Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

~2003 Raphael~

I immediately knew something was wrong. Granted, we were surrounded by a cloud of smoke and couldn't see a thing, but I had this feeling. This you're not in your dimension feeling.

Believe me, I hate it.

"Don…" I growled.

"I don't know what went wrong," my genius brother answered. "My calculations were perfect!"

Leonardo narrowed his eyes and moved his left hand to his katana hilt, just in case. Always ready. I guess he was about to say something like "Guys, be careful" or "Wait for it", but Michelangelo had already stepped out of the smoke cloud and was exclaiming loudly.

"Guys! Check this out!"

Leonardo sighed discreetly and I grinned. I like it when Mike helps me remind our leader that some recklessness is good for the soul.

The smoke cloud dissipated, and we were able to look at our surroundings. I'm certain my jaw dropped, and I swear Donatello's did, too. Not Leo's. The guy gives an entire new meaning to the concept of self-control.

We were in a wide room which looked like a subway station, with the turnstiles and all. On a comfy couch in front of a TV set, two turtles were looking at us with stupefaction. If their bandana colors were anything to go by, they were this world's Leo and Mikey. Near sliding doors on the other side of the room, two other turtles had stopped dead in their tracks. Donnie and Raph, I assumed. Both had their arms full of pipes, and Donnie was leading the way. I had no idea what he was going to do with them, but I'm no genius.

The TV displayed a cartoon show I had never heard of. Something about space heroes. It looked really lame, by the way.

I was shocked at how small these turtles were. It was cute in a way, especially with their pupils and irises. My own eyes are an impressive white. Much more suitable for a respectable turtle.

I exchanged baffled glances with my brothers before collecting myself. Well. At least we weren't surrounded by enemies.

"Aaaaaawesome!" Their Mikey shouted before jumping at our Michelangelo, who caught him with a huge grin. He had freckles. Freckles!

"Awww, mini-me is so cute! Guys! Can I keep him?" Our brother asked gleefully.

"No, Mike," Donatello answered matter-of-factly. "It would most certainly unbalance dimensions, and maybe even create a major distortion in the space-time continuum, and you don't want that."

"I don't?" Michelangelo, asked, tilting his head as if he had a clue what Donatello had just said.

"You don't."

Leonardo cleared his throat.

"Sorry to disturb you like that," he politely said, looking at the other Leo.

Who was now standing in front of us, and I hadn't seen him move. My Leonardo can do the same. It's spooky, but a rather cool ninja ability. Not that I would ever acknowledge it to him.

"We're kind of… lost."

"Don't worry about that," Mikey beamed. "We've already watched this episode, like, a thousand times. But it's Leo's favorite, and you have to indulge your brother sometimes, right? It's not his fault he's a hopeless Space Heroes fan."

I almost choked. Their Leo was a stupid cartoon's fan? Forget what I just said about coolness. Another world with childish turtles, just what I needed.

Their Raph dropped the pipes he was holding – much to his Donnie's dismay – and stomped to us to peel Mikey off Michelangelo. He looked really bothered. I kind of liked it. Donnie delicately placed his load in a neat pile on the floor before coming closer to us, a curious look on his face. Now that they were all side to side, I could see that their heights were different. Both Leo and Donnie were taller than Raph, which for some reason bothered me. A lot.

"How did you get there?" Donnie asked.

He had one tooth missing. An experiment gone wrong?

Donatello looked at him with circumspection.

"I'm not exactly sure," he confessed. "We were trying to come home… But now we must wait until the teleporting crystal has reloaded."

"You can stay here as long as you want to!" Freckled Mikey chirped. "Right, Leo?"

"Right," little Leo said.

He was watching us thoughtfully. I felt slightly uneasy under his attentive gaze.

Don't be stupid. He's nothing more than a kid. Who likes cartoons.

My Leonardo bowed slightly. He is sometimes too formal to my liking, but I suppose it balances my lack of manners. Or Michelangelo's.

"Thank you. If you believe that your Master Splinter will agree, then we gladly accept."

The four turtles in front of us tensed visibly at that, and Leonardo frowned.

"Is there a problem?"

Leo averted his eyes, not answering.

"If your Sensei doesn't approve…" Leonardo added hesitantly.

"We don't want to get you into trouble," I interjected.

"Oh, don't worry about that," Mikey answered, shaking his head. His voice was a strange mix of humor and grief, which I didn't understand. "Our Sensei approves."

"Maybe," Leonardo went on, "you need to ask him first?"

It was impossible to tell if you weren't his brother, but he was tense.

I was too. Our counterparts' stances were too rigid, their gazes too intense. Mikey had a forlorn expression, Raph was glaring at us as if we had just insulted them and Donnie looked sad.

And they had all moved closer to Leo, whose expression was unreadable. But I could have sworn his cheeks were a greener tone now. Seriously, he was blushing?

"Already done," Mikey added slowly with the same mixed tone.

"Oh. Alright," Leonardo said, baffled.

Donatello took a step forward, his curiosity taking over.

"Did you send him a message? How? Our own father is a lost cause when it comes to technology."

Raph let out a strangled laugh.

"No need to," he said wryly.

Now they were getting on my nerves. Maybe they had some superpower we didn't – telepathy, perhaps? – but it was no reason to take us for fools.

"Then how can you be sure that your Sensei approves of our staying here?" I said, restraining from adding a few well-thought insults.

They were our hosts, after all.

Raph, Donnie and Mikey turned towards Leo, clearly expecting him to talk. The short blue-clad turtle took a deep breath and raised his head to look each of us in turn in the eye. His gaze felt too old for a fan of kids' cartoons.

When he finally spoke, my stomach turned.

"I, Leonardo, Sensei of the Hamato clan since our beloved father's death, welcome you in our home for as long as will be needed."

Chapter Text

~2012 Mikey~

I know we rarely invite guests in the lair. So far we've had April, Casey (Raph's fault), Kraang droids (Casey's fault), Leatherhead (my own awesome idea), April's dad, more Kraang droids and Irma-who-wasn't-only-April's-best-friend-but-also-an-evil-Kraang-Subprime (April is still sorry about that one), April's dad (both with and without mind control), our sister Karai (including her mutated version), the Mutanimals and a few others.

Maybe it seems a rather long list to you, but it's really not to me. I'm a guy cut out for having dozens of friends, except it's rather difficult to meet people when you're a teenage mutant ninja turtle, even as awesome as I am.

But I suppose that even if I had dozens of friends, Leo wouldn't let me party with them in the lair. You see, ninja are all about secrecy and shadows. Sometimes it's boring, but I guess it keeps us alive, so I can't really complain.

Anyway, I was overjoyed when I saw these four obviously-from-another-universe turtles. We already had this kind of guests once, and they were really funny.

But there was no fun in the air at that particular moment, let me tell you. The atmosphere was so heavy it was becoming difficult to breathe – heavy with the absence of our father, Master Splinter, murdered by the Super Shredder last year.

From the other turtles' stunned looks, they didn't expect us to be orphans.

I couldn't blame them. I had never expected to become one myself – no matter how many times Dad must have told us that life is short, or there is nothing like the present, or we have to enjoy each other's company while we're able to.

Maybe the words refused to register in my brain. I do that sometimes with the sentences I really hate, like 'Humans will never accept freaks like you' or 'Please tidy your room, Mikey!'

But in that particular occasion, I don't think the words registered in my brothers' minds either. Even Donnie, who's a genius, hadn't seriously considered the fact we could lose Splinter. I mean, maybe he had fiddled with it in his head, but I'm sure his heart had never believed it. Even Leo, who talked with Sensei all the time.

Except we did, and it still hurts so much. So much…

Sorry, I'm digressing. Where was I already?

Ah, yes. The other turtles, stunned in front of us, and Donnie and Raph and me standing protectively around Leo, and Leo so tense I would have feared he was going to break if he hadn't been, well, Leo.

I've no idea how he managed to keep going. How he stepped up from being our leader to being our Sensei.

Scratch that, I know. He did it for all of us, so our family wouldn't shatter. And we let him do it for the same reason.

I'm not saying it's easy, I'm saying it's the only way.

But it took us a long time to accept what had happened, so it was no wonder our new guests seemed shell-shocked. They must still have their father.

I know turtles can hold their breath longer than humans, but I was beginning to get worried about them. Were they going to faint from having stopped breathing?

With their height and weight, I hoped not. Donnie would be upset if they cracked the floor.

I had to snap them out of their frozen state, and distract my brothers' attention. Bonus points if I could make Leo smile.

Fortunately, I was the right turtle for the job.

I deliberately stepped forward and opened my arms.

"See? I told you. You're welcome. Now tell me more about you. Favorite pizzas? Annoying habits? I'm not sharing my room with anyone who snores."

I stood in front of Raphael, who seemed on the verge of being sick, and rose on my toes to look at him face to face.

He was still too tall for me, so I grabbed his shoulders and moved my legs around his shell. Much better.

"Do you snore, Raphie-boy?"

He blinked at the absurdity of my question given the current situation.

"What the…" He said.

"I'm sure you do. My Raph does, and it's annoying."

Behind me, I heard Raph grunt. And relax slightly. Yes! Only six more turtles to go.

"You snore too, Mikey."

I didn't wait for Raphael's reply and jumped on the next turtles, aka Leonardo. I inadvertently grabbed the leather strap keeping his katana in place instead of his shoulder and he automatically grasped my wrist so I could change my hold. I had his full attention now. I was unnerved at the intensity of his white gaze. How was it even possible when I couldn't see his pupils? But I asked my question nonetheless.

"Do you snore, Leo?"

"No, I don't," he answered, putting me gently back down.

Got it. He wasn't a clingy turtle.

I turned to Donatello, but before I could ask him too, the other Michelangelo put an arm around his purple-clad brother's frame.

"Don doesn't snore, and he wouldn't disturb you at night," he began. I was certain he had understood my plan and wanted to help. "He would be too busy doing science. But he does require lab equipment. And Raph here, I wouldn't recommend him. As you guessed, he snores. Plus he's always grumpy in the mornings – it can be healed with pancakes - and he tends to get mad really easy."

"Mike…" Raphael said warningly. He looked a little better now. Being teased by his Michelangelo probably helped to bring back a feeling of normalcy.

I nodded solemnly.

"Grumpy, pancakes, mad for no reason. Nothing new."

Donatello let out a heavy sigh. Good. He was breathing again too.

Behind me, I felt Leo come closer and put his hand on my shoulder. It was perfectly steady. Obviously he had used the time I had bought him to settle down – or to bottle up his feelings. I looked suspiciously at him, and he shook his head fondly.

"Mikey, don't embarrass our guests."

I chose to indulge him.

"Leo, I'm not embarrassing our guests. I'm gathering useful data. Don't you always say information is key?"

My brother Donnie folded his fingers under his chin.

"My lab is at your disposal," he said to his counterpart. "What is this teleporting crystal you were talking about?"

"It's a long story," Donatello answered. "And thank you."

"How long will you stay?" Raph asked out of the blue. Grumpily.

Michelangelo grinned. Told you, taller-me, nothing new.

Leonardo sighed.

"If everything goes well, only a few hours. Don?"

"It should be enough," Donatello nodded.

"Aww, so you won't even stay for the night? And I was all prepared to share my room," I moaned.

Leo raised an eye ridge.

"I don't think it's a good idea, Mikey. Except if you tidied it like I asked you four times at least this morning…"

I gave him my best innocent smile.

"Hehe…"

"That's what I thought," Leo muttered, clearly disillusioned.

Donnie smiled.

"Then that's indeed not a good idea."

He turned to our counterparts.

"Consider the place a disaster zone."

"Hey!" I playfully protested.

Our guests exchanged uneasy glances, obviously at a loss.

"Thanks again for your hospitality," Leonardo finally said. "And please excuse our shock. We… weren't expecting this."

"No harm done," Leo answered. "May I offer you something to drink? We have tea, coffee and softs."

Raphael grumbled.

"Only softs? I need something stronger."

"Raph," Leonardo warned.

"Yes," Leo answered with the slightest shadow of a smile before heading for the kitchen. "This way."

"Thanks, uh…" Michelangelo hesitated, tilting his head. Something was obviously on his mind. "You're not expecting us to call you Master Leonardo, right? Because that would be really, really weird."

"Humph," Raph muttered.

Leo turned his head towards my orange-clad counterpart and smiled wryly.

"No. Leo will be fine."

As I followed Leo to the kitchen to help him with the drinks while Donnie was beginning a passionate conversation about interdimensional travel with Donatello, my blue-clad brother casually put an arm around my shell.

"Thanks, Mikey," he whispered in my ear. "For your… creative… interference."

I looked at him. His eyes were sparkling and he was smiling gratefully at me, a beautiful, sincere smile that lighted his face just the way it should.

All thanks to me.

I grinned back. I know, I'm the best.

Chapter Text

~2003 Donatello~

As I wired my precious crystal to the electrical system in my counterpart's lab, careful to tune my electricity-to-acoustic waves converter so that the amethyst would slowly reload, I couldn't help thinking about the last time I had been in a universe that had already lost its Master Splinter.

It wasn't a good memory. The Donatello of this world had been missing for years, and his brothers had fallen apart after their father's death. When I had met them, it had been to witness that Michelangelo had lost an arm, Raphael had lost an eye and Leonardo was blind. I had managed to convince them to strike against the Shredder, who was in complete control and oppressed people, and they had paid our victory with their lives.

No. Not a good memory at all.

I took a deep breath.

It's different. They're different.

The turtles we had just met had endured their father's death and were still together. They had to be stronger than they looked.

You don't judge a book by its cover.

I glanced at Donnie, who was sitting next to me and took notes in a brown notebook, his tongue slightly stuck out and an expression of deep focus on his face.

"It's done. Now we only have to wait."

He nodded.

"That's fascinating. The fact you can use this crystal to travel through dimensions… I want to learn more about the way you tune the frequencies."

I watched him, eyes sparkling. His enthusiasm was welcome. And I knew he could actually understand what I would say.

"Of course, Donnie. My pleasure."

He grinned at me and stood up to retrieve a board and a felt pen.

"Tell me everything."

I nodded and began my explanation, using the pen to draw diagrams while Donnie asked question after question, each one more pertinent than the last.

I felt myself relaxing in the process. When we had exhausted the subject – at least for the time being – I was curious to learn more about Donnie's own work and I began flipping through sheets of paper on his desk while he took a closer look at my crystal.

"It's so beautiful," he whispered lovingly.

I tilted my head, amused.

My eyes suddenly widened at a specific chart, and I turned to Donnie, eye ridges raised in surprise. Feeling my eyes on him, he took a glance at the chart and blushed.

"Oh… uh… That's not exactly a scientific project, that's just… uh… a side project I've been working on for a while now…"

"Masterplan to Hang Out With April," I read slowly. "Wow. Well, I… wasn't expecting that."

"Why not?" He said defensively. "Don't you have an April of our own?"

"I do," I answered. This was awkward. "She's a friend. And Casey's fiancée."

"Whaaaaaaaat?" He shouted, and I took a step backwards, stunned by his reaction.

He fell on his knees and threw up his arms.

"My sweet princess is going to marry Casey? Casey? Why, oh why?"

He suddenly glared at me.

"But she's not even of marriageable age! How is this possible?"

I coughed, embarrassed. This was a side of Donnie I hadn't expected. He was now very different from the collected fellow scientist I had just had a passionate conversation with.

"Yes, she is," I answered calmly. "Our April is an adult. Yours isn't?"

"No," he answered, tears in his eyes.

I had no idea how to soothe his obvious despair. I had never considered April as a potential girlfriend, and the fact that this Donnie did was disturbing.

Other world, other rules, I thought.

"What's happening here?" Raph's voice shouted, and Donnie's brothers suddenly burst inside the lab, weapons at the ready, and ran to my counterpart's side. My own brothers were following closely.

They relaxed visibly when they didn't see any visible threat and sheathed their respective weapons.

"What's the matter, D?" Mikey asked, hugging Donnie.

Leo looked at me questioningly.

"I'm sorry," I said softly. "I mentioned to him that the April of my world was going to marry Casey soon, and he didn't take it well."

Leo sighed and Raph rolled his eyes.

"That's it? Donnie, you're such a drama queen."

"But Apriiiiiiil…" Donnie wailed.

Mikey squeezed him harder. He looked like an octopus right now.

"It's not the same April, dude, relax."

"Sorry about that. Our brother has strong feelings for our April," Leo told us.

Michelangelo gaped. Raphael crossed his arms, a look of disbelief on his features.

"And how does she feel about him?"

Donnie looked at him with such a desperate expression that I couldn't help feel sorry for him.

"Um… We don't talk about that," Leo answered, swiftly silencing Raph with a hand on his mouth while Mikey shook his head madly.

"Come with me, Donnie," Mikey said soothingly. "I'll give you ice cream. And a massage. It's okay, bro."

Donnie, head bowed, allowed his brother to lead him out of the lab while I watched them, feeling completely out of place.

"Hey, Don," Raphael told me when they had left, his huge jerk's smirk on his face. "You never told us you liked April that way."

I shook my head.

"Because I don't, Raph," I answered. "It's that simple."

Then I went to check the teleporting crystal, hoping that Donnie hadn't altered anything in his sudden burst of despair.

Raph sighed.

"I wonder when he'll finally accept that she doesn't like him that way, either."

"Raph," Leo protested. So weakly that I had to assume he shared Raph's opinion on the matter.

My brother Leonardo coughed.

"Well, I'm glad there was no actual danger."

"It depends," Raph grunted. "She did tear him to shreds once. And I'm not even being metaphoric here. We thought we had lost him for good."

I froze.

April had torn Donnie to shreds? His brothers had thought he was lost?

They could have been left short of a brother… Of a Donatello…

Unable to counter their enemies' attacks without his technical input and fighting assistance…

Ending up hurt, maimed, blind…

Losing their team's balance because of his absence…

Dead on the floor in a last desperate attempt to set things right…

I closed my eyes, fighting the horrible images that were coming back.

It's not the same. It's not. Somehow they got Donnie back…

But what if the same situation happened again? Maybe then they wouldn't be so lucky….

A sudden whistling coming from the crystal snapped me out of my trance. I hadn't been aware that I still had the converter in hand – it also acted like a kind of remote control for the teleporting crystal - and had been pressing buttons randomly. Oh no, I thought. Please, no.

But it was already too late. The whistling became louder, and my precious crystal exploded into hundreds of tiny pieces. Sharp pieces. I closed my eyes and put my arms in front of my face. I grimaced as little gems sank into my skin.

"Don! Are you hurt?" Leonardo shouted a second later.

I looked at him. He was uninjured – I had stood between the exploding crystal and the other turtles.

Thanks for that.

"It's nothing," I muttered dejectedly.

"It's not nothing, Don," Michelangelo insisted. "Look at your arms!"

"I'll be fine," I uttered. "Guys… I'm not sure I can fix this. I may have just broken our only way to go home. I'm sorry…"

Leonardo's eyes widened slightly before he put a hand on my shoulder, careful to avoid any injured area. He squeezed softly, a silent gesture of comfort and reassurance.

"Don't worry about that. If you can't fix the crystal…" He took a look at the hundreds of tiny gems that covered the surfaces nearby and grimaced. "…then we'll find another way. Come on, we need to remove these pieces and clean your wounds."

"I'll show you the bathroom," Leo said, his gaze concerned.

"And Raph and I will pick up the pieces," my brother Michelangelo said. "I'm sure we can do something with them. It's just a giant puzzle, after all."

I didn't think it would work, but I didn't reply. At his side, Raphael nodded.

"Don't worry about it, Don," he muttered.

I was surprised that they seemed to take it so well – we were basically stuck in this world for an undefined amount of time now, and they knew very well we couldn't afford it – but one look at their concerned faces and sideways glances told me that they must have understood what had happened.

It hadn't been easy, but I had told them what I had experienced in that other universe. It had helped fight the nightmares, and they wouldn't leave me in peace anyway – I assume my happy comment about Mike and Raphael being young and alive and Mike having both arms when I had met them again hadn't helped matters.

"Come on, Don," Leonardo repeated, a little more firmly. "Let's patch you up. We'll worry about the crystal later."

I followed him and Leo out of the lab while Raphael, Michelangelo and even Raph began gathering the crystal pieces.

"But in the meantime, they will track us down," I whispered in his ear so that Leo, who was a few feet ahead of us, wouldn't hear. "You know we will be at a disadvantage if we don't fight in our own world, not to mention we will put our counterparts in danger."

Leonardo was about to answer, but Leo's voice cut his reply short. He had a keener hearing than I had expected.

"What danger?" He asked sharply, his eyes narrowed.

He looked much more dangerous than I would have granted him when we had met two hours ago.

Chapter Text

~2012 Leo~

I watched Leonardo and Donatello, every sense on alert. What was this danger they were talking about? Did it threaten the safety of my family?

Leonardo sighed. He was standing slightly behind Donatello, a hand on his shoulder, and looked warily at me.

"I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but enemies are after us. We had a head start on them, but now…"

He didn't finish his sentence, but he didn't need to. I could do it myself. Now they couldn't dimension-travel until Donatello figured out something to replace or repair their crystal.

Which meant their enemies, whatever they could be, would sooner or later arrive in our dimension.

Donatello himself had drawn features and seemed crushed under a heavy weight. My gaze softened at the sight of his bloody forearms. They had mentioned earlier that reloading their crystal would take a few hours, and none of them had seemed concerned about it. Whoever these enemies might be, they weren't about to crash in our dimension right now.

First things first.

"The bathroom is right there," I pointed. "The first-aid kit is under the sink. When you're done, we can talk about these enemies and how we can fight them."

Leonardo courteously nodded his appreciation, and I left the two of them, my mind spinning.

I stopped by the kitchen, where Mikey was massaging Donnie's neck and shoulders while my purple-clad brother was forlornly licking five scoops of ice cream on top of a giant cone.

Mikey never does things by half when it comes to cheering us up.

"Hey, Donnie. You okay?" I asked softly, taking a stool next to him.

My genius brother nodded determinedly.

"Yes. I have determined by now that I overreacted. It is probably due to the emotional impact of the vision of Casey and April exchanging a languorous engagement kiss that popped into my mind. It probably was at sunset in a beautiful flowery garden, and they were embracing, and…"

I coughed, embarrassed by the image that was now forming in my own mind.

"I get the picture."

"Donniiiie," Mikey moaned. "Stop brooding and eat your delicious ice cream."

Donnie obediently took another lick while I watched his ice cream suspiciously. One of the scoops had a really strange color and texture…

"Is it… pizza ice cream?" I asked, bemused.

Mikey nodded emphatically.

"Pizza ice cream is the best, bro."

Donnie didn't protest, which was either in agreement or because he felt too down to do so. I shook my head, determined not to share my opinion on the matter with my enthusiastic orange-clad brother.

"So, uh… What do you think of our guests so far?" I asked.

Mikey grinned.

"They're so cool! They remind me of the other us we meet, remember? Except these ones are much taller. And serious. I would love to learn more about them, that's a pity they're leaving so soon!"

"Or not," Donnie muttered, still clearly shell-shocked. "Their universe is all wrong anyways."

I bit my lip.

"Yeah, about that… They'll probably stay a while longer now."

Mikey turned to look me in the eye, curious and a little hopeful.

"Really? Why?"

"Well, I don't know how it happened exactly, but Donatello's crystal shattered. Right now, they can't go home."

"Really? That's awesome!" Mikey exclaimed, before assuming a thinking pose. I raised an eye ridge and patiently waited for him to amend his statement. "Except, you know, they are now lost in a different dimension for who knows how long. Away from their friends and family. Uh… Not so awesome in the end."

"Indeed, Mikey."

Donnie finished his pizza scoop and got started on the next one.

"So that's what the whistling was all about. Hmm. That's not good."

My concern about him grew by the second. He had heard that something weird was happening in his beloved lab and he hadn't run to check it out? It wasn't like him.

"It's such a shame, it was a very beautiful crystal," he added absent-mindedly.

"Well, maybe you can repair it," Mikey said in a soothing tone, still massaging Donnie's shoulders.

I took a deep breath.

"There is something else. They are being followed by an unknown enemy."

This time, I had the full attention of both my brothers.

"What kind of enemy?" Donnie asked, his eyes narrowing.

"I don't know yet. Let's meet in the dojo when you'll be finished here. At the moment, Leonardo is helping Donatello with the cuts he sustained when the crystal exploded."

Mikey grimaced at the thought.

"Got it, bro," he nodded. "We'll be right there."

Next, I walked to the lab where Raph, Michelangelo and Raphael were still trying to pick up the crystal pieces. I wondered idly if Michelangelo really intended to put them back together.

I had done my best to hide my renewed anxiety and I was pretty sure it didn't show on my face, but Raph must have felt it somehow, because he took one glance at me and narrowed his eyes.

"What's the matter, Leo?" He asked, crossing his arms and clearly challenging me to deny something was wrong.

As if I intended to do such a thing. I tried to feel offended, but I didn't quite manage to.

After all, I haven't exactly a clean record in that particular department.

"Leonardo told me that they are being followed," I answered. "He hoped that they would be gone before it would become a problem for us, but it didn't turn out that way."

Raph huffed.

"Oh really? Wonderful," he muttered.

I repressed a smile. I knew he was secretly rejoicing to have an enemy to fight. Typical Raph.

Raphael and Michelangelo exchanged an uneasy glance.

"Yeah," Michelangelo added. "Sorry for getting you into trouble with us. It was never the plan."

Raphael said nothing, but he looked skeptically at Raph and me. And was there a hint of concern in his eyes?

Anyways, Raph bristled under his gaze and I shook my head before he could speak.

"Things rarely go according to plans. I'll be in the dojo. Please join me there when Leonardo and Donatello will be back. We need to talk about what comes next."

"Sure, Leo," Michelangelo answered hesitantly. "No problem."

I knew I only had a few minutes before everyone gathered in the dojo for something that was beginning to resemble a war meeting, but I still took the time to bow respectfully to my father's shrine before sitting cross-legged in front of the dojo tree, closing my eyes to try gathering my thoughts.

