"Leadership is not about being appreciated, it is about responsibility. It does not matter that the burden is heavy, it matters that you carry it."

- Hamato Yoshi "Splinter" TMNT 2012

"So why are we here again?"

This got a few eyebrows raised mainly from the humans and Splinter.

Leo smiles at his brothers, a hand on his hip and another holding his sword. They're on the rooftop looking at the art museum across from the building they're standing on.

"Because it's been a while since we've kicked some bad guy butt!"

"Well, since the whole invasion happened in the city, I thought they would have learnt a lesson about causing trouble." Leon said while crossing his arms.

"Well, after the whole invasion, nobody is in the mood to cause any more trouble." Donnie said while keeping an eye on his screen.

"Yeah, but why are we here?" Mikey asked curiously.

"Good question." Raph said curiously.

"Because we're heroes. And heroes stop crime!" Raph was quick to be by Leo's side to support him. He wraps an arm around his little brother's shoulders. "Besides, it's a good time to let Leo take the lead as the leader."

That just made Leon gulp nervously. Can he do it?

A hand rests on his shoulder and he looked to see Nidas and Leonardo looking at him with reassurance.

"It might be scary and hard at first but you'll get the hang of it eventually, kid." Nidas said as Leonardo nodded in agreement.

A little anxiety sparked inside his gut and Leo nudges Raph away. "Yeah, exactly. I get to show all of you that I can be a great leader."

He strikes a pose with a grin. "Neon Leon's got this!"

Raph couldn't help but cover his face with his hand. Typical Leon.

Leon just rubbed the back of his head sheepishly at that.

' Oh boy... '

' That arrogance might get them in trouble. '

The two older turtles almost and barely hid a wince at how their voiced their opinions. Leon gave the two a look but they couldn't meet his eyes for some reason.

Leo twitched a little at the voices. He turned away from his brothers to hide his frown.

Can he do this?

It's his first time properly leading the team.

Leon rubbed his arm unconsciously yet nervously. It's a habit he got when he was younger when he's unsure of things.

No, his first time was a failure. He lost the key that allowed the Kraang to come through. He lost Raph to the enemy. He led his brothers to their deaths.

A churning sensation wriggled in his gut. It's an unpleasant feeling. Like something bad is fighting him from the inside. It reminded him of Kraang and he held back a shudder.

Raph put a hand on his shoulder to try and keep him calm.

He promised to be a good leader but he doesn't know how. Being a leader is Raph's thing. But him? His first attempt had been an utter failure.

He jumped when a heavy hand lands on his shoulder. He looks over at his older brother.

"Way to give someone a scare there, Raphie." Leon laughed softly as Raph gave him a noogie.

"You got this, Leo." Raph encourages gently.

"Yeah, you got this, Leo!" Miguel encourage as well.

Seeing Raph's smiling face and hearing his words made the churning feeling lessen. Leo took a breath and released it, loosening his tense muscles.

"You're right." Leo nodded. He's the confident one. He can do this.

"So what's the plan?" Mikey asked while playing with his kusari-fundo.

"Oh boi..." Leon winced. He maybe good at planning but not on missions. The last plan was only put together.

"Uh..." Leo's mind blanked a bit. What is the plan?

He plastered on a confident smirk. "Of course, we'll ninja in, ninja their faces, and ninja out!"

Nidas wanted to cover his face out of utter embarrassment as Leon just pouted with Leonardo shaking his head.

"And how is that a plan?" Raphael asked.

"Last time you said that, Nardo, me and Miguel were almost turned into Krang pancakes." Donald shuddered.

"I know, I know. Bad plan." Leon said.

He hears his brothers collectively groan at the plan. He frowned at them and almost scolded them when the voices cut through his mind.

' That's a bad plan! It's hardly a plan at all! '

' We don't know what we're dealing with! What if it's something dangerous? No, they need a real plan! '

' Right. Make a plan. Don't make the same mistake like you did with the key. '

"Yeouch." Jones winced at that.

A cold sensation jabbed at his chest and spread across his body. The key. The Kraang.

He made that mistake before. The key. Leading his brothers to the Kraang. He didn't make a plan and nearly got them killed.

