Chapter 18: Of Masks and Invitations

Leo sat on the side of the dojo.

According to Donetello his shoulder was healing nicely, the genius expected him to make a full recovery and the brothers were already making preparations for the return journey.

The two geniuses had already re-wired the machine to send them home, evidently they had already tried to return back when his brothers had assumed him still in their home dimension.

The notion they had almost left without him still had Leo a little on edge. He was relieved the attempt had failed despite how upset it had made his brothers in the moment. The emotional turmoil they would have faced having actually returned to their home world to discover him absent, far outshadowed the urgency and confusion they had faced stuck in this world.

The young leader was pulled from his thoughts by Michalangelo's fervent battle cry of booyakasha! The orange clad turtle was swinging his nunchucks over his head as he circled his counterpart.

The brothers had been relieved when master Splinter had enlisted their help in training, having spent so many continuous days underground the teens had been growing restless. Although Leo himself wished to spar with his brothers, and itched to get back to training was glad that at least his brothers were occupied and not letting their skills grow rusty with their continuous stay.

"You will feel the fury of my mighty nunchaku!" yelled Mikey as he lept in the air twisting his body like an arrow. The hit met clear air as Michelangelo flipped out of the way.

"Do you think it wise to pair them up with their counterparts?" Leo asked Master Splinter conversationally. "This fight could go on for a while."

The elderly rat stroked his beard thoughtfully. "But they will get to see their fighting style from the perspective of an enemy. See where their weak points are and what defenses need to be strengthened."

Leo hummed thoughtfully, he hadn't considered that. Part of him was annoyed at being sidelined, he didn't know when an opportunity like this would present itself again.

Seeming to sense his agitation the elderly rat let out an amused chuckle. "Just be content that Donetello released you from complete bed rest Leonardo. From my understanding if the genius completely had his way you would be confined to the lab until you went home."

Feeling his cheeks warm, Leo nodded, grateful for the reminder. It had taken a lot of persuasion to convince his brother that he would not in fact keel over if he was allowed to wander the lair.

Rubbing his tender shoulder Leo decided to count his blessings and turned his attention back to his brothers' and their counterpart's spar.

Next to him Wind's sapphire eyes were wide as the warrior took in his brother's skill. The returned brother was grateful at the opportunity to observe the techniques and fighting styles his brothers used and quickly found himself caught up in the deadly dance. Wind was also itching to get in some practice though unlike Leo he was more hesitant to spar. His technique differed from his brothers as he wasn't raised as a ninja but he was surprised to find himself identifying many commonalities in the fighting style.

Raphael had in fact noticed a weak point in Raph's headstrong attacks and after a while changed his own technique slightly to wear out his counterpart and disarm him. Donnie had recognized a weak area in Dontello's defense and had also exploited it to gain victory. The two Mikalangelo's had attempted the exact same attack which had hilariously resulted in both orange clad turtles being tangled in each other's kusarigama chain.

Rising from his spot Master Splinter raised his hand "Yame" came the commanding call.

Halting the fight the ninja's sheathed their weapons and bowed to their partner.

"Now take five minutes to debrief with your partner. Use this opportunity to highlight each other's strengths and weaknesses, learn from this fight and discuss what you would change having had the opportunity to fight yourself."

Having realized the lesson behind the spar, the two pairs of brothers took a moment to let that sink in before they started walking through the spar, taking the time to analyze their own technique and highlight areas needing improvement.

Leo shook his head, his bandana shaking back and forth as he chuckled to himself before rising to follow the elderly rat master out of the dojo.

Although he had spent several days here already, the shock of seeing Master Splinter had not completely worn off. To be honest the blue clad turtle didn't think he'd ever truly get over how uncanny the resemblance was between this Ninja master and his own father.

Dark brown eyes were clouded in deep reflection as the elderly rat poured two cups of tea and handed the second to the recovering turtle gesturing him to sit. It had not escaped the attention of the tired father of these turtle's caution and almost grief-like relevance around him. They had all been clingy in their own way, even Rapheal, yet there were times that they were hesitant to approach him as though spooked. He was old but he was not ignorant; he had put pieces together and perceived his own evident absence in their own dimension. It was not difficult to discover the

Although emotionally unsettling it had not been a difficult conclusion to arrive at, the question now was how to proceed. When the three turtles first arrived he was able to provide comfort and guidance while they looked for their brother. He made himself available to talk or even just be there but now as the teens prepared to return to their own world he found himself hesitant.

"Leonardo" the elderly rat's voice was somber as he addressed the young leader. "There is a matter of importance I wish to discuss with you."

"Yes Master Splinter" Leo responded, respectfully.

The ninja master hesitated, unsure of how to broach the sensitive subject. "Donetello has informed me that although our two worlds are mirrors there are many inconsistencies in our two timelines due to an original divergence."

Leonardo nodded.

"One such divergence has come to my attention that has me concerned.."

Leonardo's heart stilled as he realized what the ninja master was getting at. Freezing Leo felt his heart pound in his chest, worry gripping him. Master Splinter wouldn't ask him about his counterpart's death would he? Leo questioned himself, dreading having to relive that day again. Reopen that wound.

Sensing the young ninja's pain the elderly father placed a comforting hand on the blue clad turtle's shoulder. "You four have shown your resilience and your capabilities. I have no doubt that if you choose to return to your home world, you four could face any opposition or trial with courage and resilience. You are a team and you are a family." Warmth radiated from old sage eyes as the ninja master continued. "I am sure your father would be very proud of you."

