I'm a little concerned about this chapter; I don't really care for it, but my muse won't budge on it. I will admit now, I am absolute rubbish at writing fight scenes. Mainly I try to give you a few details and let your imaginations fill in the rest. That said, I guess I should put a violence warning on this chapter. It does get bloody, but I don't think it's particularly graphic; just be aware it's in there.

After leaving his family sitting in stunned silence in the dojo, Raphael didn't go any farther than the living room. He knew his brothers wouldn't be far behind him. Besides, they already had one family member wandering around in the night; it would be stupid for him to disappear as well.

Sure enough, within moments both Michelangelo and Donatello emerged from the now darkened dojo. Raphael couldn't even summon the energy to be appalled that his father was choosing to meditate rather than help look for his missing son.

Donatello must have read some of what he was feeling on his face, for he said, "Master Splinter feels his presence would be more of a hindrance than a help in the search for Leo."

"And he'd be right, wouldn't he," Raphael said in a surly tone.

"Raph, I'm not going to stand here and defend him to you," Donatello said. "I don't agree with his decisions. Giving Leo to those monsters and keeping the truth from us all these years were both wrong choices, and it's something we're going to have to deal with as a family at some point. But right now, you need to put the anger and aggression away. They'll only get in the way of us finding Leo."

"You're right," Raphael admitted, forcing the negative thoughts back for the moment. "But where do we start? Leo wasn't exactly thinking rationally when he left out of here, and he doesn't exactly know his way around the sewers. He could have ended up just about anywhere."

"I have a suggestion," Mikey spoke up. "Why don't we see if we can use the bond to track him? Didn't he say his former master could do that?"

"It's worth a shot," Donatello agreed.

The three turtles took a seat on the floor and worked to clear their minds, much like they would before starting their meditation. Raphael in particular had a hard time achieving the proper state of mind, but eventually he got there. Turning inward, he found the place where his mind had fused with Leo's. At first, all he got was a cacophony of mixed up emotions. Raphael had to grit his teeth as he pushed through the layers of confusion, fear, anger, grief and, not surprisingly, love, until he reached the core of Leo's mind. Regrettably, Raph didn't have enough experience using the bond to track his brother by it. He did try calling to Leo, but whatever was taking place on Leo's end was enough to prevent him from hearing his brother. Either that, or he was purposefully ignoring Raph; not that Raphael could blame him if he was. His actions of earlier than evening were going to take a heart as big as Leo's to forgive. All Raph could say for certain was that Leo was somewhere to the east.

"Well, that's more that we got," Donatello said when Raphael reported what he had gleaned from the bond. "When things finally get settled around here, we really need to sit down and figure out just what we can do with this bond. I feel like we are really underutilizing it."

"Let's just get Leo back, and then we can worry about the bond," Raph suggested.

As the turtles headed off into the sewers, following the vague impressions Raph was getting from Leo, the red-masked turtle grew pensive. Finally, unable to restrain himself any longer, he asked his younger brothers, "Do you guys think I was too harsh with Master Splinter tonight? I know I have a tendency to fly off the handle, and now that I've had a chance to cool down some, I can admit he was placed in a tough position."

"Shell no," Mikey exclaimed. "He had other options; he didn't have to sell Leo out. We all know he's been friends with the Ancient One since before we were born. Why didn't he call on him for help? If nothing else, he could have arranged for the Ancient One to take over guardianship of us if he was so concerned about leaving us alone. Giving up Leo should have never been an option. And if you ever start doubting that, just remember the image of Shadow torturing himself in some twisted version of penance. Everything agonizing thing that was done to Leo is due to Master Splinter's choice."

"That's what I was thinking," Raph said. "I just wanted to make sure we were all on the same wavelength."

"Don't doubt it," Donatello assured him. "But while we're opening up to each other, I do want to apologize for keeping what happened with Master Splinter a secret."

"Like you said earlier, you didn't know for certain what it was you knew," Mikey consoled him, in his own convoluted way. "And, unlike Master Splinter, you were trying to protect us, not protect yourself."

For the next little while, the brother traveled in contemplative silence, each lost in his own thoughts as they continued to wind through the maze of sewer tunnels. The thoughtful atmosphere was finally shattered when Donatello began to recognize their surroundings.

