- Chapter 52 -

Tales of Leo

"Hello and welcome to another Sewer Hour! Have you ever had days where everything seems like it's not going your way? Days where it feels like the entire world is out to get you? Honestly, for the people of New York, I'm sure you're feeling that right now more than ever. But even safely here in Massachusetts, or anywhere out there in the world, there are people struggling to make it through. In fact, let me tell you about my big blue brother…"

A few days passed since Leo's awakening, and the blue turtle seemed to be repeating the same daily ritual: wake up, take his medicine, then stand on the back porch and stare blankly at nothing. Occasionally, Midnight would approach the turtle and whine, but he barely reacted, if at all. The others looked on in concern.

"How long has he been like that?" Mikey asked.

"He's been coming out here doing that the past few days," Hisako told him. "Guys... it's not looking good. I'm really worried about him."

"There's gotta be something we can do," Mikey insisted.

"All we really can do is hope he pulls through this," Donnie said. "He has to. Imagine the trouble we'd get in without him."

Leo turned his head slightly, listening in on the conversation.

"Like that time Kasumi gave me a remote control car for our ninth Mutation Day…" Donnie went on.

Flashback

Donnie drove the car alongside the sewer tunnels, Leo next to him.

"Check out the turning radius on this thing, Leo!" Donnie declared. He tried to pull off a 360 with the car… only to end up driving it right into the water.

"Remind me never to let you behind the wheel of a real car," Leo deadpanned.

"In retrospect, that's why I made him the designated driver for the Shellraiser," Donnie recalled, getting laughs out of the others, including Leo. "Anyway, there was a lot of debris in the sewer that day. and the tunnels were overflowing from the recent rains we had. But I didn't care, I just wanted my car back."

"Hold this!" Donnie said, handing Leo the remote before hurrying after the car.

He grabbed a passing stick and tried to fish the car out, but some passing debris caught the stick. Donnie lost his balance and tumbled into the water, where the flow swept him down the tunnel.

"Donnie!" Leo screamed, hurrying after him.

Donnie was deposited in a drainage junction, his leg pinned under the debris as the water level rose.

"Leo, help!" Donnie pleaded. "My leg… I'm stuck!"

"Hang on!" Leo shouted, diving in just as the water closed over Donnie's head.

Swimming down, Leo managed to pull his brother's leg free, quickly grabbing him and dragging him to the surface. He then swam for the nearest ledge, pulling them both to safety. After a few minutes of panting and catching their breath, Donnie turned to him.

"What? You didn't get the car?"

That got him a nasty glare from his elder brother.

Flashback Over

"He saved my butt that day," Donnie recalled. "If he hadn't been there…"

Leo chuckled, making his way over to the group. "Kasumi was pissed that he lost that car, though."

"I'm not surprised," April remarked, acting as if Leo had been there the whole time.

"Yeah, Leo's always been able to do stuff like that," Mikey recalled. "Keep his cool in tough situations. Even as a kid, when he set his mind to something, nothing could break his concentration. I know, I tried."

"What'd you do?" Casey asked.

"Well, one day, Leo was working on perfecting his katas…" Mikey began.

Flashback

Leo stood in the midst of the lair, practicing his katas before freezing in a crane stance. Around that time, Mikey came in, looking around the room.

"Hey, Leo!" he called out. "Have you seen my DS anywhere?"

Leo didn't move. Mikey approached him, waving a hand in front of his face.

"Hello?" Mikey questioned in a singsong voice. "Anybody home?"

Leo didn't even blink.

"Nothing in the world was gonna break his concentration. But it didn't mean I wasn't gonna try."

Mikey proceeded to try multiple different tricks, making faces, popping balloons in Leo's ear, and burping garlic pizza right into his face. Through it all, Leo remained silent and still.

"Eventually, I decided that if I couldn't make him laugh… I was gonna make him say 'ow.'"

Mikey went and retrieved his nunchucks from his room, an evil grin on his face. He swung them at Leo, and then Leo responded, grabbing the end and sweeping Mikey's legs out from under him before pinning him to the ground.

"Oh, sorry," Mikey said casually. "Was I disturbing you?"

