A/N: So the next chapter. I'm really loving the feedback I'm getting on this story. Thanks so much for the reviews, they are definitely helping me develop this storyline. :)

Disclaimer: I do not own the TMNT.

Leonardo shuffled into the lair. It was early morning; no doubt his brothers would wake soon. He had cleansed himself of the blood but crimson still stained his soul. How had he lost his control so easily and so violently?

Leo moved into the kitchen and sat down at the table. He dropped his head into his hands with a heavy exhale. He had never taken a life in cold blood, let alone eight human lives in less than five minutes. The worst part of it all was that he couldn't stop thinking about it, and, it reminded him of the accident that had occurred so long ago. He didn't know what to make of himself at that moment. Why did he snap like that? He closed his eyes and shook his head in his hands. Thank whatever higher being there was that he hadn't snapped like that on his brothers. He tensed. His brothers. He sighed deeply and rubbed his eyes. He did not need this right now, it was bad enough that he had killed. He cursed under his breath. What if his brothers found out? What would they think of him? Would they brand him a monster? Would they banish him? Would they try to put him down?

Would they be afraid of him?

Leo stiffened. Afraid? Did he want them to be afraid?

That was a disturbing thought. Leo shook his head. He needed some tea. He stood and grabbed the tea kettle off the counter. He filled the kettle with water and tossed in a calming blend of herbs before setting it on the stovetop. He leaned against the counter with a deep exhale. He'd been doing that a lot in the past thirty minutes. He dropped his head back and breathed in. It was just an accident. He hadn't meant to kill those men. It had just… happened. Oh that was a brilliant excuse. He had just been fighting some thugs and, well, as accidents happen, he accidentally slit a few throats and threw his katana like javelin so it would strike some poor idiot in the forehead and skewer his brain. Brilliant excuse. Leo shook his head. Was he actually taking this lightly?

The kettle began its annoying whistling, jarring Leo from his thoughts. He thanked it for that. He was beginning to scare himself. He turned towards the kettle and removed it from the stove. He poured some tea into a teacup on the counter.

"Leo?"

The blue masked terrapin turned to spot a half asleep Michelangelo standing by the fridge. The younger turtle was watching his brother with a worried expression. Leo glanced at the clock on the stove. It was four in the morning. Not too odd for Leo to be awake right now. Usually he would be up and meditating or practicing his katas. So why would Michelangelo be worried? Leo turned his gaze back to his brother. Did Leo still have blood on him?

"Hey, Mikey, you're up pretty early." Leo remarked, easily hiding his unease. Mikey continued with his worried look. Leo ignored it and sipped from his teacup. There was a long silence.

"Leo, why are your hands covered in bandages?"

Leonardo swallowed his tea and set the cup down. He glanced at his "bandages" and mentally sighed in relief. It was just the tape he used for Muay Thai and, thankfully, it was not bloody. Leo regarded his brother with a fake smile. "They're just tape. Y'know? For hitting the training posts." Leo lied. Mikey stared. "I've seen you beat those things up with your bare hands. What are you hiding?" He asked suspiciously. Leo laughed softly. "Mikey, I didn't want to wake anyone up. The tape just softens the sound and, as a bonus, it helps me not break my hands. I'm not hiding anything. Why are you so suspicious?" Leo covered, wondering how he had come up with the lies so quickly. Mikey shook his head and rubbed his bleary and tired eyes. He offered Leo a casual and sleepy smile.

"Sorry, my brain's not working right now. It's too early for me to start thinking, bro'." Mikey yawned as he approached the kitchen table and sat down. He stretched his arms and released another yawn. Leo watched him, but remained silent.

"When's Master Splinter coming back from Japan?" Mikey asked sleepily, turning to look at Leo. The older turtle sipped his tea. "He didn't exactly give us a set date. He said he would be back in two months so he should be here within the next two weeks… possibly three." Leo replied. He set his teacup down and stretched his arms. A pang of pain sparked in his right shoulder and he winced. He glanced at Mikey but the other turtle hadn't seemed to notice. He rolled his joint in its socket, wondering how the pain had gotten there. Maybe that thug had done some muscle damage to him when that plank hit him. Leo tensed at that. How had he gotten caught off guard so easily? Oh yes, it was remembering things that should have remained in the past. That was a reason. Leo bit his lip. He really needed to get over that accident. But how could he? He had been so damn young at the time. It had imprinted into his childhood. It was one of the only things he remembered from his younger years. Besides that… He had actually… No. He didn't want to think about it. He didn't want to remember it. It was part of the past. The past is where it should remain. Leo walked by his brother, patting him on the shoulder as he passed.

Despite killing the men and bringing crippling memories to the surface, Leo had to admit he felt calm. Serene. At ease. He had killed eight men, in a matter of seconds. Shouldn't that worry him? It probably should, however, now that he thought about it, he wasn't too bothered by the actual killing. He didn't mind that part. Maybe, in some way, what he did wasn't some heinous act. After all, those men could have killed an innocent. It was better that they were dead.

