((A.N. - Hi! So, if you're re-reading this story, you might notice the prologue is a bit different... okay, a lot different. But don't worry! I didn't get rid of anything that was essential to the overall story, and in fact, I got rid of a lot of unnecessary portions. And I'm planning on doing that to the next few chapters as well, just so they're consistent with my new style of writing. And if you're wondering, this story takes place during the middle of season 4, after Shredder's been booted from the city, and the Kraang are gone from Earth.

Hope you understand and enjoy the new and improved prologue!))

Early twilight blanketed the distant, star-filled sky, signalling that the day was in its final stretch before eventual nightfall. Evening light rapidly began to fade, turning the orange, pastel sky a deep purple.

The setting sun had long since journeyed behind the towering skyscrapers, its thin, outstretched rays becoming the last remnant of its dominion over the sky a mere two hours ago.

A jet was passing overhead.

Leonardo shivered.

Though he would have liked to blame the involuntary action on cold weather, it was more than clear that wasn't the case: he couldn't seem to stop sweating. The summer this year was sweltering, more than usual, and the heat left him and his brothers, though reptiles, feeling stuffy in the thick air.

Even when a summer thunderstorm dumped rain upon the city, the atmosphere didn't cool; it turned humid.

Patrols just weren't as memorable as they used to be nowadays.

Leo sighed, reaching up and brushing away beads of sweat from his forehead. 'At least it'll be a bit cooler without the sun. Heading back home won't be as terrible as it was coming all the way up here.'

Summer had its perks, but spending nearly two hours baking - err, on the lookout - for crime that would never come, was definitely not one of Leo's favourite hobbies. And so, while suppressing a yawn of boredom, he turned himself away from the ever-glowing New York skyline.

"Alright, guys, let's pack it up. Nothing's happening." He announced, hearing Raphael's groan of disappointment.

Mikey's head perked up at the sound from where he was seating by the ledge, and he tugged out his earbuds.

"We done?" He asked hopefully, eyes darting toward each brother for an answer.

Leo was already ahead of the group, with Donnie tagging along behind him.

"Yeah, Mike, we're done for today," Leo repeated over his shoulder, taking the lead as he guided his team back to the sewers.

To their home.

Where they'd be safe.

Their slow strides morphed into a fast-paced game of who could get to the lair first.

His stomach gave an unease flop as he leaped over a gap in between an apartment and an old warehouse, using the momentum to keep his place locked in front of the others.

'Why?' He cursed the feeling.

This had been a typical patrol, nothing too special other than the disgusting heat. Heck, on the bright side, they had gotten through an entire patrol without having to fight some stupid street gang jerks.

That had to count for something, right?

So why did he feel so… off?

Why was there this persistent, tingling sensation that… something didn't bode well?

It was like... dreaded anticipation.

Like when he and his brothers infiltrated the Kraang's base for the first time to rescue April and her father. Or when they ran straight into the Shredder and thoroughly got their shells handed back to them. And like when he awoke at the farmhouse, only to learn he had been out cold for three months and their father was missing. Then the Triceratons invaded Earth...

But during all those encounters, he felt he actually had a reason to fear… to doubt they'd make it out alive. It wasn't very good for his consciousness, sure, but the point still stood that back then, worrying about his family's safety was relevant to the situation.

Now? During a patrol? When New York was secure and everything was more peaceful than it ever had been?

Call it the calm before the storm or whatever, but something didn't sit right with the leader. A stubborn part of his mind would still argue with him, though, claiming he had nothing to worry about because the Shredder was gone, for shell's sake!

And he wasn't coming back, by the looks of it.

So why was he so jumpy? Why was he-

"Leo!"

The leader jolted from his thoughts, and for a split second, felt his right foot hit nothing but air as the roof ran out. He could see the ground below, about three stories down, and braced himself for unpleasant impact of concrete just as a pair of arms yanked him to the side.

Surprised, he yelped, crashing hard onto the brother who had pulled him away from the ledge, inches from where they now lay, panting and hearts racing.

