Losing Grip

Chapter 1: Safe Haven

A/N: Well, I'm back with yet another story. I had this plot bunny forming and decided to go with it. I also want to announce that I have finally seen some of the Lost Season of TMNT on YouTube, and it rocks. I think it's a mistake that they put Fast Forward in place of it because Season 5 is awesome. Anyway, I hope you enjoy this story. Please read and review and no flames or they will be cut up by Leo famous swords.

Disclaimer: I don't own TMNT. If I did, the Lost Season would be on DVD right now. Ninja Turtles are owned by Eastman and Laird.

Leonardo could hear voices talking. What was going on? They were probably gloating at his predicament. If only he could get up! He would beat the living hell out of them! Yeah, right, he thought. He was too weak to even try to fight. What was the point anyway? His brothers and sensei were dead. He had no one left to care for. There was no one else who wanted him around.

He thought back to the fateful day when he was separated from his brothers. It had happened when they were patrolling the city. Things had seemed quiet until the Turtles became surrounded by Foot Ninjas. It was almost like the day when the Foot had ambushed Leonardo when he was out on his training run. But Leo had been alone then. This time he had his brothers with him, and he knew they would win against the Foot.

It almost looked like the Turtles would triumph as they had many times before, but then the tides turned. More kept coming at them. The Turtles wouldn't give but fought with fierce determination. Then it happened so fast, none of them saw it coming. Leo felt something prick his neck. It felt like the poison dart the Ultimate Ninja had used at the Battle Nexus Tournament. The blue-clad Turtle tried to fight if off, but with no success. The last thing he remembered was seeing his brothers' shocked faces and hearing them shout his name.

When he woke up, he found himself tied down. Foot Ninjas gazed at him. Then he locked gazes with Karai. The woman glared at him hatefully, her green eyes flashing with pure anger.

Leo returned the glare. "Karai!" he hissed. "I had a hunch you would do this. Where are my brothers? What have you done with them?"

"Your brothers are dead," Karai replied. "My Foot Ninjas killed them in battle. We also killed your rat master as he was looking for his precious sons."

No! It couldn't be true! How could she be so calm about it? It he could've gotten up, he would've beaten the crap out of her. "Why didn't you kill me, too?" he asked her.

"Because that would be too easy," she answered. "I want you to suffer a slow, painful death. I want to torture you for what you did to my father." And with that, she cut him on the lower plastron with the gauntlet her father used to wear.

Leo bit back a cry of pain. There was no way he was going to show any weakness in front of Karai. He would be strong and fight back. He would avenge his brothers and sensei.

Leo's thoughts snapped back to the present. He hadn't avenged his brothers and sensei at all. The Foot had been able to tear him down. He had nothing left. He really didn't want to know what the Foot Ninjas were saying about him, but he couldn't help overhearing. It wasn't like they hadn't taunted him before. That was all they had done since he came here.

"Is he awake yet?" a voice asked.

"Not yet," another voice answered.

"Well, he'd better wake up soon!" a third voice growled.

Wait a minute! Leo knew those voices. They weren't Foot Ninjas at all! Those were his brothers! Was he dead? He had to be if his brothers were talking to him. He opened his eyes to see what the afterlife looked like.

After his eyes adjusted to the light, Leonardo saw his three brothers gazing at him. Then he saw that he was in the infirmary. This couldn't be real. He had to be dreaming.

"Leo, you're awake!" Michelangelo cried. He wanted to hug his brother, but Donatello held him back.

"Not so fast, Mikey," the purple-clad Turtle cautioned. "Leo's gonna be in a lot of pain right now."

"Well, Karai should be the one in pain," Raphael snarled. "No one messes with our brother and gets away with it."

Leo didn't want to intrude on Raph's anger, but he was a little confused. "Guys, am I dead?" he asked them.

Raph put a hand on Leo's shoulder. "No, you're alive, bro," he said.

"I can't be!" Leo protested. "Karai told me you were dead!"

"She lied, Leonardo," a voice said. Leo turned to see Splinter in the doorway. He looked older than the last time Leo had seen him. It made his heart ache to see that his father had gotten this way while worrying over him.

"How do you feel, my son?" the rat asked him.

"I feel like I'm dreaming," Leo replied. "I can't help but think that this is all a trick put on by Karai."

"It's no trick, bro," Michelangelo said cheerfully. "You're definitely home."

"How did you get me out?" Leo asked them.

"We stormed the place, kicked butt, and got you out of there," Raph said. "It wasn't easy, but we did it. Too bad Karai got away, though. I wanted to kill her myself."

Leonardo detected the anger in his brother's voice and gave him a sympathetic smile. His brothers had probably gone through hell trying to find him. It made him feel guilty to think about that. What if he had tried to get away? Maybe his brothers wouldn't have worried so much.

"I'm gonna change your bandages now, Leo," Don told him. As he pried off the bandages, he couldn't help but cringe at the wounds on his brother's plastron. There were numerous cuts and bruises that had been inflicted by the Foot. Donnie put disinfectant on the wounds and fresh bandages.

