Chapter Text
"Did you... Notice?" Donatello asks quietly from beside Leo, keeping his voice low in a likely attempt to shield his words from the turtles leading the way.
Leo squints, knowing exactly what Donatello was referring to. His father. They noticed that Splinter went back to that 'away place' after treating Raphael and as much as Leo wanted to recognize it was a trauma response to seeing someone sacrifice themselves for his father, he was still upset. It left something bitter in his mouth and chest and it only grew while he watched Raph run around the kitchen to make their emergency-after-fight food. He had stopped having to do that a few months ago and Leo could tell in the crease between his mask that Raph was upset about being back in that position. He thinks everyone was excited to finally have Splinter back always - to have their father reliable and actively caring for them and for Raph to not carry the burdens Splinter left behind - and him suddenly being gone again was just a stab to the gut.
Leo almost laughed at the irony of that thought. Almost. Leonardo didn't seem like much of the laughing type.
Leo flexes hands that were too big for him, with scars he did not recognize as he tries to think of how Leonardo would respond. "I did. You're talking about Splinter, right? He did just watch someone who is basically his son take a blade for him and almost die - I think anyone would be shocked by that."
Donatello quiets, and Leo wonders if he said something wrong and was caught in his bluff. Donnie was smart, but he was way too easy to trick. Leo hoped other Donatello would be wired the same way, but Leonardo warned he catches on fairly quickly when something feels wrong. If they get called out on their switcheroo, the plan would dump into the shitter. Raph could not lie and would blow the whole operation once they faced off with Big Mama, but Donatello continues his verbal thoughts and Leo lets his anxiety settle. "Do you think our dad would have responded the same way? If Raph did take his spot on the roof?"
Leo shrugs, and his shoulder tingles again. Something was definitely off with his right arm - or with Leonardo's right arm. All of Leonardo's memories were muddled, like he drowned them deep underwater until they smeared into something he could not bring back, but there was something about a bite nagging in the back of his mind which matched the weird scars around his shell. "I dunno. Maybe?" Leo responded half-heartedly, hoping that would be enough to drop the conversation. "Do you think that leaving Mikey alone with Raph was a bad idea, especially with Splinter acting like that?"
"Well, I mean you at the farmhouse-" Donatello suddenly cuts off whatever he was saying, looking away to the churning waters of the sewer.
"Me what?" Leo asks when Donatello does not continue.
"Nothing. I misspoke." Donatello responds stiffly, looking back forwards. His expression was guarded again, that some stone look Leo started to realise was nothing more than a mask for the other four. "It was stupid of me to talk about it. We need to focus on Raph and getting him back."
Leo wonders if he should push Donatello to elaborate, but Raph was already climbing up the ladder that breached to the surface and Leo lets his words die in his throat.
"So you have like... Superpowers?" Casey inquires, focusing more on that then on the events leading to their meeting. Leo was starting to realise that this Casey was high energy - maybe not to the same feral mannerisms of his own, but there was still that same wild look in his eyes despite being hidden under a mask, as if he was actively searching for the opportunity to throw hands. Leo didn't see how a hockey stick was the most ideal weapon in a fight, but he used a swordfish once so it wasn't his place to judge.
"Uh, something like that?" Leo muses, noticing the way Donatello's eyes kept flickering over despite his expression of indifference. With everything going on, Leo realised that the older turtles never really got a detailed explanation for their supernatural abilities. He did briefly mention to Donatello how their ninpo can create weapons, and the barely concealed curiosity on the older turtle's face made it clear he still had questions he was hesitant to ask. "It's a Hamato thing - like a gift passed down through generations. Relates to our souls."
Casey's face takes on a small frown, displeased with the response. "So more ninja stuff? The last time these guys had a ninja quest thing they decided to exclude me and April."
"What? When did we do that?!" Donatello demands, giving Casey a light shove to his shoulder. Despite that, Casey still has to windmill his arms to catch his balance again, shooting Donatello a venomous glare. "You're in my life so much at this point that I don't remember a time where I had peace and happiness at the same time."
"Your little ninja dream quest from fire Splinter!" Casey reminds him, waving his fingers to add emphasis to the dream part. "You guys came back with flags and shit, that's pretty magic-ninja to me."
"What, I want a cool flag! Raph yelled at me that time I tried to steal a Jupiter Jim flag after he froze us to use as an exhibit."
Donatello only looked mildly horrified at his story as Casey's eyes grew wide. "We don't have time to unpack all of that-"
"I think we can make the time-" Casey's words are cut off by a surprised yelp when Donatello yanks his mask back down with no warning.