Despite what Michelangelo had said, I could foresee many a problem.

The fact that we knew very few about each other, to begin with – Donnie's reaction to the news of the other April and Casey getting married was proof enough of that, along with Donatello's loss of control when Raph had mentioned that April had torn Donnie apart once – I had to remember to tell him the full story, so Donatello wouldn't think lower of her because of it.

Or the fact that our four guests were tiptoeing around me, clearly unsure of how to behave.

I couldn't forget their shocked expressions when they had understood that our father was dead and I was Sensei. Clearly, they still had their Master Splinter.

What was worse, I didn't think they took me seriously.

I suppose it didn't help that I was watching Space Heroes with Mikey when they arrived, I thought wryly.

Oh well. That couldn't be helped, and if they couldn't see the sheer awesomeness of that cartoon – Raphael's disgusted look hadn't escaped my notice - then the loss was all theirs.

They probably thought I was too young and unexperienced to be leading our clan. I couldn't blame them. I personally thought the same…

A light breeze made me open my eyes. Next to his shrine, my father's ghost was smiling fondly at me.

"Father," I whispered in a hoarse voice. "What am I supposed to do now?"

"Leo?" Michelangelo's voice suddenly resonated in the dojo. It was uneasy, as if he feared to disturb me.

I could feel the four taller turtles' presence on the dojo doorstep, with my own brothers close behind. I nonetheless took a few seconds to turn towards them, knowing that Splinter's ghostly form would disappear as soon as I would take my eyes off him.

"Come in," I finally said, my determination renewed. "And make yourself comfortable. We have a lot to talk about."

"Wait a minute," Donnie exclaimed, squinting in our counterparts' direction. "What do you mean, you don't know who these enemies are?"

Leonardo, Michelangelo, Donatello and Raphael exchanged uneasy glances. We were all sitting in a circle. My own brothers were on my right and our guests on my left, with Leonardo next to me. I couldn't help admiring his perfect lotus position. Raphael was sitting next to Leonardo, arms crossed, while Raph was to my immediate right, his arms crossed too. A detached part of me – the part that wasn't trying to figure out what the heck was going to befall my family - was finding this immensely funny.

Next to Raphael, Donatello was leaning forward, moving his hands quietly while explaining what he knew about their mysterious pursuers. His arms were wrapped up from wrist to shoulder. Next to Raph, Donnie had his elbows on his knees and leaned his head on his hands. Completing our circle, Mikey and Michelangelo had chosen to sit next to each other and were constantly swinging back and forth, apparently both unwilling to stay still.

At least I don't have to worry about these two getting along.

"We don't know where they come from," Donatello corrected. "They have been chasing us across dimensions ever since we've found and used this crystal. We've already had one direct confrontation with them, and it didn't go well."

"But who are they?" Raph insisted.

"That's a good question," Michelangelo nodded vigorously. "A very good question. And I would really like to know the answer myself. But they were cloaked all the time. All I know is that they fight really, really well. Ninja style."

He exchanged a quick glance with Leonardo, and I narrowed my eyes. What weren't they telling us?

Raph bumped his right fist against his left palm.

"Well, we fight really, really well too," he exclaimed derisively. "We can help you big guys beat these losers, as you obviously didn't manage to do so yourselves."

Raphael clenched his fists.

"You don't know what you're talking about," he said through gritted teeth.

"What makes you think that you will be more able to fight them once you're back in your own dimension?" I interrupted, suspicious but unwilling to let things escalate. I knew far too well that Raph had a short temper, and if Raphael did too…

Well. Better not to think about it. I had enough on my plate right now.

"We have allies that could help us," Leonardo answered cryptically. "Allies that are used to deal with… mystical… situations."

I raised my eye ridges.

"Mystical."

"Yes," Leonardo went on, looking at me intensely. As if he was gauging me. "The reason why we couldn't beat them the first time is that they have mystical weapons."

Something in the way he had said that last sentence unsettled me.

"Do you, by any chance, happen to know these weapons?" I asked quietly on one throw of the dice.

Leonardo tilted his head. Next to him, Raphael looked at me in obvious surprise. I would have liked to see the others' expressions, but I wasn't going to look away from Leonardo now.

Was I having a staring contest with my counterpart from another universe?

Yes. I guess I was.

Whatever.

"Yes," Leonardo answered reluctantly. "It's a long story."

"You'll have to tell us more," I replied softly but determinedly. "We need to be prepared for them."

Now everyone else was holding their breath. Leonardo was still looking at me as if he wasn't sure how much he could trust me with.

"Soon, we will stand side by side against these enemies of yours," I insisted, holding his gaze. "Everything you hide from us now will work in their favor later."

Something in Leonardo's gaze softened.

"You don't have to," he whispered. "We could lead them away from you."

I heard Raph snort, but he didn't retort, trusting me to talk for all of us.

"This is our universe," I replied slowly, enunciating every word. "You're not in this alone, not when you all but crashed inside our lair. We'll do everything we can to help you. But you have to trust us."

Ever so slowly, so reluctantly, Leonardo nodded. But he did, and I held back a sigh of relief. Now we were going somewhere.

My counterpart took a deep breath and purposely detached his gaze from mine so it could embrace the whole assembly.

"Then let me tell you the story of our time with the Ninja Tribunal."

Chapter Text

~2003 Leonardo~

The four turtles of this strange world were hanging onto my every word as I told them the incredible tale of the Ninja Tribunal. I felt that the dojo atmosphere – peaceful and eerie, especially with the tree – suited it well.

Leo was gasping and gaping like his brothers and I found myself trying to gauge him again.

He was short, and looked childish.

But the two ninja masters who had trained and guided me – not including the Ninja Tribunal – where short too, and it had never bothered me before.

And when I had first met the Ancient One, I had considered him to be a ridiculous-looking and crazy old man.

Not that I was wrong, but these things didn't prevent him from being one of the wisest beings I had ever met.

I'm not even going to mention the multiple other times in my ninja life where I've witnessed how deceiving appearances can be – some more painful than others.

So I wasn't going to judge my counterpart by his look.

But the fact that he was Sensei… The fact that the four of them were orphans…

It bothered me much more than I would have wanted.

It forced me to think about what would happen if Splinter – my Master, my Sensei, my Father – died.

Just imagining that I could one day find myself in Leo's position was beyond painful.

But here he was, seemingly fine – fine enough to take pleasure in watching silly cartoons - and I had no idea how he could do it.

Maybe he hadn't been as close to his father as I was?

Maybe their world was less challenging, less dangerous than ours, and the pressure was lower?

I glanced at him, remembering how intense his gaze had been earlier, not begging but demanding to be considered as an equal.

And now he was exchanging amazed glances and smiles with his brothers, allowing himself to shift from his serene stance and show his excitation.

That Leo was an enigma.

My gaze moved to Raph, who had his arms still crossed and was doing his best to stay suspicious despite his obvious interest in my tale. I repressed a smile.

I had met a third Raphael once, and he had been much more relaxed and easy-going than my brother. This Raph's personality seemed closer to my Raphael's.

I hoped we weren't heading for trouble.

Their Donnie was an enigma too. While I was helping him clean his wounds in the bathroom, Donatello had explained to me how surprised he had been by his sudden change of attitude when April had been mentioned. Donnie had gone from a balanced and competent scientist to a lovestruck and theatrical teenager in a matter of seconds. This was completely unexpected. I could only hope he didn't react that way in the middle of a fight.

Mikey looked more familiar to me. If possible, he seemed to be even more enthusiastic and welcoming than Michelangelo. I was still surprised by the way he had thrown himself at me when we had met, as if I was a close relative and not a perfect stranger.

I reached the end of my tale – until then, none of our hosts had dared interrupt me – and waited for their reaction.

I wasn't disappointed.

"So let me sum this up," Donnie began. "You learned ancient, mystic arts with four beings centuries old and became dragons in order to defeat a Shredder demon?"

"Yes," I answered calmly.

"You're aware of the fact it's really hard to believe, right?" Donnie went on. "I mean, you're looking a lot like turtles to me. No wings, no flames…"

"I understand your skepticism," Donatello answered. "And sadly, I still have no scientific explanation for everything that happened with the Ninja Tribunal."

"Can you breathe fire?" Mikey suddenly exclaimed, his eyes sparkling with enthusiasm. "That would be so cool! I mean, sometimes I almost believe that Raph can – especially when he's really, really mad at me – but to see someone actually do it… That would be beyond awesome!"

"Sure. Let's burn our home with dragons' fire," Raph answered flatly, exchanging a deadpan glance with Leo.

He didn't seem truly worried, though. He was probably highly skeptical.

I shook my head at Mikey.

"The Amulets of the Acolytes allowed us to call upon our dragon avatars by helping us focus. But they got destroyed in our final battle."

Michelangelo sighed.

"Such a pity. They were so cool."

"Are you sure?" Mikey insisted. "Did you try?"

I had, to no avail. Multiple times, in fact. I hadn't shared it with my brothers – I was afraid that they would make fun of me.

But to my surprise, Donatello and Raphael looked uneasy, and Michelangelo downright nodded.

"Yes, little dude. It didn't work."

So I hadn't been the only one to miss the ability in the end, had I?

Raph grunted.

"Then you can't prove what you're saying. Convenient."

Raphael looked at him with displeasure.

"We don't have to prove anything. You wanted the story, here it is. You don't believe it? I couldn't care less."

His counterpart bristled and glared, and I sent my brother an annoyed glance. Not helping.

He shrugged, not sorry in the slightest – if anything, he looked satisfied.

Leo coughed.

"Well, it's… an interesting story, to say the least. And although I'm having a hard time believing it…" His eyes wandered on a particular spot near their father's shrine, as if he was looking at something else than the dojo wall, before going on. "It wouldn't be the first time in my life I have to embrace the unexpected."

His eyes went back on me.

"What I don't understand is the reason why you've told us this story. What does this have to do with the mysterious enemies following you?"

I sighed.

"The mystical weapons our enemies have been wielding. They are the same weapons that could be found inside the dragons' forge in the depths of the Lap of the Gods, home to the Ninja Tribunal."

Leo's eyes widened.

"Really? Didn't you say that these weapons were only granted to great warriors? That you had to be worthy of them?"

I inwardly cringed, remembering that I hadn't been granted a mystical weapon myself. I still wasn't sure why. True, I knew that the weapon wasn't as important as the person who handled it, but it had been hard being the only fighter who had to settle for plain steel.

Even if I had had the occasion to use the mystical sword who wielded the power of a dragon's fire. I had dried up a river with it, which had been pretty cool, to quote Mike. If you neglect the fact it had almost killed me, of course.

"Yes," I finally answered. "That's why it doesn't make sense. We were hoping to go back to the Ninja Tribunal and ask for answers."

Donatello sighed and I quickly amended my words.

"We still hope to. It will just take a while longer."

Raph shook his head.

"Why were you travelling across dimensions to begin with?" He asked.

Raphael, Donatello and I looked at each other, then at Michelangelo.

"Hehe," my orange-clad brother laughed nervously. "Hehehehe."

Raph raised an eye ridge and almost smiled.

"I see."

He waited to see if we would tell them more, but I fully intended to let Michelangelo tell that particular story and right now, he was looking at the dojo tree as if he had just noticed its presence.

"Is this a tree?" He squeaked. "How beautiful."

Donnie took his head in his hands and sighed. Leo tilted his head, amused, before going back to the matter at hand.

"So they have the mystical weapons of the Ninja Tribunal. How many are there?"

"At least four," Michelangelo answered, happy about the topic change. "And we barely escaped them."

"This time, it will be two against one," Raph assured with more confidence than I felt. "We have the better odds."

"If we are to fight together, we'll have to train together," Leo whispered, suddenly lost in thought. "So we don't get in each other's way."

I nodded.

"I agree. But our top priority is to find a way to go back to our dimension. Donatello?"

My brother tapped his fingers against his thigh. He still looked a little forlorn, but far less than before. I could tell that his mind was finally focusing on the problem he had to solve. It had always helped him in the past.

"I'll see if the crystal is salvageable. If not, we'll have to build a portal of some kind."

"I can help," Donnie answered.

Donatello smiled gratefully at him.

"Alright. Anything else we have to know?" Leo asked, looking at all of us.

I hesitated slightly, which didn't go unnoticed by my counterpart.

"No," I answered with conviction.

And I was sincere. There was something I hadn't told them, but they didn't have to know. It made no sense anyway.

Chapter Text

~2012 Raph~

As soon as our little meeting was over, I hurried to my room to check on Chompy. Nap time was over and I didn't want to leave him on his own for too long.

Sure enough, my little alien turtle was squirming in my hammock. He happily wiggled his tail when he saw me, and I carefully picked him up.

"Hey, Chompy," I told him gently. "Guess what happened?"

Chompy looked at me curiously.

"We have guests today. You'll be on your best behavior, right?"

He gave no indication than he had heard me, instead nibbling my finger to let me know that he was hungry. I smiled.

"Alright, let's feed you."

I reached to the plate I had prepared earlier and took a bit of pizza crust that I wrapped in a lettuce leaf. I offered it to Chompy, who released my finger and began eating his meal.

As he ate, I brought him up to date with the last events.

"You know, these guests I was talking about? They are turtles like us. From another universe."

I shook my head absent-mindedly.

"Dimensional travel. Nothing but trouble."

Chompy glanced at me and I expanded on the topic.

"I know, I usually don't mind trouble. But…"

Turning my head from side to side, I quickly checked that Chompy and I were indeed alone in my bedroom. What I had to say next wasn't for all ears. It was for Chompy's exclusively.

I have a reputation to maintain, you know.

"… I'm worrying about my brothers. Take Leo. This turtles still have their father, you see – and they aren't at ease with my bro. You don't need to be a genius or a master empath to see that. Leo tries to hide it, but he's tense too, and you know what he tends to do when he feels that way…"

Chompy whined and I gave him another lettuce-wrapped pizza crust.

"That's right. He bottles things up and goes on stupid solo missions. Well, we're not letting him do that this time, right Chompy?"

Chompy stopped chewing and watched me with intelligence. I knew he understood and would help me keep a watchful eye on Leo. Satisfied, I went on.

"And what about Donnie? They've only been there for a few hours and they already managed to upset him. Because apparently, Casey and April are getting married in that other universe. Can you imagine that?"

Chompy went back to chewing his pizza crust.

"Exactly. Me neither," I whispered. "It's too weird."

I sighed.

"Mikey should be fine – he loves meeting new people. I just hope they welcome his attention the way he deserves..."

I knew my orange-clad brother could be a lot to handle - I myself wasn't always considerate of his feelings - but the possibility that he could be hurt, especially by my counterpart, was unbearable.

I'll beat the green out of him if he does.

Chompy wriggled in my lap. He had finished his second pizza crust. When I offered him another, he turned his head before looking at me with a pleading expression. I felt my heart melt, knowing exactly what he was asking for.

"Alright," I yielded. "You can have some ice cream for dessert."

He wiggled happily in answer, and I smiled fondly at him before standing up and putting him on my shoulder, which he thankfully nuzzled. I patted his tiny shell, thinking about how ironic it was that a fire breathing turtle alien had grown so fond of ice cream.

Mikey, Michelangelo and Raphael were already in the kitchen. I knew that Donnie and Donatello were in Donnie's lab trying to come up with a way to repair or replace the teleporting crystal, while Leo and Leonardo were in the dojo cooking up a training session plan for both our teams.

I merely hoped that they didn't overdo it – the four of them.

I had a feeling they would.

Michelangelo abruptly stopped talking when he saw me.

"Uh… Raph? What's that?"

I glared at him.

"What do you mean, 'what'?"

He threw up his hands at my threatening tone and hurriedly amended his words.

"I meant 'who'. Who's that?"

Satisfied, I patted Chompy's shell proudly.

"His name is Chompy Picasso. He's an alien turtle. I'm raising him."

Raphael's jaw dropped, and Michelangelo looked at me in awe, before turning to his brother with a huge smile.

"Do you hear that, bro? A Raphael raising a teeny-weeny turtle? That is soooo cute!"

I ignored him. Years ago, when I was taking care of Spike – my heart ached at the thought – I would have crushed him for saying that. But I was learning to let go.

Raphael, however, had no intention to let go.

"Mike…" he said menacingly, clenching his fists before putting them behind his back in an obvious attempt to keep his temper in check.

I couldn't help feeling sympathetic when Michelangelo went on teasing him.

"I always knew you had a very soft shell behind the hard edges," he said gleefully.

This time, Raphael roared and launched himself at his brother, who immediately jumped to land on the other side of the table.

"Don't you want your own pet turtle, Raphie?"

I stiffened at the nickname, taken aback. Raphie? Seriously?

Raphael growled and tried to reach Michelangelo, obviously willing to flatten him against the floor. But Michelangelo managed to escape him, and began dancing around the table, still grinning.

Mikey's face brightened, and glancing at him, I knew I was doomed.

"Raphie," he commented gleefully. "What a nice name!"

I felt my blood begin to boil.

Did I just tell I was learning to let go? Let me rephrase that. I was learning to let go to a certain extend.

Now what should I do? Maybe help my counterpart by tripping his brother… He had it coming anyways…

On my shoulder, I felt Chompy wriggle. I knew what was coming next, and decided to take advantage of it. I took him in my hands and gently turned him on his plastron so that he was comfortable.

And if his head happened to be pointed at Michelangelo's face, it was a mere coincidence.

Then I waited until Chompy burped, which he did with more strength than usual. As if he knew that's what I hoped for. Hehe.

The burst of flame took Michelangelo and Raphael by surprise. My counterpart smirked with great satisfaction at the sight of his orange-clad brother's now black face.

"Now, Chompy," I pretended to scold the tiny turtle. "Look at what you've done."

The culprit merely grinned at me, not fooled. Somehow, he knew that what I really wanted to say was something more like 'Way to go, Chompy!'

He's a clever little one.

Raphael sent me an appreciative glance before turning again to a shocked Michelangelo.

"You know what, Mike?" he purred. "I think you're right. I should find myself a nice fire-breathing turtle like this one."

A few minutes later, Chompy was peacefully licking his popsicle while Mikey played with Ice Cream Kitty. Michelangelo had been delighted to meet him. It turned out that he had a cat too – although not mutated – and the two orange-clad turtles were trying to decide what was harder to clean up, tufts of bristles or puddles of ice cream.

Leo and Leonardo chose this time to enter the kitchen too. I saw Leonardo's eyes widen ever so slightly at the sight. Raphael noticed it and shrugged casually.

"They have an alien fire-breathing turtle and a mutant ice cream cat," he told his brother. "I'm afraid it has given Mike ideas."

Leonardo slowly turned to Michelangelo, almost as if he was afraid to hear what his brother had to say.

"Hey, Leo," Michelangelo beamed. "Don't you think it would be great if we adopted another pet? This way, Klunk would have another friend! I was thinking, maybe a nice mutant chocolate dog…"

Leonardo shook his head, half-amused and half-resigned.

"It's not happening, Mike."

"Aww."

Leo smiled and sat down next to me, while Leonardo took a stool on the opposite side of the table.

"So you've meet two new members of our clan, uh? I hope it went well."

"Of course it went well, Leo," I smirked. "Chompy knows how to behave. I would know, I'm the one raising him."

Leo raised an eye ridge.

"My thoughts exactly."

I grinned and stroked Chompy's shell fondly. He nudged my fingers with his tiny head.

Leo looked at Michelangelo, Raphael and Leonardo.

"There are other people you need to meet. Friends who will help us."

"Oh yeah!" Mikey exclaimed.

"Like Casey," I stated. Raphael and his brothers nodded, not surprised.

"And April," Leo added.

Again, the other turtles nodded.

"Are you going to ask Karai too, Leo?" Mikey asked cheerfully.

This time, our guests' reaction was completely different. Michelangelo's jaw dropped, Raphael clenched his fists, and Leonardo…

Well, Leonardo turned sharply to Leo, a dark and dangerous expression on his face.

"Karai?" He asked coldly.

Although I will deny it until the day I die, his voice sent shivers down my spine. The atmosphere in the kitchen dropped to a winter chill.

Leo took his time to answer.

"She's a friend," he said softly. "I assume your Karai isn't?"

Leonardo all but glared at him, absent-mindedly touching the spot in his shell where a whole chunk was missing. My eyes narrowed slightly. I had been wondering how he had gotten such an injury. Had Karai played a role in it?

"No. She's not. She was raised by the Shredder…"

"Ours too!" Mikey interjected. Leo glanced at him intently and he shut up.

If possible, Leonardo looked even tenser now.

"Then how can you trust her?" He asked slowly. Was it bitterness in his voice?

"Leo," Raphael whispered softly next to him, forcing his fists to unclench to put a hand on his brother's shoulder. "Different world, different rules, remember?"

"Yeah," Michelangelo added, watching his brother with attention. "It's not about our Karai, right?"

Leonardo closed his eyes for one brief second. When he opened them, his expression was relaxed again.

I had a feeling it was only a pretense.

"Please excuse my reaction. I trusted the Karai of my world once… and it didn't end well for us."

I grunted. What was it that made Leonardos attracted to Karais, uh? I mean, I suppose you could say the girl is hot. But really, anyone sensible could tell from a mile away that she means trouble.

Leo nodded.

"No harm done. And our Karai hasn't always been on our side either…"

"Indeed," I deadpanned.

He sent me an embarrassed glance – even blushing a little in the process - before going on.

"But she is now. It's a long story."

"I love stories," Michelangelo interjected in the hope of lightening the atmosphere.

"I'm not sure I want to hear that one," Raphael grunted. "Unless it's really, really short."

Leo sighed, obviously wondering how he could sum it up. Mikey came to his rescue.

"No problem, I can do that," he said cheerfully. "Karai is our sister, Master Splinter's daughter. She took a while to acknowledge it and tried to kill us a few times because Shredder had brainwashed her, but now we're cool."

A dead silence greeted his explanation. Michelangelo was open-mouthed, Raphael was looking at Mikey as if he had suddenly grown a second head and Leonardo wouldn't have looked more rigid if he had been struck by lightning. Donatello and Donnie entered the kitchen at that moment.

"What's happening?" Donatello asked, concern obvious in his voice.

You couldn't blame the guy, even if I personally found his brothers' shocked expressions rather comical.

"This world is weird," Raphael finally uttered. "Please tell me you found us a way home."

Chapter Text

~2003 Michelangelo~

I groaned as I left the dojo. This training session had been too intense for my liking. I knew how seriously Leonardo took training, but I hadn't expected Leo to be as demanding as my own brother. You would have thought that two level-headed, spiritual turtles would have known the importance of balance, right?

But nooo.

They had completely overdone it.

I stretched my sore muscles. At least now I knew without the shadow of a doubt that our new allies could fight.

"This was so unnecessary," I complained loudly.

Raph smirked.

"What's the matter? Can't stand a little training session?"

I sent him an annoyed glance. He looked happy enough, probably because he had won his duel against me. It was my fault, really. I had underestimated the strength of a short, angry little Raph, and he had managed to pin me to the floor.

At least Mikey had defeated my Raphael, so it was a tie. Sort of.

"Enjoy it while it lasts," I replied, sticking my tongue out at him with great maturity. "It won't happen twice. The Battle Nexus Champion shall win next time!"

Raph crossed his arms.

"The what Champion?"

"Never mind," Raphael interjected. "Ignore him. That's what we always do."

"You're just jealous, Raphie-boy," I teased him.

Leonardo, who was going out of the dojo with Don, sent me a warning glance, which I chose to ignore.

"Because, you know, you lost your fight then, and again today, and that's kind of lame, right?"

Raphael's eyes narrowed. I bounced on my feet, ready to run for my life.

Finally, some fun.

"Didn't you have enough exercise?" Leonardo asked, shaking his head. "I would have thought so, considering how much you complained."

He exchanged a knowing look with Raphael, who relaxed and settled for crossing his arms instead of chasing me across the room. What a shame.

"It's because it was so exaggerated," I protested. "Couldn't we have begun nice and slow?"

Leonardo smiled at me. He had apparently recovered from the twin shock of learning that Karai was the turtles' sister in this world, and that Splinter had been Hamato Yoshi. Nothing like ninjitsu to cheer up that turtle.

"Sorry, Mike, but we don't know how much time we have before we fight for real. We had to get a better idea of everyone's fighting abilities."

"Don said he almost got this. Maybe we won't even have to fight here."

"That's not exactly what I said, Mike," Don corrected. He had been heading again for Donnie's lab, but he turned to face me, taking his professorial tone. "As I already told you, Donnie and I believe that the teleporting properties of the crystal can be preserved, but we still have a lot of work ahead of us. We have to find the right solvent for the crystal powder, and then we'll have to find a way to pinpoint our dimension in the vastness of the multiverse…"

"Bla, bla, bla," I interrupted him. The two appointed geniuses had given up on reassembling the crystal pieces, to my greatest disappointment. Although crystal pastry had potential. "I trust you, Don. Just hurry up. I'm not sure I'll survive another training session like that one."

"I know exactly what you need," Mikey interjected. He was walking into the living room with Donnie and Leo. "Some entertainment! And my amazing comic books collection can provide you just that!"

Now that was interesting. I perked up under the amused looks of my brothers.

"Comic books, uh?"

Mikey hadn't lied. He truly had an amazing comic books collection.

"And you know," he was telling me enthusiastically, "they even match our own adventures!"

We were sitting on his bed. The floor didn't seem to be a safe place to be. Mikey's room was a complete mess – even by my rather low standards. I hoped Leonardo wouldn't have to look at it.

Or maybe I should show it to him? That way he would never be able to tell me again that I'm not a tidy turtle.

Mikey even had a prized underwear collection, which was rather cool.

"Really? That's awesome!" I told him. It was nice to meet someone who shared my passion for comic books, and knew the wisdom they held.

"Oh yes! And once," my counterpart went on, "I even met my comic books superheroes! Like in the real world! Of course, they only came to life because of a strange evil alien power, but it was still epic!"

I twitched.

"Wait a minute. Do you mean that you have no superheroes in your world?"