Flashback Over

"...Wow," April let out.

"Believe me," Leo piped up. "It wasn't as easy as it looked to ignore him."

"I can imagine," Hisako declared. "It's never been easy for you to ignore your siblings, especially if they need your help. Remember when I was just learning to walk?"

"How could I ever forget?" Leo asked.

Flashback

A younger, skinnier Hisako stood up on shaky legs, making it two steps before falling on her face.

"Back when we started my physical therapy, my body was a mess. I could barely take two steps without falling all over myself. Sometimes, I didn't even make it that far. Every time I fell, I felt like more and more of a failure. I was convinced I was never gonna be able to walk. Eventually, I just decided to give up."

Hisako pounded her skinny fist on the ground before curling up on the carpet in tears.

"It's hopeless…" she let out.

"It's only hopeless if you give up."

Hisako looked up, seeing Leo standing over her. She sniffled and wiped her nose on her sleeve, turning away. "Keep falling… Just keep falling…"

"Nothing worth doing is easy," Leo told her, kneeling down to her level. "Master Splinter used to say to me, 'fall down seven times, get up eight.' You know what that means?"

Hisako shook her head.

"Every time you fail, you get back up to try again." Leo offered her a hand. "That's what you're gonna do. And I'll be right here with you, okay?"

Hisako slowly took his hand.

"And he was. Every fall, every misstep, he was there to catch me. Encourage me. Until finally…"

One day, Hisako stood up, walking over to Splinter and Kasumi. She began to teeter over, but Leo gently nudged her back into balance, and she successfully made it.

"I… I did it," Hisako realized, before smiling. "I did it!"

"Told ya you would," Leo said with a smile. "You just needed to keep trying."

Hisako turned to him, hugging him. "Thank you…" she said, tears in her eyes.

Flashback Over

"He never gave up on me. Not once," Hisako went on. "If he hadn't encouraged me to go the distance, I'd probably be an invalid in a wheelchair right now."

"That's our Leo," Vee remarked. "Hell, he was even there for me, back in the day."

Flashback

Vee stood off to the side, watching as her brothers playfully chased one another around the lair. She looked out of place, rubbing her arm as she looked down at her feet.

"I was the only girl in a family of five. So... yeah, I felt like a fifth wheel more often than not. Like I didn't belong."

As the game went on, Leo looked over at Vee. "C'mon! You're missing out on all the fun!"

"You want me to join?" Vee said in surprise. "Why?"

"Why wouldn't I want you to join?" Leo tilted his head in confusion.

"Well… because I'm a girl."

Leo shrugged. "So what?"

"So… I didn't think you'd want me to play with you."

"That's just silly!" Leo told her. "Girl or not, Vee, you're family!"

"It's strange. That never occurred to me until Leo said it. I suddenly felt so stupid for not joining in because I was a girl. So I decided to make up for lost time."

"Alright," Vee said, grinning. "But you better run!"

"Bring it on!" Leo declared.

She joined in on the game, laughing happily.

Flashback Over

"Whether it's saving our lives, encouraging us, or including us, Leo's always been there," Vee finished.

"Yeah, it makes sense why he was named leader," Raph admitted. "Even if I didn't always see it."

"Didn't you try and prove you could be leader not long after the announcement?" Leo asked.

Raph sighed, rubbing the back of his head in embarrassment. "Yeah. Follow the leader between you and me. Not one of my proudest moments."

"Now this I gotta hear," Casey declared.

Raph rolled his eyes before going on. "When Splinter and Kasumi first declared Leo leader, I was pissed. I always thought I would be top turtle. I was strongest. Bravest…"

Flashback

Raph led Leo through the sewers, stopping before a boarded-up tunnel.

"So one day, we played follow the leader. I wanted to prove to Dad and Kasumi that they made a mistake. That I should've been leader."

Raph began tearing boards off of the tunnel.

"Raph, we can't go in there!" Leo insisted. "Dad and Kasumi said it's off limits!"

"You can't be a leader if you're just gonna follow orders all the time. When are you gonna learn to take charge and think for yourself?" Raph opened a hole in the boards big enough for them to go through. "Now catch me if you can!"

