Chapter 7: Haunted

A/N: So here's the next chapter ready to go. I already had this song title in my head for the next episode, so I've been dying to get it out. This takes place after the episode "In Dreams." I thought most of the dreams were just weird and that Leo's was the only legitimate fear induced dream, so instead of focusing on all of the Turtles as I originally intended, I'm going to focus on Leo instead. And, yeah, maybe it's because I'm a bit biased since Leo's my favorite Turtle. That's the way it goes. Thanks to all of those who have read and reviewed thus far. It means a lot to me that you like this story.

Disclaimer: TMNT and all related characters are property of Nickelodeon. I only own the plot and nothing more.

Leo sighed as he sat on the couch. His knee did feel better, but he couldn't help but feel some trepidation that it wasn't fully healed. Raph sat next to him and began talking about the dream he'd had while he'd been asleep.

"It was so weird, Leo," he said. "There were these snakes who tied me up and you guys were there, too. It was like you were in a band or somethin' and you couldn't hear me scream. I've never had a dream like that before. So what was yours like?"

"It was just as weird as yours. I woke up to take a walk, and this meteor fell out of the sky. I touched it, and suddenly the pain in my leg went away. Then the beaver named Dire appeared and told me he was going to show me the meaning of pain, and he attacked me."

"Did it hurt?"

"Yeah, but I just kept fighting."

"So what do you think the dreams meant?"

"Well, I know mine was about the fear that I wouldn't get better, but I have no idea what yours was about. Probably just one of those dreams that doesn't make sense."

"Yeah, I hear you there. You up for a run in the woods?"

Leo looked down at his knee. "I guess I could try it," he answered.

Raph smiled. "Great. I'll tell the others where we'll be so they don't get worried."

Leo nodded and waited for Raph outside. He came out not long after and had Leo's cane in his hand.

"Why do you have my cane?"

"Just in case you need it," Raph replied.

Leo sighed. "Always be prepared, right?"

"Yep. Now let's go race."

The two Turtles went to the woods and stretched for a few minutes. Then they got ready to race. Raph gave the signal, and they sprinted into the woods. Leo had to admit it felt good to run like this, and his knee seemed to be okay. Raph gave Leo a grin and raced ahead of him, sticking his tongue out as he did so.

"Oh, no you don't!" Leo cried as he raced to catch up to his brother. Raph was fast, but Leo could see he was gaining on him. He smiled, knowing he was close to overtaking his brother. But then his knee gave out, causing him to cry out and fall.

Raph turned and saw that Leo was on the ground. "Leo, are you okay?" he asked. "Did you trip on somethin'?"

Leo clutched his knee and tried to catch his breath. "What the hell is going on?" he demanded. "Why does this have to happen to me?"

"Leo, what happened?"

"My stupid knee gave out, that's what happened!" Leo snapped. "I'm so sick of this! How am I gonna be a good leader if I have a lame knee?"

"Leo, we've been over this," Raph said gently. "You've been through hell and back. It's gonna take time for it to heal." He held out a hand for Leo to grab, but Leo flinched away from him.

"Don't!" he snapped. "I can do it myself." He struggled to get up but sank back when his knee wouldn't let him get up. With a cry of frustration he punched the nearest tree.

"Whoa, take it easy, Leo," Raph soothed as he grabbed his brother's arm so he wouldn't inflict more damage on his hand. "Just calm down, okay? Everything's gonna be fine."

"Easy for you to say!" Leo retorted. "You don't have a hurt knee, Raph. You didn't get attacked by Shredder's army. None of you understand what I'm going through right now."

Raph bristled. "Is that really what you think, bro? Well you weren't there when Splinter was thrown down a drain by Shredder. I saw it, Leo, and it plays in my head every night. I want nothing more than to go back to New York and kick Shredder's ass, but we can't right now."

Leo rolled his eyes. "Yeah we can't go back because I'm holding you all back," he said. "I can't heal properly, so we're stuck here until I do. Maybe you guys should just go back without me. It's not like I can do anything anyway."

"Not gonna happen, bro," Raph replied. "No Turtle Left Behind. That's the rule, and we're stickin' with it. I don't think Splinter would be too happy if he saw you weren't with us."

"He'll probably demote me once he finds out what happened," Leo predicted. "I'm just not good enough for this anymore."

"Stop talkin' like that right now. This isn't you, Leo, and the only reason you're actin' this way is because you don't have confidence in yourself. Look at how far you've come, bro. Yeah, your knee may hurt a bit, but it's better than what it was. You don't use the cane as much, and you've gotten back into training. If that's not progress, I don't know what is. Just stop feelin' sorry for yourself and focus on getting better."

"Maybe it's not that easy, Raph," Leo whispered.

"And maybe it is, but you just don't want to face it," Raph retorted. "Now let's get you back to the farmhouse so we can ice your knee up and fix your hand."

Leo let Raph help him up and used the cane to get back to the house. Leo sat on the couch while Raph got some ice and the first aid kit to patch up Leo's fist, which had scrapes on it from the tree.

"Dude, what happened to you?" Mikey gasped as he came in and saw Leo's state.

"Fearless decided he was gonna try and take on a tree," Raph answered.

Mikey laughed. "Looks like the tree won, Leo."