Raphael just sighed and gave his brother's alternate a rare look.

"For the second time, kid. It's not your fault." He said gently.

"I... I know. But I can't help it." Leon said meekly.

His palms felt cold. He grips his sword tightly.

' Stupid! Stupid Leo! You promised you'd do better! ' He mentally scolded himself.

Seeing him scolding himself for that made Raph frown in concern.

"Leaders sometimes makes mistakes." Leonardo said quietly.

"Leo..."

He gave his older brother a bright grin. "Just kidding! I learned my lesson."

'I hope I did...' Leon thought worriedly.

"Oh." Raph sounded surprised but quickly put on a relieved smile. He crossed his arms. "Alright then, so what's the plan?"

"Well, uh-" Leo fumbled as he looks between his brother's expected faces and the museum doors. He's drawing a blank.

What to do? Where to start? He doesn't know...

The voices cut through his mind again.

The turtle teams of the two dimensions looked expectantly on what the plan would be.

'First, information. We need to know what we're working with.'

Leo blinked and frowned. That's... right.

"Rule one of any missions. Always gather information before taking actions." Leonardo pointed out.

"Donnie, can you give us a visual of what we're working with?" He asks his twin.

"Well." Donnie drawled while looking through his goggles. "From my scans, there are two people. They're sneaking around, for now, looking for something. Humans, from what I can tell."

Donatello looked so awestruck by the tech that he looked at Donald who stared back.

"No need to ask. I'll help you create something similar." He said and got an excited nod and turned back to the movie.

' Are they armed? ' The voice asked.

"Do they have any weapons?"

"Not from what I can see. Normal thieves."

"Phew. At least that's something not to worry about." Michelangelo said.

"Usual thugs are just a work out." Raphael added.

"Okay." Leo nodded. "We can work with that."

"So what do we do, fearless leader?" Raph asks.

Both Raph and Raphael gave each other a grin as Leonardo had a fond look with a smile. That nickname is stuck.

' Fearless... ' The warm voice who told him what to do sounded sad. There's an unspoken longing in that tone.

"Um..." Leo isn't sure.

' Quick job. Sneak in, make sure to not be seen, and- '

"Find what they want and keep it from them." Leo cut off the voice. "We'll ninja this. Get inside without being seen and stop the thieves."

Leon looked at Nidas and Leonardo expectantly who gave him a thumbs up.

' Good plan. '

' Split the team. Use their strengths. Come on Leo, I know you can do it... '

"Though it makes me wonder how you made it even though this is the future, dear brother." Donald said.

"I guess I can learn from those who have experience with leadership." Leon said.

Leo looks over at his brothers. They stared back at him with expecting and encouraging faces.

He took a breath. He can do this.

"Me and Mikey would go in first. Donnie and Raph, you're back up. Make sure they don't escape. We'll be quick and tie them up before leaving them for the police with a note." Leo's grin began to grow as he said that.

"May I ask why we're the backup?" Donnie asked with his typical frown. Leo knows not to take offense to the question. Donnie is curious, not accusing.

"I'm shocked, Dee! How could you have such low trust in me!" Leon dramatically and playfully yelled.

"Scoff! I was just curious why Raph and I are are the back up, Nardo!" Donald yelled back just as dramatically and playfully.

This got into a slap fight between both Donald and Leon and Raph had to separate the two and the disaster twins just childishly stuck their tongues out at each other.

"Because Mikey and I are fast and sneaky, we can sneak inside and catch them by surprise. You two are strong and you can catch them if they managed to escape." Leo has thought it through. His brothers all have their own strengths.

"Now that's a plan." April commented.

"Sensei knows what to plan based on the strengths and weaknesses of everyone and would usually pair us up with people that are compatible on having our backs." CJ said as he was trying not to laugh at the slight slap fight between Leon and Donald earlier.

"Sounds like a solid plan!" Mikey cheered excitedly.

"It's a logical one, that's for sure." Donnie sounded impressed.

"Great job, Leo." Raph praised with a thumbs up.

Leo smirked, preening at all the positive attention. "Yeah, yeah, I'm the best. Let's move."

He and Mikey jumped down- him with more style- and ran into the museum through the hole that the thieves had broken into.