"Show him the magic thing so we can move on!" Donatello snaps, ignoring Casey's disgruntled sounds of complaint. "I thought with Raph being in danger you would focus up enough to get this shit done."
The coy smile was still plastered on Casey's face by the time he's able to put his mask back on his head, but it was strained now, almost pained by Donatello's words. Leo feels a pang of sympathy at his expression and the concern and guilt that flutters briefly over Donatello's is a sign he noticed it too. Leo didn't really believe Casey meant to be flippant about the situation, Raph had snapped similar words before whenever Leo allowed his goofiness to take over his focus but it was just his way to keep his emotions in control. By not clinging onto what was bothering him (sometimes to the point it looked as if he didn't care), Leo was able to keep moving forward and Casey seemed to express his fears the same way. Donatello however, appeared to be a clinger and didn't understand.
It was weird, watching the pair interact. They jumped between bickering to the point Leo thought they hated each other to expressing care and concern for each other that went far beyond being 'just friends'. He would have compared it to his relationship to Donnie, often being at ends with his twin to the point of hurling insults yet willing to die for the other, but there was an emotion in their eyes that flashed whenever they thought the other wasn't looking that was not shared between brothers.
Leo steps between them, pulling his swords from his seathes and flashing a wide grin. "Of course, I love showing off!" He intercepts, hoping to keep things moving. He also thinks it would be nice to impress the human a bit - he was sure Casey would be the same age as the turtles, so he didn't expect anything out of it, but he could still find the boy cute. Leonardo's subconscious was no help with Leo trying to ignore the sort of endearing attractiveness of Casey; it seemed like his counterpart had a thing for punk and goth individuals.
Leo swipes his sword down, feeling that familiar thrum of ninpo shimmering beneath his skin despite being in a new form. April said their ninpo was connected to their souls or their spirits so he guessed it would make sense for it to still work, but his usual party trick of scratching his own back was thwarted by a sickly pink colour swirling in a crackling triangle. Leo already had his hand outstretched, prepared to shove his hand through, but Donatello smacks it down, Leo exclaiming loudly and waving the limb to relieve the sharp sting. "What was that for?!"
"Don't put your hand in sketchy pink Kraang portals!" Donatello snaps, Leo shooting him a venomous glare.
"Obviously I wasn't going to fucking do that!" Leo snaps back. "How dumb do you think I am?"
"You're a Leo - that's all I have to know." Donatello responds sharply, Leo rolling his eyes at the response.
He eyes the portal wearily, watching as the pink continues to swirl. "So that's a Kraang portal? I can't open those. What's on the other side?"
Donatello's lips press into a thin line, a grim expression crossing his face. "Nothing good. Just shut it before something comes out and don't use your ninpo anymore."
"Man, I would be really pissed if I couldn't use my ninja magic anymore." Casey admits mournfully with a slight shake of his head, resting his elbow on Donatello's shoulder despite the turtle's height making it raise to an odd angle.
Donatello shrugs it off, shooting Casey another annoyed glare. "Just close it, Leo. We don't want anything coming out."
"Okay, you don't have to say things twice, you sound like Raph." Leo whines, imagining the portal closing. Usually they close without issue, but it felt like the hinges were rusted now, the portal creaking on protest to be closed and remaining stubbornly open. "That's... Weird. And probably not good."
"Why isn't it closing?" Donatello demands, a shake in his voice leaking through. It left Leo feeling nervous, hearing fear in the older turtle's voice and panic curdles uncomfortably inside of him.
He throws his hands up, gesturing with his katanas towards the still open portal. "I don't know! Usually it just closes!" He explains. In a fit of potential stupidity, he decides to manually close it, grasping the top and bottom of the portal to try and force it shut. It burned his palms, hot and stinging as smoke curled from Leonardo's wraps, but the portal started to inch close and Leo set aside the pain. Now that he was closer, he could feel a freezing draft on his face, carrying the smell of burning flesh and sickly rot. There was the distant call of moans and wails, hundreds of voices overlapping and a low hiss that slowly formed into words the harder Leo listened.
Kraang... Is... Coming.
The portal had shrunk to the size of his chest and suddenly snapped shut as if the rust finally gave way to let everything break beneath Leo's palms. He pitches forward from it vanishing abruptly, landing hard on his hands and knees and crying out when his palms sting in agonising pain. Donatello was beside him in an instant, hands steady as they collected his own and quickly unwrapped the bands to check the damage. The older turtle muttered quiet assurances under his breath, Leo hearing snippets of promises that everything would be okay and he could fix it. The words seemed as second nature to Donatello as the methodical movements of him bandaging Leo's palms again and Leo wonders how often he had to say such things and how often he truly believed it.
