Chapter Nineteen- Family

Leo groaned as he sat up, rubbing his head. He looked around, finding himself surrounded by bits of concrete, wood, and various other bits of debris. A few grunts sounded under some wood, and two claws burst from the debris. Kuro pulled herself from the wood, growling as she stood.

"Are you okay?" Leo asked, reaching out towards Kuro.

Kuro suddenly grabbed Leo's wrist and flipped him over to his back, holding her claws to his nose. "What in the good name of ninjutsu were you thinking?"

Leo narrowed his eyes and pushed Kuro aside. "So I followed you. Big whoop. Maybe we should be more worried about getting out of here."

"Are you serious?" Kuro scoffed. "I should give you some facial scars for following me and putting us both in danger!" She pointed her claws at the turtle. "You're insolence—AH!" Kuro hissed in pain and clutched her arm.

Leo's glare melted into a concerned glance. "Are you okay?"

Kuro shed her sweatshirt and inspected her arm. A nasty cut, surrounded by a slight burn, grazed her upper arm, halfway between her shoulder and elbow. Blood trickled from the cut and down her arm. Kuro grit her teeth and sat down, staring at the wound. She wished she had brought a canteen of water or a small first aid kit or anything that could help. But she didn't think it necessary. Now, she regretted it deeply. Then, a pair of green hands wrapped a strip of blue cloth around her wound, tightening it sharply yet gently. Kuro hissed in pain, but her eyes widened when she looked up at Leonardo and saw his mask-less face.

"Leo?" Kuro blinked in surprise. "What are you—?"

"I think it'd be best if we didn't let that bleed out." Leo shrugged.

Kuro couldn't help but stare. "You look…..so different without your mask."

Leo smirked. "Well, I guess it is a little weird to nothave my mask on. I've worn it for years. Only Splinter has ever seen us without our masks."

Kuro stared for a moment, her dark brown eyes locked on Leo's deep blue ones. For the first time, she seemed to notice the blue of his eyes instead of the blue of his mask. Leo's eyes looked like the color of the deep blue sea on a clear day at the beach. Kuro looked down at the makeshift bandage around her arm, then back up at the mutant turtle with the mystical blue eyes. "Why do this? I thought you hated me."

"Whoever said I hated you?" Leo asked, sitting cross-legged in front of Kuro.

Kuro shrugged. "Well, you certainly seemed pretty miffed when I beat you in the competition."

Leo sighed. "Truthfully, I wanted to both smack you and bang my head against a brick wall. But I never hated you; I only hated myself for letting my arrogance get the better of me."

"Hey, come on. It happens to all of us." Kuro assured. "Even me. I believe my arrogance was one of the reasons I challenged you in the first place."

"What was the other reason?" Leo asked. Kuro looked down. "You don't have to tell me, I guess."

Kuro looked up and smiled a little. "No, I suppose I can tell you." Make him trust me more, so that the look on his face will be priceless when I finally kill him. "I wanted to take control as leader because I wanted to relieve you of the burden."

"Burden?" Leo cocked his head.

"To bear the weight of leadership is a great task." Kuro explained. "I took what I saw from you leading the Turtles and saw you as a teenage boy trying to be a man. I saw you as unfit to lead, so I took over."

"What makes you the better leader?" Leo asked, a little challengingly.

"I practice." Kuro smiled. "I was more concerned about relieving you of the burden."

"Why do you care?" Leo asked, looking more and more confused by the minute. "We've only known you for so long."

Kuro thought for a moment. "I don't know. I really don't know." She leaned back against a stray mattress in the rubble. "I guess, if you look at it from a psychologist point of view, it stems from the desire to have a family sort of love that my parents denied me that I hope to recreate through you."

Leo blinked. Kuro's words obviously went right over his head. "Say what?"

Kuro laughed. "My parents never showed me any kind of love. So I look to you guys as my new family in hopes to compensate."

Leo smiled. "Well, we know that April accepts you as family. And Mikey certainly seems to like you. As for everyone else, if they don't like you by now they can just deal with it."

"What about Splinter?" Kuro asked.

"Splinter definitely likes you." Leo nodded. "He sees something special in you."

"Special?" Kuro cocked her head and laughed a little. "Like you guys?"

"Hey, he has to like us." Leo shrugged. "We're his sons."

"I don't think that means he has to like you." Kuro shrugged. "Has he ever lashed out at you? Like physically? Apart from randori."

Leo's smile disappeared a little. "There was the incident with the Rat King."

"Oh yeah, April told me a little about that." Kuro nodded. "What happened?"

