Leo's Side
He got out of the couch and looked around. This place...seemed so...familiar, but where had he seen it? He walked around the lair, trying to find the reason why the place seemed familiar, as though this place was his home or something. He peeked into an open door, and found a freckled turtle sleeping on the bed. "This must be his room or something." He thought. He went into the room and soon, he felt his heart swelling with love and protectiveness. Before he knew it, he pulled the blanket further onto Mikey's shoulders. He put his hand over his shoulder. "Don't be sad, Mikey, we are here now." He quietly left and closed the door.

A few seconds later, he wondered about what had happened? Who was Mikey? What was going on in there? Why did he feel that urge to protect him? He wandered into the dojo.

Normal Side
Master Splinter was already in the dojo, meditating. He smiled as he felt the presence of his oldest son. "Come in, Leonardo. I see that you have awakened." The small turtle hesitated for a moment, wondering if Leonardo was his name or something. Concluding that it was, he quietly stepped into the dojo. "Kneel down on your knees, Leonardo. It is a sign of politeness." Leo respectfully obeyed him. Master Splinter smiled. Even though he might have resurrected and most likely, not remember a thing about his past life, he still possessed characteristics that he had during his past life.

"First of all, welcome home, my son. Your brother and I have missed you very much." He embraced Leo tightly. Leo was confused at first, but he felt a sense of fatherly love in the air. He leaned against Master Splinter. "This is my...home?" "Yes." "And I am your...son?" "That is correct, Leonardo. This is your home." "Oh, I see..." "I understand that you are confused, Leonardo. May I ask what happened to all of you? Why were you in the hands of our enemies?"

"Our enemies?" Leo was alarmed. "I'm sorry...uh..." "I am your father, Leonardo. But when we are in training or in the dojo, I suggest that you address me as Sensei, which is 'Teacher' in Japanese." "I'm sorry, Sensei. I did not know that we are in the hands of our enemies. All I can remember is that the fly guy said that we are created using some sort of DNA. We were in the lab because he wanted to make sure that we can serve his master properly." "His master?" "Yeah, his master...Sensei. He said that he wanted us to become his perfect soldiers."

Master Splinter's blood boiled when he heard that his sons were being treated as soldiers and tools by the Shredder. Leo was hit by a whip twice for not understanding what the Shredder wanted. His other sons were also not spared. "Saki, the next time we meet, do not expect any mercy." He silently vowed as he looked at his son's injuries in worry. Just then, Mikey came in. "Sensei, do you need anything...Woah..." Mikey was startled when he saw Leo there. He was not used to having 3 more turtles in the lair, since his brothers were gone.

"I need some tea, Michelangelo. Thank you. Leonardo, you may now join Michelangelo." "Yes...Sensei." Leo quickly left the dojo and followed Mikey. Master Splinter smiled and closed the door. His sons might have been mistreated by their enemies, but they were home now, and that's what mattered.

Mikey and Leo's Side
"So...your name is Michelangelo?" "Yeah, but everyone calls me Mikey." Leo suddenly felt his head hurting. His memories were starting to come back. "Are you alright, dude?" Mikey asked worriedly. "I'm...fine...I suppose." Mikey picked Leo up and carried him all the way to the kitchen. "So, this is where you cook, Mikey?" "Yeah, this is where I cook. You like it? I wanted to call it, the Cooking Supreme or something, but my brothers...did not like that name." His eyes suddenly dulled at the mention of his bros. "Are you ok?" Leo asked worriedly, seeing the sudden change in mood.

"I'm fine, dude! It's just that...My bros...They were...They were gone..." "Gone where?" Leo asked. "Gone to...a better place now..." Mikey said. "But don't worry. I got over it and now I am officially back and as awesome as ever! What would you guys like to eat?" "Anything...I guess." "Fine! I will make French Toast! Would you like that?" "Yeah, I would." Leo smiled. Mikey immediately took the ingredients and started cooking. Leo did not know whether he was imagining or not, but he caught a hint of sadness in Mikey's eyes.