He dashed down the tunnel with Leo in hot pursuit, and the two eventually found themselves at an open junction in the sewers.

"Dead end?" Raph mused. "Must've taken a wrong turn."

"Oh boy, had I. Y'see, Leatherhead isn't the first crocodile we ever met. That was this guy."

The water began bubbling, and a massive albino crocodile burst out of the water with a roar.

"Raph!" Leo shouted. He grabbed Raph by the scruff of his neck, yanking him back mere seconds before the crocodile's jaws slammed shut around him. "C'mon! We gotta get outta here!"

"No way!" Raph shouted. "This ugly suitcase is intruding on our turf!"

"We're the intruders, you idiot!" Leo snapped. "Now let's go!"

"No. A real leader doesn't back down from a fight."

Leo rolled his eyes, crossing his arms and leaning against the tunnel. "Fine. Handle it your way."

Raph jumped onto the crocodile's head, punching at it ineffectually.

"I did everything I could to try to take it down. But I was just a kid, and it was a giant freakin' crocodile. I might as well have been a fly to that thing."

Eventually, the crocodile flung Raph off, looming over him hungrily.

"Okay, that does it!" Leo shouted.

He ran forward, jumping on the creature's back and pressing a specific spot on its head near the jaw. The crocodile seized up, then collapsed, fast asleep.

"What the-?" Raph let out. "What'd you do?"

"Pressure points," Leo explained. "Something Sensei showed me."

He jumped off the croc's back.

"Now it's my turn," Leo declared, not leaving any room for argument. "And I'm leading us back home before that thing wakes up."

"Lead the way," Raph told him.

With that, they ran away.

Flashback Over

"I definitely learned something that day," Raph said. "A real leader knows when he's beat. To run, and live to fight another day. And he always knows what to say and when to say it. He's probably saved all of our lives with"

Kagome stepped in at that. "Yeah, Leo's advice is always helpful, whether it be life or death situations, or something as insignificant as stage fright. I remember the night of my very first dance recital…"

Flashback

Kagome paced nervously around the lair, wringing her hands.

"It was the first time I ever danced on stage, and in front of people that weren't the Turtles, Splinter, or Mom. I was so nervous, I almost caved."

Finally, Kagome let out a yelp, clutching the sides of her head. "Nonononono… I can't do it!"

"Kagome? Are you okay?" Kagome turned to see Leo walk up to her.

"I… I changed my mind, Leo!" she declared. "I don't wanna do the dance anymore!"

"What?! Why?" Leo asked. "You've been so excited! You've been practicing for weeks!"

"I know," Kagome admitted. "But all those people, looking at me… I'm so nervous. What if I mess up?"

"You're not. Don't focus on them. Focus on your family. On us." He sat down, patting the seat next to him. Kagome obediently sat down. "You know the routine forwards, backwards, and sideways. You're not gonna mess up."

"But-" Kagome began.

"But nothing," Leo cut in. "Just relax, and focus on the routine." He patted her back. "And if all else fails... just imagine the audience in their underwear."

"So, I took his advice. I went to the recital, and just focused on the routine, not the people watching. And it worked. I made it through without a single mistake."

After the recital, Kagome ran down into the lair, hugging Leo around the neck with a big smile.

"Your advice worked, Leo!" she cheered. "Thank you so much!"

Flashback Over

"I focused on the task at hand, and was able to work past the fear and nerves," Kagome recalled. "All thanks to Leo."

Leo turned to them. "I was… speaking from personal experience."

Everyone turned to him at that.

"What're you talking about, Leo?" Mikey asked. "You've never been scared of anything in your life!"

"I only wish that were true, little brother," Leo replied. "Believe it or not, when I was little, I was terrified of heights."

Flashback

"One day, Kasumi and Dad took me out with them on a supply run."

Splinter, Kasumi, and Leo went through the sewers, scavenging anything that could be useful from the debris.

"Yoshi, you know this isn't necessary," Kasumi pointed out. "I can easily get you what you need."

"You've done more than enough, my friend," Splinter replied. "But thank you."