Mikey looked at me curiously.

"We have comics, and I just told you that…"

"But not in the real world?"

I stood up, upset, and began pacing the room, flattening old pizza boxes in the process.

"There is no Justice Force in New York City's sky?

"Nope," Mikey answered, shaking his head. Then the meaning of my sentence hit him and his eyes widened. "Wait a minute… Are you telling me that superheroes are real in your world?"

I threw up my hands.

"Of course they are!"

He shrieked in pure glee.

"Awesome!"

"And you don't know the best," I added proudly. "I'm one of them!"

Mikey's jaw dropped.

"Yes," I went on. "I'm a full member of the Justice Force, the famous Turtle Titan!"

"This is so epic!" Mikey shouted, launching himself at me and hugging me with strength. "My hero! Do you have a superhero costume?"

I grinned.

"Of course I do."

"I've one myself," he added, opening a closet full of clothing items. "For Turflytle. Although I rarely get to use it."

That last sentence had been said in a sad voice that broke my heart.

"You know what?" I winked at him. "If you let me use a few of these clothing items, I could make myself a new costume. And then we could patrol the city together! Turtle Titan and Turflytle! What do you say?"

Mikey's face lit up.

"Really?"

Then his expression darkened.

"I'm not sure Leo will agree on that. You know, with your dangerous enemies and their mystical weapons who could arrive at any time…"

However, I wasn't going to give up on this idea. I needed some fun after the stressing last hours. And this was perfect!

"Then don't tell him. We'll be back before he even notices! Come on, Mikey, you're all grown-up now, right? Can't you leave the lair on your own if you want to?"

"Normally we can, yes, but…"

Mikey considered the offer. I could see that he was tempted, tremendously tempted even, but he obviously wasn't at ease with going behind his brother's – his sensei's – back. To be honest, I was almost certain I should tell my own brothers about it too, but then they would want to come with us. And they would probably refuse to wear a superhero costume. Then it wouldn't be a superhero team-up, would it?

Years of practice allowed me to push Reasonable-Mike out of the way of my upcoming fun.

"I'm sure you have a shell cell," I coaxed. "So you can call your brothers in case of emergency, can't you?"

"It's a T-phone, dude," he protested. "But… I guess you're right."

"See?" I told him mischievously. "Not that you'll need it. You'll be with Turtle Titan! Nothing bad can happen to you! What do you say…Turflytle?"

When Mikey's eyes began sparkling, I knew I had won.

"This is amazing! Buzz buzz!"

Mik… I mean, Turflytle was jumping from rooftop to rooftop with me, using his grappling hook to keep up with Turtle Titan.

"You're right, my friend," I grinned back. "I love being a turtle!"

Our patrol had gone great so far. We had managed to accomplish several superhero missions. Saving that old blind woman from a fire had been especially rewarding. Preventing a group of thugs to rob a teenager of his jacket and sneakers was a close second on my list of heroic deeds, as was saving that lost puppy from being hit by a car. I mean it. Who can resist puppy eyes?

It's amazing how heroic you can be in a short time. How long, actually? I thought before checking the time.

And I froze.

We had been out for almost an hour now. It was already a miracle that we had managed to slip out unnoticed. We were tempting fate. I'm a lucky turtle, but even I know when it's time to quit.

My superhero partner came to a halt next to me and I turned to him.

"Alright, it's time to call it a night," I told him cheerfully.

Mikey checked his own T-phone and his eyes widened.

"Oops. Indeed. They won't think forever that we're in my room reading comic books. Let's go!"

I nodded and was about to turn around when Mikey's T-phone buzzed. And buzzed.

Mikey looked at it, then at me with a panicked expression.

"It's Leo."

"Don't answer?" I tried, without much hope. "Maybe he'll renounce."

Mikey looked at me wryly and I sighed.

"Riiight. If he's anything like my own brother, he won't. He might even worry."

Which was the understatement of the century. Not answering our phone usually meant that we were unable to, most probably because we were too busy fighting. Leonardo was tolerant towards our need to go on solo strolls from time to time – at least when there were no hundreds of highly-trained ninja after us - but he would have my shell if I deliberately didn't answer my cell phone. Especially if I had conveniently forgotten to tell him I was going out.

My counterpart looked at the phone as if it was going to bite him and grimaced before answering the call.

"Leo! What a nice surprise!" He chirped.

I couldn't hear the answer, but I didn't miss the single drop of sweat that went down Turflytle's temple.

"I can explain," he said quickly. "We're… in the sewers…"

I raised an eye ridge. Lying to my own Leonardo never worked, but maybe that Leo couldn't see through his brothers' lies?

"What? No, of course I'm not taking you for a fool! I would never! I meant, we were in the sewers."

I guess he could.

"And then, we, uh… kind of decided we needed to breathe some fresh air, you see?" Mikey went on lamely. "And we kinda forgot to tell you."

He listened to something and his eyes widened.

"How did you know about Turflytle?"

Mikey listened sheepishly to his brother's answer before handing me his T-phone. I remembered that my shell cell wasn't working in that dimension and winced.

"It's Leonardo," my counterpart whispered.

I gulped.

"Hey, Leo! What a nice night, isn't it? So how… how have you been?"

"Mike," Leonardo's voice answered. Was it strained? No it wasn't. I was just imagining things. Right? "Please tell me you didn't decide to go out without telling anyone because you wanted to show off with your counterpart."

"Nooo! No no no! That's not it at all!" I stammered. "It just… it just happened, you see, and… and besides, we're going home! Like, right now!"

On the other end of the line, I heard Leonardo sigh.

"Do you need any help?" He merely asked.

"Nope, everything is under control," I answered brightly.

At least I had this in my defense.

"Alright," my brother answered. "See you soon, then."

I heard voices in the background. A moment later, Leo was on the phone again.

"See you soon," he said, repeating my brother's words. I couldn't help feeling that his tone was a lot more ominous. "And the T-phones have tracers, so we know how long it will take for you to go back to the lair. Just saying."

"Sure, Leo," I told him carefully, as if I was talking to an extremely dangerous animal. Like a bear. Or a hen. Hens are the worst. "Don't worry. Everything is fine."

At that precise moment, I heard the distinctive sound of an interdimensional portal opening and closing behind me, and I shivered.

I knew we were tempting fate. Why do I never let Reasonable-Mike shine?

I turned just in time to see a cloaked figure disappear somewhere in the shadows, a suspicious weapon in hand. It was definitely of the mystical kind.

"Uh, Leo?" I said in a strangled voice. "On second thought, maybe we'll need help after all."

Chapter Text

~2012 Donnie~

"Oh, interesting," Don muttered to himself.

He was sitting in my usual sit and reviewed the different functionalities of the Shellraiser. He looked impressed by my baby, which made me rather proud.

The Shellraiser was crowded right now, with the three taller turtles on top of my brothers and I.

Of course, we were missing Mikey and Michelangelo.

Leo hadn't uttered a single word since he had begun to drive, and I knew he was both worried and furious. However, he was pushing these feelings aside to focus on the upcoming battle. Michelangelo had hung up right after telling us that he had seen a mysterious cloaked figure, but not before we had time to hear the muffled cry of a turtle being thrown across a rooftop.

It hadn't been reassuring.

Raph was dealing with his own anxiety and anger by showing Leonardo and Raphael how the weapons' station worked. I was telling Leo which way to go. It should have been Mikey's job.

Mikey, what have you got yourself into this time? I wondered, exasperated. It wasn't like Leo had told us exactly twenty-three times that we had to be especially careful and prepare for anything in the short amount of time our counterparts had been there.

Leonardo, Donatello and Raphael seemed to take their brother ditching them more easily. Maybe they were used to Michelangelo's superheroic urges. The fact that their universe had real superheroes was disturbing, and I could understand that such a realization had short-circuited Mikey's reasoning abilities – although I was pretty sure his brain didn't work in the same way as normal, reasonable brains did even in the best of cases. Especially if Michelangelo was indeed a full member of a superhero team.

"He's on duty on the third of every Wednesday on every fourth month. And February 29th, when there is one," Leonardo had answered when we had asked him, shrugging.

But we weren't used to that, and I was so going to tell Mikey my way of thinking when we found him.

I had called April for help, and Raph had done the same with Casey. The two humans had promised that they would join us as soon as possible. Leo had tried to reach Karai, but she hadn't answered her phone.

I merely hoped that Mikey and Michelangelo would stand their ground until the reinforcements arrived.

"Watch out!" Mikey shouted at me, and I barely avoided the shuriken being thrown at my head.

It hit the wall behind me, and exploded in a puff of smoke.

"Thanks, Mikey," I said with relief.

"No worry, bro, I'm here for you!"

I couldn't help thinking that the whole reason I was now in this alleyway was that I was here for him, but I kept my mouth shut. After all, being hit with an exploding shuriken would have left a deep hole in my skull, at least, and maybe even in my brain. I wasn't really fond of trepanning.

However, I was very fond of intriguing devices from other dimensions, and I discreetly took a look at the spot the shuriken had hit, hoping to find remnants of it. It made a different sound and reflected light in a different way than my own, and I suspected that it was made of an alien metal. If only I could analyze a sample… But apparently, the shuriken had completely self-destructed itself.

What a loss.

"Donnie, focus," Leo shouted at me, and I quickly gave up my search, smiling sheepishly at my brother.

I didn't know exactly who or what I was fighting. When we had arrived a few minutes earlier, Michelangelo and Mikey had been alone in the middle of an alleyway too narrow for the Shellraiser, guarding each other's back and looking at the shadows. Even in the dim light, I could tell that they were bruised. However, they didn't seem permanently injured, which was good news. I didn't want to play Doctor Donnie.

I'm not sure my brothers realize how little I actually know about medicine applied to mutant turtles. The knowledge I've gathered over the years is too thin to my liking. Inner injuries are my worst nightmare. There aren't any anatomy books I can use for reference, after all, nor corpses I can dissect to investigate – and I intend that last point to stay that way, thank you very much. Not to mention I've access to limited resources compared to a hospital. There is a limit to the equipment you can scavenge in the sewers.

It's really a good thing that our bodies heal faster than human bodies do.

Anyways, Michelangelo hadn't given us time to ask them what the heck was happening and if they were alright, nor to shout at them for their stupidity.

"He came at us on the rooftop," he had immediately told Leonardo. "He attacks randomly from time to time, but other than that he seems to be waiting."

"Waiting for what?" Raph had asked, frowning.

His question had been answered a few seconds later, when three other cloaked shadows had appeared out of another interdimensional portal. It looked different from the Kraang portals and from Donatello's one. It was a simple and rather beautiful oval that opened with a musical 'pop' and closed in two hundredths of a second. Its white light was blinding.

And now we turtles were fighting against the four mystical figures. From what I was experiencing first-hand, they were gifted ninja. And as much as it pained me to acknowledge it, their equipment was outstanding. I would have given half of my lab equipment to get a chance to study their weapons. Shuriken that exploded without leaving a trace, weapons that could send beams of light or wind, not to mention they could become invisible at will.

Yes. I understood why our counterparts hadn't been feeling too confident.

"You could have warned us about their ability to become invisible," I shouted at them as I used my bo staff to block a blow coming from thin air. On my left, I saw Leo run, apparently towards the wall. I heard the sound of metal against metal.

"They didn't do that last time," Donatello shouted back. "Maybe it's their cloak. I wish I could study it!"

Ha! I knew I wasn't the only one curious. How did it work? Was the light deflected around it? Were there nano screens displaying on front the scene that was behind? I was eager to learn more. There were so many useful power-ups I could build for us if I could understand it, and…

"That's really not the time to be thinking about reverse-engineering, Don," Raphael retorted. "And Donnie, I guess," he added after sending me a quick glance.

Spoilsport.

"Who are these ninja anyways?" Raph panted. He was empty-handed, having already thrown both his sai. Leo covered him while he picked them up from the other side of the alleyway. "They're definitely better than the Foot ever were."

"I wish I knew," Donatello replied longingly. "They are not our common Foot either."

The fight was rather chaotic. The alleyway was narrow and we couldn't see our opponents. We had to rely on instinct, air displacement and soft noises, but more often than not one of us failed to avoid a blow and was thrown away or lost his footing. We wouldn't last long that way.

Strangely enough, the blows weren't lethal. For now.

Leo had come to the same conclusion.

"They're really good," He shouted, frowning. "And I don't even think they're at their best. It's as if they're playing with us!"

"Like cats with their prey?" Mikey exclaimed.

He seemed impossibly happy at the thought of being a mouse.

"That's not a good thing, Mikey," I retorted.

"Maybe they want us alive," Leonardo mused. His katana danced in the air above my head and sliced a piece of cloth.

Before I could catch it for further investigation, though, it turned to smoke.

"But why?" I exclaimed instead, frustrated. "What do they want?"

They hadn't spoken a word so far. Even if they didn't speak our language – which remained to be proved - couldn't beings powerful enough to travel through dimensions and master invisibility at least build a translator device, so we could talk like civilized persons?

A blast of wind sent me flying again, and I hit Michelangelo in the back. He groaned.

I was about to apologize to him when I heard a well-known voice calling from the entrance of the alleyway.

"Wow, guys, this is epic!"

I spun to watch Casey and April join us. Casey was grinning from ear to ear.

"You could have told me that these four turtles were so huge, Raph. You're looking like a dwarf by comparison."

From the corner of my eye, I caught Raphael's shocked expression.

"These are your April and Casey? They're just kids!" He uttered, as if he hadn't truly realized that April not being old enough to get married meant she wasn't an adult.

Married. What a horrible word.

"Teenagers, actually," April replied in a stiff tone and with the greatest dignity.

She looked as beautiful as ever in her kunoichi outfit. She closed her eyes and threw her tessen in Raphael's direction. The red-clad turtle frowned and made a move to avoid it.

"Hey!"

But the tessen hit something in front of him instead, traced a curb and came back to its owner. Raphael blinked, looked at the cloaked figure who materialized in front of him and raised his weapons.

However, the ninja wasn't paying attention to him. He spun and ran to April. The three others also materialized and did the same.

Casey immediately placed himself slightly in front of our friend, raising his hockey stick. A weapon moved, there was a flash of light and he was sent flying across the alleyway. Raph jumped to catch him while I hurried to April's side.

"Leave her alone!" I shouted, pressing my thumb on the spot of my bo staff that released its hidden blade and launching it at the closest cloaked ninja's back.

"A naginata?" Leonardo asked to no one in particular. "Interesting."

Sadly, my opponent didn't find it as interesting as the blue leader of another universe did. He merely spun and sent me flying in the air. Mikey intercepted me before I could hit the wall.

One of the other ninja began circling around April, running so fast it created a barrier and prevented the others to come closer. April groaned and placed her hands on her temples.

"April? What's happening?" Leo asked her, trying to keep an even tone to hide his growing panic.

I didn't embarrass myself which such considerations.

"April!" I shouted desperately.

"Their minds are…strong…" April uttered.

The three ninja that weren't busy creating a field force around my sweet princess came closer to her.

"No," she shouted. "Don't, I can't… it's too much, I…"

She doubled over in pain.

"APRIL!" I roared.

If they as much as lifted one finger on her… I hit the barrier with all my strength, but I couldn't get through and was merely repelled backwards.

The ninja seemed to be hesitating. It lasted only a few seconds until they all raised their weapons.

April's eyes widened.

"Stay away from me!" She shouted, extending her arms and unleashing her own power.

It worked. The ninja – even the one who had been running in circles - flew silently through the air. There was a flash of light, another musical 'pop' and they disappeared.

I hoped it was for good.

April looked at us in surprise. She opened her mouth to say something. Then her eyes rolled upwards.

I barely had the time to catch her before she hit the ground.

Chapter Text

~2003 Raphael~

I felt utterly helpless as I watched the teenage girl on the floor of the truck, surrounded by three of the shorter turtles – Leo was driving - and by the scrawny boy who was supposed to be Casey Jones. If you asked me, he needed some serious bodybuilding.

Leo and Leonardo had both decided that it was too dangerous to linger in the alleyway, and we had hurried back to the truck, Donnie carrying April. Now he had her head on his lap and was checking her vitals. Casey was observing him, obviously uneasy at the scene – seriously, he was so close it was almost as if he was on Donnie's lap too - but not daring to disturb. The two of them were radiating waves of anxiety that made me feel uncomfortable.

I hoped our bad turtle luck hadn't contaminated these innocent turtles and their friends.

"What happened to her, Donnie?" Casey asked.

"How am I supposed to know?" Donnie answered through gritted teeth.

His task accomplished, he looked at us.

"Her breathing is far too slow and her body is cooling down. Whatever she did burned too much of her energy. If we don't stop that process now, she could end up in a coma."

He almost choked on the last word. Casey gasped and Raph put an arm around Donnie's shoulders. Mikey took April's left hand.

"In a coma? Our April? No," he whispered. "Not her too!"

Too? I frowned, wondering whom else he was referring to.

Leonardo turned to Donatello.

"Don?"

My purple-clad brother – the one with a decent height and no hidden blades in his bo staff – shook his head.

"I can't do anything without the proper equipment," he answered softly and matter-of-factly. "Maybe in the lair…"

"It might be too late," Donnie interjected desperately. "We need to do something now, Leo!"

Our driver turned around briefly to spare a glance at his pleading brother. I restrained a shrug. I didn't see how Leo could help if both our official medics were helpless.

But the expression on Donnie's face was flickering between fear, anxiety, and hope, and I turned to Leo, waiting to hear what he would say.

"I can give it a try," he answered cryptically. "I'll need as much space as you can spare."

This time, I couldn't help snorting. I had thought that the truck was crowded earlier, but now, with two more turtles and two humans, we were positively squeezed.

"Raph, you take the wheel," Leo ordered.

The two of them smoothly shifted seats and Leo was soon kneeling at April's side, his hands resting on his knees. Casey, Donnie and Mikey moved as backwards as they could. Which meant that Casey's head was leaning on my plastron and his hockey mask was pressing my arm.

"Watch out," I grumbled.

"Sorry," he said quickly, removing it. His voice was a little too high-pitched. Was I making an impression on the boy? Heh.

"What are you doing?" Donatello asked, curious.

"Be quiet, please," Leo answered, closing his eyes. "I need to focus."

"Leo, I'm glad to learn that you love meditation as much as my Leo does, but do you think it's the right time?" Michelangelo complained.

I was about to tell him to shut his big mouth – with violence if necessary – but to my surprise, Mikey beat me to it. He nudged Michelangelo to get his attention and glared at him. Michelangelo - this knucklehead – made a big show of sighing, but he stayed silent.

For a few minutes, nothing happened. I was going to have a cramp at that rate. Plus it was boring.

Then Leo opened his eyes and moved his fingers, muttering something that sounded like 'ripiotoshakajirezuzazen'. Whatever the heck that meant. He put his hands softly on April's belly and I stifled a snort. What was he thinking, that he had magic hands and April would suddenly jerk and wake up? Ridicu-

April jerked and woke up.

Sewers sweet sewers!

"Whaaaat?" Michelangelo shrieked.

"How did you do that?" Donatello and Leonardo exclaimed in unison.

I was too busy gaping to say anything. Luckily, nobody was looking at me and I quickly closed my mouth.

"My head," April moaned.

"Healing hands," Mikey grinned in relief and happiness as Donnie hurried back to April's side. "Sweet ancient handy ninja technique."

When we arrived at their lair, I still hadn't recovered from my surprise. So this mini-Leo had healing abilities, uh? I had caught Leonardo's shining gaze and I knew he was going to ask his counterpart more about it, and learn it if he could.

Well. As long as he didn't expect me to learn it too, I had no problem with that.

Donnie was still fussing over April, and didn't stop until she was settled on the sofa under a warm blanket with a cup of hot chocolate in her hands. She was still under shock.

"I'm not sure what happened," she kept repeating.

"No problem, April," Leo told her soothingly. "Take your time to gather your thoughts." He looked daggers at Mikey. "We have matters to take care of in the meantime."

Mikey gulped.

Oh, that was right. I had completely forgotten about the primary reason we had been in that alleyway tonight.

Michelangelo coughed.

"Well, I think I need some sleep. This has been a taxing night. See you tomorrow, guys!"

He began to leave in the kitchen's direction. I wondered if he intended to sleep there or if he was just going to hide under the sink, and shared a deadpan look with Leonardo.

My question didn't find its answer, however, because my counterpart caught his forearm.

"Not so fast, Michelangelo," Raph said coldly. "You're not getting away that easily with teaming up with my brother behind our backs."

Us turtles were back in the dojo while Casey stayed with April in the living room. I was surprised that Donnie had let April alone with Casey – it was obvious to me that the boy liked her too - but maybe the two had reached a mutual understanding or something.

Mikey and Michelangelo were facing us with half-sheepish and half-mischievous expressions, silent for once while one of our hosts ranted.

It was quite interesting to watch.

"What were you thinking, Mikael?" Donnie was all but yelling, throwing up his arms and pacing back and forth. "Would it have been that hard to tell us were you were going, so we didn't freak out when we noticed you two were gone?"

"Never thought a Donatello had it in him to give such lectures," I whispered to Leonardo. "I used to believe it was more your department."

"His style is a little too exuberant to my liking, but the content is good," Leonardo whispered back wryly.

Donnie finally fell short of angry sentences and crossed his arms. Raph took over.

"And what were you thinking?" He added for Michelangelo's sake. "You're lucky Mikey wasn't hurt, or I swear, you'd have been toast by now!"

"We saved people," Michelangelo tried to soothe them. "And a puppy. Isn't that important?"

"Your lives are important too," Leo retorted hotly while Raph glared at my brother. "And it's not the time to be fooling around. You could have been killed before we even reached you!"

"They're really chewing them out," Donatello whispered. "I'm almost feeling sorry for Mike."

"I'm not," I retorted. If anything, I was enjoying seeing my brother being scolded by turtles barely half his size. I didn't feel the need to interfere in this show. I would have time later to give my Michelangelo payback.

"I'm sorry, guys," Mikey answered in a small voice. "I should have told you."

His three brothers looked at him for a while before their looks softened.

"It's okay, Mikey," Donnie answered with a sigh. "Just don't do it again."

He narrowed his eyes and poked Mikey's plastron.

"Ever. Again."

"Got it, Dee!" Mikey answered, nodding fiercely while Raph smacked the back of his head and glared again at Michelangelo, who tried a sheepish smile.

"Let's see if April feels better," Donnie said.

It was a good suggestion. I was curious to know what had happened earlier. After all, that teenage girl had knocked out four powerful ninja on her own, apparently with the sheer power of her mind. Not matter what, she had earned my respect.

As we left the dojo, Mikey stayed behind with Leo. I slowed, curious in spite of myself. Wasn't the lecture over after all?

"Are you really mad at me, Leo?" I heard Mikey ask tentatively.

Leo sighed.

"I'm disappointed," he acknowledged. "You're supposed to know better. Did you really think we wouldn't notice your absence?"

"I did know better, Leo," Mikey answered, looking at him pleadingly. "I just couldn't resist!"

"Mikey…"

I wasn't sure if Leo sounded more exasperated or resigned, and when he didn't finish his sentence, I turned around to look at his face and take a guess.

And my eyes widened. Leo had wrapped his arms around his brother's frame in a gesture that could only be interpreted as a hug.

"I know you can take care of yourself," Leo whispered while Mikey hugged his brother back, resting his head under Leo's chin. "But you scared me. These other dimensional ninja mean business."

I didn't hear Mikey's reply, but Leo smiled and held him tighter.

"Me too, little brother."

I hoped I wasn't blushing and decided to leave them in peace. Michelangelo, who must have been wondering why I had stayed behind, came back just in time to see what was happening.

His eyes lit up.

"Aww."

Then he crept towards Leonardo, who saw him coming but didn't guess what he was up to until it was too late.

"Leo," Michelangelo cooed, throwing his arms around Leonardo's shell. "Can I get a hug too?"

Chapter Text

~2012 Donnie~

I sat down on the couch next to April and smiled softly at her, waiting to see if she was feeling better. She put her small hand on mine.

"I'm fine, Donnie."

I let out a sigh of relief but still scrutinized her for a few more minutes, just in case. Casey was doing the same and she rolled her eyes with a half-smile.

"What happened, April?" I finally asked, trying to keep the anxiety out of my voice. "What did they do to you?"

"And what did you do to them?" Leo asked, sitting down cross-legged on the floor. Raph was casually sprawled on the sofa while Mikey leaned on its back right behind April. Raphael and Donatello sat down on the floor too, maybe to be at eye-level with her.

"Hello," Donatello greeted her timidly. I remembered that they hadn't exchanged proper greetings until then. "It's, uh… nice to meet you."

"Same here," Raphael nodded. "Nice work down there, girl. You squashed these guys nice and proper."

April smiled with satisfaction.

Now we were only missing Michelangelo and Leonardo. Turning around to search for them, I blinked as I noticed that Michelangelo was hugging Leonardo at the waist for some reason, grinning like a green Cheshire cat, while Leonardo was smiling hesitantly and patting his back. April waited until the two of them joined us to begin her story-telling.

"I'm not entirely sure what happened. These beings…"

The use of that term wasn't lost on me, and I crossed my fingers under my chin to prevent them from shaking and thus betraying my uneasiness. I could fight ninja of flesh and blood, but what if they weren't?

Maybe they were robots. I was used to fight against robots, especially those who sheltered slimy pink aliens. I had designed specific weapons against them.

"…they were spiritually extremely strong."

Shell. As if it wasn't enough that they had wielded magical – excuse me, I meant spiritual - weapons. I had travelled to the Astral Plane once, and felt stronger for confronting my inner demons, but I still didn't consider mysticism to be my strongest suit.

Far from it.

At least it probably excluded the robots – machines didn't fall within the 'spiritual' category, did they? They were a mere assemblage of metal and plastic…

I suddenly remembered my robot Metalhead and how he had given his energy to save us, to the point that I wasn't sure what was my programming and what was something entirely else – not a soul, but maybe a soul? I still didn't know, and it still haunted my nights, sometimes, to the point I wasn't sure I would ever try to build another one - and I felt ashamed at that thought.