"There was this guy, Dr. Victor Falco." Leo explained. "He messed with mutagen and turned all corpse-like, with a telepathic connection to rats. When he found Splinter, he fought to make him join his army. He attacked Splinter's mind, showing him things that hurt him physically, mentally, and maybe even emotionally. Finally, the Rat King got full control over Splinter, and he forced him to attack us. We fought back, but…."

"He kicked your shells?" Kuro guessed.

"Nothing less." Leo nodded. "It took a lot to even distract him, and even then he came close to killing us. Then he remembered who we were; we're his sons."

Kuro smiled softly. "And that helped him break free from the Rat King?"

Leo nodded again. "Splinter is the only dad we've ever known. He took us in from the pet store before we mutated, and then raised us as his sons when we changed. It was, by far, one of the nicest things he has ever done for us. Don't get me wrong; we're four teenaged boys. We get on his nerves sometimes and I think there are times when he wants to chain us up down in the lair to keep us out of danger."

Kuro noted how he said "danger" and not "trouble".

"But he loves us." Leo finished. "And we love him. He's our father and we couldn't ask for a better one." He smiled at Kuro. "And if I know Splinter, I know he's accepted you just like he accepted April."

Kuro laughed again. "And what about you, Leonardo?"

Leo didn't speak for a moment. He stared off into space, his thoughts swirling around his brain. Kuro sat up, waiting patiently for his answer. Finally, Leo looked into Kuro's eyes and smiled. "I think that if we had gotten off on a better foot, we would be getting along a lot better. Like now, for instance."

"Good point." Kuro nodded. She lightly punched his shoulder. "Thanks for that, Leo. You're a good friend; and an even better brother."

"Thanks, Kuro." Leo smiled, rubbing his arm.

"Now how do you suppose we get out of here?" Kuro asked, looking up at the debris surrounding them. She checked her phone. "Believe it or not, I have no cell service whatsoever." That wasn't true, of course; but Kuro wanted to see what Leo would do, to see if she would be correct in her theory.

Leo looked around, analyzing his surroundings. He spotted something out of all the wreckage and his eyes lit up. He pushed some debris away, revealing a hole in the wall just big enough for them to crawl through. "This way." Leo gestured to the hole.

"You sure?" Kuro asked uncertainly.

"Trust me." Leo nodded, crawling through the hole. Kuro pulled on her sweatshirt and followed close behind. Leo and Kuro crawled over and under debris, Leo carefully clearing away wood and rocks so that they had a path to travel and so that nothing fell upon them. It was a long trek, over and under much of the destroyed apartment, before they finally broke through to the fresh air. They quickly slipped through a manhole before anyone noticed them and knuckled-bumped.

"Nice thinking, Leonardo." Kuro complimented.

"Thanks." Leo smiled. "Come on; we better head back before the others start to worry."

Kuro smirked. "Race ya there!" She took off down the tunnel, Leo right beside her. They laughed and shoved each other playfully all the way to the lair. Kuro leaped over the turntables. "Winner!"

"As if!" Leo laughed.

"You actually think you could've beaten me?" Kuro challenged.

"There you guys are!" Mikey greeted them warmly. "We thought you'd never come back!" He turned and called down the hall. "Hey Master Splinter! They're back!"

Splinter came around the corner, looking quite relieved to see Leo and Kuro alive and home. "Good. I became worried when you ran off, Leonardo."

"Sorry, Sensei." Leo bowed respectfully.

"What happened to your mask?" Splinter asked.

"Find any info on the Kraang?" Donnie added.

"I got to the building, but the Kraang found me." Kuro explained. She shed her sweatshirt and showed everyone Leo's mask, still tied snugly around her wound. "Leo came and helped me out when I became hurt. The building collapsed on top of us, but Leo remained strong and led us to safety." She bowed to Splinter. "I apologize, for it was my mistake that put us in danger."

Splinter only smiled. "The blame cannot be fully put upon you, Kuro. Your intentions were good."

"But it was because of Leo's leadership that got us to safety." Kuro assured. "And I wish to return leadership to him."

Everyone stared, both surprised and a little happy for Leo. "Really?" Raph laughed a little. "Why?"

"Because he can keep track of a bunch of goofy boys better than I can." Kuro laughed, walking off to the kitchen. But she turned at the last minute and secretly winked at Leo. The eldest turtle smiled knowingly and accepted Raph's good-hearted slap on the back in congratulations.

Kuro's smile went from sincere to sinister as she rummaged through the cabinets for the first aid kit. Show them kindness, and earn their trust. She instructed herself. Then your betrayal will add salt to an open wound.