"Always the dramatics, Blue." Splinter chuckled.

The museum is dark. The walls are lined with paintings and sculptures on top displays. Leo and Mikey snuck around in the shadows, making sure not to be seen.

"Spooky~" Michelangelo said which added a bit of creepy vibes.

"Mikey, knock it off." Raphael chided.

Leo hid behind a display and looks over at the two men sneaking around. They're standing in front of a display, one keeping a lookout while the other is attempting to break the glass. A glance downwards shows a bag filled with equipment that he has seen used in spy movies.

He flicked his eyes over to Mikey who gave him a thumbs up from across the room.

He nodded with a grin. His blades made a 'shick' sound as he pulled them from their holsters.

The added tension and darkness of the museum made the watchers jump slightly from the sound as Leon hid a laugh and grin behind his unicorn plushie.

The humans spun around at the sound.

"Who's there?!" They yelled into the darkness.

"Be quick already!" The one standing demanded the other.

"I'm trying!"

"Just take it for crying out loud!"

"But that will trigger the alarm!"

"It's a fucking art museum! This thing isn't worth that much!"

"Wonder what they're stealing." Jones wondered.

"Guess we're about to find out." O'Neil said.

"Then why steal it?" Leo's voice cut their conversation.

The humans jumped, startled.

"Shit-! Break it!"

There's a sound of shattering glass as they broke the display and grabbed whatever is inside. They sprinted toward the exit but didn't get very far.

"Cowabunga!" Mikey cried out as he swung his kusari-fundo, tripping the thieves and making them drop the item.

"Nice work, Miguel!" Leon cheered while high three with Miguel who laughed.

It rolled away from them, rolling into the moonlight streaming from the window above, and clattered to a stop.

As they scrambled to push themselves off the floor, Leo steps over to the shadowed area just beyond the light and grabs the item. He looks down in confusion.

In his hand is a rectangular wooden box with a rounded top and intricate engravings on the sides. He could tell it was a music box from the small crank on the side of the box. He turned it around, examining the item with confused eyes.

' Strange... '

The team just stared at it in confusion.

"All that for a music box?" Donatello questioned in confusion.

Leon, Nidas and Leonardo stared at the music box in confusion but wariness. For some reason, the box was emitting some sort of aura around it which made them wary for some reason.

"All this for a box?" He asked the thieves.

They scrambled away from him, looking around the shadows for their attacker. Evidently, they couldn't see him and Mikey in such low light.

"Look, man! We don't want any trouble!" One of them said with raised arms.

"Yeah! It's not like we wanted it!"

"Why would they grab a music box if they don't even want it?" Raph asked as Donald shrug.

"Dunno."

'Seems extreme to grab a worthless box. There's more to this. What if it's something dangerous?'

' Something unassuming but is actually bad news. '

Like the key. Yeah, Leo could understand what the voices are implying.

"Hope it's not another key to another prison dimension." Leon muttered warily.

"You and me both." Nidas agreed with Leonardo agreeing.

Leo frowned, a dark feeling growing inside of him at the thought of a repeat of the ordeal they went through. He scraped the tip of his blade against the floor. The screeching sound and the spark it made caused the thieves to cling to each other in fear.

"Then tell me, what you were doing with this?" He demanded, purposefully making his voice lower and threatening.

"Dang, never thought I'd see Leo being so scary." April said in shock.

"Hey, hey- it's no big deal!"

"Yeah! It's just a box!"

"Right! It was a job okay?! We ain't hurting nobody!"

"Like I'd believe that." Leo glared at them. Blue electricity laced down his blades, sparking and briefly lighting up his weapon making it visible for a second.

"Remind me not to get on your bad side, Blue." Splinter said.

"Yeah, I'd seen how Sensei can get when angry and it was pretty terrifying." CJ said with a shudder.

That got the thieves terrified.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa! No need for the sword!"

"Yeah! Look, we don't know okay?! Someone hired us to steal the box!"

"Why?" Leo demanded.

"We don't know!" They said while trembling. "They just said it's real important!"

"Yeah! That's all we know! We swear!"

"They look like they're gonna wet their pants." April snickered.