"So what exactly happened?" Don asked.

"We were racing and Leo's knee gave out. He tried to get back up and got mad when he couldn't so he punched a tree."

"Serves you right for doing something so strenuous," Don scolded. "You still have to take it easy, Leo. That knee isn't going to heal if you keep pushing yourself."

"It's not his fault," protested Raph. "I got the idea to race, and he agreed to it."

"But he still should have had the common sense to decline your offer," retorted Don.

"If you're all done lecturing me, I'd like to go upstairs and sleep for a little while," Leo grumbled.

"You need any help?" Raph asked gently.

"No, I can navigate my way upstairs just fine," Leo answered. He grabbed his cane and the ice pack and went upstairs to the room he shared with Raph. He lay on his bed and tried to close his eyes and forget about the pain in his knee.

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Leo found himself in the woods again. His knee was throbbing, but he figured a walk would do him some good just as it had the last time. He heard a rustling and stiffened, wondering if it was an animal. He waited and the footsteps drew closer until the figure appeared.

"Shredder!" Leo gasped.

"Ah! Nice to see you again, Leonardo. It's too bad you survived our last encounter. I was hoping that you would have perished."

Leo gritted his teeth in anger. "Sorry to disappoint you," he retorted.

"Such strong words for one who is so weak. I assure you that you will not win this fight."

"We'll see about that," Leo challenged as he pulled out his swords and got into a defensive stance. He waited for Shredder to make the first move and countered it. Shredder beat him back, but Leo kept on coming at him, determined to defeat his foe once and for all. Things were going well until Shredder hit Leo's knee, causing him to cry out and sink to the ground.

Shredder laughed. "I see you are not fully healed yet. This will make my job so much easier." He motioned to the woods, and Foot Ninjas came out of the shadows. They advanced on Leo, and when Shredder gave the word, they attacked him.

Leo tried to fight back, but he couldn't even stand. He heard more sounds in the woods and watched as his brothers, Sensei, April, and Casey appeared. He felt relief as he saw them. Maybe they would help him.

"Look at our Fearless Leader,' Raph sneered. "He's so pathetic."

Mikey laughed. "Yeah, he's so weak he can't even get up."

"I always knew he was a poor choice to be the leader," Don added.

"He's never been strong enough," April chimed in.

"Always the weak one," Casey said. "He'll never be strong."

Splinter shook his head. "You have failed me, my son," he said. "Perhaps I made the wrong choice."

Leo was shocked as he heard these words from his family and friends. "Guys, help me!" he cried out.

They began to laugh at him and advanced, continuing the attack along with the Foot and the Shredder. Leo did his best to fight back, but it was no use. He was too weak.

"I'm sorry!" he cried. "I'm so sorry I wasn't strong enough!"

They continued to attack him until Shredder made them stop. Then he grabbed Leo and led him to a cliff. Rocks littered the bottom, and Leo knew exactly what Shredder planned to do to him. He struggled, but it was no use. Shredder threw him over the cliff, and Leo closed his eyes as he fell.

"Wake up, Leo! Wake up!"

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Leo gasped as he awoke. He was on the floor and must have fallen out of bed. Raph was in front of him, his eyes filled with concern. Leo backed away. He couldn't let Raph hurt him.

"Leo, it's okay," Raph soothed. "I'm right here. Just take deep breaths, bro."

Leo tried to do as Raph asked, but it was hard to get air into his lungs. Finally, he managed to calm down, but he was still scared. Was that dream an omen of what was to come?

"Leo, what happened? What did you dream about?"

Leo shook his head. "I don't want to talk about it," he whispered.

"Bro, you have to. I know you're scared, but you have to tell me what you dreamed about."

Leo took a deep breath and told him exactly what had happened. Raph listened until Leo was done his eyes filling with sympathy for his brother.

"Leo, we don't think you're weak or a failure," he said gently. "I think you're just haunted by the fact that Shredder attacked you, and now that you're still injured, you're afraid you won't get better and be able to face him. But you will get better, Leo, and I'll make sure of it. You won't stay like this forever, Leo. I promise."

Leo let Raph help him up and threw his arms around his brother, letting out the tears and frustration he'd kept inside. Raph was right. He was definitely haunted by the images of what happened in New York, and he just wanted the chance to get better so he could show Shredder that he wasn't a coward anymore and that he could still fight. He let Raph's soothing words wash over him and took comfort in Raph rubbing his shell. He had to let this go and get back to where he belonged so that they could regroup and get back to New York to reclaim the city that was theirs. He had to get rid of the ghosts that haunted him and become stronger than ever. With his family by his side, he'd be able to do it. With that last thought in his head, he let Raph lead him down so that he could eat some food and try to banish the images of the haunting nightmare he'd just had. Shredder wasn't going to win and haunt him anymore, and that was one thing Leo was sure about.

A/N: Yay! Another chapter ended! I may not do this for all of the episodes, but I had to do it for "The Croaking" and "In Dreams" because those songs seemed fitting for those episodes. And, yes, those are both Taylor Swift songs and some good ones, too. I actually listened to Haunted yesterday, and it really fit "In Dreams" perfectly, especially Leo's part. So enough rambling from me. Feel free to leave a review and have a shelltastic day.