal looking grey building; much like a vulture would circle a dying animal in the desert.

"I bet Donnie's in there," said Leo who had already abandoned his crouched spying position to jump over the sidewall and make his way towards Stockman's place of interest. "I'm calling the others."

"Geez Leo, you're so cute when you're stating the obvious," said Karai following Leo's lead.

Leo's hand barley caught his next handhold as he tried to stay focused.

Knowing his only chance at beating Tigerclaw was hand to hand combat Donnie charged Tigerclaw right as Tigerclaw charged him. Tigerclaw threw the first punch; it was straight, true, and aimed right for Donnie's head.

Donnie twisted his body to the left to avoid the blow, while he palm struck the side of Tigerclaw's neck. But Tigerclaw already had his other hand up and ready to block this strike before Donnie even made skin contact.

Not wasting any time Donnie took another step around Tigerclaw's body landing his foot right against Tigerclaw's ankle, hoping for the added bonus of breaking it.

Too bad Tigers have different ankles than a human or it might have worked.

The two danced like that for a moment, both spinning only inches apart around the other trying to land a blow.

But this wasn't Tigerclaw's usual style of fighting. So he pounced backwards retrieving his freeze gun from his belt and shooting at Donnie. Donnie sidestepped out of the way of the blasts despite the terrains limited space. But he didn't expect Tigerclaw to fight him and shoot at the same time. Having no choice but to use his energy dodging another beam of ice Tigerclaw raced forward and tackled Donnie to the floor.

Tigerclaw was on top.

He punched Donnie once, twice in the face before Donnie managed to lean his body forward and bring his hands up to defend himself. Undeterred Tigerclaw sank his teeth into Donnie's raised arm tearing skin and flinging blood as he ripped his teeth back out.

"AAAAAGH!" Donnie cried out in pain. It wasn't a scream yet, but it was definitely a yell.

Squeezing Donnie's new wound with his pawed hand Tigerclaw rolled himself off of Donnie, using this spin to fling Donnie into the wall beside them.

Not trusting that this did the job, since Donnie did have a shell on, he drove three claws down the length of the downed turtle's right leg. Now Donnie screamed, in pain and in fear. After all once they get your legs, you can't run anymore.

"Now for your left," Tigerclaw promised raising his paw for one last strike.

The garage only had two windows, and both of those were inconveniently placed on the second floor, but nowhere near the wooden balcony. That didn't stop Karai and Leo from using the opening as an optional entrance. The two busted through the window, both holding onto Leo's grappling hook as the rope that had swung them over here went taunt and pulled the two back against the wall a few inches beneath the now shattered window. The two hung there awkwardly for a moment before taking in the scene around them.

Leo inwardly sighed in relief. Things looked bad, but that hotel room was worse. His brother was here, and he wasn't a pile of bloody mess on the floor.

Using the wall, Karai and Leo kicked themselves over and onto the wooden balcony where Tigerclaw and Donnie stood.

Not expecting this interruption Tigerclaw quickly grabbed Donnie's injured arm and held him out in front of him one handed, with the other hand he brought out one of his guns and had it pressed into Donnie's head right as Karai and Leo landed.

"Don't move foolish ones," said Tigerclaw squeezing onto Donnie's arm tighter, causing said turtle to gasp and raise his other hand up to push uselessly against Tirgerclaw's paw in an attempt to lessen the pain.

Karai and Leo did not move. They both stood there in fighting stances, being perfectly still, glaring at Tigerclaw.

Satisfied Tigerclaw smiled throwing the jostled Donnie over his shoulder as he turned to leave.

Three shurikins embedded themselves into Tigerclaw's gun, rendering it useless.

Karai smirked at her success as Leo charged forward hoping to separate his brother from Tigerclaw before he could go for another weapon to threaten Donnie with.

Leo knew from experience that Tigerclaw was a runner. He had to keep Donnie, and Karai, away from him, or Tigerclaw would just grab and go.

But what Leo didn't foresee, was Tigerclaw's utter fury! He loved his guns, he really REALLY loved his guns.

Roaring in rage Tigerclaw threw Donnie hard onto the floor and met Leo's charge. Tigerclaw dodged and blocked Leo swords with well-timed smacks and misdirection. In tell he had a clear shot to strike Leo's stomach. The punch was brutally powerful. Despite his shell Leo fell backwards onto his carapace, defenseless.

Tigerclaw took a step towards Leo. Only to have to dodge Karai's shorter sword while Leo got up and recovered his balance from the blow.

The three maneuvered around the platform, always managing to grab onto the side of the wooden stage if one of them were thrown off.

Too bad for team Leo, but so far Tigerclaw was never one of the three that had to scramble back onto the platform.