"I think they were trying to communicate with me, but I didn't understand them."

"Because they weren't talking English?" Mikey asked curiously.

April smiled at him.

"It's not like that, I feel emotions and feelings rather than words. No, it was more like… they were shouting at me, all at the same time, and it was too loud. I had to repel them before they destroyed my mind."

"Which you perfectly managed to do," Raph smirked. "Maybe you destroyed them once and for all!"

April's features tensed in concern and I stifled a moan. No such luck.

"I don't think so," she said softly. "They scared me, and I surprised them, but I don't think I destroyed them. They were too powerful for that." She shook her head. "Nor do I think that they were trying to hurt me."

"They were pulling their punches during our fight," Leo muttered somberly. "What are they up to?"

April hesitated, looking at the four turtles of another universe.

"It was a blur, but I was able to recognize at least one emotion," she added. "They were… really angry. I just wasn't the target of that anger."

Silence met this last admission.

"Who else has a feeling we are the targets of their anger?" Michelangelo said cheerfully, looking at his brothers. I couldn't help noticing that his smile wasn't quite reaching his eyes.

It was starting to get really late. Neither April nor Casey felt like leaving us right now, so we agreed on them staying in the lair for what was left of the night. Leo gave April his bedroom and took Sensei's old room. Raph offered to share his bedroom with Casey. Our four turtle guests insisted that they would be fine on the couch, so Mikey brought them quilts.

We were hoping that whatever April had done to the ninja would give us a brief respite before another storm, and we wouldn't be attacked tonight. Needless to say, we would still keep our weapons at hand.

Just when everyone was finally ready to settle for the night, Casey decided that a mere 'goodnight' wasn't enough. Sometimes, that guy is even more off track than Mikey.

"You're really tall, guys," he began, coming closer to the four taller turtles who were discussing to determine who would be sleeping next to whom – apparently, Michelangelo's feet were an absolute no-no.

"You're very observant," Raphael answered wryly, raising an eye ridge.

"You've got it the wrong way," Michelangelo protested. "We're not tall. You are short."

"Just saying, it's weird," Casey insisted. Then he raised his head, as if he had suddenly had an idea. I hoped he would keep quiet, but my hopes were soon quenched. "Hey, is there a Casey Jones in your world?"

Raphael and Donatello exchanged an uneasy glance.

"Yes," Raphael answered.

"Great! And is he tall, too?"

"…Yes."

"Awesome! And do you have an April?"

"Casey…" I warned. "Why don't you let our guests go to sleep?"

"But Donnie, don't you want to know?" He protested.

"I'm curious," April acknowledged, coming closer. "Do you?"

I didn't miss Donatello's suddenly panicked look as he realized where this conversation was going, and I felt my stomach tighten.

Leonardo coughed.

"Yes, we do," he began. "And she's a very dear friend. A part of our family. Hmm… Goodnight."

I wanted to thank him for trying, even if I knew it wouldn't work.

April lifted an eyebrow.

"That's all?" She answered, sounding disappointed. "Come on, guys, tell me more!"

"Well, she's red-haired too," Michelangelo answered brightly, unable to deny her request and ignoring his brothers' warning glances. "And she's not a kunoichi like you, even if we had tons of amazing adventures together. We're very close. I'm even helping her prepare her marriage!"

"Ma-ma-marriage?" April squeaked.

"Oops," Michelangelo whispered, his eyes widening. Raphael sighed, Donatello shook his head and Leonardo looked at me with concern.

"Who am I…who is she… ma-ma-marrying?" She demanded.

Michelangelo, Donatello and Raphael all looked at Leonardo, who sent them a 'Why me, guys?' look which was answered with 'Because you're the leader, bro,' nods. Leonardo took a deep breath and courageously faced the music.

"Our April, who is a different woman from a different universe," he emphasized, "is marrying our Casey, also a different man from a different universe."

"Whaaaaat?" Casey yelped.

Until then, he had just stood there gaping, but now he jumped a meter away from April, as if she was suddenly hazardous material. April blushed hard. I felt like kicking something, which was supposed to be more like Raph's department.

"I see," she coughed. "A very different world indeed. Goodnight, everyone!"

Then she all but ran to Leo's room. Casey waited a good fifteen seconds before running to Raph's room and slamming the door behind him.

"Nice work, Mike," Raphael said with irony.

"It just came out," Michelangelo protested. "And it's supposed to be happy news, you know? I'm not used to hiding happy news!"

"You're not used to hiding news of any kind," Raphael retorted.

"Goodnight, guys," I forced out before turning around and walking away.

I didn't want to hear them bicker.

I slid under the Shellraiser, wrench in hand. I couldn't sleep, so why not check it up? At least I would feel useful.

Deep inside, I knew I was too harsh on myself. It wasn't my fault if Donatello's crystal was broken and if we were having a hard time fixing it. But we were making slow progress.

I only wished I could do more, build a new weapon for my family, or armor for April – she hadn't seemed too pleased with the idea of being married to Casey, had she? Maybe, hopefully this was good – stop it, Donnie, don't think about that now – aaand what about an invisibility cloak, uh? Invisibility cloaks were good. If only I had been able to catch a sample of the ninja's cloak, maybe I could have replicated it, and…

"Want some help?" Raphael asked.

I started and knocked my head. Couldn't a guy be left in peace once in a while? Groaning, I left my place under the truck to look at the intruder. He had his arms crossed and was watching me with annoyance. Or concern, maybe?

"You should go to sleep," I answered, averting my eyes. "I'll too, as soon as I'm done here."

He shrugged, not fooled.

"You wouldn't be the first Donatello to fight insomnia with mechanics. So, want some help?"

"It depends," I grumbled. "This baby is delicate."

There was a reason why I didn't let my brothers touch it. That and they weren't interested in the subtle works of tailpipes and transmission belts.

Raphael smiled tentatively.

"I'm not bad with engines. I've tuned the Shell Cycle myself."

I studied him, interested but still doubtful.

"The Shell Cycle?"

"My own baby, courtesy of my brother Don," he answered. This time, he was grinning. "This guy knows exactly what a turtle needs."

Even if it wasn't exactly directed at me, the warmth in his voice was soothing.

"Last time I'm offering," he warned me. "Want some help?"

"Well..." I hesitated. "Okay."

Raphael came closer and knelt beside my toolbox.

"Good," he answered. "Then let's see if I can make this truck's engine purr…"

"What?" I protested. "It already does!"

Raphael shook his head.

"Not half as much as it could," he grumbled. "Do you mind opening the hood?"

His voice sounded eager. I stood up to comply, flattered by his interest.

"You know, this engine isn't exactly conventional," I warned him nonetheless.

"Bring it on, Donnie," he winked at me. "Maybe I'll surprise you."

As we chatted and he deftly redirected my thoughts from our actual ordeal to the relative merits of alien engines, I felt myself beginning to relax.

I had wanted to be alone, but maybe Raphael's company was just what I needed.

Chapter Text

~2003 Michelangelo~

I woke up early the next day. It helped that Raphael had somehow put one of his legs across my plastron during the night, and it pressed uncomfortably against my shoulder. I pushed it away, ignored Raphael's sleepy growl and stood up.

"Good morning, Mike."

"'morning, Leo," I yawned.

My brother was leaning against the sofa, eyes half-opened. I didn't know if he had been meditating for a while or if my move had awakened him. It would have made no difference anyways. Leonardo was utterly ignorant of the foggy state most civilized people struggled with in the mornings.

"Mikey just went to the kitchen," he added. "He said he wanted to make the best breakfast ever."

Ha. He had been awake for a while, then.

"It sounds interesting. I'm going to give him a hand."

Leonardo nodded and closed his eyes again. In the kitchen, Mikey was opening cupboards and taking out plates and ingredients in complete silence. He greeted me with a grin.

"Ninja cooking," he whispered. "No noise until Raph wakes up."

"Or else?" I inquired, curious. "It's in his best interest not to mess up with the one who cooks him breakfast, when he's cooking him breakfast. At least, my Raphael is wise enough not to."

Mikey shook his head.

"Nah. I just want to indulge him. He didn't get enough sleep last night with the way Casey was freaking out."

I sighed.

"Can't people just rejoice that a happy couple wants to formalize their relationship?"

"Apparently not," Mikey retorted. "But don't worry. They'll get past it."

I offered my counterpart a wry smile and took a pan.

"I certainly hope so. Love triangles are only fun in TV shows."

The first pancakes were ready when the others began to enter the kitchen. Donnie, Raph, Raphael, April and Casey all looked like they could use a few more hours of sleep. They offered half-hearted greetings and I stifled a groan. I hated taking my breakfast in a mourning atmosphere.

As they sat down, Donnie glanced at April, who glanced at him, then Casey, who glanced at the fridge.

Riiight. Time to lighten the mood.

"So," I began brightly. "What are we going to do today?"

"Wait for another attack by mysterious mystical ninja who have a grudge against you?" Raph grumbled.

I sent him a deadpan look, which he completely ignored. He had a point, however. Thanks to April, we knew that it was personal. Whether or not the ninja were sent by someone else was unknown.

"Did you remember anything useful?" Leo asked, a hot mug in his hands.

"Dude, we made quite a lot of enemies over the years," I pointed out. "I'm not keeping an exhaustive list."

"I am," Donatello interjected. "But none of these enemies match the ones we fought again yesterday." He shook his head pensively. "They have the mystical weapons of the ninja tribunal, they have invisibility cloaks…"

Leonardo, who was absent-mindedly eating the pancake I had given him, nodded. "The mystical weapons are our most serious lead. We have to go back to the Lap of the Gods and ask the Ninja Tribunal. Which means…"

"I know, Leo," Donatello sighed. "We're doing our best, but it's still going to take a while before we're able to go back to our world."

Leonardo smiled wearily at him. Leo leaned on his elbow.

"I wish we had more information," he mused. "Anything could be helpful."

Leonardo shrugged. April stopped nibbling on her food and frowned.

"There is something you're not telling us," she stated.

I blinked. We all looked at the two of them. Leonardo's eyes met April's unflinchingly.

"What makes you think so?"

She tilted her head.

"I can feel it."

Ooh, points for the girl who could see through my brother's poker face!

"Hmm," Leonardo mused, weighing his options.

Well, considering our hosts were all looking suspiciously at him now, said options were limited.

"You're right," he finally acknowledged. I saw Raph cross his arms with a furious expression. "But it doesn't make any sense to me."

"Just spit it out," Raph muttered.

Leo glanced at him. I tried to figure out their silent dialogue.

Be polite, Raph.

Like shell I'll be polite.

Raph!

He's hiding things from us in our own home!

I don't like it either, but he's still our guest!

Why are you taking his defense? Or maybe you can relate to his not-saying-everything-because-we-can't-understand-anyways act!

Okay, maybe I went overboard with that last one. But Leo rolled his eyes, so maybe not.

"Fine," Leonardo sighed. "During our first fight with these ninja, I was disturbed by the moves they used."

He looked at us, his brothers, with an almost apologetic expression.

"They looked familiar. A few of them even resembled the secret ones Sensei taught us. Except we're the only ones Master Splinter ever trained, and I can't picture the Ancient One training ninja against us. My mind must have been playing tricks on me."

I glanced at Raphael and Donatello. I hadn't noticed anything of this kind, I had been too busy fighting for my life - and marveling at seeing again one of the mystical weapons I had been blessed to use - but Leonardo was undoubtedly the most susceptible to pay attention to such details.

"Like I said, it makes no sense," he insisted, seeing our displeased expressions. "And I didn't notice anything yesterday."

"I still wish you had told us, Leo," Raphael grumbled. "I don't think you're making it up."

The underlying trust in our brother's ninjitsu abilities was subtle, but definitely there, and Leonardo's shoulders relaxed.

"Maybe they watched us," Donatello suggested. "Or maybe these moves aren't as secret as Master Splinter thinks."

"We can ask him when we come home," I suggested.

Donatello tapped his fingers against the table.

"Well, I believe I should go back to work," he said. "Donnie?"

"I'm coming," his counterpart answered.

The two of them left. Leo stood up to clear the table, soon helped by Mikey. Raph was still glaring at Leonardo, who expertly ignored it.

The gloomy mood was back, and I was about to do something about it when our party was crashed.

By girls. Now who said turtles weren't lucky?

"Now Leo, you could have kept me up to date," the short girl in armor who was this world's Karai all but scolded the blue-clad turtle. I had to bit my tongue to avoid making a witty comment. I wasn't sure Leonardo would have appreciated it – he had kind of a crush on Karai, and it didn't end very well.

But it was in another world.

"Karai, we could really use your help right now," Karai quoted, while her friend – an awesome witch named Shinigami, who was stroking Ice Cream Kitty and had been winking at me at least twice, I swear it – grinned under her wide-brimmed hat. "Call me back as soon as you can. And when I tried to this morning, you didn't answer!"

"I've been busy," Leo muttered sheepishly, crossing his arms. "And is 'next morning' your idea of 'right now'?" He fought back.

Awww… No, Mike, don't comment. Bad idea, bad idea… I tried to convince myself.

"You're so cute," I cooed. No, no! My conscience protested. Bad Mike. Bad, bad Mike.

Karai flashed a knowing smile at me and I grinned back.

"You're not bad yourself," she said, coming closer to me with the movements of a tigress.

Wait. What? Was she openly flirting with me?

"Uh, thanks," I stammered, blinking.

She grinned and Leo groaned.

"Karai, don't annoy our guests," he pleaded. "The situation is messed-up enough as it is."

"Too bad," she replied. "Anyways, I don't think orange suits me."

She glanced at Leonardo and my brother's eyes widened at her boldness, but Leo merely shook his head with a resigned expression. He was obviously used to the girl's antics.

A while later, I was in the dojo, watching as Leonardo and Karai prepared to face each other. The girl had tricked my brother into accepting a sporting match – not that it took a lot for Leonardo to spar.

Leo was uneasy and he had reminded both of them of the sporting part.

"She can get pretty intense," I had even heard him whisper to Leonardo. "Just remember she doesn't really mean to harm you."

Leonardo had lifted an eye ridge.

"Don't worry," he had answered gently. "I'm used to sporting matches. And I don't mean to harm her."

Leo had seemed about to say something else, but Karai had glared at him and he had thought better of it.

I wondered what it meant. Was Leo afraid that one or both of them would lose control?

I exchanged a glance with Raphael. As Leonardo and Karai bowed to each other, my red-clad brother turned to Leo.

"Leonardo knows what he's doing," he whispered to him, trying not to sound condescending. "He's not going to hurt her."

"If I didn't think so, I wouldn't allow this match," Leo answered sharply.

Raphael's expression darkened and Raph put a hand on his brother's shoulder.

"Then relax, Leo."

"Maybe I should tell him," Leo muttered under his breath, attracting another glare from Karai.

I didn't think she could hear his words, but she obviously knew what this was all about. I exchanged another glance with Raphael.

"She obviously doesn't want you to," Raph pointed out.

"Of course not, she wants to surprise him," he grumbled. "I just don't want Leonardo to forget that this is friendly. You do realize I don't handle these very sharp katana in the exact same way during training sessions and when I fight for real, don't you? I bet it's the same for him."

I stopped pretending not to listen.

"Dude, my Leo has impressive self-control," I whispered. "He's not going to lose it, no matter how your Karai fights. Now, technically it already happened," I mused, "but the circumstances were very different."

"Mike!" Raphael snapped.

Leo's eyes widened.

"What?"

"This is Leo's story to tell, if and only if he wants to," Raphael whispered angrily to me. Then he turned to our brother's counterpart.

"Don't worry," he added more calmly. "I know my brother and he would never hurt your friend."

"Whenever you're ready, Leo," Karai said wryly.

I realized that she and Leonardo were waiting for us to stop chatting.

Leo cleared his throat, embarrassed.

"Hajime!" He shouted.

And the fight began.

It was beautiful to watch. Karai was fast and stroke hard, and in any other circumstances she must be deadly. Leonardo was as graceful and precise as usual, and he blocked and attacked with quiet confidence.

I watched the girl with attention, trying to guess how she was going to surprise my brother, but I couldn't find anything out of the ordinary – apart from the fact she was a very skilled and highly trained kunoichi, that is.

Then, as it often happens in fights, time accelerated. One second my turtle brother and the human girl were sparring, and the next one of Leonardo's katana was on the floor while a humanoid snake coiled around my brother with a dagger against his throat. I froze for a second before realizing that it wasn't directly against his throat. Leonardo had managed to block the blow with his second katana and used his blade's larger reach to press its tip against the snake's forehead. I exhaled.

It took me another second to realize that the snake was obviously Karai.

"Yame!" Leo shouted, his voice tense.

"Already? And it was just beginning to get interesting," Karai protested. But her arms retracted and she assumed her human form back.

"Shell," Raphael commented. "That girl is wild."

"You're… a mutant," Leonardo said calmly, picking up his other katana and sheathing both. "I didn't expect that."

This was a huge admission, and I wondered if Karai realized it.

"Withholding information," Raph deadpanned. He was the only one who didn't seem shaken in the least. "So annoying."

Chapter Text

~2012 Leo~

I was listening distractedly to the ongoing conversation. I had made the mistake of telling Karai that maybe using her mutation in a sporting match wasn't the best idea when she didn't know how powerful her opponent was. In addition to getting an earful - which main message could be summed up by 'Mind your own business' - I had now to witness her showing off.

Sometimes I should really keep my mouth shut. Even – especially – when I'm right.

"So you can control your appearance at will?" Donatello asked, his interest piqued. "Is it the norm?"

Both he and Donnie had been attracted out of the lab by Karai's raised voice. She was performing for the purple-clad genius of another world, switching between her snake state and her human state with graceful movements. I even saw her shed to wipe away a scrape, earning amazed glances.

And I had thought she preferred to keep the details private. Of course, there was the very real possibility that she did and only wanted to get on my nerves.

Not that it worked, mind you.

"No," Karai answered smugly. "I'm special."

No doubt. I stifled a groan.

"We had an epidemic of mutants once," Michelangelo said. "It wasn't pretty."

Raph snorted.

"We have epidemics of mutants all the time."

Mikey nodded.

"Oh yes. We even contributed to one! It was awful. April didn't talk to us for weeks because her father had been mutated," he said sadly.

Donnie sighed at the memory.

"And you didn't deserve it," April soothed them. "That's behind us now, isn't it?"

My brothers both nodded and she put her hands on their shoulders.

"Mutants are far more common in your world than in ours," Leonardo stated.

"We do have a small mutant community here," I agreed. "The Kraang invasion left traces."

We had told them about the Kraang when Donatello had asked about the origin of the ooze which had mutated Karai.

"Yes," Donnie interjected. "The number of mutants is directly correlated to the amount of raw material – in our case, mutagen – available, and mutating the entire Earth was a goal that required it in great quantity."

"You know, it's rather interesting, in a Russian roulette kind of way," Mikey mused. "You never know what will appear next! And it's a perfect occasion to give the new mutants cool names! An art I excel at."

"And when you don't, they can always be called Justin," Raph teased him.

Mikey stuck his tongue out at him and Donnie chuckled. I, however, didn't like that particular memory. It reminded me of the Karai I had been wrong to trust.

"Oh, yes, Justin," the kunoichi in armor interjected, waving her hands – err, heads – err, hands – uh. Whatever was at the end of her arms. "He was wicked. I liked it. Too bad you had to destroy him."

Raph clenched his fists and was about to make a nasty comment, I could see it, but Donatello's curiosity wasn't satisfied.

"How does it work?" He enquired.

"It incorporates the essence of two parts," Donnie replied. "At least one has to be alive. The second can be animal, vegetal or even inanimate."

"Like garbage," Mikey interrupted. "That mutant turned out really nice! You should meet him!"

"Awesome!" Michelangelo exclaimed. "The possibilities are endless!"

"Double mutations have been known to occur," Donnie went on, unfazed by the interruptions.

At that, Donatello's brothers' faces fell. Donatello himself nodded.

"I've been double-mutated once," he confided to us. "It made me mindless."

Donnie looked interested.

"Then I assume you know how to make retromutagen. We'll have to compare our formulas! To get back to double-mutations, it doesn't always affect the brain."

"If you're talking about Bradford, how would you know?" Raph retorted. "The guy was all muscles and no brain."

"Reminds me of someone else," Mikey teased him.

"Oh really?" Raph retorted, cracking his knuckles.

I considered stopping them before they came to blows – after all, we had guests – but if Raphael and Michelangelo's grins were anything to go by, this was nothing new.

I suddenly felt tired. We weren't any closer to learn who or where our enemies were – were we even safe in the lair? - yet we were acting as if this was a peaceful evening between friends.

I didn't protest. After all, I had nothing better to suggest. Instead, I rolled my eyes for show and retreated to the dojo.

I needed some peace and quiet.

As always when I felt overburdened, I sat in front of my father's shrine and let my thoughts wander.

Who are these ninja? Why are they after our counterparts? Will they come after my family too?

Michelangelo had said that they had made a lot of enemies over the years, but Donatello hadn't found a match.

They knew our counterparts' fighting style – I wasn't sure if I was mad or not at Leonardo for keeping that bit of information to himself.

Speaking of Leonardo, I was worrying about what Michelangelo had meant by him losing control once. Had someone been hurt? Could it happen again? Raphael was convinced it wouldn't.

Leonardo's self-control is impressive, no doubt. He didn't even blink when Karai turned into a snake.

There was no doubt he was a very collected turtle. Even when Michelangelo and Mikey had disappeared, he hadn't lost his calm. I, on the contrary, had been a nervous wreck, even if I had done my best to hide it. I wished I could feel as confident as he did.

But he isn't responsible for an entire clan, a small and mourning voice whispered in my head.

"Leonardo."

My thoughts froze. That voice… It had been a long time since I had last heard it. And as much as I longed to hear it again, last time had almost coincided with the end of the world. Said world had been saved by Mikey, his quick thinking and his chewing gum, and as awesome as it had been, I never wanted a repetition of that ever again.

When my father's ghost visited me these days, which was increasingly rare, he didn't speak. That he had chosen to do it today couldn't be good.

But my heart didn't mind that. My heart just wanted to listen to this voice, one more time.

"Father?" I whispered, raising my head and expecting to see him.

And sure enough, here he was.

"My son," he whispered softly. "I fear I am once again the bearer of bad news. The ones you face today aren't what you think they are. What has been severed must be mended. What has been lost must be returned."

"What are you talking about, Father? Severed? Lost?"

I heard someone cough and I turned to see my counterpart standing in the doorway.

"Leo? If you don't mind, I would like to talk to you about future plans."

"Come in," I answered, sighing.

As I turned back to my father's shrine, I was aghast to observe that the ghost was still there. Usually, he disappeared when someone else arrived.

"Father?" I whispered.

"Leo?" Leonardo said uncertainly behind me.

Splinter remained silent, looking at my counterpart.

"Leonardo," I whispered to the other turtle. "I…"

I didn't know how to put it. 'I think my deceased father wants to speak to you'? 'Allow me to introduce you to Hamato Yoshi?' 'Hey, Leonardo! Do you believe in ghosts?'

Leonardo's eyes were scanning the place where my father stood, as if he felt that something was off. Then he crossed the room to sit beside me and closed his eyes, slowing his breathing as if he was going to meditate. I had the strange impression that his skin was slightly brighter in a few places, but it was too faint to be sure. Then he opened his eyes again and they widened.

"Are you?" He whispered, and I realized that he was seeing my father.

Splinter nodded.

"I am Hamato Yoshi," he said softly. "I come with a warning. You and your brothers must go back to your own world, now."

"Great Hamato Yoshi, we're trying to do just that," Leonardo answered, awe in his voice. "My brother is working on it as we speak."

Father shook his ghostly head.

"You can't afford to wait any longer. My family will guide you back."

"How?" I asked, surprised. "Donnie is helping their Donatello, but the rest of us understand nothing of the physics of teleporting crystals."

"You already know the answer," my father answered, smiling. "Answers often lie within," he added cryptically, looking at my counterpart.

"Hai, Master," Leonardo bowed respecfully.

I did the same. When we looked up, we were alone in the dojo.

"So, hum…" I began hesitantly. "I haven't told the others about our father's ghost visiting me, they are worried enough as it is, so if you could keep it to yourself…"

"I won't tell them," Leonardo whispered dreamingly. "I… I've seen the pictures, but he looks taller in reality, doesn't he?"

I blinked at him.

"Sorry," he coughed. "Just thinking aloud. What do you think this was all about?"

"I don't know," I answered. Sensei had always loved cryptic answers. Dying had made this annoying habit even worse. "The ones you face today aren't what you think they are. What has been severed must be mended. What has been lost must be returned," I quoted. "Does it remind you of something?"

Leonardo shook his head slowly.

"Not really. What has been lost... Maybe Master Yoshi was talking about the weapons of the ninja tribunal? Are we supposed to return them?" He grimaced. "In any case, he stated clearly that we're running out of time."

The concern in his voice was unmistakable. At this instant, I felt close to him.

"We're supposed to guide you back," I mused. "How? How can we dimension-travel without portals? And why 'guide'?"

I tried to think about that, to recall every time we had dimension- or time-travelled, but my thoughts kept going back to the previous conversation, about mutations and double mutations.

And Kraang…

As the puzzle pieces fell into place, and despite the recklessness of what I was about to suggest, I couldn't help smiling. It was, in fact, extremely simple.

"I think I get it," I told Leonardo. "We need the help of our second resident genius."

Chapter Text

~2003 Donatello~

I was beginning to wonder if perhaps Raph and Mikey had made an effort to be on their best behavior earlier. It definitely looked like they had been looking forward to an excuse to mess with each other. Mikey was squealing and Raph was growling. It was hard to say if it was from fear, anger or delight.

Raphael was keeping score, his grin more and more huge as Raph widened the gap, while Michelangelo cheered his counterpart. The four humans were watching with fond interest. I was about to suggest to Donnie to go back to work – my counterpart was holding his head with a long-suffering expression – when Leo and Leonardo came out of the dojo where they had both sought shelter twelve minutes ago.

