*Greetings, my dear friends, and anyone else who happens across this fic and dares click on the story! It's been a while for me, hasn't it? All I can say is, it's been quite a year. I kind of thought I was done with fanfiction, as I wanted to focus more heavily on my original stuff. However, some ideas for Mantle took hold of me a couple months ago, and I couldn't stop thinking about the story. Thus, here I am, once again.

A word of warning if you're not familiar with my stories: I have a lot of original characters I've developed over the course of my entire series. While I have an unwritten rule of keeping the Turtles the main focus, this time is a little different. At least from the beginning. As the description states, this is a SECOND generation story, and their children are center stage. Our boys are still there in the background, and playing important roles, but I don't even LEAD from one of their perspectives until we're 19 chapters in. It was an interesting experience not putting the regular boys as the focus of the fic. Have no fear though...less than half way through the story, you'll be seeing a LOT more of them.

Mantle starts out a little slower than most of my fics, but there's a lot of ground to lay, and people to get to know. So be patient, sit back, and enjoy the ride...because before you know it, the ol' white knuckles will be showing up. Thanks for reading and reviewing. Your feedback means more than words can express. Have a nice trip.

The light breeze wafting through the tree branches was the only sound Nathaniel had heard for several minutes. While the fourteen-year-old turtle wasn't repulsed by the peaceful atmosphere, he was curious about his companion's lack of speech; particularly since she was the one who'd invited him out here.

The orange-masked ninja cast a glance at the blond woman, studying the emotionless quality in her eyes before clearing his throat. "If you have something you wanna say privately, Reina, this is probably the place to do it."

Her head jerked in surprise, as though the seventeen-year-old had completely forgotten he was there. A sigh was quick to follow. "I'm sorry, Nate. I'm lost in my own thoughts."

"If you'd rather be alone—"

"No, that's not it," she interrupted swiftly.

"Well, then tell me what it is. What's bugging you, Reina?"

The young woman laughed mirthlessly. "So many kids my age have no idea where they're going, or what they want. I may have the luxury of opportunities, but…I don't think I can go through with it."

Nate took a sharp breath, stopping midstride. "Is this about Rome?"

She nodded mournfully. "I don't know what to do. I know what I want—"

"Then the logical thing is to go after it, isn't it?"

"You know it's not that simple. Nothing is – not with this family! My dad would never go for it. He doesn't want me to move across the country, let alone around the world." She started walking again, and Nate was quick to follow.

"Doc would hate it, but I bet he'd come around if you talked to him honestly, Rein."

"It isn't just him, Nate. It's Olivia, and you, and the entire family. How am I supposed to walk away? Nobody in our circle does that. It's like some unspoken rule that we all stay together until the day we die!"

The turtle knew he shouldn't laugh, but it bubbled up anyway. "We're not talking forever, right? You're not planning on leaving and never coming back."

Reina sighed once more. "I could never do that to you guys."

"I think you should talk to your parents."

She shook her head. "I have time, Nate. I don't have to give the program head an answer for another…three months. That's my deadline."

"What are you gonna do, count it down to the last-minute?"

"No, but I have to wait for the opportune moment, if it even comes. I told you, I'm on the fence about this as it is."

The note of finality in her tone convinced Nate not to push the matter. He allowed the conversation to die a natural death, and turned his gaze to the mottled patterns of sunlight casting across the forest floor. The approaching change of seasons marked their soon return to New York City from an extended stay at Lotus Salvus.

There was a part of Nate that always missed the freedom and tranquility of their retreat when they had to leave, but he was also looking forward to going home to his familiar skyline. The month-long stay in the Blue Ridge Mountains had been a part of their summers for as long as he could remember. Though there was often regret at the ending of "vacation", there was also a note of anticipation this year.

Things have changed – are changing. Our group training has intensified, and it might not be long before Jayden, Charlotte, and Tim get to join us on the surface. We're been working toward this goal for so long, it's hard to believe it could be this close.

Reina's going to be a senior too…and might end up moving far away, if she can force herself to want it badly enough. A stab of sadness lit through Nate's gut, and he snuck another glance at his teenage "cousin". He'd never been parted from the young woman, and the thought of not seeing her every day was somewhat daunting. But it's not about me, or the rest of us. We can't expect Reina to stick around forever – no one should. It isn't fair. Our family constantly holds themselves back for the rest of us. I sure hope Reina doesn't continue the tradition. She deserves to be happy.

"I bet you're ready to be home," Reina remarked.

Nate nodded, forcing a normal smile. "It sucks having bad guys encroach on our territory. We're gonna have to send them crawling back to their holes again."

"Your favorite time of year," she said lightly.