"Oh, I did not need that image in my head." Donatello groaned while agreeing.

Leo frowned at them. They don't seem to be lying.

Still... this could be another Kraang situation. He can't take any chances.

He twirls the blade in his hand. "Brother."

"Huh?" They said confused before their heads were knocked together by Mikey, who had snuck up behind them.

Mikey grinned down at the knocked-out thieves and raised a finger. "That'll teach you to steal!"

Leon raised a hand and Miguel didn't hesitate to slap his hand against his.

He lifts his head to look at Leo expectantly only to be met with his serious look. His blue-clad brother stares at the box in his hand with narrowed eyes and a serious frown.

"I'd only seen that look on Leo before and it's a bit unnerving." Donald admitted.

"Well, we can't take any chances if it's another... invasion again." Leon said.

"Leo?" Mikey called out.

Leo had been listening to the voices in his head as they talked about the box. He was silent for a moment before looking over at him and down at the thieves. "Tie them up. We're taking this thing with us."

"Do you think..."

"That it might be more than just a box? Yeah, probably." As much as he doesn't want to admit it.

"That we can agree on." Leonardo nodded.

Leo looks down at the unassuming-looking box in his hand. Something about this just makes his stomach churn. "I'll take this to Donnie to look it over."

"Okay." his younger brother nodded.

"Let's just hope it's not as dangerous as the other one." Raph said warily. He was getting weird vibes from the box and he doesn't like it one bit.

They made quick work of the thieves and left them at the entrance of the museum. The thieves would wake up, tied up and confused. The police would catch them at the scene of the robbery with an art piece missing.

On another rooftop, the brothers gathered around Leo as he showed them the music box.

"Know what it is, Dee?" Leo asked as Donnie grabs the box from his hand and examines it.

He looks at the box through his goggles. "Well... there's some mystic energy around the box. But I can't tell what it is."

"That's concerning." O'Neil said.

"Is it another key?" Mikey asked worriedly. He clings to Raph's arm as the older brother eyed the box with suspicion.

"I hope not." Miguel whimpered while holding onto Raph.

"Not sure. It doesn't seem like a key. But it could be anything." Donnie turns the box on its side to see the engravings. "There's something here."

Leo leaned into his twin's personal space, much to his irritation. "Can you read it?"

He yelps when Donnie roughly shoves him away. "If you give me space!"

"Sorry, Nardo." Donald said as Leon just waved him off.

The genius brother sighs and rubs his forehead for a moment. He turns back to the box while ignoring his twin on the ground. His eyes narrowed through the goggles. "Well... it says here..."

"Music sings to the soul,

It puts their life under its control.

Set the music free,

On your enemies.

Use their life force and ire,

To grand your every desire."

A silence settled over them.

"Um, anyone else getting a foreshadowing on what it meant?" Michelangelo asked as he couldn't help but shake off the chills that ran down his spine.

They weren't sure how to react to this. The box felt less like an innocent-looking item and more like an instrument of destruction.

"What do we do with it?" Mikey asked while staying as far away from the box as possible, hiding behind his older brother.

"I second that, screen me." Miguel said.

"Can we destroy it?" Leo asked while crossing his arms and cocking his hip slightly.

Donnie hummed. "Let's see."

He raises his arm and slammed the box onto the ground as hard as he could. It bounced back to hit his face and send him falling backward onto his shell.

Everyone winced at that whole Donald subconsciously rubbed his face.

The brothers watched the box fly into the air and land on Donnie's chest with a thud.

They leaned over to stare at the box and the mark on their brother's face. The box looked pristine, with not a single crack or scratch. Meanwhile, Donnie's face is slightly red from the impact. He looks irritated by it.

"The answer is no." The soft shell deadpanned.

"How about other ways?" CJ suggested.

Mikey snatched the box from his chest. "Let me try!"

They spent the next five minutes trying to destroy the box. They burned it, slammed it with a hammer, cut it with sharp objects, and even tried to destroy it with mystic magic. Yet the box is indestructible.

"Dang! That thing's indestructible just like the key." April winced.

The turtles panted as they stared at the box. They haven't left a single scratch on it.