"Looking for this?"

Kuro jumped and whipped around to see Mikey standing by the kitchen's island with a first aid kit. "Thanks." Kuro nodded, reaching for the bag. But Mikey held it out of her reach.

"Let me help you." Mikey offered, pulling up a stool. Kuro looked hesitant, but sat on the stool opposite of Mikey and allowed him to untie Leo's mask from her arm. She hissed in pain when he wiped a disinfectant over the cut. "Sorry."

"No problem." Kuro shook her head. "It's smart to disinfect." Mikey smiled and continued to work, rummaging around a little for the roll of gauze. "So…...if Leo's the leader, Donnie's the brainiac, and Raph's the muscle…..does that make you the medic?"

Mikey's movements became slower, and his face fell. "No…."

"Then what's your role in the team?" Kuro asked innocently.

Mikey snipped the gauze and tied the knot tightly. "I don't really have one. I'm the overly trusting goofball that messes everything up."

"How so?" Kuro asked.

"I know we're all kinda the same age, but I'm the smallest and the youngest." Mikey sighed. "I'm loud, clumsy, stupid and a living punching bag for Raph." He rubbed is head, like Raph had just hit him there.

"You are not stupid." Kuro assured. "If anything, the others are the stupid ones for not respecting you enough."

"But it's like you said, they all have a role." Mikey protested. "Leo's the leader. Raph is the muscle and the hard fist. Donnie is the tech geek and he's the doctor in the family. What does that make me? The runt of the litter, that's what."

Kuro smiled warmly, giving Mikey's hand a squeeze. "You know what you are?" Mikey shook his head. "You're the light in everyone's lives. You keep their spirits up by doing crazy things to make them laugh. You keep on fighting even if the battle seems lost. You're the optimist that always looks to the bright side, even if there isn't one."

Mikey's smile slowly started to come back, and the brightness returned to his periwinkle eyes. "You really think so?"

Kuro nodded honestly. "You know what you are? You're the hope that stays strong even in the most hopeless of battles. And that is something that can never be replaced. It's one of the things I love about you. So what if you're the smallest of the family? You're still a family."

"Yeah." Mikey nodded.

"And don't worry about the whole 'overly trusting' thing." Kuro assured. "You're trustworthy overall. I would trust you with my life." Mikey still looked unsure, and Kuro looked around. "Can I tell you a secret?"

Mikey looked excited. "If you trust me."

Kuro nodded. "Well, I kinda lied about my parents. Yes, my father works all the time and I don't see him very often. But…I don't have a mother. She died when I was a baby. Murdered more like it."

Mikey's smile disappeared. "Oh, I'm sorry."

"Don't be." Kuro waved it off, even though her heart hurt. "She was killed when I was only a few months old. I don't remember her much."

"Really?"

"Well, I do remember a lullaby. I sometimes dream about her and my father singing me to sleep. This is weird because my father isn't really the singing type. I don't think he even likes music."

Mikey laughed. "Your mom sounds really nice."

Kuro nodded. "I do miss her. I just wish my father was a little more….fatherly."

Mikey flashed a smile that made him look like a jack-o'-lantern. He hugged Kuro tightly. "Thanks, Kuro. For everything."

Kuro only nodded and walked off to the dojo to train. But her smile slowly disappeared. What am I doing? These guys are my enemies. So why in the good name of Oroku Saki am I being nice for? I should've cut them down ages ago. Kuro paused, standing in the middle of the training room and staring at the tatami mats on the floor. Then again…these guys have been awfully nice to me. Especially Mikey and Splinter. But why? Father always told me that these guys were ruthless and evil, just like their Sensei Splinter. So why is it that they have shown me nothing but kindness this entire time? Sure, we argue sometimes, but not once have they ever been hostile towards me. Not even when they saw my gauntlets. Kuro stared at the gauntlets on her wrists, extending the claws. My father has told me everything he knows about the Turtles. Yet it sounds like he never met them before. She shook her head. No, my father would never lie to me. He's my loving father and I am his devoted daughter. He's not a liar.

"Kuro?"

Kuro jumped and spun around to see Splinter mere feet behind her. "Sensei, you startled me."

Splinter chuckled. "You looked very deep in thought. I apologize for interrupting."

"It's nothing." Kuro shook her head. She started practicing with her gauntlets, going through intricate katas and moves. Splinter watched her for a moment.

"Keep your arm straight." He said.

Kuro paused halfway through her kata. She stared quizzically at Splinter. "What?"