"Uh, guys, we're almost to the neighborhood where we first ran into Leo," he said. "In other words, this is Bishop's territory."

"Why would he come here," Raph mused, more to himself than his brothers. "And where is he for that matter? From what I'm getting through the bond, we should be right on top of him."

"Or maybe he's on top of us," Mikey suggested. "What if he went topside rather than staying the sewers? Speaking from experience, when you get as upset as Leo was earlier, the sewers can start to feel like they're closing in on you. You have so many emotions pouring out of you, the only thing you can do is get out in the fresh air where's there's room enough to feel them."

With silent accord, the brothers headed to the nearest manhole and made their way to the rooftops. From there, they traveled in the direction of the rooftop where the confrontation with Bishop had taken place. It defied all logic, but they knew that's where they'd find Leo.

Sure enough, when they got within a building or two of their destination, they could clearly see the silhouette of their brother. What they weren't expecting to see was Bishop there as well. The brothers were too far away to hear what the pair were saying, but it was clear they weren't fighting; at least, not yet.

The three younger turtles had almost reached the spot where Leo and Bishop were…conversing when the relative stillness of the night was shattered by the arrival of three new figures; figures sporting scarily familiar glowing tattoos. Between one heartbeat and the next, Leo was on his feet, spirit marks alight, swords in hand. Bishop, likewise, had pulled a pair of long knives from who-knows-where, and he'd stepped alongside Leo to face off against the newcomers.

Raphael and the other didn't have time to think about this new development; they were set on reaching their brother's side, when Leo's voice rang with uncompromising authority in their minds: Stay where you are! This is a fight you cannot help with, and I can't afford to be distracted by protecting you. The best thing you can do to help me is keep your heads down and keep your distance. I need to know you're safe. These fools have made an unfortunate mistake, and tonight you'll get to see why I deserve the title Shadowblade.

TMNT

Upon seeing the trio of warrior before him, it took absolutely no thought for Leo to power up his own spirit marks and get his weapons in his hands. He wasn't surprised to sense Bishop do the same next to him. As his battle senses came online, however, Leo was alarmed to find his brothers so nearby. After sending what could only be construed as orders, and receiving the assurance they would be obeyed, Leo turned his attention back to the threat before him. All three trainees were familiar to him: the gray-skinned Bladesilence, the furred female Quicksilver, and the walking mountain Thunderstrike. Leo had sparred with each of them on numerous occasions during his time as a trainee. But even working together, they were no match for him. He was Shadowblade, the only trainee to be granted a shadow-name in over 1000 years. It was an honor bestowed only on the best of the best. So why only a three person squad, especially with the Traitor a known danger on the planet? He soon got his answer.

"Stand back, Traitor," Bladesilence commanded. "Our fight is not with thee this night, but the nameless one. We have been ordered to bring the drudge back to fulfill his duties among our people."

Leo gave Bladesilence a smile that was anything but friendly. "There's only one problem," he said conversationally. "I am no drudge. Feel for yourself; my bond has been accepted and sealed. Those who sent you have no claim upon me. Now, I suggest you leave before I must compel you to do so."

The three trainees were suddenly less eager to face their smaller opponent. They had come expecting to find a broken, desperate drudge who would have been an easy target. Instead, they face a hale warrior, skills as honed as ever. All the same, they had their orders. Their former companion was to come with them however they could make him.

Without further ado, Bladesilence struck out, his stiletto as silent as his name, but his quarry wasn't there. Like the shadow that was his namesake, Shadowblade had disappeared into the darkness. Only his enhanced reflexes allowed the gray-skinned alien to dodge the blow that seemed to come from out of nowhere.

To an outside observer, such as the three turtles watching from the next rooftop over, the battle was almost surreal. Leo's two opponents were inhumanly fast. It was basically impossible to track their movements with the naked eye. The third warrior, in contrast, was incredibly slow, but made up for it by, apparently, being made of solid rock, and none of Bishop's blows seemed to faze the creature. Bishop easily stayed out of his reach, but there was the very good chance he'd wear himself out before the giant warrior ever felt his attack. Still, he kept trying. As for Leo, it was no wonder he was called Shadowblade. He practically became one with the darkness around him. His enemies didn't know he was there until his blades made their presence known.

