Alrighty team! Sunday is here! Update time! Booya! I hope you all had a fabulous Turkey Day! I did! From here it starts to pick up in the story. Sorry it took a while, a lot of background and things to setup first, but all fun to do! So as always please enjoy and let me know what you guys think! :D

Leo rolled over and glanced at the clock; 11:23 PM. He sighed. He was too excited about his tournament tomorrow and couldn't sleep. He then jumped out of bed, got dressed quickly, and headed out. He was going to the lair. Mikey had told him earlier that he and Master Splinter were going dumpster diving so to speak to get supplies and Leo decided he was going to go help them. Seeing as how he wouldn't go to sleep if his life depended on it right now.

There was a reason why New York was called the city that never slept. Even at this time a night thousands of people were still out and about. Leo kept to himself as he rode the bus to the lair and once there he quickly got out of sight and entered the subway station. On his way down he heard very familiar voices and as he entered the lair he saw Donnie, Raph and Mikey all pushing a pin ball machine into place against the wall. They managed to get the thing up and Leo saw that there was long couches set up in the pit and apparently someone had brought a TV too. For it was sitting in the pit as well. Raph had brought his own punching dummy and Leo also saw a tire swing hanging above the little water way under where he was standing.

"Geeze you guys!" Leo said smiling and jumping down to join them. "Moved in much?"

They all looked up and over to him, "Hey Leo!" Donnie said smiling back.

"What're you doin' here? I thought you had a big tournament tomorrow?" Raph asked crossing his arms.

"Well yeah, but I can't sleep. I just came over to see what Master Splinter and Mikey were up too since they were going to the dump." Leo answered coming to stand by them. "What are you guys doing here?"

"Same." Donnie answered. "Raph and I had some stuff we wanted to bring over. Plus we helped Mikey and Master Splinter set up the rooms. There's one for all of us." Donnie added with a smile.

Leo smiled too and went over the rooms to see that they were indeed now bedrooms. They were too small to really put a lot of stuff in there, but they each had a bed and a few other pieces of furniture depending on the person. Leo's room had a desk in it where Mikey's had a dresser. Leo looked back at them, "Why didn't you guys call me? I could've helped." He asked curiously and secretly just a little saddened that he was left out.

"We didn't want to wake you." Mikey answered. "Raph said we should just leave you to sleep 'cause you had that big tournament in the morning."

Leo blinked in surprise and looked over at the hot head. Raph glared at him, "What?" He snapped.

Leo shrugged, "Nothing just… thanks." He added with a smile.

Raph scoffed and rolled his eyes, "Whatever Fearless. I jus didn't want ta hear any complainin'." At that Leo rolled his own eyes.

"This is very impressive my students. The lair is looking more like a home every second." Master Splinter said looking around the room with a pleasing eye. "I am proud to see you making this your home as well however, you all need your rest. Especially you Leonardo." Master Splinter said giving him a look. Leo cleared his throat awkwardly, but said nothing. "You need rest. A Ninja must always be aware of their surroundings and have a keen mind. That it achieved by proper training and proper sleep."

"But sensei, we were going to go get something to eat then come back here and spend the night." Donnie informed him.

Master Splinter looked like he was going to argue then sighed when he saw the puppy faces they were all giving him. "Very well." They all cheered. "But be safe and don't talk to strangers!" He called as they raced away.

"Hai sensei!" They called.

"Everyone is a stranger!" Master Splinter clarified.

"Hai sensei." They all said tiredly before racing away.

They decided to head to Antonio's their favorite pizza place and on the way there it was pretty good, but then Mikey got very heated when Raph tried to tell him the Silver Sentry wasn't the best member of the Justice Force, but in fact Nobody was. Luckily they made it to Antonio's before blood was shed.

As they entered Leo was happy to see it was pretty busy compared to when they came earlier. The guys followed Leo to the busy counter and Leo smiled as he saw Antonio tossing a pizza. "Leonardo! Donnie, Mikey! And a new friend! It's great to see you!"

Leo smiled at him, "This is Raph." He introduced gaining a nod from both Antonio and Raph before going on, "It's great to see you so busy! What happened?"

"Yeah, when we came here earlier it was a ghost town in here." Donnie asked looking around at all the people.

Antonio laughed heartily and smiled, "It's all thanks to a Mikey!" He answered, "His idea about the toppings was brilliant! It's got me a lot a new customers! And I named the pizza after him, eh?" He then pointed to the board above his head, "'A Mikey Special', huh? What do you think? Like it?"

"Like it!?" Mikey all but screamed, "I love it! I've always wanted to be named after a pizza!"

Antonio laughed again and handed the pizza off to someone as he came around the counter to talk to them more closely. "I'm glad I could make you happy. Mikey you helped save my business with that brilliant idea. How would you like to work for me as a consultant?"

"I've always wanted to be a consultant!" Mikey said excitedly then looked at the guys, "What's a consultant?"

Raph rolled his eyes and Leo smacked his forehead while Donnie answered, "You tell him how to make his business better."

"Oh sweet! Yeah I'll do that!" Mikey answered nodding excitedly.