"It's going to hurt handling your swords for a while, the skin is definitely irritated and inflamed, but you'll be okay." Donatello states, Leo treated in a matter of seconds. Despite his years of practice wrapping up his toys like mummies, Leo was still far slower than the other turtle and he thinks it's because Donatello was never granted time to be slow with his siblings. "Can you keep moving?"
Leo's face presses thin, collecting his swords and trying not to wince at the stabbing pain in his palms and the lingering fear from the voice. The other boys mentioned the Kraang before - was that them? Did bringing these guys here bring their Kraang as well or were these his Kraang? He wanted to ask, he wanted to be sure because they already saved the world once and he wasn't quite ready to do that again. Not with him being the leader now, but Donatello looked tired and he looked scared and Leo didn't think it would be fair to add this onto his shoulders when he was already in distress over Raphael. He pushed his concerns for Donatello and the Kraang to the side, trying to focus back on the mission and ignoring the stinging of his hands. He'll ask later, when things slow and they can breathe; if they were blessed with that mercy. "I'll be fine. And no more portals." He adds at the end in exasperation, already knowing the next words to leave Donatello. Despite being on a mission together, the older turtle still seemed to think Leo needed things to be explained as if he was two.
"I wish your portals worked - it feels like we're walking in circles." Casey complains, swinging his arms around in restless energy. "I swear I've seen that mushroom patch before."
Leo makes a face, watching as the fungus pulsates and glows gently in the darkness of the tunnel. "I don't know, dude. There are a lot of mushrooms around here and I don't really trust them, they're known for 'stalking'."
"Stop that. Leo outgrew his pun and one liner phase when he was 17, I'm not going through that shit again." Donatello snaps, sending Leo a soured look. "And Case is right, we've passed that patch before. We're going in circles, but that's impossible - we haven't seen any other doorways or paths. Not even the door we came through."
"So then what's bugging?" Casey questions, still pacing and swinging his arms. "I want to bust some heads! It's what Raph would do."
"Is it mystic magic?" Donatello questions, turning to Leo. "Does this place know we don't belong and is keeping us trapped?"
"Why would I know that?!"
"You're from here, why wouldn't you know that?!"
"Is this the energy you guys have been having this whole time? How have you guys not killed each other yet?"
Donatello and Leo share a look and a mutual understanding passes between them to not confirm Casey's question. "Alright, so no portals, no doorways and us looping - I mean, I wouldn't put it past some of the things I've seen here." Leo explains, bringing a finger to his chin in thought. "Unless we want to try digging out, I'm not sure what our options are besides continuing to walk."
"That's not a good enough plan." Donatello snaps, Leo trying to not snap back in response. He knew it wasn't a good plan - it feels like he hasn't had many good plans in a while - but he didn't know what else to do! His conversation with Donatello before they entered had him all fired up and confident, especially after his previous fight with his own Donnie about his lack of leadership. Donatello mentioned Donnie wanting Leo to be leader, trusting him with that delicate role but he was circling back to self doubt. Sure, he was smart and sure he made most of his plans, but Raph protected them - Raph looked after them. He knows he stole it from his brother and with Donatello glaring at him, he was sure the older turtle was feeling the same way.
"I don't have anything, Donatello!" Leo cries, throwing his bandaged hands up in defeat. Donatello's face twitches at that, sharpened expression falling slightly. "That portal thing I used back at Big Mama's was the only one I had. I gave the rest to your brother because I thought I would still have my portals! I've worked without them before - but there's literally no way out!" He points out, gesturing to the dirt walls.
"There has to be something! I can't let Raph die!"
"This is really exciting and I hate to interrupt," Casey interrupts despite his words, "but does your universe have big eyes that float?"
"I wouldn't be surprised." Leo responds, an edge of annoyance still in his voice as he turns to Casey who was staring at something above their heads. There was a white knuckled grip on his hockey stick, one foot back as if preparing for a fight and Leo whips his head up just in time to see the big eyes Casey was referencing fall on top of an unsuspecting Donatello with a cackle.
Stupid Leonardo and his stupid senses. As much as Leo hated how he was always overstimulated, he was starting to miss the extra edge it gave him with detecting danger.
