A/N: Okay, so I'm struggling with the plateau of my story here e-e. I'm trying to not ramble on and on with random nonsense. So, essentially, this is another chapter with some downtime for the turtles and hybrids, hopefully I accomplished that sort of vibe. That relaxed and "Ahhh..." feeling. Be nice with your reviews? ; ~ ; I'm tryin here!

NOTICE: THIS STORY HAS OC CHARACTERS. IF YOU'D LIKE TO SEE WHAT ANY OF THEM LOOK LIKE, PLEASE CHECK THE LINKS ON MY PROFILE FOR YOUR VISUAL AID.

"I will say this, Leonardo. Parenthood does not come without its hardships. You are always worried that your child will get hurt or into some trouble. And when they grow up, you fret over wondering if you did well enough in raising them," Leo smiled.

"You did a great job, Sensei. I think what I'm most worried about is that Micah guy," The paw on the dome of his head pat the skin and returned to Splinter. The sisters gabbed about anything and everything, Leo couldn't really hear. But he could see the smile on Shiho's face now that she had her family in her sight, even that angry gecko. Their fight seemed to be dust under the rug between them.

"Everything will fall into place. Our focus now, is keeping these new members aware that we hide in shadow. We cannot afford to breach the surface and have our location given away to Shiho's creator," Leo curled his lips and nodded. Shiho leaned over the couch and waved for him to come join with a grin on her pretty face. He could get used to seeing that type of smile, he hadn't seen it before. Splinter politely dismissed his son and went back to his study to meditate.

All of this excitement before 9am. He was getting too old for this.

The first week for the turtles, even Shiho, was the hardest with the new sisters. Adjusting life to having three more hybrids hiding out in the lair was enough to make the mutants rip their masks off and rage quit. The only benefit, at least in Leo's mind, was there were at last no more secrets about Shiho that he had to discover. She was finally the open book that he'd been trying to get through for almost a year, her pages weathered and torn in places from where he'd try to over analyze and re-read her life and demons.

Getting used to a room full of girls wasn't difficult for Michelangelo. Fiona, Saundra, and Aanika all shared the same room to keep the lair as normal as possible. All too often the oldest hybrid had to drag the ninja by the bandana tails away from peeking inside when Fiona was changing clothes. The atmosphere felt whole again, like the girls were what the place was missing to really give it a completed vibe.

Shiho and her sisters had jumped onto the support beams of the work-out room while the boys practiced. On the side in Splinter's lap sat the youngest hybrid as he spoke to her of the techniques and energies of ninjitsu, pointing out small things that his sons were doing that he'd eventually teach her as she grew up. In the darkness of the ceiling, Shiho smiled as she watched the silent one clap her small hands and point at Leonardo as he jumped, kicked, and struck the practice dummies with one or both of his katanas. Beside her to the left, Saundra's snout bared sharp teeth in her smile.

"I'm starting to get what makes you so crazy about him," She said, nudging the oldest in the ribs. Tall ears opened as Shiho glanced at the gecko.

"What do you mean?" Shiho's confusion deepened when her reptilian sister sighed and rested her elbow on her thigh with her chin in her palm. She looked star struck, Shiho couldn't understand why until she followed that intense honey gaze to the turtles below. To one turtle in particular; Raphael. Shiho's smug little smile curved her dark lips as she started to get the gist.

"Ahh, you like Raphael. Which is….surprising," Shiho chuckled with Fiona as they noticed a pink blush spread itself across Saundra's spotted snout. "It's not so strange after all, huh?"

"It's those muscles!" Saundra hissed sharply which made her sisters giggle and snort in response. "Stop laughing!"

"Hahahaha, oh Sandy. You've got it bad for Raphie. Soon you'll be swooning over his hothead self the way I did over Leo," Shiho wiped the tear out of the corner of her eye that had formed in her laughter. Her shoulders still shook from little chuckles, but her teasing had come to its end. For now, at least. Knowing that Saundra was getting sweet on Raphael was too rich to not poke at.