Splinter walked up to her and straightened out the arm she held in a punch. "You're strikes should go through your opponent, not just hit them."

Kuro tried the punch again, and even she could see how much more powerful it felt. "Thanks." Splinter nodded, smiling softly. Kuro's eyebrows furrowed in concern. "Are you all right?"

"I am fine." Splinter nodded, ignoring the nagging feeling tugging at his stomach. "Do it again."

Kuro smiled and continued her katas, sincerely listening to Splinter's tips the entire time.

Dr. O'Neil sighed, carefully setting the final card at the top of the pyramid he created for the thousandth time. He was bored out of his mind. But the door and window were both locked and he long since ate the food left for him. This Moon Shadow told him to stay where he was, but he couldn't fight the overwhelming desire to break out of there and get to his daughter. He hated to think about what Moon Shadow might do to April, but he didn't want to risk anything even with freedom so close he could've cried.

"Hey."

Dr. O'Neil jumped, his card pyramid toppling over. He spun around to see a ninja with a katana crouched in the open window. "Moon Shadow, right?"

"Put this on." Moon Shadow ordered, tossing a black bandana at him.

"Why?" Dr. O'Neil narrowed his eyes.

"Do it before I knock you unconscious." Moon Shadow snapped.

April sighed, flipping through her old scrapbook. Her mother used to scrapbook all the time, and April quickly adopted the pastime. This particular scrapbook was of her time with the Turtles: training with Splinter, hanging with the boys, some of them even kicking bad guys' butts with her friends. Finally, April came to the picture of her and Splinter at the Father-Daughter Dance. She stared at it for a moment, noting how different he looked when he was a human. The human Splinter in the picture stood tall and proud, with his hands on April's shoulders and smiling warmly, as though he stood with his own daughter. The April in the picture also stood straight up and strong, beaming with pride as she held one of Splinter's hands.

But real-life April wasn't happy. She gently touched Splinter's picture, thinking back to the times she went to the dance with her father. She sniffed a little, fighting tears. She cried all her tears. What more could she do? She loved having Splinter for a father figure and that was all she needed, right? But as she stared at the picture of her and Splinter, she couldn't help but think about her real father, Dr. Kirby O'Neil, and everything he had ever done for her, especially when he sacrificed his freedom for her and the boys to escape the last time they tried to rescue him.

Finally, April hugged the scrapbook to her chest. She trembled a little, fighting the sobs rocking her body.

Aunt Kelsey opened the oven and pulled out the cake inside, closing the oven with her foot. She whistled happily, inhaling the sweet scent of the chocolate cake. "If my famous chocolate cake doesn't cheer April up, I don't know what will."

Knock knock knock.

"Coming!" Aunt Kelsey called. She hummed to herself, sipping her glass of water as she briskly walked to the door. When she opened the door, though, she spewed the water in her mouth. She slammed the door shut and panted a little. Tentatively, she opened the door again, staring at the person on the other side.

"Hey Kels." They greeted.

April jumped when she heard glass shattering. She stared at her bedroom door, wide eyed and slowly standing from her bed. "Aunt Kelsey?" She called. A scream met her ears, and April darted out the door. "Aunt Kelsey! What's wrong?" But she skidded to a halt when she reached the front door. Aunt Kelsey stood there, squeezing the life out of the man standing in the doorway. The man had flaming red hair, dirty slacks, and an equally as dirty jacket. The man looked up and smiled warmly at April. Aunt Kelsey stood aside, her hand over her mouth, and let the man approach April. For a long moment, the man and teenager stared at each other.

"Hey April." Dr. O'Neil greeted.

"Daddy…." April felt tears well up in her eyes and she gladly let them spill over. She almost fell into her father's arms as she hugged him, burying her face in his chest. Dr. O'Neil lifted April up and spun her around, holding his daughter close. They stay locked in a tight hug, both worried that if they let go it would all fall apart and reveal itself a cruel dream. But it wasn't a dream. April's father was home. He was home. Aunt Kelsey joined the hug moments later. The three of them laughed and cried and hugged each other, worried that the tender moment would pass too quickly.

"Welcome home, Dad." April sighed.

Dr. O'Neil kissed his daughter's head. "I love you, April."

"What am I, chopped liver?" Aunt Kelsey laughed, lightly punching her brother's shoulder.

A/N: I'm not gonna cry….I'm not gonna cry…WAAAAAAHHHHHHH! April got her dad back! Hooray! Oh wait, why am I cheering? I made it so!

How is everything going? I don't wanna sound pushy, really I don't. But can I get a review outta my lovely readers? Thanks a mil!