He reaches up to grab his katanas, prepared to strike down the lizard who was now appearing on-top of Donatello's shell, but a blur of blue and the glint of silver slams into him. The... Thing lands on his plastron, the impact sending him sliding backwards on his carapace and the weight on his chest grinding him gradually into the soft dirt. Blades are digging into his face, and it sparks a deep anxiety in his chest that does not match how he would usually feel in this situation. His hand immediately wraps around the arm holding the blades prepared to shove them off but the blades flex as if alive and he realises they were actually talons. The edges dig enough into his skin to make him hiss in pain, blood rolling down his cheeks in a silent warning to not move. It's with squinted eyes he's able to make out blue feathers, wings fluttering and flapping slightly before tucking against a rather large bird. Dark eyes peer down at him curiously against a white feathered face, feather puffed slightly as if to make his attacker look bigger.
The talons were wrapped in silver, making them sharper and heavier against his face. He probably could still yank the talons away, but he risked pulling Leonardo's face off with it and he was pretty sure the older turtle would be more than annoyed to be given his body back with more scars. Instead, he releases his grip and the feathers flatten but the talons do not pull away.
"Drop your weapon." An airy voice demands, the owner out of Leo's vision. He can hear loud grumbling and complaining from Casey that silences when Donatello makes a surprised sound of pain. There's a thump as Casey presumably throws down his hockey stick. "You do not belong here."
"Uh, actually we do!" Leo snaps quickly before Casey or Donatello can say something wrong. He decides to continue the Battle Nexus Warriors charade and prays Casey will be smart enough to play along. "We are Battle Nexus Warriors, and that is deeply offensive that you state otherwise."
"Were you not wandering around here lost for the last 20 minutes?" The voice continues, Leo now realising it sounded quite young. "If you do not know how to operate the tunnels, then you are not warriors."
"Don't look impressive enough to be warriors either," the bird points out, using their talons to shift Leo's head slightly to the right as if seeking a better angle.
Leo is unable to bite back his gasp. "I am actually a Battle Nexus champion!"
"Oh, really? Which one?"
"Well... Uh, I never mentioned my name actually, but I fought with Rat-jutsu! You know, Lou Jutsu came back for that returning fight and he had a turtle with him!"
"You're claiming to be Kappa Kava?" The bird responds in mild disbelief. "Maybe with that blood you have his stripes."
Leo makes a face, remembering that he no longer looks like the turtle who won (and also because the name was terrible . Could Big Mama really not think of anything cooler?). "I am! We fought that kraken thing and Big Mama's beefy guards with the pointy hats!"
The bird rolls their eyes at that. "Everyone knows about that fight. That doesn't prove anything."
Leo bites back another response, attempting to reel back in his lashing ego. "Look, we just want to visit the infirmary or wherever you guys go when you get hurt - my brother hit his head outside and I just wanna make sure everything is okay. And I'm also injured now, so thank you for that." Leo adds bitterly at the end, the avian Yokai tilting his head at that.
The feather's flare again, the bird looking over their shoulder to presumably check with whoever had ordered Casey to drop his weapon. They must be in charge of the group because the talon is removed and the bird hops off, wings fluttering slightly before tucking neatly against their side. "It's really unsafe to be wandering down here alone."
"Yeah, we noticed!" Casey snaps, Leo sitting up with a grimace to see him waving his hockey stick around at their attackers. He was apparently quick to pick it back up once Donatello was out of danger, the small lizard that was originally on his shell now back on the wall and scuttling above their heads in restless energy. He looked like a day old banana, with bright yellow scales dotted with brown spots and massive brown eyes that darted between everyone below him. Unlike the bird who had minimal armour, the lizard had on baggy clothing, as if they were a few sizes too big for him. The way he smiles makes Leo feel like he should watch out for any water balloons.
"Just the infirmary?" The third Yokai echoes, belong to another lizard. The crystals turn their black scales into pools of oil, a blue tail flicking behind them as dark eyes stare at Leo in distrust. They looked like they would only be a few inches shorter than his Raph, with heavy midnight blue armour defending them. They must be a Battle Nexus fighter, hands curled into fists by their sides as their shoulders roll back to appear taller.
Leo can tell Casey and Donatello are looking at him, waiting for his decision. The wounds on his face still sting, the bird shaking his blood off its talons and Leo does not trust these people - although he just doesn't trust people outside of his family in general. His hunches always seemed to come to fruition, even if his brothers would disagree and decide that a giant spider woman is perfect friend material.
But Raphael jumps to his mind, Leo recalling how he had cleaned his hands of Raphael's blood in the sink and scrubbed so hard he couldn't tell where his started and Raphael's washed off. It was his fault he didn't open a second portal fast enough and it was his fault Raphael had gotten in that situation in the first place. They had been walking in circles, they had nowhere else to turn to and Leo didn't think he had a better choice than the three Yokai's watching him.
Leo's hands raise up, palms out to try and convey he had no intentions of attacking. "Just the infirmary."