Leo watched as his brainy brother tended to his wounds. He was also shocked at the amount of wounds covering him. Some of them he remembered while others were a mystery to him. He could see that Mikey and Splinter were shocked too, while Raph just clenched his fists in anger.

"Now I'm going to give you something for the pain," Don said. He went to a cabinet and pulled out a syringe.

As Don approached him, Leo's eyes widened in fear. It was going to happen again! The Foot were going to sedate him and subject him to more torture. No! It wasn't going to happen! He wouldn't let it happen!

Don noticed the fear in Leo's eyes. "Leo, calm down," he soothed. "I'm not going to hurt you. I'm just gonna ease your pain."

In response, Leo slapped at Don's hand, knocking the syringe to the floor. "No!" he cried. "You're not going to torture me anymore! You have no honor! Where are my brothers? I know they're not dead!"

"Leo, chill out!" Raph said. "We're right here!"

But Leo didn't hear him. He wasn't even seeing his brothers. All he saw were a group of Foot Ninjas.

"Master Splinter, what's wrong with him?" Mikey asked.

"He is reliving a painful memory," Splinter replied. "I am going to try to help him out of it." He then closed his eyes and focused on Leo's mind.

As Leo stared at the Foot Ninjas, he suddenly heard his sensei's voice. The voice urged him to calm down and focus. Leo did as he as told and began to calm down. He closed his eyes and took deep breaths. When he opened them, he saw his brothers looking at him with concern.

"What happened?" he asked them. "There were Foot Ninjas standing here. I saw them."

"You were reliving a painful memory," Splinter told him. "Are you alright?"

"I think so," Leo replied.

"Leo, I'm so sorry," Don said guiltily. "I shouldn't have brought out the syringe. I'm such an idiot."

"It's okay, Donnie," Leo reassured him. "You didn't know. You were just doing what you thought was best."

Don felt a little better but not much. He picked up the fallen syringe and disposed of it properly.

"Well, I'm gonna go and work on April's computer," he said. "I'll have my Shell Cell on in case anything happens."

"Do not worry, my son," Splinter reassured him. "I will let you know if there is an emergency."

Just then, Raphael's Shell Cell began ringing. "That's gotta be Casey," he said as he took the phone off of his belt. He opened the phone and said, "Yo, what's up, Case?"

"Just wanted to see how things were," Casey replied. "Is Leo okay?"

"Well, he's awake, but he's not in the best shape right now," Raph said.

"Do you want to hang out?" Casey asked him. 'Maybe we can find some punks and teach them a lesson."

Raph thought it was a good idea. He hadn't been out since they'd brought Leo home. It would be good to get some fresh air, he thought. But at the same time, Raph didn't want to leave his brother after what he'd just gone through.

It was Leo who made the decision. "Go on, Raph," he said. "You deserve some time off."

"Are you sure?" Raph asked him.

'Yeah, I'm sure," Leo answered. "Sensei and Mikey will take care of me."

"Do you think it's wise to let Mikey be in charge?" asked Don skeptically.

"I will keep an eye on him," reassured Splinter. "Now, go on."

After Don retrieved some things from his lab, the two Turtles left. Leo watched them go and was glad that at least two of his brothers were going out for some fresh air.

"Hey, Leo, someone wants to visit you," said Mikey cheerfully as he brought in Klunk. The orange and white tabby cat leapt out of Mikey's arms and onto Leo's bed rubbing against Leo's hand. The Turtle in blue stroked the cat, feeling happier than ever. It was the first time he felt truly happy in a long time.

As Mikey described the video game he had beaten, Leo listened with a smile. Normally, he would pretend he was interested, but this time he didn't mind his younger brother's chatter. That, combined with Klunk's purrs, made Leo feel relaxed.

Mikey noticed the look on his brother's face. "Am I boring you, Leo?" he asked. "If I am, I'll just stop."

Leo smiled. "You aren't boring me, Mikey," he said. "I've missed hearing your voice."

Splinter had gone to make Leo some of his special tea. He carried it in and set it down in front of his son. "Here you are, Leonardo," he said. "This will help to relive your pain."

Leo thanked his sensei and sipped the tea. As he drank it, he felt much better. The pain wasn't gone yet, but Leo knew that it would ease soon. But he also knew that while the physical pain would leave him, the mental pain would still be there. He also knew that he'd have to tell his brothers and sensei about what transpired while he was gone. He didn't want to relive what had gone on, but he couldn't keep it locked up. For now though, he was just happy being home with his family. At least with them he could feel truly safe. But what Leonardo didn't know was that his worries about the Foot were going to come true. He hadn't escaped them yet.

A/N: Well, that's it for this chapter. I hope you guys liked it. Now, you know the drill. Read and please leave a review. I really enjoy feedback. I don't know when the next chapter will be up, but it might be next week. See ya!