"Guys, I have a plan," Leo said seriously, his voice loud enough to cover his brothers' rampage.

Raph and Mikey stopped. Mikey, who was on the floor and in a headlock, twisted his head to look at his brother.

"Great, Leo," he squeaked. "What is it?"

For some reason, Leonardo was watching Mikey with an intense expression. The orange-clad turtle shifted under his gaze and Raph strengthened his hold.

"I know how we can guide you back to your dimension," Leo answered, sending Raph an intent look. His brother sighed and released Mikey. "Or more precisely, how Mikey here can guide you back."

Raphael snorted derisively at the collapsed form of the shortest ninja turtle.

"Yeah. Right."

"Raph, give the guy a chance to explain," Leonardo told him, lifting an eye ridge. "Time is of the essence, and unless Don and Donnie have managed to fully repair the crystal…"

I shook my head.

"No, Leo, and I can't tell you when or if it will ever be ready. If you believe there is another way, we might as well take it."

Raphael crossed his arms.

"I'm listening. I'm just doubtful."

"The point is," Leo went on, unfazed, as if he was used to being interrupted in his explanations, "if we can't send you back directly to your dimension, we can reach a place where dimensional travel is the norm. A kind of gateway between realities."

Donnie's eyes widened.

"Oooh, you mean the Kraang Central Station of Dimensional Travel! It could work. Except you would have to make a portal to this place first, you know?"

I leaned forward. If such a place existed in their world, it was exactly what we needed. Why hadn't they brought it up sooner?

Leo took a deep breath.

"Okay, guys, I know it's a long shot, but… we could travel to Dimension X, homeworld of the Kraang. From here, we would count on Mikey to open a portal to the… Kraang Central Station of Dimensional Travel… hopefully close enough to a portal leading to our guests' dimension."

Donnie opened his mouth to say something else, but Leo hastily went on.

"I know we don't have Kraang portals in New York anymore, but I was hoping that perhaps-you-would-let-Mikey-tinker-with-your-Kraang-equipment-and-see-what-happens."

Leo's last words had been said in a hurry, while Donnie's face darkened dangerously.

"Aww, yeah! Let me play, Dee!" Mikey answered joyously, picking himself up. "Let's bring Clever Mikey back!"

"Are you sure about that one, Leo?" Raph whispered to his brother.

"Well, Mikey is a genius in Dimension X, so… why not?"

I looked at him in surprise while Raphael choked.

"He's what?"

Michelangelo grinned, absolutely delighted by the thought.

"A genius. Like me, except I'm a genius all the time. Right, Don?"

"Sure, Mike," I indulged him. "You're a great help. Sometimes." When you're not wreaking havoc on my experiments.

"I find that hard to believe," Raphael stated.

Leo merely smiled.

"We found it hard to believe to. It's quite impressive, you'll see."

"This is crazy," Donnie said, his tone threatening. "Give me one good reason to let Mikey play with my equipment! It's delicate and hard to find, in case you didn't notice!"

April put a hand on his arm.

"Donnie, I'm sure Mikey won't break anything this time," she soothed.

Donnie visibly deflated at her contact.

"Fine," he muttered stiffly. "If you think it's necessary."

He took a deep breath.

"If you'll excuse me, I shall say goodbye to my beloved equipment. See you later."

As Donnie departed with a mourning walk, Leo turned to April and Casey.

"Guys…"

"I'm coming," April immediately answered.

"Me too, no kidding," Casey added firmly.

The blue-clad leader smiled at them before turning to the two others humans.

"Karai? Shinigami?"

Karai shook her head.

"As dangerous, crazy and fun as a little trip in Dimension X sounds, someone has to keep an eye on New York City. We're staying here."

Leo nodded.

"Then let's get ready for dimensional travel, guys." He turned to us. "Feel free to use our armory. Meeting in Donnie's lab in half an hour."

Thirty minutes later, my brothers and I, the four turtles of this world and their April and Casey were gathered in Donnie's lab. Donnie was chewing at his fingers while Mikey looked like a spoiled child on his birthday party.

"Careful, Mikey," Donnie exclaimed when Mikey extended his hand towards a white orb. "It's precious!"

I was sympathizing with him. Ever heard of the bull in a china shop? Michelangelo could be a very convincing bull at times. Obviously, it was the same for Mikey.

"Hey, Donnie?" April interrupted. "What's that?"

"Hum?" Donnie glanced at her before resuming his surveillance of Mikey. "It's the teleporting crystal they've been using to come here. At least what remains of it."

"Donnie, it's a Kraang crystal," April insisted. "I can feel it."

That got her Donnie's full attention, as well as mine.

"Really?" I said. "How can you know?"

"I feel it," she shrugged. "It must be linked to my Kraang origins."

Michelangelo's jaw drapped.

"What did you just say? You're partly Kraang? But didn't you say that they were slimy pink brains? You don't look like that at all!"

April lifted an eyebrow.

"Thanks, I guess?"

"Seriously," Michelangelo added. "It's kind of cool that you're alien, but kind of creepy too."

"Mike…" Leonardo warned as April blushed.

"Hey, take that back! April is not creepy!" Casey protested, raising his hockey stick.

"No, that's not what I meant!" Mike replied, waving his hands in excuse. "It's just… I can't see what you inherited from them, that's all."

"The brain part, maybe," Raphael suggested with a smirk. "All of us haven't been so lucky."

"My telepathic and telekinetic abilities," April answered, on the defensive.

Mikey had taken advantage of Donnie's change of focus to take as many Kraang equipment as his arms could carry. The pile was so high it blocked his view.

"Really?" He asked, wandering near the crystal powder we had been investigating with such care. "A Kraang crystal? Let me see… Aaaaaaaah!"

"Mikey!" Donnie shouted, too late.

The orange-clad turtle had stumbled upon a wire and lost his footing. The Kraang equipment pile collapsed on the floor with a loud bang, as did the remnants of the crystal.

"Wow," Raphael whistled. "Impressive damage in so little time."

Donnie looked like he was about to strangle his sibling, which worried me a little.

A pink light suddenly invaded the little room. A second later, a triangular shape filled with pink appeared above the Kraang fragments. Mikey blinked before standing up and bowing low.

"Lady and gentlemen… and Raphaels," Mikey said proudly, "I give you… the Kraang portal!"

"Don't worry, Donnie," Leo said, patting his fuming brother' shell. "I'll let you steal all the Kraang equipment you want from Dimension X to make up for this."

Dimension X was even crazier than I had expected it to be. I threw another pebble in front of me, only to catch it again behind my back a few seconds later.

"The law of physics are different here," Donnie said, watching me. "It's… disturbing."

He looked moody. Obviously, he hadn't come to terms with the way his shortest brother had opened his portal. We were jumping from small platform to small platform, following Mikey. Savage Mikey, as he had called himself.

He definitely had the outfit to go with that nickname.

"Fascinating," I whispered. "I could spend months studying this place."

"It won't be possible, Don, sorry," Leonardo quickly interjected. His expression was closed. He had no idea how this place worked, which meant he would have a hard time designing a plan if need be. It didn't seem to worry Leo, though.

"Just follow him," he had said with a half-smile when Savage Mikey had made his appearance in a puff of smoke. "He knows what he's doing. Oh, and don't break any crystals."

He was proved right a while later, when Mikey singlehandedly defeated a big stone giant with a well-placed shout. And when he used a giant white worm as a mount to repel an army of bugs - with April's enthusiastic help.

"Awesome!" Michelangelo had laughed. "I love this place!"

From my three brothers, he was the one feeling the most at ease.

"No wonder. This place looks like a crazy video game," Raphael had stated, throwing up his hands. "Can we go home now?"

"Are we even going somewhere?" I wondered, amazed. The small platforms swamped with crystals all looked the same to me.

"Yes," Mikey answered, pointing something out. "Here."

I squinted, but saw nothing out of the ordinary – if you could use the word 'ordinary' to name Dimension X.

"What are you talking ab…"

As I took the next step behind Mikey, I suddenly fell instead of landing on the next platform like I had expected it. A few seconds later, I was on a bigger, darker platform, in front of a building that almost looked like a huge tower. If towers were oval and swinging. It wasn't unlike a big crooked egg.

"Interesting," I muttered, trying to figure out once again how gravity worked there.

I had tried to ask Mikey, but he had merely shrugged, telling me that it was obvious. It certainly wasn't to me, and I almost felt stupid. It was a rare feeling. I hoped my brothers didn't feel that way when I gave up on explaining to them the subtleties of my work.

Casey collapsed with a curse next to me, while April gracefully landed on her feet.

"Third floor," Mikey said, gesturing at the egg-tower.

"And how do we access the third floor?" Raphael asked.

He had a point. The first entrance to the building was hundreds of meters above us.

Without answering, Mikey knelt on a rock and pushed the ground with his hands. A second later, he was flying in the air.

"I'm sorry for asking," Raphael mumbled before imitating him.

The tower was deserted. It had been in use until recently, if I believed the various items scattered inside the rooms we passed.

"Hopefully it's because they still haven't recovered from their last defeat," Donnie deadpanned. "And not because the place is trapped, or haunted, or…"

"Don't worry, Donnie," Mikey said, pushing another door open. "We're the only living beings in the area. My organic antenna can feel it."

I was about to ask him about this organic antenna, but inside that new room was a big, shiny, beeping control panel. I felt immediately attracted to it.

"Amazing!" I exclaimed, my hands already brushing the screen.

"Mikey, do you need Donnie's help here?" Leo suddenly asked.

Mikey shook his head.

"I already have Don," he answered. "We'll find the correct coordinates in no time and open a portal."

"Great, Mikey," Leo said. "And will we be able to hear you from, let's say, the other side of that huge Kraang tower?"

"If I shout? No problem."

"Perfect. Then do that when we're ready to go. In the meantime, Donnie and I have an errand to run."

To my astonishment, Mikey worked fast and efficiently, to the point my help felt superfluous. He called Leo and Donnie back before pushing a last button, and soon we were jumping through yet another portal.

I whistled as I took in my new surroundings.

The sight was amazing. As far as I could see in both directions, triangular shaped portals were lining the road, all glowing pink.

"There it is," Donnie whispered in an almost cheerful tone. "The Kraang Central Station of Dimensional Travel."

My counterpart was carrying a suspiciously big bag. I assumed Leo had been true to his word and the two of them had plundered the Kraang tower. I wondered if Donnie would let me have some of his loot.

In any case, I wasn't feeling bad for the Kraang.

"It went better than I had expected," Leo whispered to no one in particular.

I began checking the portal closest to me. Where was the one leading to our own dimension?

"Mikey?" I asked as I looked through it and saw a swarm of giant turtles each carrying an island. I lifted an eye ridge and investigated the next portal.

Mikey shook his head sadly and got rid of his Savage Mikey costume.

"Sorry. It's not Dimension X anymore. I have no clue."

Raphael sighed in relief while Leo smiled at his brother.

"You were awesome, Mikey."

"Guys! I found it!" Michelangelo suddenly shouted.

He was a few meters away from us, and we hurried to him.

Apparently, Mikey had chosen the perfect landing spot. The triangular shape we were looking at was filled with a vision of our own universe. It was nighttime and a man was running. A man who wore a hockey mask and a baseball bat.

Raphael bent over, suddenly worried.

"Casey?"

"That's your Casey?" April exclaimed, while the teenage Casey whistled.

"Let's see what this is all about," Raphael said decidedly, jumping through the portal.

We followed him, weapons at the ready. An instant later, we were facing our familiar Casey Jones. He almost started at our sight.

"Guys! Where have you been?" He shouted, panting, before shaking his head. "Doesn't matter. Great timing, I could really use some backup right now…"

He became quiet as his gaze fell upon the four other turtles and two humans behind us. I was sure he was gaping behind his hockey mask, but he soon recovered from his surprise.

"And you even brought reinforcements," he added with forced joy. "Great idea."

Chapter Text

~2012 Raph~

That Casey was cool. Not as cool as my Casey, mind you, but he still looked like he could kick some serious butts. I like that in a human.

"What's the matter, Casey?" Raphael asked immediately.

"It looks like the Purple Dragons and the Foot ninja have allied once again, and they're after me," the man panted. "I… happened to meet them. By accident."

"Casey, didn't you promise April to ease up on the solo vigilante business?" Raphael asked almost merrily.

"She's going to kill me if any part of this gorgeous body is put in a cast for our marriage," the man replied sheepishly. "I won't even mention the bruises."

April, my Casey and Donnie shifted uncomfortably at these words.

"The Foot…" Leonardo growled. "I wasn't mistaken last time, then. I thought we had an understanding. A truce. But it was too good to be true."

I had no idea what the guy was talking about, but his brothers obviously did.

"So much for saving the world together," Michelangelo said sadly.

"It's not good," Donatello whispered. "Hun despises her, but he's still working with her? Why?"

"Why don't you come and find out?" A new voice asked.

I turned to look at the biggest man I had ever seen – mutated men excepted.

"Hun," Adult Casey spat, as if the name was an insult.

Hun? I thought. Uh.

He certainly looked more dangerous than our own puny Hun. Seriously. You could have put at least five people his size in place of the mountain of a man standing in front of us.

And he was followed by a swarm of Purple Dragons. I could also sense ninja hiding on the facades of the buildings.

"Great," I deadpanned, swirling my sai. "Not even five minutes in a new universe and it already looks like everybody hates us."

"It's your karma, Raph", Mikey teased me. "It spills over onto all of us."

The fight was fierce. There were way too many enemies for a single vigilante, which led me to think that Casey hadn't been their primary target and had just been in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Adult Casey and Raphael were focusing on Hun-the-Moutain. Michelangelo, Donnie, and my Casey were fighting the other Purple Dragons. Leonardo was facing the Foot ninja with Donatello, Mikey and April. Leo and I were switching between the two teams, giving help where it was required.

All in all, I was enjoying myself.

"You've got to admit, Leo, these Purple Dragons are fiercer than our own," I told my brother after I had to start again twice to knock out a pink-haired woman. "It's refreshing."

"Remind me to thank our Hun for being a moron next time we meet," Leo answered, ducking to avoid Adult Casey's baseball bat, which had just been torn in two by this world's Hun.

"Oh, I don't know, Leo, I like a good challeng- no way!"

My heart stopped beating for two whole seconds as my brain understood what was happening in the background.

Emerging from Donnie's bag, which my brother had left in a corner, a teeny-tiny turtle with a big, irresistible grin stuck his nose out to take in his new surroundings.

"Chompy?" I choked.

Upon hearing his name, he turned to me and giggled his head. I hurried to the tiny turtle alien, smashing the men and women standing in my way without a second thought, and picked him up.

"Chompy! What are you doing here?" I scolded, my voice frantic with worry.

The little rascal merely smiled at me and nuzzled my fingers.

"Donnie!" I called my brother. "Look at what you've done!"

"I'm sorry, what?" Donnie panted. He was facing a Purple Dragon covered in tattoos. The man would have looked pretty cool if he hadn't been trying to knock out my brother.

Donnie used his naginata to cut his belt out, making him trip over his own trousers. When he was certain that his opponent wouldn't strike back, he looked at me.

"Chompy? Raph, why did you bring him here? It's dangerous!"

I fought not to lose my temper.

"I didn't bring him here! He hid inside your bag!"

"And how is it my fault?" Donnie protested hotly. "You're supposed to watch over him!"

"Guys," Leo interfered before I could reply. It was probably for the best. "Not the time!"

"But Leo!" I protested, lashing out at the two Foot ninja who had the ill-advised thought that I would be too busy with the baby turtle to notice them. "Chompy is here!"

"And you have every right to be worried," Leo answered all too calmly, his katana slicing a Purple Dragon's pipe. "I don't even want to think about what could happen if his mom realizes he's not in the right universe anymore. But there is nothing we can do about it right now, so you better focus on keeping him and yourself in one piece!"

I shuddered at the thought of Tokka, the Cosmic Monster who happened to be Chompy's mom. She would probably tear me – and the entire Earth – to pieces if something bad happened to her baby.

Not that I would ever let that happen. After all, he was my baby too.

"Don't worry, Leo," I answered, my determination renewed. "I can take care of him."

I pushed Chompy against my neck so he would hide between my skin and the upper part of my shell. His little legs were tickling me and I chuckled.

"Stay there, Chompy," I instructed him. "You'll be safe until I'm done with these bad guys."

I wasn't going to let my opponents come too close to me – not when Chompy was there – so I altered my way of fighting. I would throw one sai at an enemy, pin him to the wall or the floor, then throw the other sai guard first in order to knock him out, before picking both my weapons up. I was missing close combat, but Chompy's safety came first.

I didn't know how much time had passed when Leonardo and the others suddenly landed next to us.

"Karai wasn't there," he told Leo. "We've cleaned up the rooftop route. Let's get out of here."

I took an overall look at the ongoing fight.

It had taken the combination of Michelangelo, Raphael and both Casey, but Hun had been kicked into a brick wall that had collapsed on him.

I assumed it was one of the drawbacks of being so heavy.

A lot of Purple Dragons were on the ground, but a few of them were still standing.

"Can't we finish them off first?" Raphael asked, his tone hopeful.

Leonardo shook his head.

"We've already lost enough time. Let's go."

Leo nodded.

"Mikey," he called in his it's-time-to-leave-please-throw-a-smoke-bomb-and-avoid-manhole-covers-thank-you voice.

"On it," Mikey answered cheerfully.

A fraction of second later, we were surrounded by the purple smoke that somehow enhanced our ninja speed and left. I took my Casey by the arm – his own speed relied more on rollerblading than on ninja smoke bombs - before climbing up to the rooftops.

There, I smirked at seeing that our counterparts were a few feet behind us – and Adult Casey meters behind us. Although we hadn't told them about that particular invention of Donnie's before, so I guess their performance was worth at least an honorable mention.

"I like these smoke bombs," Donatello told Donnie. "Can you give me the recipe?"

"This is only the beginning, turtles," Hun spat from his hole in the wall, floors below.

Leonardo's eyes narrowed as he gestured for us to follow him.

"What was that all about?" Leo asked when we were in the sewers.

They weren't very different from our own sewers. Dark and with no interior decoration besides the graffiti. And smelly.

"I don't know," Leonardo replied grimly. "Hun has never been friendly, but the Foot ninja's presence was unexpected."

He walked in silence for a few seconds before going on.

"Right before we began our transdimensional travel, I spotted Foot ninja watching us. It surprised me, considering how Karai and us had last parted, but I didn't have time to investigate. Now I certainly will."

These last words had an ominous tone that I wasn't sure to like.

Donatello put a hand on his brother's shoulders.

"We have to take care of the other ninja first," he said softly. "You said yourself it was our top priority."

Leonardo bit his lip.

"I know, Don," he answered. "I have a feeling that everything is linked. I hope Master Splinter will be able to help us understand what is going on."

I tensed at the name. I had carefully avoided thinking about it until now, but we were going to meet their father.

I wasn't sure how I felt about it.

"There," Donatello said as we stopped in the middle of a tunnel and he began pressing spots on the wall. A hidden door opened.

"Welcome to our lair."

Chapter Text

~2003 Leonardo~

I was relieved to be home. Despite everything that had happened – the attacks of the mysterious ninja and their mystical weapons, the encounter with Hun, his Purple Dragons and the Foot – we had made it back to the lair in one piece. I couldn't wait to ask Master Splinter for advice. I was certain my father would be able to help.

We had parted with our Casey a while before. After the initial shock, he had been enthusiastic at the idea of teenager April and Casey and had made them promise to come over for dinner. The invitation extended to the four other turtles. April had tried to explain that she didn't know if the situation would allow it, but Casey wouldn't have any of it. Worn down, they had agreed.

"My sons! I'm glad to see you again."

I smiled at Master Splinter. My father was hurrying to us with great dignity, a fond smile on his lips. I couldn't help noticing the lines of worry on his face, though.

"Father. It's nice to be home."

"You won't believe where we have been, Sensei," Michelangelo told him happily. "These last days have been awesome! Except for the part where we keep being attacked."

Master Splinter shook his head.

"Days? You have been missing for two weeks."

"Really?" Donatello exclaimed. "No wonder Casey was surprised to see us."

"I hate transdimensional travels," Raphael muttered.

"And who are your friends?" Master Splinter asked, leaning on his cane.

I turned to our former hosts and current guests, who were standing awkwardly next to the entrance door. Raph was stroking Chompy's head – apparently, the tiny turtle had followed him - while Donnie was averting his eyes. Mikey looked sad and Leo's features were an expressionless mask. April and Casey were standing back.

I felt sorry for them. Master Splinter must remind them of their deceased father and Sensei.

"Master Splinter, meet Leonardo, Donatello, Michelangelo, Raphael, April and Casey. From another universe. They helped us come home," I said.

Leo bowed slightly.

"It's an honor to meet you," he said in a neutral voice.

Sensei bowed his head in answer.

"You have my deepest gratitude for helping my sons." His gaze encompassed all of us. "Come, let us talk. I believe you have quite a story to tell."

"This is troubling news indeed," Master Splinter whispered. "I have been feeling a disturbance in the Astral Plane lately. It was very subtle at first, but it has been growing stronger and stronger."

His whiskers moved as he turned to our guests.

"I must thank you again for your help. I hope you'll be able to come back to your own world soon."

"Well…" Leo hesitated. "I think we still have a role to play. I…" He turned to me. "We got a warning. 'What has been severed must be mended. What has been lost must be returned.' We thought it could be the mystical weapons… Maybe these other ninja stole them…"

"Father, could you contact the Ancient One and ask him?" I asked Master Splinter.

He sighed.

"I wish I could, my son. I've been trying to reach the Ancient One through meditation – in the hope that he could tell me what had happened to you - but I failed. I thought that his duties regarding the Ninja Tribunal were keeping him busy, but now I'm worried about him."

"The Ancient One?" Leo asked. "Leonardo mentioned him once, but we don't know who he is."

"He's a very wise man, and was my beloved Master Yoshi's Sensei," my father answered.

The four turtles, April and Casey all blinked.

"Your beloved Master Yoshi?" Mikey repeated.

I bit my lip. When they had told us about Karai being their sister, we had learned about their father being Hamato Yoshi. However, we hadn't told them about our own father's origins. It hadn't been premeditated. It was more because we had already had our fair share of incredible storytelling for the day.

Now, it looked like we should have given them a warning.

"Is there a problem?" Master Splinter asked, curious.

"No… Uh… Yoshi was your master, then?" Leo coughed. "As in, he taught you?"

"No kidding, Captain Obvious," Raphael muttered.

"He didn't exactly teach me," Sensei chuckled. "I watched him perform his moves and mimicked them. I was an ordinary rat before my mutation."

"Wait a minute… You were Hamato Yoshi's pet rat?" Casey exclaimed, staring very rudely at my father. I gave him a warning look that he didn't even notice.

"Indeed, I was," Sensei answered warmly. "I remember these times fondly."

He lifted an eyebrow.

"I assume that your universe is quite different in that regard?"

The four shorter turtles exchanged uneasy glances.

"Indeed," Leo answered. "In our universe, Mast- our father was Hamato Yoshi himself. He got mutated into a giant rat."

"Is that so?" Master Splinter answered, his eyes gleaming. "How interesting."

"Yeah," Raph stated. "It's kinda strange to think of you and Hamato Yoshi being two separate beings. No offense."

"None has been taken," Father answered dreamingly. "I wish I could meet him."

They tensed visibly at these words, and Master Splinter tilted his head, a questioning expression on his face.

"Did I say something that upset you?" He asked. "If so, please accept my sincere apologies. It wasn't intended."

"No, it's… it's just…" Leo said, meeting my father's gaze with great reluctance. "We lost our father last year."

Master Splinter's eyes widened.

"My condolences," he told them gently.

Leo nodded stiffly. I decided to change the topic.

"Father, if you can't contact the Ancient One, maybe we should make the trip to Japan. After I sort out the situation with Karai."

"After we sort out the situation with Karai," Raphael grumbled warningly for my benefit.

"Maybe, my son. Allow me to try one last time." He sighed. "I don't like this."

I didn't need to ask him to know he didn't want to see us leave so soon after we had come back.

While Michelangelo decided to show the lair to our new guests, his cat Klunk draped across his shoulders, Leo and Raph stayed with my father. I wanted to retreat to the peace and quiet of my own room in order to meditate on the recent events – and besides, I was feeling tired – but I also wanted to hear their conversation. So I sat down and began polishing my katana.

"Hem… Master Splinter," Leo asked, almost shyly. "You have a lot of experience in reaching people… or… beings… through the Astral Plane, haven't you?"

"That is correct."

"Do you believe that you could… leave a message that somebody who would search for us could find?"

"Leo," Raph muttered, "are you sure? Tokka didn't strike me as the meditating type…"

"She's a Cosmic Monster," Leo whispered. "It's worth a try. Unless you want her to come here in person?"

Raph shook his head wildly. I raised an eye ridge. What were they talking about?

"I could try," Master Splinter answered. "It would most certainly be a pleasure to help you."

Leo nodded.

"You see, we have a… predicament," he went on. "Raph has been entrusted with the care of little Chompy here, but we don't want his mom to believe that he lost him. She…uh…isn't someone we want to cross."

"Nobody in his right mind wants to cross a mother," Master Splinter replied wisely. "What would the message be?"

"Raph?" Leo asked, turning to his brother.

"Uh… I'm taking good care of him, like I promised."

Master Splinter's answer was lost to me as sharp pain throbbed through my head. I grimaced. Now wasn't the time for a headache. I needed to keep a clear head.

I took a deep breath and focused on the task I had appointed myself. I made a point of honor to keep my blades in perfect condition.

A new and sudden wave of pain made me wince. As much as I hated it, it might be wiser to take some medicine now. My headaches could get intense if left unattended. Standing up, I made my way to the bathroom. There, I took a few pills from our medicine cupboard and swallowed them with a glass of water.

"Leo? What are you doing?"

Unfortunately, the bathroom was the next stop on Michelangelo's tour. I sighed. Now my brothers were going to worry.