"How did you even find yourself attracted to Leo in the first place, Shiho? I mean, you had to have noticed he was a giant turtle at first glance," Fiona said, busily braiding her straightened fiery red hair. Shiho braced the support beam and leaned forward as she watched her mate work himself into a gleaming sweat. Her expression softened as her canine sunk into her lip, a girlish smile forming. Leo still gave her as many butterflies in her belly as he did in the beginning, Shiho just couldn't understand what it was about him that made her so weak.

"I screamed actually after I regained consciousness. I mean, I wake up in this strange place with a turtle man staring me in the face. Then in came this enormous rat and more turtles. Heh, I pissed off Raphael at first, so he left," Shiho had caught Leonardo's attention, he felt her heavy gaze on him and winked at her. More tingles. "But, he was nice to me. He showed me more compassion than Marcus ever did and I guess I just got attached. Over time I just started noticing how bodaciously fit he was, and charming, and sweet—"

"Alright, alright. He was a real Casanova, we get it. So it's been a real fairy tale since you guys met huh?" Saundra said, interjecting and earning herself a glowing violet glare in response. Shiho hated when she was interrupted, a habit that Saundra had never been able to break.

"Actually, no. Things got bumpy after the Madness was brought out for the first time. This kid got kidnapped by some members of the Purple Dragons and I lost control. Made a meal out of a gangster's spine. I left and was gone for like a month," Shiho's nails tapped at the steel as she watched Splinter showing the youngster how to stand. Leo was knelt behind her using his hands to guide her with his father's instruction, the scene below made her stomach flutter with more intensity.

"Where'd you go? You can't exactly blend in with the city people," Fiona said. Her long braid hung over her shoulder as a few strands hung in her face, un-straightened. The red-headed fox kept her gaze fixated on Donatello as she listened.

"Micah says she was a stripper,"

"Saundra!"

"What?! He was following you for months trying to get a hold of you and he noticed the new club go up and you go in every day for what, three weeks?" Shiho didn't look amused; it was frustrating enough that Micah was tailing her like he owned her.

"Really? A stripper?" The redhead said. Shiho sighed, exasperated.

"Yeah, yeah. Leo found me and brought me back, though. Kept the outfits I wore at his request," The two younger sisters giggled and leaned over to look at each other across Shiho's legs. She felt compelled to push them off the beam, but that would interrupt practice.

"So…how does it work?" Saundra pushed on. She caught those glowing violet eyes roll around in Shiho's skull before her head slumped down. "Oh come on, now I have to know,"

"You really don't. It isn't as complicated as you think it is, Sandy. They're mutated, their anatomy is more human than anything," Shiho felt the heat in her face. She caught her mind pulling up that memory of that first night with Leo, that first time. Her lips curled and her nails scratched at the back of her head while her thighs pressed and rubbed together. Fiona noticed the change in her sister's body language and had to look away, she couldn't imagine Shiho doing something like that.

"Interesting…did it hurt?"

"Ack! You know, let's talk about something else. I'm not going to participate in Scandalous Storytime with you, that's private. And that's how it'll stay," Shiho was firm, what happened between her and Leo was strictly their business. It was bad enough that his brothers were constantly trying to hide cameras in his room. Shiho shook her head and brought her focus back down to her working mate.

"Tell me about, Donnie," Fiona said sheepishly, hiding her own blush. Looks like Shiho wasn't the only one with the hots for a mutant turtle. She couldn't blame her sisters, the boys were something to admire. She went on gossiping high in the rafters with her sisters until the end of practice.

"You comin' down?" Leo called up to his mate, holding his arms open. He was panting slightly and sweating around the mask, beads rolling down his neck. She loved the way he looked after a good work out, his skin became moist and the veins in his muscles stood out more. Shiho glanced between her two sisters and shrugged with a smile before leaping down. The two gasped and reached out for her and scowled when Leo caught her, they hated when she scared them like that. "Hey,"

"Hey yourself, Handsome," Shiho flirted, giving him a cheeky wink. "How'd she do?"

