CHAPTER ONE

Donatello wasn't quite sure when he realized, but at some point he noted that he had not seen Leonardo. At least not for several hours now. They had seen one another at breakfast, sharing a cup of coffee as usual, but since then he had not seen his blue clad brother. Michelangelo had popped into his lab to ask for an opinion on his latest artwork. The softshell approved of it. Raphael had shown himself more than once to ask where a misplaced item had ended up. The tech master provided the locations; always keeping careful stock of their materials. But aside from that, no one else had interrupted his work. There was a distinct lack of annoying jokes and puns made that day.

'That's odd.'
The purple clad teenager concluded, leaning back in his chair from his previously hunched position at the workstation.

A small frown worked its way into his expression as he tried, and failed, to fend off the little nagging feeling that something was off. That something was wrong. Though inevitably, he sighed in annoyance with his own anxieties and placed down the welding tool; lifting his goggles from where they had sat placed over his eyes. Turning in his seat and getting to his feet and heading for the lab doors. The aforementioned automatic doors giving a small whirl as they opened for him and then shut behind him.

"Yo, Dee! Mikey made lunch."
Raph called out with a wave, having heard the lab doors open across the main room and glancing up to see his brother from where he sat in the kitchen.

"Mm, be there in a minute."
Donnie gave a short nod but didn't give the other more than a very brief glance as he strided through the living area and towards their rooms.

"Everything alright Don?"
Mikey asked, tilting his head with a confused expression. His second eldest brother often kept his responses short but his firm expression and swift steps let them know something was off.

The softshell didn't respond immediately as he reached Leonardo's room, pushing back the baby blue privacy curtain. Only to have his worry grow when he found the room empty. The bed was unmade, there were a few clothes scattered on the ground, a mess filled dresser drawer was left open, and a few glow in the dark star stickers were beginning to peel from the ceiling. Nothing new. But where was his brother then?

"Have you guys seen Leon?"
The softshell questioned, letting the curtain fall back into place and turning to face his other siblings.

"Oh, he left to see Senior Huso."
Mikey offered with a smile to ease his brother's apparent nerves.

"When?"
Donatello asked, trying to let the information calm him but it didn't.

"About, umm, two hours ago?"
The snapper more asked than answered; clearly having not been paying attention to the time since their currently missing brother had left.

"Five hours ago."
The box turtle corrected their eldest brother, his smile faltering just a little.

"I'm gonna call him."
The softshell stated and without a second thought took out his phone to call his "twin" brother.

There was silence in the lair for several long moments as he did this. The only sound filling the now thick atmosphere being the slight ringing of Donatello's phone. Every ring sounded too far apart, too long lasting, and even more bothersome. Eventually there was something else; though it did nothing to ease their rising anxieties.

~"Yello! Ha! Just kidding, you got pranked by Neon Leon! Call ya later!"~

"I'm going to Huso's."
Donatello declared immediately and hung up the phone before it prompted him to leave a message; grabbing his titanium bow staff from the weapons rack against the wall near the lair's entrance and exit.

"Right behind ya, Dee."
Raphael nodded and followed suit, picking up his own weapons from the rack as well.

"On your tail!"
Mikey gave a heads up from behind the red clad teenager, taking his nunchucks and slipping past Raphael with a teasing expression. Trying to keep the air light despite their slight fears that their brother may be in trouble.

As the three of them left for the hidden city Donatello tried to rationalize the situation in his favor. Leonardo was a skilled ninja, a skilled fighter in general. Even without his weapons and portals, Leon could throw a fair punch and slip through even the quickest enemy's defenses. He was fast and agile, and admittedly the second stealthiest ninja amongst them with himself taking first place. Surely the blue clad teenager wouldn't have had enough time to get himself into any real trouble; and even if he had, the second youngest of them would know how to get himself out of said trouble. Or at least that's what Donnie was going to keep telling himself until he was proven wrong.