While Leo appreciated the chance to let off some of the anger and aggression he'd built up that night, he knew he needed to bring the battle to a close. The events of the night were beginning to catch up to him, and as the adrenaline began to fade, his earlier fatigue started to return. If he didn't end this soon, his body would end it for him, since it wouldn't have anything left to give.

The first chance he saw, Leo took down Quicksilver with a solid blow to the temple. The lithe, fur-covered female warrior went down without a sound; just like he'd been trained. She would require medical attention, but Leo had to acknowledge it was either him or her, and he was determined to return home to his brothers. Quicksilver was a just a roadblock to achieving that goal. With her out of the way, that left only Bladesilence and Thunderfist to deal with. Making a split second decision, Leo headed toward the large Craggyan warrior.

The massive aliens were difficult opponents since they had very few weak spots. They weren't fast, but they could fight forever, so they usually outpaced their enemies. Fortunately, Leo knew exactly where to hit the huge warrior to take him down. As soon as Thunderfist turned his back to Leo, the turtle made his move. A carefully timed leap landed him on the giant's shoulder. Once there, he struck out at a bundle of nerves at the base juncture between the warrior's neck and shoulder, the precise blow sending the Craggyan into a hibernation-like state. It was a dangerous maneuver to attempt, particularly when working alone, since a miss or a blow to the wrong spot left one vulnerable and within easy reach of what was sure to be a now angry giant. With Bishop acting as distraction, however, Leo had known he was in no danger of being caught. Now there was only Bladesilence to contend with.

Stalking across the rooftop with Bishop at his side, Leo quickly cornered the smirking, gray-skinned warrior at the edge of the building.

"Concede the battle," Leo advised. "You have nowhere else to go, and we both know who would win in a showdown between the two of us."

Bladesilence, however, was oddly undaunted. "My master will be pleased to see you've lost none of your spirit. He looks forward to breaking you and making you grovel at his feet."

Before Leo could ask just how the other trainee thought he was going to manage to bring him back, a burning pressure in his right shoulder that made him drop his sword distracted him. Puzzled, Leo looked down to find an arrow sticking out of his body. In an almost distracted manner, he identified the fletching as belonging to Longshot. Any further thought was driven from his mind as a second arrow suddenly embedded itself in his left shoulder, causing him to lose his grip on that sword as well. A cry from the human beside him let Leo know Bishop had been hit as well, though he couldn't bring himself to look to see how badly.

With his nemesis now unarmed, Bladesilence once again went on the attack. Slowed significantly by his wounds, and the increasing lethargy of blood loss and exhaustion, Leo just barely stayed out of his way. As his condition deteriorated, however, the other bladesman began landing more and more blows. The first several were minor, merely surface wounds, but Bladesilence eventually got in close enough to drive his knife deep into Leo's side, in the vulnerable tissue between his shell and his plastron. Immediately, blood began to gush from the wound. Without hesitation, the merciless knife wielder sank his second blade into Leo's other side. Cackling in glee, he danced back to admire his handiwork.

Collapsing to his knees, and very aware of the anger and fear streaming from his brothers on the next roof over, Leo knew there was only one chance of winning this fight. Allowing himself to sink farther towards the ground, keeping his back angled toward Bladesilence, Leo reached up and wrapped his hand around the shaft of the arrow sticking out from his right shoulder. Letting himself go lax, he pretended to pass out; not that it was much of a pretence. As Leo had been counting on, Bladesilence rolled him over to make sure he was really out. With every ounce of strength and energy Leo had left, he yanked the arrow from his body and buried it in the gray alien's throat. Bladesilence's eyes went wide with surprise and horror as he realized his supposedly defeated adversary had killed him.

The last thing Leo saw before the darkness claimed him was the gray body sinking silently to the bloodstained ground.

I know; I'm evil for ending on another cliffhanger. I did promise hurt/comfort, though, and you can't get the comfort without the hurt. It might take a couple of days while my muse does some plotting. After all, I have a lot of plotlines to connect, so grant me a little patience, and we'll see what she comes up with.