A swell of emotion gathered in Leo's chest and bubbled up to get trapped in the leader's throat. Leo could only nod, not trusting his own voice. The words from his father's counterpart warmed his heart.

"You four are not of this world but that does not mean you don't belong. You will always have a place here." Master Splinter smiled. "It would be crowded but we would make it work. Talk to your brothers, whether you choose to stay or to leave I will respect your decision."

Overwhelmed Leo looked up to meet the warm caring eyes of the father figure in front of him.

"Thank you Master Splinter."

"Did you see that flip!" came Michalangelo's booming voice as two pairs of brothers emerged from the dojo.

Taking a sip of the soothing tea, Leo centered his breathing letting his mind soak in the monumental conversation. Setting down his now empty mug the leader gave a respectful bow before he headed after his three brothers. They had a lot to discuss.

Wind smiled as he snuggled deeper into the welcoming puddle of arms and legs. He couldn't believe that just over a week ago he'd firmly believed that he was the only one of his kind. Completely alone. And now..

A fond smile spread across the young warrior's face, although he'd just recently found his place among them he couldn't picture himself apart from them. He would do everything in his power to keep his brothers safe. Wind nudged Casey's foot out as the bawler continued to snore loudly, the two human friends had fallen asleep in the pit with the brothers after the long day. Wind let his gaze drift back toward the lab, the brothers from the other world had also snuggled up for a movie marathon. A smile stretched over Wind's face. It had been an unexpected comfort to observe how Leo fit into the dynamic of the other turtles. Wind knew that his own dynamic with his brothers would be its own unique harmony, but it was still nice to see a template.

He was so thankful that the turtle in blue had fallen unexpectedly into his life.

New York being the Krangg capital of Earth was a place he tended to avoid; chances of him meeting his brothers without this unexpected intervention were low is not none.

So yes, he was so very thankful for meeting Leo.

Wind frowned as he cast another look toward the lab door. Leo and his brothers had disappeared for hours after the sparring match. Wind had seen the look on Leo's face as he led his brothers to the privacy of the lab, and knew that the turtle in blue was grappling with a hard decision.

It was frustrating not knowing how to help his friend. After everything Leo had done for him, Wind wanted nothing more than to support Leo and his brothers, help them find the same belonging they had helped him find.

He just didn't know how.

Donnie's restless stirring to his side pulled Wind out of his thoughts.

Recognizing the pattern, Wind untangled himself from the cuddle puddle and made his way toward the kitchen. Since his first, admittedly disastrous, experience in the kitchen Wind had grown more comfortable operating the appliances. Humming quietly he went about putting some water onto boil for tea and fixing some very strong coffee for the two Donetello's. As was wisely advised by the counterparts, Wind had agreed to leave the actual cooking to Mikey but he could still find ways of brightening his family's morning.

"Morning Don" Wind smiled as the purple clad turtle drug himself toward the table. Wind chuckled as he got an unintelligible grumble as a response. The dreaded toaster evidently decided to cooperate with Wind this morning so he was able to present his brother with toast and jam alongside the first of many cups of coffee.

"Have you ever tried tea?" Wind asked conversationally.

"Na-I think Don is stuck drinking the caffeinated mud water." Raph grumbled as the red clad turtle pulled up a chair next to his brother, surprised to find his box of cereal and a bowl already set out for him.

Wind let himself fall into the easy routine as Mikey, April and Casey pulled themselves awake surprised to find how easy he found himself falling into a fit with the family.

"Donnie, can I ask you a question?" Wind asked hesitantly.

"You already did?" the genius smiled. "But go ahead."

"Leo explained the different colored masks you all wear and what they mean." Wind started. "I understand that but.."

Mikey and Raph were pulled out of their own conversations to turn attention to Wind's question.

"But?" Casey prompted.

"Why do you wear bands around your arms?" Wind asked the question that had been nagging him from the first day. These blue bands had made it easy to identify his three brothers from their counterparts. It could be why they wore the bands in the first place, but a nagging voice in the back of his mind told Wind otherwise.

Mikey, Raph and Donnie exchanged a meaningful look.

"Well you see.." Donnie began, fingering his own arm band.

"A while back we met these other turtles…kinda like Leo and his brothers except from another world." Mikey explained as Donnie trailed off.

Wind leaned in, intrigued not expecting this segway.

"It was the first time we heard of other dimensions or whatever, we teamed up to save the world and all that but anyway that's when we met..their Leo."

Wind's eyes widened in realization. They knew. His brothers had known.

"We thought that our world was some kind of anomaly," Donnie explained. "Every other dimension had four turtles. We never thought…Master Splinter's story included three turtles..we never questioned.."

Wind leaned forward and pulled his rambling brother into a hug, compassion filling him. He hadn't even considered that while he'd been oblivious to his brothers' existence they had been mourning him. Reaching out a hand he pulled Mikey and Raph into the embrace as well holding his three brothers close, trying to pass on comfort before releasing them.

Pulling away his hand rested momentarily on Donnie's arm fingering the material. Blue. Sapphire Blue. The same shade as Leo's headband.

It had been meant for him, Wind realized.

"We wore it for you." Raph explained his green eyes focused on his own band. "It was Mikey's idea. A way to keep you a part of us.."

Wind felt his heart swell at the gesture.

"Their Leo wore blue so" Raph shrugged.

"Well I was always fond of that color." Wind smiled, before turning serious once more. "I was wondering if Master Splinter has enough material for one more mask?"