"Yeah, it's not working." Donnie said, hands gripping onto his tech-bo and hiding the drill he had used on the box.

"Wait, how did you get a drill on that?!" Donatello asked.

"Well, my purple masked counterpart, I present and show you my tech bo." Donald said as he showed Donatello his tech bo and a mechanical hand came out on one hand.

"Holy chalupa..." Donatello gaped in amazement. He is so asking how he made it.

"Then we keep it safe," Leo declared seriously.

"Wha- keep the dangerous creepy unknown box with us?!" Raph yelled.

"I agree with Raph on this one, Leon." O'Neil said.

Leo turned to face his brother with a frown on his face. "Someone is after this. It could be really dangerous. Nobody knows we have it. Until we find a better place to keep it, we have to make sure nobody can take it."

"We can't take any chances, Raph." Leon said.

' He's right. '

'T hat doesn't mean it's safe. '

' Do they have a choice? '

The first voice sighs. ' No. '

Leo grimaced and held his head. The voices are getting concerning. It might not be a side effect of a concussion.

"Leo?" Raph asks in concern.

The slider pinches his brow for a moment. There's a headache building that he hadn't noticed before. Now it throbs his skull with pulses of pain.

"Me and my insomnia..." Leon said.

"Just a headache," He looks back at his brothers. "It's only temporary. Just in case this is another Kraang situation."

"Let's just hope it's not." Nidas said warily.

His brothers shuffled a little.

"Let's go back." Leo declared, waving his blade to cut a portal back home. The familiar blue portal warps into existence in front of them.

"We should really have a storage space or something." Donnie said as they all stepped through the portal one by one.

"Ooh! Can I design it?" Miguel asked as he looked at Donald who nodded.

He looks at his twin as Mikey jumps through the portal with Raph stepping in behind him. "Just saying. If we're going to pick up dangerous items, we need a more secure place away from our home."

"We'll figure something out." Leo assures him. He frowns as he thought about the situation they're in. He really hopes that this isn't a Kraang situation. He waits until all of his brothers crossed the portal before he hops through.

When the portal shuts behind him, Leo felt a wave of pain and vertigo crash onto him. Everything tilted to the side and nearly fell onto his face. He knelt down on one knee and shut his eyes. His brothers watched him tumble and drop his blades with a clatter.

"Ohmigosh! Leo, are you okay?!" Miguel shouted in worry.

"Hey, hey, it's okay. I'm okay. This is the future remember?" Leon said as he calmed him down.

His head is throbbing. His ears are ringing like crazy and something warm is churning inside his chest.

' What's wrong with him? '

' He's sparking. Did something happen with the portal? '

' But they got here fine. There's no way they've been portal-jacked. '

"I still can't believe that incident and Tahiti." Leon pouted.

"Well, you did portal us to Tahiti, Nardo." Donald said.

"I remember that. And I panicked so much that I almost tear down the Hidden City." Nidas said.

The voices are louder now and it hurts.

He breathes slowly, taking in deep breaths and exhaling.

There are other voices speaking to him. This time, familiar.

He opens his eyes to look up. Everything is blurry and he could just see shapes and colors. He blinks a few more times to get rid of it and tries again.

Leonardo frowned in concern. There was something happening and it's making him worry.

The concerned faces of his brothers slowly came into focus.

"-eo! Leo! Can you hear me?"

"Yeah. Loud and clear, Dee." Leo grimaced.

"What happened? Are you sick?" Donnie asked while Leo pushed himself back on his feet.

"No. Just a headache." Leo groaned. He thanked Mikey as his little brother handed him his fallen katanas.

"Doesn't seem like a headache to me." Raphael said in concern.

Raph helped him stand. He has a concerned frown on his face. "Maybe you should get some rest. When was the last time you slept?"

"Eh, you know me and my insomnia." Leo shrugged with a grin.

"I'm gonna put some sleeping pills in your drink next time, Leo, and that's something I will do." Miguel said as Leon just laughed nervously. Pizza Supreme, he better not.

"Get some rest." Raph told him sternly.

"Kay, kay. Don't get your pants in a twist."

"We don't wear pants. Just gym shorts." Miguel said as Leon sticks his tongue out.