Meanwhile Donnie tried to stay out of the way, dragging himself and his injured leg back into the corner of the balcony. Even this small amount of movement made Donnie want to throw up his guts! His head hurt, bad. He would never underestimate a good punch in the face again.

His next action was a blow to his pride, and if he was Raph or Leo he might not have done it. But he was Donnie, and with his obvious concussion, this was the most logical thing to do. He retreated his head and limbs into his shell ignoring the pain as he put some much needed pressure onto his two bleeding injuries.

Meanwhile Karai and Leo had formed an unspoken mutual hatred for this sorry excuse of a battlefield. Between the two of them both swinging swords around, the balconies limited space quickly became a huge hindrance. But they couldn't leave Donnie alone up here with Tigerclaw, not even for a second. There were no guarantees that if the two of them jumped down that Tigerclaw would follow them instead of just taking Donnie and running.

After about the fifth time their swords almost clashed unproductively against one another Leo backed up realizing one of the only ways this was going to work. "Karai!" Leo shouted.

Karai immediately backed peddled to Leo's position sword at the ready, as his was.

"C'mon Karai together!" declared Leo putting one of his swords back into its sheath. The two got into a simple similar sword stance, the first sword stance that is taught to almost every sword fighter that can actually be useful in real combat.

With only having to take quick little glances at each other, the two charged Tigerclaw using the exact same strike, one to the left and one to the right.

Tigerclaw growled stopping Leo's sword before it could hit him, allowing Karai's sword to cut a clean straight slash across his side.

Tigerclaw roared in pain spinning towards Karai to target his built up anger towards her.

But the two had decided to take a lesson from his book. And Karai was already jumping down, fleeing the scene.

Realizing what they were doing Tigerclaw pounced blindly towards were he last saw Donnie tucked into the corner. Only to watch helplessly in midair as a blue blur of Leo, holding his brother's shell, bends down low and runs under Tigerclaw and over the wooden edge.

Karai is already down there waiting for Leo, as soon as the he lands she takes one side of Donnie's shell and the two of them sprint for the exit, holding Donnie between them.

They ran by Razor who had finally clawed his way off of that spike and out of the hole.

They ran past Rocksteady, who was just beginning to shake the pain out of his head.

And they ran past Bebop and Fishface, still both either effectively caught or unconscious.

The two didn't slow down in tell they were forced to so that Leo could open the door to the outside one handed.

They raced out, with Rocksteady, Razar, and Tigerclaw just behind them.

And to make matters worse Donnie, not realizing in his blood deprived state just how unhelpful it would be to come out of his shell right then. Slipped his limbs and head back out into the night air, forcing Karai and Leo to lose their hold on him.

Donnie grunted in pain as he hit the ground.

"Dang it Donnie get back in your shell!" shouted Leo.

But the damage was already done. The remaining mutants from Shredder's army charged them. Leo and Karai once again drew their swords to fight. When Leo hears someone land beside him.

And behind him.

And next to Karai.

"That better not be blood I see on my brother Leo, or these guys are dead," said Raph from beside Leo.

"At least those guys have some cuts too, it's only fair," Mikey commented angrily from beside Karai.

"My children we must get Donatello home," said Master Splinter as he kneeled to pick Donnie up and into his arms.

"No need to tell me twice Sensei," agreed Mikey happily pulling out three smoke eggs from his belt and throwing them to the ground.

Tigerclaw roared in fury racing forward, "NOOOOOOOOO!"

But by the time the smoke cleared there was nothing for the small party of evil injured mutants to find.

Back at the lair Donnie had to be immediately patched up. But his brothers still took turns expressing their glee and hugging him. Even Karai said 'thank you Donnie,' and wrapped her arms around his neck.

When everyone was done and Master Splinter finally kicked them out of the lab so he could properly treat his son's wounds, Leo went back for one more hug. Mostly he did this to keep Donnie occupied as Splinter dabbed his ragged flesh with more rubbing alcohol. But Leo also did it for himself, because his brother was safe, his whole family was safe. And that included Karai, thanks to Donnie.

Leo never did save Karai.

He wasn't the one who got her 'thank you.'

But he saved her and he saved him, saving her through him. And then she saved both of them.

And it will continue like this, round and around.

In tell one day the Hamato family couldn't even remember who the real savior of that rescue actually was.

"It was me," Leo assured them over the dinner table, "Just like the other one hundred and forty four and a half times. But who's really keeping track."

Karai groaned into her hands.

It didn't take long for Master Splinter to have to excuse himself from the table to get some aspirin for his growing headache as the indignant shouts of his children echoed throughout his home.

Splinter didn't really understand the fight, because at this point, in this family, does it actually matter?