"I'm taking painkillers?" I answered tentatively.

"You too?" Raphael said, frowning. "Don just went to his room saying he needed some rest."

I felt suddenly very wary. Was there a possibility that Donatello and I had caught something? In Dimension X, maybe? But the others looked fine.

"I'll be fine," I replied. "It's just a headache."

Michelangelo looked at me suspiciously. Leo tilted his head.

"I could try using the Healing Hands on you, if you want," he offered.

I bit my lip. It wasn't that bad, was it? No, I decided, it's not.

"Thank you," I told him, "but I don't think it will be necessary. I'll feel better tomorrow."

Chapter Text

~2012 Mikey~

I didn't miss Leo's resigned sigh at Leonardo's mention that he didn't need help. I smiled wryly at him. See how annoying that is?

My brother sent me a deadpan look before sighing again, almost sheepishly this time.

"The tour is over," Michelangelo said, stroking Klunk's head.

His cat was cute, all fluffy and orange. I bet he didn't taste of ice cream, though.

I almost regretted that Ice Cream Kitty hadn't sneaked inside Donnie's bag with Chompy. Almost, because there was a high probability that she would have melted, and I didn't want that.

Speaking of Chompy, the little alien turtle was giggling on Raph's shoulder, oblivious to the concerned general atmosphere. Although I had enjoyed the tour. They had a very comfortable couch, and the myriad of screens in front of it was a nice bonus.

Too bad it wasn't going to be a movie night.

"We have three guest rooms," Michelangelo offered. "If you don't mind sharing…"

"April can have her own room," Donnie said, glaring at Casey. I wondered if he was afraid that we would fill the three rooms in a turtles – turtles – humans fashion. I could have told him that his fear was unfounded. I doubted April or Casey wanted to share a room with the other right now.

"Casey can come with me and Chompy," Raph offered.

Casey nodded enthusiastically, proving my point. Leo exchanged a glance with Donnie.

"Then I guess we'll share the last room with Mikey," he said.

Donnie sighed.

"I suppose it can't be helped. I just hope he doesn't squirm too much."

"Hey!" I playfully protested.

But my heart wasn't in it.

As soon as we were settled, Leo went to take a shower and Donnie busied himself with the contents of his bag. I was left on my own, sitting on the mattress and wiggling my toes. Michelangelo had offered to lend me a few of his comic books, but I didn't even want to read them. Instead, what I had dreaded happened: I began to brood over.

Seeing this Master Splinter, so gentle, so loving, so alive, had renewed my grief.

If only our Dad could be waiting for us in our own lair, in our own dimension…

My sons! I'm glad to see you again, he would say.

Sensei! We would shout, and run towards him, and hide our faces in the soft fabric of his robe, and hug him…

I wiped my eyes angrily.

This would never happen, never again. It was so unfair. So unfair…

"Hey, Mikey," Donnie nudged me.

I started. I hadn't heard him coming and sitting down next to me. I offered him a poor smile.

"Sorry, bro," I whispered, hoping he wouldn't notice my voice shaking. "I was just thinking."

Donnie let out a deep sigh and wrapped his arm around my shoulders. I leaned in the embrace.

"Don't think too much, Mikey," he told me gently.

I chuckled wetly.

"Are you sure you won't regret giving me this advice, Donnie?"

Donnie's soft smile rewarded my attempt at a joke.

"I'm pretty sure I will," he admitted, resting his cheek on the top of my head.

We stayed like that for a while, until Donnie shifted.

"Hey, Mikey, you know what I do when I need cheering up, and you're not there?"

I turned to look at him.

"No?"

"I watch this video," he said, winking at me. "Enjoy."

He opened his T-Phone, turned the sound low and selected a video file. My eyes widened and a slow grin crept across my face as I recognized it.

"No way! You still have that? Dude, you're the best!"

"I can't get enough of it," he grinned.

"Me neither," I sighed contentedly. "It's music to my ears."

On the screen, Raph was displayed on a loop as he tried to stab Donnie's cockroach. Despite the low volume, his shout of terror was perfectly recognizable.

"Guys, the shower is free…"

"Gyyyah!" Donnie and I both shouted upon hearing Raph's voice. His normal, not terrified voice.

My right-in-front-of-us red-clad brother lifted an eye ridge.

"What's the matter?"

"No-nothing… uuuh… I th-thought Leo was using the shower?" Donnie stammered.

"I went after him," Raph said, his eyes now narrowed suspiciously. "Leo is in the kitchen right now, making himself some tea. What are you two doing?"

In a swift ninja move, he caught Donnie's T-Phone. I briefly wondered if it was considered as an emergency case, and I was allowed to shout 'T-Phone! Self-destruct!' but I wisely chose to let Donnie decide.

"Nothing! Nothing, Raph, my dear and terrifying brother," I emphasized. "I'll go to the bathroom now. See you later, Donnie!"

Grabbing the towel I had been lent, I all but ran away.

I took my sweet time to take that shower, and when I came back to the room, both Leo and Donnie were already in bed. I quickly checked Donnie up, making sure he was still breathing – yep. Either Raph had been magnanimous or Donnie had encrypted his T-Phone so he was the only one able to launch blackmail material videos.

I didn't want to join them just now, in case Donnie was just faking sleep and was somehow mad at me for letting him take the heat alone. Even if it had been his own idea. Instead, I decided to go to the kitchen and explore our hosts' fridge.

I felt hungry.

A few minutes later, I was sitting down to a nice snack. Mixing up my potatoes, rice and hot sauce on the barely defrosted pizza I had found, I began eating with gusto.

"You can't sleep either, uh?" Michelangelo's voice suddenly said.

I blinked at him. He was standing in the doorway, his arms crossed. I grinned.

"Hey! I felt hungry. I hope you don't mind."

"Nah, don't worry. I understand. Do you mind if I keep you company?"

I shook my head, my mouth full.

"I hate it when my brothers aren't feeling well," he sighed, taking a sit. "Especially if there is nothing I can do about it."

I nodded. I completely understood.

Michelangelo obviously needed to talk, because he went on without further incentive.

"I mean, I know we lead a dangerous life, and headaches are nothing compared to the injury we sustained – you've seen Leo's shell…"

I nodded and shivered. I wasn't sure I wanted to hear about that particular story. Fortunately, Michelangelo didn't elaborate on it. He picked a slice of tomato dripping with hot sauce from my plate and ate it thoughtfully.

"And I know my brothers are tough. I mean, if Don could bear being mutated into a monster, and Leo could end up on a coma, and both came back their good old selves, it… Mikey?"

I was choking on my food.

"Co-co-coma?" I spluttered.

"Yes, when he got attacked by the Foot clan during a solo training run. It was awful. Fortunately it lasted only a few hours, but…"

"Three months," I interrupted him, unable to hold back. The feeling of unfairness was back, stronger than ever. I pushed my plate away. I wasn't hungry anymore. "The same happened in my world, but Leo's coma lasted three whole months. And we were separated from Master Splinter, and…"

I shut up. I didn't want to bring back these memories. Not here, not now.

"I'm sorry," I whispered, subdued, as I began clearing the table. "It's not your fault."

"It's okay, little dude," Michelangelo said. "Leave that to me."

I nodded my thanks and stood up. I still didn't want to sleep, but I wanted to be near Leo right now.

Stupid. He's sleeping. Not in a coma.

"And, Mikey?" Michelangelo called me back, his tone hesitant. "I may not know how it feels to have a comatose brother for so long, but I do know it hurts to be denied Leo's presence for months. But he came back, right? Leos always come back."

I smiled at him, feeling warmer because he was attempting to comfort me.

"You got that right, dude."

I entered my shared room on light feet and curled up between Donnie and Leo. Donnie moaned and put his arm across my shell. I grabbed it and hid my face against Leo's plastron.

"Everything alright, Mikey?" Leo whispered sleepily, stroking my head.

I nodded, knowing he would feel the move and not trusting my voice right now.

"Hmm," Leo said, shifting so I could cuddle closer while still holding Donnie's arm.

Then I stayed motionless, listening to Leo's heartbeat and Donnie's breathing.

Everything was fine. I was fine.

I was woken up a while later by small feet tickling my arm.

"Chompy?" I yawned, surprised that I had fallen asleep in the first place.

"Shut up, Mikey. You're going to wake up the others."

"Raph! What are you doing there?"

"Erm… It was too cold in our room. Casey, if you keep crushing my leg, I'll kick you right out of bed."

"Aww! That's so great! Now we're just missing April, and…"

"Do you mind if I join you, guys?"

"Never mind that," I said happily.

As Donnie and Leo shifted to make room for the newcomers and our bed was beginning to look less like a bed and more like a giant nest with all the extra quilts and pillows, I felt myself relax.

I had my family by my side. I could take everything the universes would throw at me as long as this was the case.

Chapter Text

~2003 Raphael~

I was glad to be back in my own universe, the only one suitable for me. Seeing that good old Casey – tall, strongly built, adult Casey – had in itself been comforting. But seeing Master Splinter in the lair, waiting for us as he always did, had been the ultimate proof that things were back to normal.

Well, as normal as our lives could be.

I was certain that we would be able to defeat these stupid ninja and their mystical weapons now that we were on home soil. Leonardo would come up with a master plan or Don would build an ingenious machine, or Master Splinter would manage to reach the Ancient One and explain everything. The only fact that bothered me was that Leonardo and Donatello had felt ill yesterday. Both of them tended not to do things by half when they got sick.

Hopefully it was just a little fatigue.

As I left my room, yawning – despite the fact I had slept well, I still felt tired - and ready to live a new day in my good old turtle shell, I heard squeals coming from the living room.

"Shh, be quiet! Do you want to wake up the whole lair?"

I frowned upon recognizing Leonardo's voice. My brother was crouching, talking to the baby turtle my counterpart was apparently raising. It wasn't something I would have undertaken, but he seemed pretty good at it.

"Leonardo?" I called.

My brother raised his head with a sigh.

"Hello, Raph. Did you sleep well?"

"I thought you weren't feeling too good," I answered suspiciously. "Why are you already up? It's alright to sleep in once in a while, you know."

Leonardo shrugged.

"I'm feeling better. Maybe it was from all the interdimensional travelling we've done recently. Anyways, I thought I would go on a training run before the others wake up. But apparently, this little one isn't too happy with it. I don't know why."

The tiny alien turtle – Chompy – was still squealing. Had Raph trained him as a guard dog? Heh. I liked it.

"Good boy," I told him, bending forward to pat his small head. "Now I'll handle this, okay?"

Chompy turned his clever eyes to me and squealed one last time before curling up to watch the scene.

I turned to Leonardo.

"You wanted to go on a training run? Alone? Without telling anyone?" I growled. "How stupid is that?"

"I left a note," he answered defensively. "And I was going to stay in the sewers. I just need the exercise."

My eyes drifted to the door. A sheet of paper was indeed pinned up on it.

Going out for a run. Will stay close to the lair. Call me if needed.

I snorted.

"It really would have been just a training run, uh?" I inquired.

Leonardo stood up to face me and crossed his arms.

"Yes. I wasn't going to confront Karai on my own without giving you any warning apart from a note, in case you were wondering."

I met his gaze. No way I was going to admit that it was exactly what I had thought.

"I'm just saying," I grumbled, "you didn't need to go alone. You could have woken me up. I could have used the workout too."

Leonardo smiled. A Cheshire cat smile that wasn't exactly reassuring.

"Actually, I almost did, but you were sleeping so peacefully that I couldn't bring myself to disturb you. And by peacefully, I mean you were snoring louder than a tractor's engine."

I narrowed my eyes, ready to answer with a witty reply that he wouldn't see coming – I just had to figure out what it would be – when Raph stormed into the living room and picked up the little turtle who was watching us, his tail wiggling as if we were the two funniest clowns he had ever seen.

"Chompy! I was getting worried about you! Why did you leave?"

I shrugged.

"Apparently, he was guarding the door. He prevented Leonardo from sneaking out, so kudos to your little turtle."

Raph raised an eye ridge.

"Really? I had told him to help me keep an eye on my Leo, he must have decided to extend that to yours. At least I know it's working."

"You what?"

Leo was standing behind us, not exactly looking pleased. Raph smiled at his brother, half-sheepishly and half-proudly. Leo snorted and narrowed his eyes at Chompy, who wiggled his tail again.

"Hey, it wouldn't have been the first time you decided to handle things solo instead of talking to us first, right?" Raph retorted.

"He does that too, uh?" I inserted.

"Alas," Raph replied, sighing. His long-suffering expression said it all.

"That's so annoying, isn't it?" I went on. "At least, when I want to bust some heads, I have the decency to call Casey so I'm not on my own. Safety first, right?"

"Basic common sense," Raph emphasized. "Apparently, some turtles are devoid of it."

"Please don't acknowledge my presence," Leonardo muttered. "I'm only here for decoration anyway."

I grinned at him. Courtesy of the tractor's engine, bro.

"Hey, Leo, don't sweat it," I told him, punching his shoulder lightly. "I'm all awake now, so why not go on this training run after all?"

Leonardo smiled wryly.

"Fair enough," he answered. "Let's go."

When we came back a while later, the others had woken up. To my relief, Donatello felt better too. He was already back to work.

"We need weapons able to counteract the mystical ones our opponents are using," he told us. "We know from our fight against the Tengu Shredder that Chaplin has developed such weapons for Karai. Too bad we seem to be on her bad side again."

"Yeah, too bad," Leonardo said through gritted teeth.

Donatello sent him a sympathetic look.

"Anyways, I think I know how to start. It's all about creating constructive interferences between our reality and the spiritual plane. Of course, I'll have to supply energy so the particles will leave their equilibrium state. Tuning the de-excitation wavelength will be a challenge, though."

I glanced discreetly at my siblings and our counterparts, refusing to believe that I was the only one feeling helpless. To my relief, only April looked like she vaguely understood Donatello's blabbering.

And Donnie, of course, but it didn't count. Geniuses will be geniuses, after all.

Speaking of that, my purple-clad brother turned to his counterpart with a little smile.

"Donnie? Do you want to help me?"

"Do I want to play with your equipment and your tools to build anti-weapons which for picky minds apparently transcend the laws of physics?" Donnie answered, rubbing his hands in glee. "Of course I do. In fact, I have experience in building weapons of the supernatural kind."

I looked at him curiously.

"Don't you want to focus on building a portal? So you can go home?"

Leo shook his head.

"It can wait. We…" He bit his lip. "Nobody is waiting for us at home, and you can still use our help."

"Nice try, Raph, but you won't get rid of us so easily," Mikey joked, winking at me.

"Besides," his Raph grinned, "Donnie has plenty of Kraang tech we could let Mikey use for that purpose."

Donnie spun to glare at him before grabbing the bag containing the precious technological content protectively. Leo coughed.

"Erm… We'll see."

I suddenly felt a presence behind me and turned around to greet my father. He looked tired, and… did he have new wrinkles? I frowned.

"Master Splinter," Leonardo asked, his tone worried. "Are you alright?"

Splinter sighed and leaned on his cane.

"I wish I could tell you that I am, my son."

"What happened? Were you able to contact the Ancient One?" Michelangelo asked. "Did he tell you what's going on? Does he know who sent the ninja who attacked us? Is he going to help?"

"Not so fast, Michelangelo," Splinter smiled.

Then he shook his head, his expression serious once more.

"I could feel the Ancient One's presence, but I wasn't able to reach him. He seems to be frozen in a deep trance. Traveling to the Astral Plane itself has been harsher than it should have been."

He stayed silent for a while, letting his words sink in.

"Then we'll have to travel to Japan after all," Leonardo muttered. "I still want to… talk… to Karai first, though."

"Great!" Michelangelo exclaimed. "How are we going to travel this time? Plane? Cargo?"

"Travelling by boat would take too much time, I fear," Master Splinter said. "As much as I hate the risks it involves, you'll have to take a plane."

"I've something that could help," Donatello interjected. "I'll just need a few more hours to finish it."

"Then work on that and the anti-mystical weapons with Donnie," Leonardo said, nodding. "I'll go talk to Karai. We need to know if she's the one who sent the ninja against us."

I knew he wasn't talking about the Foot ninja.

"I'm coming with you," I stated.

I hoped my tone efficiently conveyed the 'no way you're going alone' message.

"I'll go with you," Michelangelo added. "I'll also try to meet with Silver Sentry, see if he has an idea of what is going on."

"And I'm coming too," Leo said, his eyes gleaming. In anticipation, maybe. I hoped he was aware of the fact our Karai wasn't exactly a sister. "If Karai isn't on your side, you might need backup."

Apparently, he was.

"Then I'm coming too," Raph said, crossing his arms.

In my opinion, his 'no way you're going alone' tone was pretty good. In any case, Leo didn't try to argue and merely nodded.

Leonardo crossed his arms and spoke before anyone else could volunteer.

"Five are more than enough," he said in a tone that cut any protest short. "We're going to use stealth. Get in, get out, avoid fighting."

"Mikey, April, Casey, stay with Donnie," Leo instructed. "I don't like to split up, but he's needed here. And that way, we have two teams of five. Let's not forget we're facing ninja who can travel through interdimensional portals. I'm actually surprised we haven't been under attack yet."

The three aforementioned members of his team didn't seem too keen on the idea of staying behind, but they reluctantly nodded.

"And April," Raph asked, "can you please take care of Chompy for a while?"

"Of course, Raph," April answered, taking the tiny turtle in her arms.

"I could do that," Mikey suggested hopefully.

Raph glanced at him, then at April.

"Always keep an eye on him when he's playing with Chompy," he whispered to her. "Especially if the game is 'launch and catch the baby turtle'."

"Hey!"

Donatello turned to Donnie.

"I've invited a friend to help us. He should be arriving any second now. He's one of the most brilliant minds I've ever seen, and…"

"Is he their Doctor Rockwell?" Mikey whispered. "This is going to be so good."

I had barely the time to wonder who that Rockwell fellow was when the lair's door opened. The imposing shape of one of our most trusted allies bent forward to come inside.

"Greetings, my friends. It is my pleasure to help you."

"Leatherhead!"

I wasn't surprised by Mikey's expression of pure delight. However, I didn't understand why Donnie yelped and hid behind Leo and Raph.

Chapter Text

~2012 Donnie~

"So you really are a scientist," I said, eyeing the giant alligator warily.

"Indeed, turtle," Leatherhead answered patiently. It was the third time I made that statement. I felt ridiculous, but I couldn't help myself.

"And you're not feeling any urge to… let's say… grab turtle heads and shake them, correct?"

I didn't want to give him any ideas, but I had to ask.

"I don't," he answered ceremoniously, as if he knew how important the answer was to me. "Although I sometimes enter a blind rage."

"Right. Alright. That's good news, very good news, you… you what?"

"I'm feeling perfectly sane at the moment. Do not worry."

I wanted to say that on the contrary, it seemed that I had every reason to worry, but I thought better of it. I would trust Donatello's judgement.

My counterpart was looking at me questioningly, while Mikey, Casey and even April were trying to hide their smiles.

Rectification. April was trying to hide her smile. Mikey and Casey, these two knuckleheads, were grinning openly. I glared at both of them and slightly shook the test tube I was holding. The reaction I expected caused a slight 'boom' and a small mushroom of blue smoke escaped from the tube. Mikey and Casey's grins disappeared and they took several steps back.

Now it was my turn to grin.

"This is an amazing invention, Donnie," Donatello said tactfully. "This will save us days of work."

"It has already been used against spirits," I answered. "If the ninja chasing you down use a spiritual connection to fight or travel, as your Splinter seems to believe, maybe it will cut it."

We had once again described the way they had attacked us to the old ninja master, and that was the conclusion he had come to. This explanation was compatible with the disturbance in the Astral Plane he had noticed.

It wasn't a comforting thought.

Splinter arrived at that moment, his eyes half-closed and leaning heavily on his cane.

"Donatello, where are the pills you're using against headaches?"

Donatello put his screwdriver on the workbench, his expression worried. He was working on an engine of some sorts while I handled the anti-mystical weapons' part with Leatherhead's help.

"Father? Aren't you feeling better?" My counterpart asked anxiously.

"My last meditation session has been taxing, my son," Splinter answered with a tired smile. "I could use the help of your chemistry."

"Of course, Father," Donatello answered. He stood up to retrieve the desired items, but came back a while later empty-handed.

"There's none left," he said. "I was certain I didn't finish the bottle."

"Your Leo took painkillers yesterday," Mikey said.

Donatello turned to him and frowned.

"He did? He must have put the bottle away without noticing it was empty… If he was feeling bad enough to take the pills…"

My counterpart shook his head, not completing his sentence.

"I don't like it," he muttered. "Well, at least he was feeling better today. I'll call April and ask her to stop at the drugstore."

He looked at his father.

"I'll also ask her if you may stay with her and Casey while we're gone. I would feel better if you weren't alone. If you don't mind?"

Splinter smiled fondly at him. I felt my heart ache.

"Do as you wish, my son."

I was trying to focus on my work, but my mind kept going back to the thought of this world's April and Casey. They were going to come by to bring the medicine and pick up Splinter. Donatello had estimated that his invention would be ready soon, and then he could make preparations for our departure. I longed to learn what it was.

I also wondered how Japan would be in this world. I had been once to that country, in my own universe. Time travelling, to be precise. With my brothers, I had met Tang Shen, baby Miwa and saved Hamato Yoshi from the flames.

If only we could have saved him again.

Far too soon to my liking, the unpromising pair arrived at the lair.

"Yo, Don! How are you doing?" Adult Casey asked.

I kept my eyes fixed on the workbench. I didn't want to engage them in any way. If they decided to start a conversation with me, of course I would be nice and polite, but I wasn't going to speak first.

"Hi, Don," a feminine voice greeted. "Leatherhead. And… You must be the other April and Casey I was told about. And the other Donatello. It's an honor to meet you."

Her voice was so gentle. I had to take a look at her. Just for a few seconds. I had to turn around…

Oh my. Adult April was beautiful. In a different way from the other adult April I had glimpsed through a Kraang portal – this one had red hair and didn't wear a yellow jumpsuit – and in a different way from my own April, who was, of course, the most beautiful of all Aprils, but still… so stunning…

Mikey's cheerful voice pulled me out of my thoughts.

"Hello! It's great to meet you. I'm Mikey."

"Uh… Hello, Ap-April," I stammered. "The ho-honor is all mine. Pl-please, call me Do-Donnie. I mean, Donnie."

"Like Do-Donnie said, ma'am," Teen Casey added.

"Please, call me April."

My April coughed and I looked at her in confusion. Her arms were crossed and she looked annoyed for some reason.

"Hi," she said, rather coldly, I must say.

I had no idea why. Girls were more complicated than quantum physics.

"Hmm," Adult April said, looking uncertain. "Here, Don, the painkillers you asked for. Where is Splinter?"

"He's in his room. I'll bring them to him immediately. Thanks, April."

"Don't mention it," she answered.

My counterpart left us and we stayed there, looking at each other silently. Adult Casey crossed his arms.

"So, uh… What are you doing in life, guys?"

I blinked at him.

"You know, the usual. Hiding in the sewers, fighting the bad guys, saving the Earth…"

Adult Casey had the good grace to look contrite.

"I meant, uh, you," he said, pointing at my April and Casey.

"We're teenagers," April replied coolly. "We go to highschool."

"Of course, of course!" Adult Casey was sweating now. "How stupid of me. I… uh… April?"

He looked at her fiancée, obviously hoping she would help. Poor guy. What did she see in him?

"I'm running an antique shop," Adult April said with her soft Adult April voice. "But I'm a scientist at core."

How wonderful! I thought.

"How wonderful!" I said with enthusiasm.

Mikey nudged me, trying to get my attention. I turned towards him, puzzled. He was mouthing the word 'April'.

"Yes, Mikey, April is a scientist," I told him in a slightly patronizing tone. "She just said so. Isn't it absolutely thrilling?"

Mikey facepalmed. Next to him, my April was blushing, as if embarrassed.

"April?" I asked with concern. "Is something the matter?"

"No, nothing is the matter, Donnie," she said, in the tone she used to express exactly the contrary of what her words were supposed to mean. "Absolutely nothing."

Adult April looked at Teen April.

"Hey, April," she told her. "Casey and I went shopping, and we need to carry the groceries inside the lair. Will you help me? Everything is in the truck."

"Oh, April, I could do it for you," Adult Casey said helpfully.

Adult April glared at him.

"You could, but you won't, because I'm asking April here, right?"

Adult Casey blinked at her, then nodded nervously.

"Oooh… I see… Of course! Of course! Erm… Hey, Leatherhead, pal, what are you doing?"

As my April reluctantly followed Adult April out of the lair, Leatherhead extended a big scaly hand to stop Adult Casey from coming any closer to him.

"Stay right where you are, my friend," he said firmly. "This is delicate work."

Adult Casey took a step back, raising his hands in a gesture of peace, before turning to his counterpart.

"So, hum, boy," he told Teen Casey, putting an arm around his shoulders casually. "How is it going with girls? Good old Casey could give you some advice. From a Case to another."

I rolled my eyes and went back to work. What a case indeed. My Casey stammered an embarrassed reply that I didn't even listen to. Donatello came back, his features drawn, and I ostensibly started a counterpart-to-counterpart conversation with him.

Leatherhead had managed to get rid of Casey, but Mikey was another matter. Although he did seem to have a soft spot for my brother's presence.

Leave it to Mikey to tame the wildest alligator mutants in the sewers in a matter of seconds.

"I have a Leatherhead too, you know," he was saying. "He was the first one to appreciate my cooking. He has anger issues, not unlike my brother Raph. And at the beginning, he enjoyed grabbing Donnie's face – that's why he was a bit upset earli-

"Thaaank you, Mikey, thank you so much," I exclaimed, clasping his mouth. "Leatherhead, maybe we should go back to work? Mikey, why don't you go talk to the Caseys?"

Mikey glanced at the spot where Adult Casey was speaking enthusiastically to a rather flustered Teen Casey. He nodded and I released him with a relieved sigh.