"Then how come Nidas wears pants?" Leon said while pointing to the older slider.

"Fair enough."

"I'll observe this a bit more." Donnie said while taking the box from the ground. Leo had dropped it when he tumbled.

"Be careful with it." Raph warned.

"Night, Leo!" Mikey smiled at him, leaning into Leo's touch when the slider affectionately patted his head.

"Night, hermanos!" Leo walked away with a swing in his step, arms behind his head, and giving his brothers a two fingers salute.

"Since when did you learn Spanish?" Jones asked.

"Since I was 3." Both Nidas and Leon said.

They practically learned Spanish from Puerto Rican.

He steps into the train car that he turned into his room. Once the doors close behind him he drops his smile and his shoulders hunched in exhaustion.

He steps around his room. The train car is lit with blue, red, and yellow fairy lights hanging from the ceiling. A shelf held a few trinkets like action figures, framed pictures, and miscellaneous items. The walls are plastered with posters he managed to salvage. Other items are scarred around the cabin, an organized chaotic mess.

Leo pulls off his socks and gloves. His belt with his emergency medical pouch came off next, placing it all haphazardly aside. He tugs his mask last, exhaling softly as he drops it on a shelf. He passes a full-body mirror leaning against the wall and turns to it to examine himself.

He could see thin marks even under the dim fairy lights. Cracks where the Kraang had broken his shell. It's healing, nearly invisible to anyone who wasn't looking. Still, it's just a reminder of what he went through.

He examines his face in the mirror. He grimaces, looking at his tired reflection. He exhales heavily.

Both Nidas and Leonardo watched curiously on what will happen with the others.

"Okay. Okay." He mutters to himself. "Things are... okay. I'm okay."

' Doesn't seem okay. '

' After what happened? I don't blame him. '

Leo grimaced. The voices are clearer than ever and it makes his head throb. He held his head in his palm.

"And I've got voices in my head," he mutters aloud. "Might need to get that checked out. Don't need a mind Raph scenario."

He chuckles to himself at the joke.

' ...He can hear us? '

' You can hear us? '

"Apparently, I can." Leon blinked in surprise.

"Huh?" Leo blinked. Wait. Voices don't usually say that, right?

' Hey, kid, can you hear us? '

' There's no way. You could hear us this whole time? '

Leo lifts his hands to his head, covering the sides of his head as he heaves out a long sigh.

"I'm going crazy. Hehehe. Maybe I do need some sleep." He chuckles.

"You are not going crazy, kid." Nidas said.

' Uh..., kid. Turn around. '

"Oh this should be good." Raphael grinned as he grabbed some popcorn.

"Couldn't agree more." April agreed with a grin.

A shiver ran through Leo's body and his heart drops to his feet when he feels a presence behind him. He knows someone is there. His instincts are never wrong.

He's almost afraid to turn around.

Still, he slowly turns his body to look behind him.

At first, there was nobody. Just his empty cabin room with all his stuff. Then, something flickered into existence.

Two turtles appeared in front of him like a flickering image. One tall, one short. The turtles look translucent, with a blue aura surrounding them. Both of them wore blue masks and they had a distinct feeling of "me" to him.

The tall one has his markings but looked distinctly older, with a different outfit and a large right arm that looked mechanical. He has an air of tiredness and weariness to him. Like a hardened warrior, a person who had to fight to survive. His aura is liked an old sword, slightly chipped and worn but still sharp and capable.

Nidas stared in surprise. Guess that answered his question earlier.

The shorter one looked different than him. More rounded, yet robust with wired muscles. He looks overall softer but still older. He also has a weary look in his eyes like he had been through a lot. Still, his aura is warm and soft with an air of everlasting patience. Like slow-flowing water.

"Well, that answers my question." Leonardo said.

Miguel looked at the two other turtles on the screen and the ones with them and his eyes widened comically.

The taller one looked surprised. The shorter one shuffled awkwardly.

' Hey. '

' Hello. '

It was silent for a moment as he stared at the two turtles.

Then he screamed.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHH!!!"

"THAT'S YOU TWO!" Miguel screamed the same time that the Leo on screen screamed as everyone turned to the three blue masked turtles.