When Mikey put his hand on the table, Leo gave it a light squeeze. Mikey felt the squeeze and smiled. "You know...You look like my oldest brother, Leo." "Really?" "Yeah. He was...a great leader." "You seem to love your brother very much." "Yeah, I love all my bros. I mean...Who doesn't?" Mikey smiled as he was getting the dough ready. "Tell me about this brother of yours." "You sure?" "Yeah. Just tell me." "Fine." Mikey looked at Leo's begging eyes and giggled a bit.

"Leo. He's a...a great leader." He began. "Ever since we were little, he was always...mature...like you. He was always worrying about things, such as being a good leader to us, protecting us, being responsible for our safety...you know...leader stuff." Mikey said with a proud smile on his face. "What he doesn't know is that, he is already a good leader to all of us. He doesn't need to be worried about failing us, because we will always be there, no matter what." He cut the dough into triangle shapes before putting oil into the pan. He then put the dough in. "Be careful, dude. Or not, you will get burned." Leo stood back while Mikey put the dough into the frying pan. The pan made a sizzling sound.

"That night...He...He and my other bros, Donnie and Raph...got killed by the Shredder. They were almost absorbed by the Blood Spirit which lived inside the Stone, but they escaped. Their spirits...well...how do I say this...All that matters now is that they are in a happy place now, full of sunshine and laughter. I am holding up nicely, so I am OK." Mikey flipped the toasts in the pan so that both sides would be cooked properly.

"You know, I'm sure that your brothers would like to know about how you feel." Leo said. "Really?" "Yeah, you should tell them." "Hmm...Maybe someday, when we meet again, I will tell them. But for now..." He put the toasts on the plates. "I will take care of little kids like you." He lifted Leo up in the air and Leo giggled. "That was fun! We should do this more often! Uh...Why do you have spots on your face?" "Oh, these are called freckles, dude. This is no surprise since I am the cute one." Mikey laughed at his own joke. Leo smiled.

"Why don't we wake the others up?" Mikey carried Leo out of the kitchen and into the pit. Just then, Leo felt his head hurting like crazy, but he did not tell Mikey about it. He closed his eyes and decided to embrace the visions and his memories. He remembered what had happened when they were about ten.

-START FLASHBACK-
Leo: Mikey, are you ok?
Mikey: Yeah, bro, I'm fine.
Leo: No, you're not. You are crying, Mikey. Why don't you tell me what's wrong, so that I can help you?
Mikey: Well...I had a nightmare.
Leo: Ok...What's it about?"
Mikey: Oh...I don't think I want to...I...I am afraid, Leo. The nightmare will come true.
Leo: No, Mikey, it won't. I promise.
Mikey: Really?
Leo: Yeah. So why don't you tell me?
Mikey: Fine. I looked around me and everything was dark. Suddenly, this monster was standing right on top of you. It said that you were...dead. You were dead, Leo. You were dead, Leo!
Leo: Mikey, I...
Mikey: That monster took everyone away and said that it wanted to eat me! I don't want anyone to leave me all alone, Leo! I don't want that monster to eat me! I don't want anyone to die!

"Mikey..." Leo let his instincts take over and hugged him tightly. "I'm here, Mikey. I'm here. I will not leave you alone. Even if there is a giant monster, I won't leave. I will stay and protect you." "Promise?" Leo kissed Mikey on the top of his forehead. "Promise."

-END FLASHBACK-

Leo leaned against Mikey's shoulder. "You don't need to feel sad anymore, Mikey. I am here, and I will protect you." He thought, while he and Mikey approached the couch. He might not have understood all of the memories and visions, but he knew one thing. He will protect Mikey, from any enemy that they might come across. He stroked Mikey' shoulders gently. No enemy is going to harm him. Ever.

-TO BE CONTINUED-