Leo set his vixen on her tiny feet as her sisters jumped down and chased after the other three turtles. That gecko was hot on Raphael's tail and pounced on him from behind, making him roll with her clinging to his shell. Fiona on the other hand, she hung onto the bend in Donnie's elbow as he went on about some book he read to impress her. Shiho's bright eyes rolled in annoyance when her leg was clutched, tiny arms wrapping around her thigh.

"She's getting it. Splinter says she's a fast learner," Shiho's hand reached down to caress the young one's hair and ears, tucking strands out of her face. Leo wasn't able to stop his own hand from petting Aanika's head. He found himself surprised when she leaned into his palm.

"Guess she's starting to like you." Shiho said and knelt down beside the little fox. Brushing brunette bangs out of giant, blue eyes the vixen nuzzled her plump cheek. "You like Leo? Hmm?"

Shiho noticed the toddler struggling with something, her lips twisted and trembled as her brows furrowed together. Leo came down on one knee in front of the youngster and glanced between her and Shiho. It finally came to the vixen…she was trying to talk. Her heart thumped in her chest as the child fought to make words form, concentrating hard to find the right thing to say.

"Leo she's…" Shiho was awestruck, unable to finish a coherent sentence watching her young one make tiny grunts and clench her small hands into fists. Her mate placed his hand against her shoulder and gave it a squeeze, still waiting patiently. "What are you trying to say, Pumpkin?"

Short arms outstretched and wrapped around Leo's neck as Aanika stepped forward and embraced him. She knew where his ear was on his head and pressed her cheek against his and started to mumble. She'd never spoken before now, he imagined trying to use her tongue and lips to form the words was harder than it must have appeared.

"L-Leo…D-…" She stopped, her voice was mousy, and high in pitch. Shiho's hands covered her mouth, hearing Aanika's voice for the first time overwhelmed her more than she imagined it would. Leo gawked at his mate with wide eyes, his arm tucked around the toddler as he stood up.

"What about Leo, baby?" Shiho urged softly. Her little butt sat against Leo's forearm as he held her up against his plastron. In her fingers, she twisted his bandana tails. Shiho almost couldn't bare the suspense and tried her best to harness her racing pulse. Aanika pointed with a stubby finger into Leo's chest and then pointed to herself. "Leo is…yours?"

Shiho's dark brow arched curiously when her little head nodded furiously. Leo gulped; he didn't quite understand what that meant. Stepping to his side to look at the toddler in the face, Shiho placed her hands against his bicep.

"Like, Uncle Leo?" Shiho guessed. Aanika shook her head to disagree. Violet eyes widened and pooled at the bottom lid with tears. "Oh Aanika…you think Leo is your dad…don't you, Baby?"

Aanika grinned and nodded, stilling pointing between herself and the ninja as Shiho put the pieces of her unspoken puzzle together. Leo almost stumbled and dropped the toddler and caught her before she tumbled out of his arms. It became abundantly clear to him that Shiho had more of an influence on the toddler than he anticipated, more so her ability to ignore the obvious difference between herself and him. He absolutely loved her.

"Is that true, kid?" Leo asked. A small hand thumped him on the snout as if to say Of course! Leo rubbed his nose and chuckled. He was more elated than he was showing, Shiho on the other hand was in tears.

"Oh Leo…I guess she figured it out on her own. It's amazing," Shiho pressed a kiss to Aanika's temple and ran her fingers through the fine strands of her hair. Never in her life had she imagined that she'd hear Aanika talk, let alone claim another male as her parent. She'd come so far since getting out of the lab. Shiho's moment was broken when she heard the obnoxious growling of the toddler's stomach.

"Pizza!" She yelped and wiggled until Leo let her down and she hit the ground running towards the smell of dinner. Shiho didn't even get the chance to relish in the excitement of Aanika saying another word when she realized what it was that she'd said. Her face fall into an expression of irritation.

"Pizza…Michelangelo," She muttered. Leo's arm came tightly around her waist and crushed her against his front. With one hand, he dug his fingers into her long hair and leaned her head back. Shiho whimpered when he kissed her deeply, her arms coming around his neck and one of her small feet rising like some damsel. She knew what it meant when he kissed her like this, he hadn't words to express what he was feeling and chose to show it instead.