When the Aprils came back a while later, they were each carrying a small bag. I lifted an eye ridge. Did Adult April really need help for that?

Mikey sighed and I realized that I had spoken aloud.

"No, she didn't, bro," he whispered in my ear. "She just wanted to talk to our April in private, you see?"

Oh. Now that he mentioned it, it was true that the two were talking enthusiastically to one another. And my April was smiling.

"Everything alright, dear?" Adult Casey said, putting a loving arm around Adult April's delicate frame.

I snorted.

"Yes," Adult April answered. "We just had the most interesting of conversations. Sometimes, girls just need some space, you know?"

She was looking at Teen Casey and me as she said these last words, and I blushed.

"Yes, ma'am," Teen Casey said.

Bootlicker.

Chapter Text

~2003 Michelangelo~

"Remember, stealth only," Leonardo whispered to Leo and Raph, not for the first time.

We were on the rooftops next to the Foot headquarters. Leonardo planned to sneak inside Karai's quarters. The route we would be using involved a lot of climbing and tightrope walking. I had contacted the Justice Force, but nothing was out of the extraordinary for the superheroes team.

The two shorter turtles exchanged an exasperated glance. My brother hadn't been that worried about their ninja abilities while we had been in their world – or at least he hadn't expressed it. I assumed he felt responsible for them now that we were in our own universe.

"Are you sure we're the ones you should be worried about?" Raph deadpanned, looking pointedly at me.

"Good point," Raphael smirked.

"Hey! I'm stealthy!" I protested loudly.

"Mike, hush!" Leonardo said in a much quieter tone, glaring at me.

Oops.

"Only when you want to be," Raphael added with a superior smile.

I tried to look daggers at him, but he turned away to look at the Foot tower again and I was left staring at his shell. I wondered if Leonardo would be mad if I punched said shell – silently, that was.

It was tempting. But I decided to try another tactics. One that worked every single time.

"You know I can be everything I want, Raphie," I whispered in his ear, making sure that the others could hear too. "Like, let's say… the Battle Nexus Champion! The best fighter of all realities!"

Raph frowned.

"That again?"

"The Battle Nexus? What is it?" Leo asked, interested.

My eyes gleamed dangerously.

"Just ignore him," Raphael hurried to say.

Too late, my dear brother.

"The Battle Nexus Tournament is a friendly competition. Every three years, the best warriors of the universes get a chance to fight their way to the top. And guess what? I won! There is a giant statue of me proving it!"

"They erected a statue of you?" Raph exclaimed, disgusted. "You can't say that to Mikey. We would never hear the end of it."

Leo chuckled.

"That's right! It's in the Hall of Champions!" I said, overexcited again at the thought. "And did I mention the medal? I have to show you the medal!"

"Master Splinter let you win, and Leo was out of the picture," Raphael growled, apparently forgetting he had intended to ignore me. I grinned. Another win for Michelangelo!

"I defeated Kluh fair and square," I replied with great dignity. "Although he cheated and tried to kill me, if you remember correctly."

"I've never heard of it," Leo mused. "I wonder if there is a Battle Nexus in our dimension."

"In which case, your Battle Nexus doesn't name the best fighter of all dimensions," Raph remarked.

I pondered that. Could it be true? Did a Battle Nexus of Battle Nexuses exist somewhere?

"I would still be the best fighter of a lot of realities," I insisted.

Raph crossed his arms.

"The results depend on how the fighters are paired at the beginning," he said, obviously wanting to put me in my place. "You can only pretend to be a better fighter than the ones you fought."

My grin only grew wider, and his eyes narrowed in alarm.

"Maybe," I said slowly. "That would still mean that I'm a better fighter than Raph here, right, Raphie? Because I did win against him."

Raph opened his mouth in horror, and Leo chuckled again. I made a mental note to tell my counterpart about my achievements. Maybe he could use it to his own advantage.

"Mike, that's enough," Leonardo told me with a fond but irritated look. "We need to focus on the mission ahead."

I nodded wisely.

"Sure, Leo. I understand it's a sensitive topic for Raph. He was wounded in his pride, I get it, but…"

"Michelangelo," Leonardo said, crossing his arms.

I shut up. I knew better than to ignore him when he was using my full name and this tone. In any case, both Raphaels were fuming, so my job here was done.

Leo shook his head, a light smile still playing on his lips.

"So that's where your Foot ninja live?" he whispered, getting back to the topic at hand. "That building is even more conspicuous than their headquarters in our world."

"Yep," Raph added with contempt, jumping on the opportunity to forget about the previous conversation. "Doesn't it draw public attention?"

"The Foot clan is powerful," Leonardo muttered grimly. "Corrupting politicians is child's play for them."

He took a deep breath.

"We've lost enough time. Let's go."

Leonardo's concern was unfounded. Both Raph and Leo were in full ninja mode, and they moved without a sound. Their eyes had turned white like ours. I had already witnessed that happening when we had fought the ninja in their home world, but forgot to ask them about it. I guessed now wasn't the right time to rectify this.

Their agility was impressive too. They were lighter than us, and could walk on cables and edges that wouldn't have withstood our weight.

Soon, we were inside the Foot building, in a vast room with a giant statue of Oroku Saki. Leonardo looked at its head and brushed the hilts of his katana, lost in thought.

I shrugged. Why did villains insist on having their own statue? It merely showed that they had an inflated ego.

Now, if you did something truly awesome – like me – and it was deserved, then it was a different matter entirely.

Without warning, Leo and Leonardo spun and unsheathed their swords. I took my nunchucks in hand.

"I was wondering if you would dare to come here. Although I must say I didn't expect the little ones."

Karai's lilting voice had its usual harsh edge. She stepped out of the shadows. She was wearing her Shredder outfit and seemed to be alone, but my ninja senses told me she wasn't.

"I'll show you who's little," Raph shouted. Leo shook his head slightly and something passed between the two of them. Raph gritted his teeth, but didn't attack.

"Karai," Leonardo acknowledged her, his tone tense. "I didn't expect you to turn against us so soon after we fought the Tengu Shredder together."

"You called it upon yourself, Leonardo, with what you've done."

"Is it about your dad again?" I muttered. "Let it go, girl. He was bad news, and you know it."

Not that I truly expected her to be convinced of that. She had known who and what he was – a Utrom war criminal - and still decided to remain by his side.

"Revenge?" Leo asked, his tone careful. "I was taught that it only brings pain and suffering."

"It appears that our feud can only be resolved by the utter demise of one of the players," Karai whispered. "I did hope it wouldn't come to this, too, but I was wrong."

Leo shook his head. He looked sad for some reason, but his grasp on his katana was unwavering.

"Where did you find your last goons, Karai?" Raphael asked. "The ones with the fancy weapons?"

Karai frowned.

"What are you talking about, turtle?"

"The ninja you sent against us, where are they from?" I rephrased. "They don't look like your average Foot grunt. And their mystical weapons aren't exactly easy to find."

The leader of the Foot shook her head.

"The only mystical weapons we're using are the ones Chaplin built. Now, turtles, prepare to pay for your foolishness with your lives!"

I heard a rumbling noise and figured out that evil-looking cannons were now pointing at us.

Perfect. I love being targeted by cannons. Who doesn't?

"So much for stealth only, uh, Leo?" I told Leonardo casually.

He didn't answer me, focused on Karai.

"If it's not you, then who is behind it?" He asked.

"I have no idea what you're talking about, Leonardo," she spat. "But I suppose I should be happy that you're talking, this time."

I exchanged a puzzled glance with Raphael.

"Leo?" I asked my blue-clad brother, suspicious. "Did you meet with Karai and forgot to tell us about it?"

"No," he protested. "I have no idea what she's talking about."

I couldn't help being amused by the fact he had used Karai's exact words.

"Really, Leonardo?" Karai spat. "Don't you remember creeping into my bedroom and threatening me with that strange sword? You didn't even tell me what you wanted! Would you have killed me on the spot if Chaplin hadn't arrived? And you dare speak of honor!"

I couldn't help noticing how fond her tone had become at Chaplin's name. Love was in the air, I could tell. But it probably wasn't the right moment to tease her about it.

Leonardo's eyes widened.

"I did nothing like that!"

Karai's eyes narrowed, but her voice was slightly hesitant now.

"I recognized you."

"You were mistaken," Leonardo said firmly. "I would never have sunk so low."

"Maybe someone took his appearance," Leo offered. "In which case you've a common enemy."

Karai locked eyes with Leonardo, obviously trying to decide if he was telling the truth. I hold my breath, waiting for her decision. Maybe we would escape the reduced-to-ashes-by-really-big-cannons fate after all.

That's when I heard the sound I had learned to dread. Next to me, Raphael swore with a really, really bad word.

An interdimensional portal appeared out of thin air. The three cloaked figures that jumped from it looked just as ominous as the last time we had seen them.

Wait a minute. Three? That was good news. Maybe the fourth one hadn't recovered from April's telekinetic attack.

I was regretting the absence of the teenage red-haired girl right now.

"This one!" Karai suddenly shouted, pointing at the figure holding the mystical dragon's sword. "He's the one who attacked me!"

Chapter Text

~2012 Leo~

"Well, lady, you're not the only one who had that problem," Michelangelo said with irony.

Count on that turtle to stay quick-witted, no matter the circumstances.

Wit wouldn't be enough to get us out of this tight spot, though. The three mystical ninja were advancing towards us, weapons drawn. Karai shouted orders, and the Foot ninja who had been hiding in the background jumped on them. She was so different from the Karai of my world. There wasn't an ounce of the playful cheekiness I had come to love in our Karai. The armored woman in front of me was as rigid and sharp as her blade.

At least she seemed to believe Leonardo. I hoped that this meant our counterparts would have a truce with the Foot again. I hadn't failed to notice how tense Leonardo was in her presence, nor the bitter undertone in his voice. I wondered what their story was.

I felt grateful that our Karai had turned out to be Hamato Yoshi's daughter. If it hadn't been the case, would we still be at each other's throats today?

'It appears that our feud can only be resolved by the utter demise of one of the players,' that older Karai had said. Cold, unforgiving words. But who was I to judge? Wasn't I the one who had planned his enemy's murder? Hadn't I lead my family on a raid which, if not driven by revenge, had all the appearances of it?

The fact it was the only way I had found to ensure the safety of my clan, or that my father's ghost had all but ordered me to do so, didn't make it any easier on me.

At least I had been the one to strike the killing blow. The Shredder's blood was on my hands, not on my brothers'.

I pushed my gloomy thoughts aside to focus on my present situation. We had moved out of the cannon's line of fire. The mystical ninja had repelled the first wave of the Foot, apparently with little effort. I wondered what they looked like behind their cloaks. They probably weren't human if Karai had mistaken one of them for a giant turtle.

And where was the fourth one? April didn't believe that she had defeated them for real, and I trusted her judgment.

Karai engaged the one with the sword, her movements precise and deadly despite her obvious fury. Her opponent raised his sword and a wave of light flashed through the room, burning everything that stood in its path. Leonardo pushed Karai out of the way.

Another mystical ninja began circling the room at lightning speed, sending ninja flying through the air and collapsing against the walls. Michelangelo tried to intercept him, and would have experienced the same fate if Raphael hadn't caught him and used his momentum to hit the third mystical ninja.

Except that ninja mysteriously disappeared before reappearing next to Raph.

"Watch out!" I shouted to my brother, and he bent over just in time to avoid being knocked out.

I knew we weren't going to win this fight. At the very least, we needed the anti-mystical weapons the Donatellos were working on. April's help would be welcomed too, although I didn't think she would be able to defeat them so easily a second time. She wouldn't have the element of surprise, and the ninja were fighting differently this time. Their blows were harsher, but not as precise as they could have been – almost as if they were fighting out of anger.

In any case, we needed reinforcements. The Foot ninja weren't going to last long. I almost regretted that we had taken down so many of them yesterday – they could have been useful if they hadn't been recovering.

Karai must have come to the same conclusion.

"Chaplin!" She shouted, probably in a microphone. "Load the cannons with your mystical ammunition!"

For my part, I took advantage of the fact that neither the mystical ninja nor the Foot were interested in me, and grabbed my T-Phone to call the rest of my team.

"Donnie!" I shouted. "We could really use your help right n-"

I was rudely interrupted by the lightning-fast ninja, who was running towards me. I managed to avoid him, but the shock wave of his passing made me let go of my T-Phone. The device crashed on the floor with a sad noise, its electronics scattering.

Uh. Donnie was going to kill me. For the loss of the precious T-Phone, and for the scare he was most certainly experiencing now.

I looked for Raph, who was fighting back-to-back with Raphael against the third ninja. Leonardo and Karai were trying to stand their ground against the first, and Michelangelo was attempting to make the second – the lightning-fast one who was still running madly – trip. With little success, apparently.

"Raph!" I shouted. "Your T-Phone!"

"I'm busy right now, Leo!" He shouted back.

No problem, I got that.

"Incoming!" I warned him.

I watched him for a second, anticipating his next move, before gathering momentum and rolling on the floor. As I passed close to him, he shifted to allow me to pick the T-Phone out of his belt. I had opened it before I even stood again.

As I had expected, Donnie was trying to call.

"Yes?" I answered, as calmly as I could.

"Leo!" Donnie's panicked voice answered. "Are you alright?"

"Yes, for now," I answered. "We need your help! Three of the mystical ninja are here… And Karai isn't behind it! She's helping us right now, but the Foot ninja won't last long."

I took another look at the fight.

"Scratch that. The Foot are out of the picture already!"

"Leo, the weapons aren't entirely ready yet," Donnie protested.

"It doesn't matter, we'll take what you can give us. Hurry!"

I hung up and turned around to see where I would be the most useful.

"Leonardo!" Karai suddenly shouted.

My counterpart was doubling over in pain.

"My… head…" He stammered.

I blocked the blow that had been intended for him. Leonardo quickly straightened up and went back to fighting, his expression grim.

Now Karai was listening to something we couldn't hear. Probably an earpiece.

"The cannons are ready!" She shouted. "Get out of the way!"

We obeyed, and with a loud buzz, the cannons fired beams of pale green light.

Two of the mystical ninja had retreated too, but the lightning-fast one was still running in circles and he soon crossed the path of one of the cannons. He didn't shout, but he suddenly came to a halt before vaporizing and reforming next to the mystic with the sword before falling on his knees, obviously in pain. His partner lashed out at Karai. Was he protecting him?

Then I heard Michelangelo's anguished shout. I turned around to see him collapse on the floor. With a pang, I realized that he had been fighting the lightning-fast ninja. He must have come too close to the cannon's line of fire.

"Mikey!" Leonardo and Raphael both shouted, their voices laced with terror.

I was the closest to him, and the only one here with healing abilities. I rushed to him.

"Cover me!" I shouted to the others.

Michelangelo didn't look good. His face was pale and he was sweating. I sheathed my katana and began the healing mantra while I was still running, focusing my will on the words and movements of my fingers.

Refusing to think about what would happen if the healing mantra wasn't enough.

Rin… Pyo… Toh… Sha… Kai… Jin… Retsu… Zai… Zen…

I fell to my knees and touched Michelangelo's plastron. I felt the energy I had channeled go through his body, then vanish.

I frowned.

Rin… Pyo… Toh… Sha… Kai… Jin… Retsu… Zai… Zen…

A second time, the energy vanished. I resisted the panic. What was happening?

On the other side of the room, the lightning-fast ninja was standing again. Next to me, Michelangelo groaned and his eyes fluttered open. My heart beat faster. I breathed deeply, forcing myself to focus even more.

Rin… Pyo… Toh… Sha… Kai… Jin… Retsu… Zai… Zen…

This time, I knew what I was looking for and managed to keep track of the energy I was sending to Michelangelo.

No way…

It made no sense. But my instincts were screaming at me that I wasn't mistaken, and I had learned to trust them more than the sensible part of my brain.

Michelangelo sat down, shivering. The cannons buzzed again, preparing for another strike. I saw that the mystical ninja Raph and Raphael had fought was running towards us. He was going to be in the line of fire.

I jumped and pushed him out of the way of the light beam.

"Leo? What the shell are you doing?" Raphael shouted at me.

"Don't harm them!" I shouted back. "Leonardo, we need to get out of here! Now!"

My counterpart didn't try to argue. He took his own cell phone and typed something.

Raphael, however, argued.

"Are you crazy? We've finally found something that can defeat these freaks, and you save one of them?"

"You share the same mystical energy," I shouted back. "Whatever harms them is harming you too!"

"What are you talking about, turtle?" Karai shouted at me.

But I had no time to answer her question, no time to explain how I had felt the energy destined to Michelangelo find its way to the lightning-fast ninja instead. I ran to the window we had used to enter, following Leonardo. Michelangelo was leaning on Raphael. Raph ran next to me. I glanced at him, hoping he wasn't thinking that I had lost my head. His grim but trusting expression warmed my heart.

We had to lead the mystical ninja out of here. I believed that they would follow Leonardo, Michelangelo and Raphael if they could – or disappear wherever they disappeared when they weren't attacking them if they couldn't.

Outside, ropes were hanging from the rooftop. I grabbed one and began climbing up. It was moving strangely. Granted, there was wind, but it was almost as if the rope was going away from the wall. I looked up, concerned.

And gaped.

Good job, Don, I thought.

The ropes weren't hanging from the rooftop. They were hanging from a small… helicopter. Its cockpit had the form of a turtle shell. A door slid on it and Donatello's head appeared.

"Welcome aboard the Turtle Planecopter!" He shouted. "We brought the anti-mystical weapons, but we can't promise you they will work."

Michelangelo shook his head. He had recovered enough to climb his own rope, although Raphael was close by, ready to help him if needed.

"It doesn't matter, bro," the orange-clad turtle said as he reached his brother, his tone deadly serious. "And you're not going to believe why."

Donatello tilted his head with a quizzical expression, extending his hand to help him inside.

I was the last one to enter the cockpit. I spared a last glance at the Foot building. The three mystical ninja were looking at us from the window. They wouldn't be able to follow us in the air. They would have to come back at us later, when we would hopefully have gathered more information about them.

I remembered that our counterparts had talked about Japan, and about the Ancient One, a wise and old ninja master. I was eager to meet him.

The four mystical ninja seemed to be hesitating.

Wait. Four?

Before I had time to ponder why the fourth one had suddenly decided to show up, they all jumped off the window.

Chapter Text

~2003 Donatello~

"And the guy got hit by the cannon, and I thought 'Yay! He'll finally stop running everywhere!' because I couldn't catch him and it was so annoying…"

I lead Michelangelo to his seat in the Turtle Planecopter, listening intently to his tale. He sat down and I fastened the buckle on his seat belt. Leonardo, Raphael and Raph took their own seats. Mikey and the teenage April and Casey were already seated, and Donnie was piloting the helicopter. April leaned to give Chompy back to Raph. The little turtle squealed, apparently delighted to be with him again.

"But then I felt his pain, and man, he was suffering…"

I narrowed my eyes. Had my brother been injured? He didn't seem harmed, but maybe he had a concussion.

"I couldn't move, but I wasn't really unconscious, I was floating above my body, and I could see the energy… I was in orange, and so was he!"

"Uh… Guys?" Leo said hesitantly. He was the only one still standing apart from me, and he was looking outside through the slide door of the Planecopter. I motioned for him to take a seat.

"And the two other guys were in red and blue, like Leo and Raph! With these light marks we wore when we were training under the Ninja Tribunal, remember? It was freaking me out!"

"Guys…" Leo insisted. He hadn't budged.

"Leo said that we shared the same mystical energy," Leonardo mused, lost in thought. "How are they related to us, I wonder?"

"GUYS!" Leo shouted.

This time, everyone turned to him.

"I think we have a problem," he added more quietly, his expression astounded. "You have to see this."

Something in his tone made me hurry to his side while the others looked through the closest window.

The helicopter was moving away from the Foot Headquarters. The tower was already as slim as my finger. But we had followers.

I rubbed my eyes. I must have been hallucinating. There was no way I could be seeing what I was seeing.

"Awesome!" Mikey shouted.

"I don't believe it!" Raphael exclaimed.

"Me neither," Raph added.

"Do you think the citizens can see them?" Leonardo asked, ever practical.

"I don't think that's the most important thing we have to worry about, Leo," I answered, my mouth dry.

My mind was already putting the puzzle pieces together. A lot of what had been happening in the previous days made sense now. How Leonardo had found that the ninja had our fighting styles, why they were four, why they hadn't immediately destroyed us, why they had mystical weapons.

Now, I realized that their ability to become invisible was most likely not due to their cloaks, but to the fact that they weren't normal, breathing living beings.

They were purely mystical. They shouldn't have been wandering this reality on their own – but somehow, they did.

It couldn't be good. Maybe that explained the anger April had felt. I would have been angry too if I had been left behind.

In a way, I had been left behind.

"They are so beautiful," April whispered, in awe, her eyes fixed upon the impossible sight.

Upon the four dragons flying in the sky.

I had already seen three of them.

One blue, his wings as sharp as blades.

One red, sai protruding from his upper members.

One orange, his wide talons outstretched.

It was the first time I saw the fourth.

He was purple, of course, and looked fierce.

I had been him. I should be him.

I tried to connect to him, to focus like I had been taught to, to reach deep inside my soul.

It merely gave me a headache. I groaned, in pain.

"Who are these guys?" Casey asked.

"Our avatars," I answered him dreamily. "They are our avatars."

April and Casey exchanged a bewildered glance. I remembered that they hadn't been there when Leonardo had told the Ninja Tribunal tale.

"Your dragon avatars?" Leo choked. "Aren't they supposed to be a part of you?"

"Not anymore, obviously," I deadpanned. I couldn't help myself. "We must have lost them."

"How can you lose something as awesome as a dragon avatar?" Mikey shrieked, throwing up his arms. "If I had one, I would never let it out of my sight!"

"That's not how avatars work, Mikey," I remarked.

Although it was a very good question, I had to admit.

"All this time, they were trying to get our attention," Leonardo realized.

"Well, they have mine now!" Raphael exclaimed. He stood up and got past us to bend through the still open helicopter door.

"Be careful, Raph!" I told him, grabbing his belt just in case.

The Planecopter was equipped with parachutes for every passenger. Maybe I should give Raphael his own now.

"Hey, you!" Raphael yelled at the red dragon. "That's me you want? Come and get me!"

The red dragon spun and outstretched his wings before opening his mouth and breathing fire. At us. The Planecopter swerved as Donnie tried to avoid the flames.

I pulled Raphael inside and closed the door.

"It burned me!" My brother shouted, outraged, showing his right arm.

"Master Splinter told you not to play with fire," Michelangelo said, trying to sound light despite his obvious shock.

"Okay, so direct confrontation isn't going to work," I noticed. "Come on, Raph, I've a fully equipped infirmary in the back."

I dragged a reluctant Raphael to the back of the Planecopter so I could take care of his injury.

"Indirect confrontation isn't going to work either," Leonardo said, frustrated, as he grabbed his head with both hands. "I can't reach my avatar. It only hurts when I try."

"So what do we do now?" Casey exclaimed.

"We have to go to the Ninja Tribunal and ask them," I said. "Kon is the Master of Spirit, he will know what happened."

Hopefully.

"Don, the Ninja Tribunal is in Japan," Raphael remarked, his voice strained in his effort to deny he was in pain.

"I know, Raph," I told him with a satisfied smile. I looked at the ground below. We were already leaving New York City behind. Perfect. "Have you asked yourself why I named this machine the Turtle Planecopter?"

"I'm not so sure about that name," Mikey muttered. "I would have found something better."

"No, Don, I really haven't had the time for that," Raphael answered wryly.

"Then allow me to show it to you," I said proudly. 'Donnie? Please activate plane mode!"

Donnie lowered a lever. The rotor blades turned into two plane wings, while the special engine I had finished half an hour ago began roaring. We gained speed.

"Japan, here we come!" I shouted over the noise.

"Don, you're a genius," Michelangelo exclaimed.

I knew that, of course, but it always felt good to be appreciated.

The dragons had been left behind. Maybe our sudden burst of speed had surprised them. I wondered if they would catch up with us later. I had no idea how fast a dragon-avatar-separated-from-his-turtle-earthly-form could fly.

Michelangelo was mumbling to himself.

"Mike?" Leonardo asked him, keeping a vigilant eye on the sky around us. "Is something the matter?"

"Well, I was wondering…" Michelangelo began with a serious expression, and I prepared myself to hear his thoughts. Maybe he had a theory as to why we had been separated from our avatars. Maybe he had remembered something from his short out-of-body experience – I still had to check him out, by the way.

"Why am I the shortest dragon?" He blurted out, looking deeply offended. I facepalmed. "And I don't even have a long dragon tail. Turtles are supposed to have tails, and we don't! And even as a dragon, I don't! It's so unfair! You all have dragon tails! Actually, Raph has two!" He glared at Raphael. "Did you steal my tail, Raph?"

Raphael opened his mouth then closed it without a sound.

"Small is beautiful," April tried to soothe Michelangelo, her face looking only a little perplexed.

My brother shook his head, pouting.

"Thanks, Mike, for that essential input," I deadpanned.

He glared at me.

"Guys, they're back," Leonardo suddenly warned us.

Indeed, four dragons were picking up speed in the background. We looked at them with anxiety, expecting to be under attack any second.

But they didn't, apparently satisfied to follow us.

"Do you think they know where we're going?" Leo asked to no-one in particular.

"I don't know," Leonardo shrugged.

"April?" Donnie asked. "Can you reach them?"

The red-haired girl closed her eyes and pressed her temples with the tip of her fingers, focusing.

"No," she answered after a while. "They are shutting me out."

"They probably didn't appreciate the way you treated them last time," Casey offered.

"Maybe it's for the best," Leo added. "They seem even angrier than last time."

I exchanged worried glances with my brothers at that comment. How were we going to fix that mess?

A few hours later, we were approaching the Lap of the Gods, residence of the Ninja Tribunal. I was now piloting the Turtle Planecopter and maneuvered it above the steep mountain.

However, the dragons were growing restless. Raphael-The-Dragon in particular was exhaling puffs of red smoke.