"For sure." Nate paused in his step when he felt the vibration of his cell phone. He looked down at the screen to find a scrolling text message from his older cousin.

Where did you go?

Reina paused beside him while Nate tapped out a rapid reply.

For a walk. We're on our way back now.

When there were no further messages, he met Reina's gaze. "Liv sounds restless. Do you mind if we pick up the pace a little?"

"Yeah, sure. I'm sorry, Nate. I know I haven't been good company this morning."

He shook his head. "You're fine, Rein."

"No, I'm not. I shouldn't be dumping all of this on you…but I have to talk to someone, and I think you're the only one who can keep your mouth shut."

"I don't mind listening."

"But it doesn't feel right to complain so much, especially when I bring some of this on myself. I will talk to my parents, Nate, soon. Thanks for standing by me in the meantime."

He extended an arm loosely around her back, unintentionally brushing silky strands of blond hair. Nate instantly retracted his hand, but maintained a grin. "What's family for?"

Nathaniel nudged Reina's shoulder as they approached the front of the cabin, and he spied Olivia with folded arms in the distance. "Prepare yourself. She's irritated."

"Irritated is better than angry."

"But irritation can turn into anger faster than we can come up with excuses."

"We were only gone an hour!" Reina protested.

The orange-masked turtle shrugged. "Doesn't matter. She could still go off."

Reina smirked. "I'm not scared of Olivia."

"That's because you don't have to train with her shell. She can hold a grudge."

The teen laughed unexpectedly. "I'll take the blame for it, Nate."

"I never asked you to do that…"

"What's the deal, guys?" Olivia's folded arms suddenly went to her hips, and Nate swore she was morphing into Karina before his very eyes. "What did you sneak off for?"

"We didn't sneak off, Liv—" the turtle started only for Reina to stop him with a wave of her hand.

"I asked him to go with me, Olivia. I needed some air, and I didn't feel like walking alone."

"And you two couldn't have waited for me?"

Nate was tempted to ask his cousin what the big deal was, but that question never went over well with Olivia.

"We'll go again this evening before we pack up the cars, okay?" the young woman offered.

Nate couldn't help noticing that Olivia's eyes were fixed on him. "I'm not stealing your best friend, Liv. Shell, it was just a walk."

The sixteen-year-old relaxed her shoulders and turned toward the house. "Jonin* wants to talk to all of us, Nate. We've been waiting on you."

He smiled disarmingly at her to maintain his innocence. "I'm here now, Liv. We going inside, or what?"

The red-masked turtle spun on heel and led the way into the cabin, allowing Nate the opportunity to make a face behind her back at Reina.

The blond stifled a chuckle. "Hope I didn't get you in trouble with Leo."

"I'm sure I'll survive, Reina, no matter what happens."

She broke off from the two turtles with a wave, heading for the kitchen. "Good luck. See you guys later."

Olivia shot him one more glare over her shoulder, hesitating at the top of the basement stairs.

He smiled in return. "What?"

"Nothing." She huffed.

Nate's "extraordinary" powers of intuition warned him to drop it, so he shut his mouth and trailed behind his cousin downstairs to the rec room. At the bottom he immediately spotted the younger turtles already kneeling on the mats. Their blue-masked Jonin looked up expectantly at their approach, and they quickly fell in line with their cousins.

"Sumimasen, Jonin," Nate apologized.

Leonardo spared him a tolerant smile. "At ease, Nate. This wasn't a scheduled meeting."

He resisted the urge to shoot Olivia a triumphant smirk and kept his eyes on their leader.

"It occurred to me this morning that it would be worthwhile to address a couple of things before we arrive home," Leo continued. "You've all worked extremely hard these last few months. Your fathers and I had high expectations, and we haven't been disappointed." He paused for dramatic effect. "I know you're hoping to serve as a team sooner than later, and we're prepared to give you an opportunity—"

Nate cringed at the audible gasps that sounded distinctly like Jayden and Tim.

"…within reason," Leonardo finished. "While we have confidence in your training and dedication, you still require hands-on experience, and you're going to get it. We'll continue group exercises on the surface, as well as pairing off in teams with your fathers and I on patrol. But we're also going to give you some time to work together on your own."

Another sound erupted from Jayden on Nate's right, but the purple-masked turtle managed to cut if off that time.

"It will be very limited in the beginning," the Jonin warned. "I understand the five of you have been waiting for this, but you must continue to be patient. You have the luxury of learning from our experience. So even though it may feel restrictive at times, we're going to prepare you for this responsibility to the best of our abilities. We expect you to maintain your hard work in the meantime, and to take patrolling seriously."

"Hai, Jonin," five voices chorused on unison.