"She said my name," He said at last, nuzzling his beak against her neck and holding her tight. Leo hadn't let on just how badly he wanted that kid to let him in the way she did Shiho and now that she did, he just didn't know what to think. After struggling to get him out of his comfort spot, Shiho touched their foreheads together and gave him that smile that made his skin tingle.

"Ready?" She said. Leo chuckled; he'd said that to her with everything new they did together. It was ironic hearing her say it this time.

"Nope," He joked and kissed her nose. Was anyone ever really ready to be a parent? Leo didn't think so, there was no one who ever was actually ready. Things like this just fell into the laps of parents everywhere like he and his brothers had with Splinter. Living with Shiho brought with it limitless possibilities, this being one of them. Leo could have gone his entire life without ever knowing what it felt like to be needed and loved until she came along.

Leonardo didn't want to let any of this go. His mind instantly flashed to the face of Marcus and that evil little clone of Shiho's and anger bubbled in his veins. Micah was an obstacle he didn't seem to need to worry about anymore. That scientist had the potential to snuff out his happiness like the cherry of a cigarette and he'd go down fighting to keep that glow around him. Now that Aanika had chosen Leo to join Shiho in being parents, Leo felt his sense of duty and desire to protect grow.

"Hey! If you wanna eat you better hurry up and come get some!" Saundra's voice screeching into the training room brought the mates down from their cloud and they walked hand in hand to stake a claim on whatever pizza was left before Michelangelo devoured it all.

"Well, well, well! Look at what we have here, Daddy!" Squealed that obnoxious blonde clone. Already Micah was regretting sniffing out the scientist after snooping around in archives and on the internet. He stood in the doorway of Marcus' laboratory with a disheveled appearance; messy and unkempt hair, dirty clothes, scuffed up shoes, and a tangled tail. Magdalena leaned forward on one of the counters with her cleavage pressing impossibly together as she ogled at the otherwise handsome fox. "Look who showed up, Daddy!"

"Micah. Judging by your…attire, I'm guessing you travelled here by foot?" When Micah didn't answer, Marcus clicked his tongue against his teeth and chuckled as he leaned back in one of the chairs in front of a microscope. In his fingers he twirled a pen, like he was some sort of drummer. Wannabe."Did you find little Shiho?"

"You told me that she was my mate. I went into her little turtle hideout with the others to find out that she's mated with one of them," Micah snapped. He felt almost foolish by the way the bubbly blonde giggled and approached him with a slow, cat-like gait.

"Oh, Micah. You shouldn't waste your energy on a girl like, Shiho. Why not focus on me? I look just like her, only I'm better," The tone of her voice made his skin crawl for reasons he couldn't fathom. She had Shiho's face but she was so different it was painful. The feet that Marcus had crossed on the counter moved back to the floor as he stood and shoved his hands into his pockets, making a steady advance on the boy he'd made.

"No, I never said that. Shiho protested and fought me every step of the way and ultimately was going to do what she wanted. I only want her now so I can get rid of those creatures and then dispose of her at last," Micah's green optics widened in slight horror, he always knew that Marcus was a lunatic but never grasped the whole concept. His maker held up a hand and gestured for him to come forward and have a seat.

"Come, we have lots to talk about, son. Starting with those turtles. Tell me everything you know, Micah. Let's begin with where they are," Marcus chuckled darkly.

Marcus was going to have his ultimate revenge one way or another. If he took out both Shiho and those turtles in the same trip, he'd have himself a drink.

Another few weeks had come and gone in the lair and the turtles and hybrids were starting to find their rhythms and harmonies. After hearing the youngster speak Leo's name, her sisters tried desperately to get her to utter more words by chasing her around the lair. She hid away in Donatello's work shop under one of his desks after slipping between his legs. He was in the middle of putting together another Shell Cell after Michelangelo crushed his own while riding Leo's scooter. Well, after he stole it and rode it in the tunnels. First Leo was furious that his recreational ride was in Mikey's care and then Don was livid that he'd destroyed a third cell. He was getting fed up with making more gadgets for his clumsy brother.