The plane was slowing down, as if we were flying through syrup. Leonardo-The-Dragon circled us, the blades of his wings dangerously close to the cockpit.

"There is an energy shield around the mountain!" April shouted. "It's slowing us down and preventing them from coming closer!"

Apparently, the dragons hadn't counted on that. Me-The-Dragon shook his head violently and breathed fire at us. I felt offended that my avatar didn't appreciate the technological marvel that was the Turtle Planecopter.

He was soon joined by the others.

Our means of transport was designed to withstand extreme temperatures, but apparently, mystical fire breathed by dragon avatars was too extreme.

"We can't take more attacks like this one, the Planecopter is going to melt!" I shouted. "We have to make them stop!"

"How?" Raph asked. "By saying 'pretty please'?"

"However you can," Leo answered firmly. It didn't exactly sound like a flawless plan, but his team nodded.

April looked at my brothers and me.

"Maybe you should stay inside. They're angry at you, not at us."

I nodded.

"Let's go dragon hunting!" Raph shouted.

"Booyakasha!" Mikey added gleefully, jumping off the Planecopter.

I hurried to a window, afraid that he was going to fall in the void, but he had used the blade if his kusarigama to cling to the Planecopter – it was going to leave a scratch, I knew it – and was bouncing up and down, trying to reach Michelangelo-The-Dragon. His brothers and April were distracting the other dragons, while Casey was ice skating on the plane's wings, sending pucks in the air.

This was going to leave scratches too.

At least our avatars didn't seem interested by roasting them. They almost looked curious. Maybe even a little baffled.

That is, until Mikey finally managed to jump on the orange dragon. The giant beast straightened up, offended.

"He's so comfy!" Mikey exclaimed.

"Mikey, be careful!" Leo shouted.

Michelangelo-The-Dragon shook himself and Mikey flew in the air. April caught him – I wasn't sure how, I hadn't seen her touch him. Then the orange dragon came closer to the red one, as if he was telling him something.

Our other dimensional allies hurried inside the relative safety of the plane.

Raphael-The-Dragon lashed out with his two tails at the Turtle Planecopter, and hammered its metallic exterior. I heard a sickening creaking sound that told me he had hit the engine.

Luckily, we were finally on the other side of the energy shield, and out of reach of the dragons.

Unluckily, we were going to crash.

"Ladies and gentlemen, please take the parachute under your seat," I recited calmly as I tried to slow down our fall. "Remember that panic only goes in the way of good emergency landings."

"HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!" Various voices answered my comment. It was hard to tell who was yelling the loudest.

However, everyone managed to put on their parachute and jump off the Turtle Planecopter. I was the last to leave my beautiful flying machine.

Well, next time I would make it more solid. And maybe add a space rocket mode. It could always come in handy.

We were already very close to the ground, and the parachutes didn't slow down our fall as much as they could have. We plummeted through the roof of the Ninja Tribunal residence and landed – crashed – in the hall. Chompy slowly descended in the tiny parachute I had added for him at the last minute.

"Ouch!" Michelangelo added. "That wasn't pleasant."

"You're alive, Mike," I reminded him. "I would say that it's very pleasant."

"Everyone alright?" Leonardo asked.

The different members of our extended team nodded with various degrees of enthusiasm.

"So, that's the place?" Donnie asked, stretching. "Interesting style."

"Guys!" Mikey suddenly shouted. "Who is that?"

Hidden in the shadows, a very short and very fat human was sitting in a meditating position, his eyes closed.

Chapter Text

~2012 Mikey~

"It's the Ancient One!" Leonardo exclaimed.

I exchanged excited looks with my brothers, Casey and April. Excited on my part, that is. The other seemed rather baffled.

"That is a ninja master?" Casey asked, perplexed. "He doesn't really look like one."

I thought it was rather mean of him. I mean, granted, the man was obese, but why should fat prevent anyone from mastering ninjitsu? It wasn't a matter of weight. We carried shells all the time, and they didn't hinder us in any way.

"And how many ninja masters have you met recently?" Donnie retorted. He didn't look very convinced, though. He probably shared Casey's opinion on the matter, but enjoyed contradicting him.

At least the awkward Casey-is-married-to-April-in-this-world part was behind us. Maybe seeing the pair had convinced him that they were truly different people.

"Show some respect," Leonardo frowned. "He's a wise, honorable and skilled ninja master. And now a member of the Ninja Tribunal."

"Whatever you say," Casey answered, unfazed.

He leaned closer to the meditating man, who hadn't moved an inch since our arrival despite the fact we had crashed through the roof. Now that was an example of serenity. Maybe I could convince Leo to draw inspiration from him. He tended not to be as patient when I trashed the lair - not that I intended to. These things just happened.

Anyways, Casey was now wearing a huge mischievous grin and had put his hockey stick inches from the man's bearded head, with the clear intent to poke him.

"Casey!" April whispered, obviously disagreeing with the whole idea.

I looked at Leonardo. He wasn't trying to stop our teenage friend. He was, however, smirking in a you're-so-going-to-regret-that way that made me look back at Casey.

I didn't want to miss the action.

Right before Casey could finish his move, the man's eyes snapped open. He did a somersault and farted right under Casey's nose.

Our friend stumbled backwards and fell on his bottom, reaching to his snout with an outraged cry. I could understand why. The smell was disgusting.

Still, it was awesome and I burst into laughter with Donnie and Raph. April and Leo were blinking, stunned.

"It is just air," the man declared matter-of-factly.

"April, Casey, Leo, Donnie, Raph, Mikey," Leonardo said solemnly, his face carefully neutral again, "meet the Ancient One. Sensei," he added, bowing to the short human – and by short, I mean shorter than me. I rather liked it.

"Leonardo, Michelangelo, Donatello, Raphael," the Ancient One said, barely acknowledging our presence. "Took you long enough."

"Excuse me?" Michelangelo said. "You were waiting for us?"

"Of course I was," the Ancient One replied with great dignity. "Do you think that four dragon avatars on the loose go unnoticed?"

He farted again, to show his disapproval, maybe. It was so cool. I had never been told that you could act like that and still be called 'wise, honorable and skilled'. It wasn't fair to keep that information from me. I crept next to Leo and nudged him, pointing at the Ancient One with a huge grin.

"I totally want to be like him when I'm old," I told him proudly.

My brother, leader and Sensei looked at me wryly. He was cornered. The Ancient One was, after all, a ninja master who had taught his counterpart. He couldn't criticize my new carrier path.

The Ancient One was still talking to our counterparts, but I was almost certain I had seen him glance at me with a slight smile.

"You have the most interesting ways to stay out of trouble. Was all that dimensional travelling necessary?"

"Mike's fault," Raphael denounced shamelessly.

"Hey!" Michelangelo protested.

"So do you know what happened, Master?" Leonardo asked hopefully.

The Ancient One coughed. Repeatedly.

Ten pairs of eyes were fixed on him, waiting for his answer.

He sighed and patted his fat legs before answering.

"Do you remember when your avatars merged to allow Hamato Yoshi's spirit to destroy the Tengu Shredder?"

Was it me, or was his voice shriller than it should have been?

Leonardo, Donatello, Michelangelo and Raphael nodded.

"Well, the Ninja Tribunal didn't have the time to complete your training, and the medallions they had given you to help you focus were already destroyed."

"So…" Raphael said when the Ancient One didn't go on.

"So a part of your spiritual energy didn't manage to reintegrate your body," the Ancient One answered, sighing. "Since then, it manifests as you or your dragon avatars. It seeks to reunite with you. But as it doesn't know how, it grows angry and attacks you."

"It reminds me of someone I know," I couldn't help saying aloud. "What do you think, Raph?"

Raph narrowed his eyes. I avoided his attempt at smacking me with a grin.

"What has been lost must be returned," Leo whispered to himself. "That's what he meant."

I looked at Leo curiously. The Ancient One muttered in his beard something like 'No kidding, second kumquat.' I felt like I was missing something – not that I was a stranger to that feeling. Besides, ninja masters are allowed to be cryptic, right? It goes with the job.

Raphael shook his head.

"Why didn't they tell us immediately? Wouldn't it have been easier to fix back then?"

The Ancient One coughed again.

"Erm. As I once told your brother, if you don't fail, how can you learn?"

Raphael crossed his arms in disbelief.

"Are you telling us that the Ninja Tribunal made a mistake?"

"I'm telling you that you must reunite with your avatars, turtles," the Ancient One said, purposefully not answering Raphael's question. "The sooner, the better."

"If we're missing a part of our spiritual being," Donatello mused, "shouldn't we be feeling the effects? I mean, I had headaches in the past few days, but that's all."

The Ancient One dusted his hat.

"I was watching over you, young ones. Providing a substitution link so you wouldn't go insane."

"Go… what?" Michelangelo asked, fear in his voice.

"Go insane. Become mad. Lose your head. Pay attention, Michelangelo," the Ancient One scolded.

"You were?" Donatello winced.

"Well, I'm awake now, am I? But as I said, the sooner, the better. You don't have much time."

"We could need Kon's help," Leonardo pleaded. "He's the Master of Spirit."

"Well, he's not coming yet, Leonardo," the Ancient One replied with dignity.

"I don't believe it," Raphael muttered.

"So, basically, the Ninja Tribunal messed up and they sent you to limit the damage, right?" Raph asked, clearly not impressed.

The Ancient One ignored him.

"But you weren't even a member of the Ninja Tribunal when it happened," Michelangelo said. "Did you draw straws? Or is it because you're the youngest?"

The Ancient One farted once again.

"Now go to work," he instructed. "The more you wait, the harder it will be. Not to mention your avatars become angrier and harder to control. Oh, and I was supplying the energy shield, too. It will wear off now."

"Wonderful," Raphael grumbled.

The fat man sighed.

"The dragon totems mean wisdom and strength," he added, looking at our counterparts wryly as if he seriously doubted what he was saying. "And you managed to manifest them. You should be fine."

"We should be fine?" Michelangelo choked. "Isn't that a little, I don't know, ominous? Couldn't you give us a magical weapon, another medallion, anything to help us?"

The Ancient One shook his head.

"Why don't you make the most of what you have?"

Michelangelo looked at his brothers, then at us.

"And…uh… What do we have?"

I beamed at him.

"You've got us, of course!"

"And…" Donnie said hesitantly. "I still have one of the anti-mystical weapons we made. The others were lost in the crash."

"About time one of them decides to make himself useful," the Ancient One sighed. "That's a start."

He headed for the parachutes and backpacks that we had left behind us.

"Uh," Michelangelo said. "But we don't want to hurt them, do we?"

"Mike, you said that you could see both their spiritual energy and yours when your…avatar… got hurt by Karai's cannon," Leo mused. "Maybe if you were close enough that you could touch each other, you could mend it."

Donatello tilted his head.

"Weakening them so they won't be able to attack us," he pondered. "But we would be affected too. It would leave us defenseless."

"Not defenseless," Leo replied. "We would keep an eye on you."

"It's a dangerous bet," Leonardo said, frowning. He turned to the Ancient One. "Sensei, what do you think?"

The fat little man had been searching our stuff. He straightened up, his hands full of chocolate bars.

"Leonardo, you could have told me sooner that you brought me a present," he scolded before stuffing the food in his mouth. It left chocolate on his face and hands, and he proceeded to lick it.

Seriously. I was in love with the guy.

"It's a joke, right?" Casey whispered. "Please. Tell me it's a joke."

"You grow accustomed to him," Leonardo answered wisely. "You just have to… go with the flow."

Chapter Text

~2003 Leonardo~

I didn't like that plan. At all.

Deliberately hurting our avatars would mean deliberately hurting us. And then, hoping we would be able to merge with them just by touching them? What if it didn't work?

But I had no better idea, and my headaches had gotten more and more intense, which didn't help me to focus. Donatello was also struggling, and Raphael and Michelangelo were starting to be affected too. It was an aftereffect of the fact the Ancient One had stopped his meditation.

We truly didn't have much time left.

My former Sensei didn't seem too concerned, though, which was a relief. I was certain he liked us, when I couldn't be sure it was the case for the rest of the Ninja Tribunal. I still didn't know what to think of the way they had sharpened and used us, like tools. Useful tools that you could discard without a second thought once their job was done.

I understood that the Ninja Tribunal had superior motives and knowledge, but it didn't mean that I had to like it.

It was a simple plan, and everyone was getting ready. We had travelled in the mountains to the bottom of a gorge. As soon as our dragon avatars would break through the energy shield, they would be attracted to us. Leo, Raph, Mikey, Donnie, April and Casey were in ambush meters above us, hidden behind rocks. Donnie had worked on his anti-mystical weapon so it was now divided in four parts in the form of smoke bombs. They would have to wait until the dragons were low enough, so their fall wouldn't hurt them in top of the weapon itself.

If that worked, of course. If it didn't, we would be in even bigger trouble.

"They're coming," the Ancient One hummed. "Good luck, turtles!"

Then he disappeared from my sight. High above us, four dragons were masking the sun. I heard excited shouts from our otherdimensional allies.

"Wait for it, guys," I muttered, straightening up. Waiting.

"That's all we're going to do, wait for it?" Raphael complained, not for the first time, as he massaged his temples. "I want to fight."

"It's a part of yourself over here, Raphie-boy," Michelangelo replied in a teasing tone. "Don't be your own worst enemy."

"They're almost there… Almost… Wait, what's happening?" Don exclaimed.

The dragons were still too high, but they had obviously sensed that something was amiss. They had begun flying in circles, as if they were looking for something. Donatello-The-Dragon in particular seemed suspicious. He was coming closer to the spot where Casey was hiding.

I held my breath. Would we have to interfere after all?

Splash!

Donatello-The-Dragon shouted in outrage. He had just been hit by something wet coming from below him, and he dived after it.

"Was that a… water balloon?" Raphael asked me. He stopped massaging his temples in order to better look at the rubber pieces that were slowly descending upon us.

"Apparently, yes." I replied wryly.

Splash! Splash! Splash!

The three others dragons had been hit in their turn, and they resumed their descent.

"Oh yeah! Doctor Prankenstein is on the loose!" Mikey's voice exclaimed, closer to us than I had expected. Had he been the one throwing them?

"Awesome!" Michelangelo exclaimed.

"Where did he keep them?" Donatello wondered. "I didn't see any of those in his belt."

"That's what I always ask myself," Leo's voice replied from above – he, too, was closer to us than I expected. Apparently, my ninja senses were dulled. I didn't like that.

The dragons were coming closer to us. A few more seconds and they would be close enough.

I tried to focus on the task ahead, but my head… It hurt…

"Now, guys!" Leo shouted, and I was tempted to ask him to keep quiet. His voice was reverberating through my skull.

Four anti-mystical smoke bombs were thrown from above and landed with perfect accuracy on the four dragons' necks.

Almost immediately, I felt an intense pain course through my body, and I lost consciousness.

I was floating above my body, watching the scene unfold in technicolor. I could see the mystical energies, just like Michelangelo had described it.

Blue, red, purple and orange.

Our avatars were plummeting to the ground. I realized with a vague sense of dread that they were going to crush our turtle bodies.

I saw Raph swinging on a rope and crashing with Me-The-Unconscious-Dragon, deflecting his course. My avatar fell inches from my body. I bent forward, touching both my turtle envelope and the giant dragon, hoping to merge with them again.

It only brought more pain. I felt teared off this place, teared off this world.

Darkness. Darkness everywhere.

A light, warm and welcoming. Blue.

I came closer to it, to the turtle sitting cross-legged in the middle of the void.

"Leo?"

Uttering even that single word was difficult.

He snapped his eyes open and looked at me with a mixture of relief and concern.

"Leonardo. April told us you were struggling."

"My brothers," I managed to say.

"The others are with them right now," he answered immediately. "It seems that we are linked to you, somehow."

His presence made it easier to think. I could form complete sentences now. I looked at our surroundings, at the darkness – the nothingness.

"Do you even know what you're doing?"

He looked at me wryly.

"Are you truly asking this question? Of course not. You're a leader too, you would know that."

I felt amusement, despite the fact it wasn't a reassuring answer.

Of course not. But it still worked, didn't it?

Except when it didn't.

Except when we weren't enough.

Dark memories filled my head, but I repelled them. I did everything I could. There was nothing more I could have done.

The guilt I had learned wasn't justified couldn't crush me anymore.

Leo extended his hand towards me.

"Your avatar spirit is nearby. I can guide you to him."

'My family will guide you back', his father, Hamato Yoshi, had said. I had assumed that he meant guiding us back to our world. I should have guessed that his words had more than one meaning.

He was a ninja master, after all.

I took Leo's hand. But nothing happened.

"Leonardo? You have to let me help you," my counterpart told me softly.

"I'm… trying…" I answered.

Something was blocking me. What was it?

Yes. I would have to relinquish all control to him. But I couldn't do that. What if I hurt him?

"What's the matter?"

"I can't… lose control…" I tried to explain.

"Try to relax. It's going to be fine."

His words were soothing, and I tried to do as he had said, but I was too anxious.

My avatar was angry. What if he lashed out at Leo? I knew what anger could do to me if I allowed it to consume my self-control.

Leo seemed to see my struggle. He put his hand back in his lap.

"What's the worst that could happen?" He asked me softly. "You're already pretty lost, if I may say so."

I could hurt you, I wanted to say.

"I threw Raph off a building once," was what came instead. "Because I snapped."

Leo blinked.

"He held on thanks to his sai, but…"

"He doesn't blame you, does he?" Leo interjected. "And I can't blame you, either. It's really tempting sometimes."

I knew he was trying to joke, but I felt frustrated. He didn't understand. How could I make him understand?

"I hurt Splinter once. During a training session. With my katana. Because I was angry. And now, my avatar spirit is angry…"

"Donnie got hurt because I teamed up with Karai without telling my brothers. Mikey got eaten by a monster I contributed to create."

It was my turn to blink. Leo's voice sounded remorseful, but also appeased, in a strange kind of way.

"We learn from our mistakes. I trust you."

"What if you're wrong?" I exclaimed. "I couldn't save my family from the Shredder in the end. The Utroms did all the work!"

"I watched my father die," Leo whispered. "Twice. And I'm not counting the nightmares here."

I watched him. The pain in his voice was obvious. But he was still there, still alive, still going on.

I didn't know if I could have, had I been in his place.

"We do the best we can. We do everything we can. Whether it's enough or not is not up to us."

And because his words were so close to what I had felt when I had finally let go of my guilt, of my anger, of my pain, that time when I had been at the end of my rope and fighting like crazy against myself – that time when the Ancient One had become my Sensei - I nodded.

This time, I was the one to extend a hand towards him. He took it with a smile.

I was back to the mountain, and I was flying in the air, intertwining my tail and wings with the three other dragons who were my brothers.

On the ground below us, four turtles and three humans were watching us, grins on their faces and tears in their eyes.

I felt grateful. I felt at peace.

I was whole once again.

Chapter Text

~2012 Raph~

When our counterparts had finally finished their dragon victory dance in the sky, we started the way back to the Lap of the Gods. I was relieved that they were back to their turtles' selves. It hadn't been unpleasant to watch them as dragons, far from it, but I might have been a bit jealous. I was a good old fashioned turtle. Not a giant beast with wings and tails and fangs, breathing fire at will.

Although if Leo was able to turn into a dragon, maybe he would stop giving me heart attacks. I mean, the guy has a bad habit of falling off buildings, exploding space stations, things like that. It would be good to know he can fly.

But I digress.

In any case, it felt good to have helped my counterpart get his avatar back. I wasn't used to being a spiritual guide – that was more like a Leo thing. Or a Mikey thing, if worst came to worst. Still, my awkward motivational speech had worked. That, and we had more in common than I had expected at first – he was afraid of losing himself to the wrong side, and I knew all it took was a mind-controlling worm…

Except our brothers would stand between us and that fate, any day of the year.

Yes. I was proud of myself, and that's what I whispered to Chompy while walking. My tiny turtle had remained safely hidden with the Ancient One during the confrontation. He seemed to like the odd ninja master. As far as I was concerned, it worked in the Ancient One's favor.

I glanced at the fat short man. Mikey kept chatting with him. Apparently, he was my brother's new idol. The conversation covered the subject of farts and how to use them as weapons. Casey was hanging around next to them, doing his best to hide he was eavesdropping. He had started off on the wrong foot with the Ancient One, but now that he had stopped pouting and began accustomed to the idea than an adult could behave worse than him, I was sure he was going to appreciate the guy.

I wondered what we would do now that our presence here wasn't needed. Time to go home, I supposed. Would we use the Dimension X route again? Donnie was going to snap if Leo allowed Mikey to tinker with his stuff again…

My ramblings were abruptly cut off when we reached the Lap of the Gods.

The Ninja Tribunal was waiting for us.

"So this is the great Ninja Tribunal, uh?" I whispered in Raphael's ear.

"Yes," he whispered back. "From left to right, you have Kon, master of Spirit, Juto, master of Weapons, Hisomi, master of Stealth, and Chikara, master of Strength."

"And the only woman of the bunch," I noticed.

"And the toughest of the bunch," he added. "Believe me, I know."

Leonardo glared at us to indicate we were supposed to keep quiet and listen. In my opinion, their speech wasn't very interesting. It was all about 'well done, turtles,' and 'we knew you would make it'. Blah, blah, blah. It wasn't even directed at us, turtles from another world – and I'm not even speaking of our human friends. They had barely acknowledged our presence.

"Couldn't you have helped sooner?" I grumbled quietly to myself. Very, very quietly, so they wouldn't hear.

Wrong move. The Ninja Tribunal turned his full focus towards me. I stood strong, refusing to show them how intimidated I suddenly felt.

"Perception is not always truth, young one," Kon said. "You were given everything you needed to achieve this task on your own."

"What now?" Michelangelo asked. "Are we out of the woods?"

"Yes," Chikara said. "Even the damage your avatars did to the Astral Plane has been repaired."

"But how can we be sure that it won't happen again?" Donatello mused, frowning. "I hope we won't need to call upon our avatars in the future, but what if we do?"

The Ancient One coughed. He looked small compared to the others, but he still had a weird aura of dignity surrounding him.

"Your training wasn't completed last time. We believe it's time to remedy that." He looked at our four counterparts sternly. "But this time, you won't have medallions to help you focus. You'll be on your own."

"Aren't we always?" Raphael grumbled. But his eyes were shining.

"Hai, Sensei," Leonardo answered, bowing. "We're ready."

I sighed. This was it. Now we would be saying our goodbyes. I was glad to come back to my home world, of course, but I had grown rather fond of these other turtles. They were interesting for sure, and they attracted trouble just like us. Possibly even worse than us.

"And…" The Ancient One turned to Leo, Donnie, Mikey, April and me, addressing us directly for the first time since the beginning of the conversation. I couldn't help noticing that he was ignoring Casey, though. "You've earned the right to follow that training as well. If you so wish."

I saw Leo's face lit up and I knew what he wished to answer. He turned to us, and we nodded.

My blue-clad brother bowed low.

"It would be an honor, Master."

The following weeks went by in a flash. Splinter arrived from New York. For some reason, he didn't entirely trust the Ninja Tribunal with his sons' well-being. We learned to know him. His presence was supporting and never overpowering. And the mutant rat was more easy-going than our father had ever been, that was for sure.

I wondered what Father would have thought of this. I missed him.

I spotted Leo teaching Leonardo the Healing Hands technique once. My brother was enjoying our time here immensely. He loved being surrounded by ninja masters and spending all his time training.

I hadn't seen him so relaxed since... years, actually. It felt good.

Donnie spent a fair amount of time in the giant library, his nose in the books. He used his T-Phone to make digital copies of them, for us to use at home.

Mikey's behavior hadn't deteriorated as much as I thought it would, considering his new love for the Ancient One and the man's utter lack of manners. I didn't know if he reserved it for later or if it was out of consideration for Leo.

Kon-Shisho was helping April with her gifts. I was glad that she had the opportunity to study with a master of Spirit. We had done everything we could to support her in mastering them since Sensei's passing, but we lacked the knowledge.

And Casey… Well, Casey was a lost cause for ninjitsu, but he was making the best of the situation. He had this idea of organizing ice hockey matches. He had somehow convinced everyone but Chikara-Shisho, and I believed that even she would accept his idea once she would have understood that he wasn't going to stop trying, no matter how painful she made her refusal.

And that woman could hit hard, I knew that from experience now.

Our counterparts were more advanced than us, and helped us in any way they could, but the absence of their medallion had made them backslide and they had a lot to work on too.

All in all, we were training like crazy, but it still felt like a vacation. Maybe it was the sunshine that we were able to enjoy, or the fact that we didn't have to save the world for once, but everyone was in a good mood.

One day, I was enjoying a brief rest between two lessons by sunbathing on the rocks with my brothers and Chompy. I reflected on our strange adventure.

It had all begun because our counterparts had landed in our world, and I still didn't know why. Except it was because of Michelangelo.

Or thanks to him.

"Hey, guys, don't you want to know what Mike did to cause our counterparts' visit?" I told the others. "We never properly asked him."

Donnie turned his head lazily to send me a look that meant 'I'm curious, but I fear I'll regret listening to that particular story', and I smirked.

"Maybe another time," Leo mused, stretching his arms and legs. "Kon-Shisho's lesson begins in five minutes, and I don't want to be late."

"Maybe it'll be the one about inner avatars," Donnie said excitedly. "I'm looking forward to it!"

"Me too!" Mikey exclaimed, standing up and bouncing above us. "I hope my avatar is a dragon!"

"Nah, it'll be a grasshopper," I teased him. "Or maybe a kangaroo."

"Ah!" Mikey said, sticking his tongue out at me. "And yours will be a cockroach for sure."

I smacked him. He pretended to be deeply offended. Leo rolled his eyes and Donnie began explaining that every animal totem was honorable, he had just read the most interesting book about symbolism and shamanism, and that's when I rolled my eyes.

We didn't admit that we all hoped to have the same animal totem. An ancient symbol for wisdom and strength, as Donnie's books said.

Don't blame me. I've always been a fire turtle anyways.

The End