"We want you to try and enjoy the journey. As hard as it is to wait for things, you're all going to be adults before we know it. It'll happen so fast. We believe in your potential, and we're just as excited to watch you continue to grow as you are to gain more independence. You'll get there – I promise you." His serious features eased into another smile, prompting Charlotte to clear her throat.

"Jonin, will we be patrolling with weapons?"

Leo nodded. "Timely question. Within the next month, you, your brother, and Tim will go through the last of the trials to determine your primary weapon. We already have a good idea of where your strengths lie, but it's kind of a formality. Tradition matters. We can talk more about that later. Right now, I want you, Jayden, and Tim to head outside, and begin loosening up for katas. I'll join you in about five minutes."

Nate shook his head at the sight of a still-growing Jayden leading the way out the door. He's already gotten so big, he could pass for an adult. Jay will probably have to duck to get through doorframes next year.

"I also wanted to take a moment to talk to both of you about the direction of this team." At Leonardo's voice, Nathaniel snapped to attention. "You'll both play strong roles in the development of the unit as a whole, but I also want you two to continue your partner exercises. When you patrol on your own, you will work together like you did last year. But on the occasion that all five of you are out, you need a clear leader. Nothing is set in stone yet, but, Olivia, we want you to take point with the team to start off. We'll see how things evolve from there."

The red-masked turtle nodded. "Hai, Jonin."

Nate's correct posture didn't falter, but he snuck a grin in his cousin's direction. The news was far from shocking. He'd assumed his older cousin would be left in charge when the team finally expanded.

"Have either of you taken the time to eat yet?" Leo asked.

Nate had been about to start his own breakfast when Reina interrupted him earlier, so he shook his head along with Olivia.

"Go upstairs and have breakfast. When you're finished, I should be ready to pick up the katana with you."

Olivia's amber eyes gleamed. "Are you ever going to let us patrol with them? We've worked on the katana with you in addition to our other weapons for years."

"When the time is right," he said dismissively, indicating he would say no more.

Nate rose from his knees and allowed Olivia to go up the steps first. Once they reached the hall, he stopped his cousin with a tug on her red tunic. "So. Moving up in the world."

She rolled her eyes, but her expression wasn't irritated. "How about that, huh? Think you're gonna be able to take orders from me?"

Nate laughed. "I don't know how else it would work. God knows, you wouldn't listen to me."

Olivia smiled easily. "Probably not."

He was relieved that his cousin appeared more relaxed and didn't question him further about his walk with Reina. It'd be really hard to lie to Liv, but I promised Reina I wouldn't say anything…

The smell of bacon greeted him before the pair reached the kitchen door, along with a loud, familiar laugh. No doubt, dad's up to his old tricks…

Sure enough, when Nate entered the kitchen the first thing he saw was the orange-masked turtle tending two skillets on the stovetop.

Michelangelo cracked a wide smile when he saw them. "Morning, guys. Hey, we've got more takers for round three, Beck!"

The curly-haired woman was by the sink, but she dropped her dishtowel to greet them. "Have you two worked up an appetite yet?"

Nate chuckled. "It doesn't take much work, Mom."

She squeezed his shoulder affectionately. "You're right about that. Have a seat, okay?"

The younger turtle grabbed a chair, but before Olivia could join him, Reina breezed into the kitchen.

"Hey, Liv, your mom's looking for your basket," she announced.

Olivia took a step backwards. "I forgot to bring it down last night. I better go!" She looked back at Nate. "Don't eat everything."

Nathaniel laughed the comment off while Reina took the chair Olivia had been about to sit in.

"I didn't get you in trouble, did I?"

"No, Reina, you're cool. Jonin just wanted to talk about what's going to happen when we get back. Team stuff."

"Team stuff? You mean with your cousins?"

"Yep. They're going to let us patrol as a group…a little. Gotta learn somehow."

"Without your dads? Who'll be in charge?"

"Liv, obviously. She's the natural choice for it."

The look Reina gave him in return was baffling. "Yeah, she could be." Her hand landed firmly on his shoulder, and Nate swallowed to get rid of the lump in his throat. "She's still going to need you, Nate."

"Oh, I know," he replied, fighting to banish awkwardness from his voice. "We're a team, and that's more than enough for me. Who needs authority and extra responsibility? In my mind, I dodged a bullet," he joked.

"If you say so. I think, given the opportunity, you could make a great leader."

"Thanks, Rein, but I'm sure things will work out the way they're supposed to."

*For anyone who hasn't seen the term "Jonin" applied before, it's generally a title used for a "high or elite" ninja, who often serves as a military captain. Yes, in the real world they would probably call Leonardo "Sensei", as the boys did their own father...but it's difficult for me to apply the term to someone besides Splinter.