"Woah! H-hey!" Donnie ducked down to look under the desk and was greeted by the bright blue glow of Aanika's eyes. She held her finger up to her lips and shushed him.

"Shh! Sisters!" She whispered. She was still only getting out words and not actual sentences and phrases yet. Raphael called her Cave Baby. Shiho didn't find it funny and smacked him in the face whenever he said it. Donnie chuckled and mimicked the little one by bringing his finger to his lips.

"Hey dude, where's the mini dudette? I just got my new Silver Sentry comic and I just know she's dying to dig in with me," Mikey said as he pranced on inside. Donnie grumbled something about knocking and pointed under his desk. "Mini dudette! Come out, come out wherever you are!"

"Shh! Sisters!" She crawled out on her hands and knees from under the desk and between Donnie's ankles. Mikey winked and gestured for her to come to him. He knew her sisters were tucked away in their room, hiding from Splinter and their training.

"Come on, I know where we can hide," Along the floor she scuttled along in a crawl, staying low in case her sisters came by the door. "Look at you, crawlin' like a little ninja,"

"You should see her when practicing with Sensei. He's all super proud and junk. Who would have thought Master Splinter would have a grandkid to gush over," Donnie said, sparks flying from his desk as he continued assembling the new gadget. The little fox crawled up into Michelangelo's arms and curled up in the process to hide herself even more. He giggled when her small ears twitched. "It's like you have a pet, Mikey,"

"Shh! Mama!" She whispered again, ducking under Mikey's chin. A finger tapped on his shoulder and he squealed like a little girl, a sound that never got old to Shiho's ears.

"Yeah, I see you hiding on your uncle, Missy. Bathtub, get." Shiho pointed down one of the halls as she witnessed Aanika clutching at the turtle. "You can thank your uncles for dragging you through the sewer later. Go get in the tub,"

"Aww Mama…" Aanika sounded so broken hearted when she dropped to the floor and trudged off to the bathroom like a prisoner going to the gallows. The turtles chuckled in her retreat.

"Jeez, sis. Since when did you become a master of ninja silence? Nearly gave me a heart attack!" Mikey wailed. Shiho only raised a bemused eyebrow.

"You're lucky I don't wax you and Raphael for taking her skateboarding in the sewer tunnels. It just rained and she stinks. I have half a mind to make you give her a bath," When Mikey flinched, Shiho smirked.

"Ohhh my God would you get out?! I'm trying to work here!" Donnie ninja kicked them both out of his workshop and slammed the door. It always made his shell crawl when there was too much noise in his space when he was trying to get something done after Mikey destroyed something else. Down the hall, he heard Aanika scream as Shiho dunked her into the bathtub.

Leo leaned against the closed bathroom door as a guard while watching Shiho scrub at the toddler who was trying to play dead. Her limbs went limp and her head rolled about when the fox tried to wash her hair. Getting the kid clean was a mission all on its own that no ninja training could prepare him for. But Shiho seemed to have a knack for getting it all done in less than 15 minutes so she could sit back on the toilet after Aanika gave up and gave in. Her wet, brown hair was pulled back into a pony tail as she played with her bathtoys; gifts from April and Casey after one of their visits.

"Hey, stop splashing, Nika. You're soaking the floor," Leo said, moving away from the door to lay a towel on the tiled floor. The kid made a wet mess whenever she was in the tub, sloshing water with her pink submarine and purple octopus. The two toys in her hands sunk the other half dozen plastic toys. She never said much but made plenty of action noises to go along with her playing. She smashed them both under the water and made another large splash. "Aanika!"

"Aww Daddy…" She said with a pout.

"Hey don't give me that face. Shiho make her stop before I lose!" Big sky blue eyes grew even bigger as she puckered her bottom lip, those ears going flat against her head in the process.