Still. It wasn't entirely right. Maybe it was justified, but he had to admit that it wasn't a good thing either. One thing was certain. He needed to know if the men he had killed were innocent or not. Leo turned, glancing at his tired brother from the doorway of the kitchen. "Hey, go ahead and get some sleep. I'm postponing training until noon. 'Kay?" Leo told his unusually calm younger brother. Mikey's eyes lit up. "Thanks, Leo!" He cried out happily, leaping from the chair to wrap his arms around his older brother. The blue masked terrapin was drawn into a choking hug and stunned by the sudden burst of energy from his brother. Within a heartbeat, Michelangelo had released his brother and darted away into his room, slamming the door shut. Leo was left frozen in place. He shook his head and made his way to Don's lab area, passing the stack of television screens against the wall. The blue couch across from the entertainment center looked particularly inviting to the worn out terrapin but he kept moving. He sat down in a cushioned swivel chair. He turned to the intimidating collection of computer screens and flicked one on.

Leo wasn't one for technology. It always seemed to blow up in his face. He was, however, good enough with it to use the internet and delete his browsing history. Don had shown him how to do both when they were about fourteen and hormones had been raging. The four brothers had managed to get away with their
misadventures on the internet until the day that Master Splinter had overheard them talking about "females". After that, the computer was locked away until Don had somehow managed to reacquire it.

Leo typed away on the keyboard and did a quick search on a name: Javier Garcia. Leo had seen the name on one of his victim's shirts. The corner of his mouth twitched. Victim. He shrugged off the thoughts that the word gave him as a police report loaded on the monitor. He needed to know that he hadn't killed off some troubled teenager. He gave a sigh of relief. Javier was a convicted rapist and had been charged with assault more than once. He clicked a link on the bright screen and his eyes narrowed suspiciously. It was a newspaper article. Javier had been charged with the murders of his wife and daughter, but the charges had to be dropped. Somehow, the evidence that connected him to the murders had mysteriously disappeared. So Javier had walked.

Leo nodded once and deleted his browsing history before closing the internet windows and turning the computer off. One of the men he had killed was a murderer. One of them was a murderer who had gotten away with it until now. That was good.

-.-.-.-.-.-

Pain. Nothing but pain. Something had gone terribly wrong. He opened his eyes but nothing changed. It was still nothing but darkness. He panicked at that. He flailed his limbs wildly and suddenly he was falling. Falling… Wet. Cold. Rushing. He was swept away by something strong and formless. Water. That's what it was. It pulled him and even his lungs were starting to fill with it. His awareness, his consciousness began to drift away. The pain began to fade…

Awake. He snapped his eyes open and still, there was nothing but darkness. Where were they? Where was he? He didn't know. He was lying half in the water and half on cold stone on his stomach. He lifted his one functional limb, his right arm, and crawled. He clawed at the stone and dragged himself from the water. Crawled. Crawled. It was agonizing, but he finally reached a cool and damp corner. Slowly, one side of his vision began to brighten. His right eye was working now. Still, it was not very helpful in the dark. He stiffened. He heard shuffling sounds as well as a voice. No. There were five. He listened intently, keeping silent and unmoving. They walked past him, padding quietly on bare feet. Suddenly one stopped. He shrank back into the shadows. He could just make out a dark silhouette. It was small. The ones it had accompanied were farther away. They had not noticed anything.

"Hello?" The silhouette whispered in a male child's voice. He remained silent. He could feel a gnawing hunger in his abdomen. Maybe if this… child… crept closer, he would have a meal. He waited. He hoped it would move closer. The child did, slightly edging into the shadows. He tensed, waiting for the chance to strike and make his meal when something deep and innate said something. Ordered him.

No.

The child was closer now. He itched and his stomach churned for wont of sustenance. A soft hand brushed over his left arm, one of his non-functional limbs. He froze in shock, as did the child. He knew this feeling. As did the child. Connected. Bonded. They both knew. No words were needed. But, still, the child spoke. "You're hungry, aren't you?"

Naito sat in the darkness, unmoving, as he recalled the memory. It had been many days since Leo had last come by with food. Naito stretched his clawed right hand and scraped the sharp claws against the stone floor in anxious though. His stomach gnawed. Naito frowned. His left eye was a milky white orb that glowed in the darkness. He tapped his claws against the stone in worry.

Had Leo gotten hurt? Perhaps he should have sent the turtle away earlier, like he had thought to. Naito straightened his spine and winced at the pain that his mangled body released through damaged nerves. He would need to search for Leo. He would need to find food.

Naito dropped himself onto his stomach and began his painful crawl.

A/N: Alright, so, any questions? Any comments? Constructive criticism is always welcome, as well! Tell me everything you can, make those reviews as long as possible! Thanks, guys, your reviews make my day! :)