"Meraviglioso!" Antonio cried just as excited. "I'll just need your mother, father or guardian to sign this form to allow a minor to work, but that's it!" He said handing Mikey a form. Mikey then lost all color from his face as he took it.

"Mikey you okay?" Raph asked shoving him gently.

Mikey shook his head and nervously laughed, "Yeah sorry about that. I'll get this back to you." He added smiling at Antonio.

Antonio nodded once then went back behind the counter, "Now what can I get for you gentlemen?"

"A Mikey special!" Mikey cried and they all laughed.

..::-::..

On their way home they were indeed enjoying each other's company. Even Raph was being somewhat tolerable. "Are you going to stay at Splinter's place tonight too Leo?" Donnie asked curiously as they turned down a dark street.

"I would love too, but I know I'll sleep better in my bed at least the night before a tournament." He said smiling at them. "I could probably stay for Sunday though."

"Sweet!" Mikey cheered with a fist pump.

Suddenly they heard a crash with what sounded like a woman screaming. "What was that?" Donnie asked nervously as they all looked down an alley.

"I don't know, let's take a look." Raph said with a smirk.

"Guys wait, this seems like a bad idea." Leo said trying to stop them. "We don't know what's down there and our training isn't complete yet." Another scream happened and they all looked over as they heard scuffing noises. They all gave him a look, "Okay let's go, but be careful." He said before they all changed forms then cautiously walked into the alley. It took them all of four seconds to see that four guys were cornering a young woman who was clutching her purse to her.

"Come on lady hand over the purse and we'll let ya go." One of them said holding a knife to her.

"Halt citizen!" Leo cried holding his hand out as he and the guys came up to the robbers. "Leave that woman alone!"

"Halt citizen?" Raph asked looking at him with a deadpan.

"What?" Leo asked confused. "That's what Captain Ryan says all the time on Space Heroes when he wants to stop a bad guy."

"Space heroes!?" Raph asked before breaking into laughter "You actually watch that show!?"

"It's a great show!" Leo defended.

"Um guys maybe not the best time to be discussing this." Donnie said pointing to the five people looking at them. The four bad guys were shocked/glaring at them and holding out their weapons. The woman looked absolutely petrified.

"What the heck are you supposed to be?" One guy asked. "A bunch of freaks?"

"We're ninjas." Leo answered proudly.

"We're mutants." Raph sneered.

"Technically we're turtles." Donnie clarified.

"I thought we were teenagers." Mikey asked somewhat confused.

Leo rolled his eyes and glared at the men, "Whatever, now let the woman go."

"Right." One guy said sarcastically before all four men charged them. Leo and the guys barely had a few seconds to react to get out the way before they were hit.

Throughout the fight they kept constantly getting in the way of each other. Raph accidently knocked Mikey to the ground and Donnie smacked Leo in the head with a slap. Somehow in their bumbling the bad guys got away and the four of them were left glaring at one another.

Instead they looked to the woman who was looking even more terrified by the second. "It's okay ma'am, you can go now if you want. Do you need help to the police station?" Leo asked smiling gently at her. Instead of thanking him she just simply screamed and raced out of the alley as far away from them as possible.

"Well that's gratitude at its finest." Raph said sarcastically.

"Let's just head back." Leo said with a sigh.

He anticipated a dreadful, but silent walk home, however he was completely wrong. The whole way there they argued about whose fault it was that the bad guys got away. They continued to argue to the point where they were interrupted by Master Splinter.

"What happened my students?" He asked making them all freeze. It took one look from the kind rat and they were spilling their guts to him. "So due to your inability to work together, they got away and you were seen by a human." Splinter summed up.

They hung their heads in shame.

"Well I could've gotten dem if somebody didn't get in my way!" Raph snapped glaring at Leo.

"I was doing fine! Donnie shouldn't have slapped me in the head!" Leo countered glaring at the genius.

"It wasn't my fault! Mikey tripped me!"

"Yeah well none of this would have happened if somebody trained us better!" Mikey countered then all four of them snapped their heads towards Master Splinter. "Oh geeze sensei, I'm sorry." Mikey said catching his blunder.

"No Michelangelo, you are right." Master Splinter said looking at them.

"I am?"

"He is?" They all asked just as surprised.

"Yes. I have been training you as individuals not as a team. As your teacher your sensei and adviser the fault falls to me." Master Splinter said before stroking his chin hair in thought. "If you are going to be a team, you are going to need a leader."

Leo's hand shot up, "Can I be the leader?" He asked excitedly. He always wanted to lead just like Captain Ryan and be a hero.

"Why should you be the leader?" Raph asked, "I kicked your butt. I shoulder be the leader."

"Hey I'm smarter than all of you guys put together it should be me." Donnie disagreed.

"No way! It should be me!" Mikey cried. They all gave him a blank look, "I don't really have a reason I just think it would be neat."

"This is a difficult decision. I will meditate on it." Master Splinter said shutting the door to his room. Then he snapped it open, "It's Leonardo." Then shut it again.

Leo saw Raph look down, "No hard feelings Raph?" He asked trying to sooth some of the blow.

Raph growled and got up walking away, "Stick it in your shell." He snapped before walking out of the room. Leo sighed then stood. He needed to head home. He was tired now.

"Night guys." He said before leaving.

..::-::..