"Aanika, no pouting. You know better than that, Missy," Shiho leaned back on the toilet with her arms folded and her legs crossed. Leo yawned and rubbed the back of his neck like it was sore. Splinter had been working him harder the last few days it seemed, to set an example for Aanika. She hadn't seen him this tired in a long time and raised a bubble of concern. "You alright?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. I'd be even better if I got one of those massages out of you," He was rather enjoying this whole parenting thing, it made life seem a little less daunting when he had something to keep him busy like Aanika. After years of battling with a dark being like the Shredder and constantly being tossed into dozens of different dimensions and planets, bathtime with a 4 year old seemed like a nice summer stroll. Especially after she was clean and worn out, she'd pass out in his lap while watching a show or two with the family.

"You lush. But I suppose I can squeeze you in between appointments," Shiho snickered. His toes tapped her in the shin to shut her up. Aanika reached out of the tub and smacked him on the thigh with a wet hand. Her little palm made contact with a wet THWAP!

"Ow!"

"Bad Daddy," Shiho bust up laughing and was nearly in tears as Leo just stood without a shred of dignity. He was just sucker slapped by a child and it actually stung. She got that stinging power from watching Shiho, she must have. No one hit harder than the fox. Leo grumbled and picked the small fox up out of the water under her arms and tossed her into Shiho's lap.

"Leo! She's wet!"

"Yeah! Who's laughing now?! Ow! Aanika, stop hitting me!" Both foxes glared at the turtle as he held his sides in laughter and handed his mate one of the towels from the cabinet. Shiho wrapped the toddler up and carried her away over her shoulder. Her hand pulled back and slapped him across the bicep with the entirety of her palm. Like Michelangelo, Leo squealed like a little bitch and darted out the door before his mate could catch him and beat the green out of him for soaking her clothes.

"Lousy turtle…" Shiho grumbled as she made her way down to dress the youngster.

"Bad Daddy?"

"You better believe it, Kid. Super bad Daddy, so bad."

Leo joined his brothers around the television, the sisters were nowhere to be found tonight. They imagined they were both up in their room gossiping about which one of them was the cutest, or at least, that's what Mikey was thinking. They all relaxed in their usual spots and settled in with one of Mikey's stupid superhero shows, but they didn't care enough to make him change the channel. Leo leaned against the cushions with one of his legs stretched out in front of his on the ottoman before his head was grabbed and snapped back.

"H-Hey!"

"Leonardo, you little putz." Hovering above him was his mate, his very irritated mate. Nervously, he chuckled and faintly gave her a little wave of his hand. His brothers all held in their laughter and snickered like idiots.

"My money is on the girl," Mikey said to Raph.

"Hehe, you are so on," The tapped knuckles and observed Shiho grab both of Leo's cheeks at the corners of his mouth and give them an enormous stretch. His arms and legs flailed as he tried to get the fox off his face, wailing in the process.

"You wanna dump a wet kid on me, huh?! I'll give you somethin' to laugh about, Chucklehead!" She pulled a little harder.

"Owww! Okay! Okay! I give! I give! I'm thorry! (sorry)" Raphael grunted and handed over his unopened bag of chips to the winner, Michelangelo. As Shiho let go, Leo rubbed his sore cheeks between his hands. "Damn, babe,"

Silently, she flipped over the couch and landed square in his lap with her back against his shell. She looked quite victorious as she sat there, up straight with her chin stuck out. Leo's thick arms came around her middle and gave her a squeeze as he buried his face into her silky, dark hair.

"She in bed?" He asked, his chin resting on her shoulder as the turtles went back to watching the cartoon.

"Mhmm. Or, she was when I left. Sandy and Fifi are p there keeping an eye on her. Sooo, we have the evening to ourselves," She cooed as quietly as she could so only Leo would hear. By the soft chuckle he made in her ear, he liked the idea of not being bothered by a youngster or his brothers or her sisters. Everyone seemed completely pre-occupied.

So, like the ninja he was, Leo faded away from the couch with his vixen in his arms and took refuge in their room. Door locked, panties down, and lights off. Leo's night was making a delicious turn-around.

The fox was all his for the taking tonight.

A/N: SO? Did I do good?! Hahaha, I tried channeling into how little kids act with their parents when they're being both playful and defiant. Well, let me know how I did with this. I love reviews folks!