"Dad, Kasumi, look at what I found!" Leo said, running over and showing them the bag he had gathered.

"Good work, my son," Splinter told him. "Now come along. There are more useful items to be found on the upper levels."

With that, the rat ninja led Kasumi and Leo over to a ladder and they began to climb. As he went up, Leo happened to glance down, freezing up.

"All I'd ever known was the sewers. We'd never really been above ground... and the thought of going too high really freaked me out."

"Leonardo?" Kasumi asked, looking down. "What's wrong?"

"I… I can't do it!" Leo exclaimed, closing his eyes and shaking violently. "No… NO!"

Kasumi reached down and picked Leo up, handing him to Splinter as she took his bag.

"I see what's going on here," Kasumi realized, turning to Splinter. "Yoshi… he's afraid of heights."

"So it seems," Splinter remarked.

"Considering our training and the profession it would lead to, having a fear of heights wasn't a good thing to have. So the next day, they began training me. I thought I was just doing balance exercises, and I was… with a twist."

Leo wore a blindfold throughout said training exercises, unaware that Splinter and Kasumi were setting up higher and higher blocks for him to balance on. Eventually…

"And now, Leonardo, remove your blindfold," Splinter ordered.

Leo did so, and went wide-eyed upon seeing he was a good twenty feet off the ground. Panicking, he lost his balance, tumbling into a safety net Splinter'd had the foresight to set up.

"I was beginning to think I'd never get past it. But Sensei and Kasumi wouldn't give up on me."

The next day, Splinter and Kasumi lead Leo on another run, coming out of a tunnel overlooking a massive pit.

"Be careful here, Leonardo," Kasumi warned as Splinter began climbing a nearby pipe.

"Um… you guys go ahead," Leo said nervously. "I'll take the long way around."

"That could take hours," Splinter pointed out as he continued climbing.

"That's okay!" Leo said a little too quickly. "I could use the exercise!"

Suddenly, the pipe Splinter was climbing gave way and fell. Splinter fell with it, finding himself dangling by his robe over the pit.

"Yoshi!" Kasumi screamed.

"Dad!" Leo shouted.

Without thinking, he climbed the pipe after Splinter, closing his eyes as he inched along the pipe and reached for his father.

"Grab on!" he shouted.

Splinter grabbed Leo's hand and the pipe creaked ominously as Leo pulled him up.

"We're not gonna make it back!" Leo exclaimed.

"Then we must forge ahead," Splinter decided.

With that, he pulled a grappling hook out of his robe and threw it, latching onto a nearby pipe. Pulling Leo onto his back, Splinter swung to safety, Kasumi following with her own grappling hook. Leo turned to them, confused.

"Wait…" he said aloud. "You could've saved yourself at any time, or Kasumi could've done it. You... you planned this, didn't you?"

"Yes," Kasumi confirmed. "We could have done either of those, but then you would still be ruled by your fear."

"By focusing on the task at hand, you were able to clear your mind of all distraction," Splinter added.

Flashback Over

"I guess I forgot that lesson until now," Leo said with a sigh. "I'm not gonna lie to you. Ever since I woke up, I've been scared. Of facing Shredder again. Of failing to save New York from Krang."

His expression hardened, and he clenched his fist. "But the time for fear is over."

Leo looked out into the horizon, his eyes full of determination. "We're gonna go back. We're gonna save our home, and we're gonna make Shredder and Krang pay for everything."

"Agreed," Hisako said. "First thing tomorrow, we start training again. Then we're gonna go back to New York, and kick that motherfucker's ass all the way back to Dimension X."

Everyone cheered at that, Midnight howling in agreement, and Leo managed a smile as he looked to the sky, his hope and will to fight restored.

"Even in our lowest point, if we rely on those around us, be it family, friends, or even pets, you'd be surprised what you can live through. So, when the world is out to get you, cling to those close to you and never forget: Anata wa hitori janai. And with that, this is Cowabunga Carl, signing off."

Author's Note:

Another one down. And yes, for the duration of the farmhouse mini-arc, Mikey talking about events on the Sewer Hour will be a framing device.

Please R&R. Until next time!