Leo sat up groggily, unsure about what exactly had just happened in those few, blurry and unfocused seconds; Raph was next to him, rubbing the back of his head with gritted teeth as he pushed himself up onto his knees.

The leader's mouth felt so dry he swore he could spit sand; two pairs for rushing footsteps caught his attention.

"Woah, dude! You okay?"

The leader could hear Mikey's voice, tight with concern, and it took a few blinks before his eyesight returned to normal.

Leo nodded after a moment, not wanting them to worry. "Yeah, I'm okay. Just-"

"Okay!?" Raph hollered out in disbelief, causing the eldest to wince at his sharp tone. He gestured to the edge with a wide swoop of his arm. "You- you just almost threw yourself off a building! How is that okay?"

Donnie knelt down next to the blue ninja, and before Leo could stop him, pressed a hand to his forehead.

"Hmm… I don't think you have a fever or anything." He concluded after a few seconds of evaluation, frowning a bit. "Maybe it was a small bout of heat stroke? You looked totally out of it when we started heading home. Do you think that's what got to you?"

Leo shook his head, not to answer the question, but to get his younger brother's hand off his face.

"Sort of," He lied casually. "Yeah, I think you're right."

Raph snorted. "Pfft. The freaks who want us dead are gone, and you nearly kill yourself by running off a building. Yeah, that sounds about right."

Donnie lightly kicked him in the back of the shell as a warning to watch to his tone.

Raph glared over his shoudler at him, almost growling. But when he faced Leo again, it was with a softer expression. He gave his older brother a light punch to the shoulder. "Just try and chill out, man. You've been kinda freakin' out for the past couple days. And if it's all because Shredder's gettin' to ya, don't worry. If he comes back, we can take him."

Leo couldn't help but smile back; though what he said may have not been the complete truth, hearing the words and determined tone helped sooth his mind. "You're right… I… I totally lost myself. Thanks for catching me… literally."

Raph sat up a bit straighter. "That's what I'm here for: catching your mistakes."

Leo rolled his eyes.

"Uh, sorry to interrupt," Donnie said, his gaze aimed towards the leader in blue. "But if it wasn't Shredder who got to you, and it was instead the heat, I think you should take a break when we get back to the lair. No TV or meditation or anything like that… just… relax. And I'd like to check your blood pressure, too."

Knowing arguing with the most stubborn member of the team would be futile, Leo simply nodded. The purple ninja then held out his hand for him to take, and Leo accepted. Raph pushed himself to his feet afterwards.

"Wait! Does that mean I get the TV all to myself?" Mikey asked, breaking the moment with wide eyes and a hopeful grin.

Raph flicked the back of his head. "In your dreams. We'll play a round of pinball and whoever gets the highest score gets the TV."

"What?" Mikey exclaimed, sounding offended. He swatted away his brother's hand. "That's not fair! I suck at pinball!"

"That's the point, doofus."

Leo had to force back a chuckle, exchanging an amused glance over at Donnie as their trip home was accompanied by the never-relenting argument over who got the rights to the remote for the night.

It took his mind off things.

For the time being.

Hesitantly, Leo placed a foot into the dojo, one hand still touching the edge of the door frame like it was holding him back. 'Donnie's gonna kill me if he catches me here.'

He paused, looking over his shoulder and gnawing on his bottom lip. 'Maybe this isn't a good idea after all. I'm supposed to be resting... but...'

The still, meditating figure of his father was just a few strides away, and yet, he couldn't seem to will his legs to carry him there.

After the fiasco during their patrol earlier, Leo had decided it was time to ask his father for guidance. Being haunted by horrid, recurring nightmares was one thing, but nearly tossing himself off a building? Even in his dreams he was more lucid than that: watching helplessly as his brothers were stolen by the darkness and taken away to who-knows-where… all while he stood deathly still, unable to help, unable to breath.

He shuddered at the remembrance; but at least he had been in the moment.

And this uneasy feeling plaguing him was something he only felt when he and his brothers ran head-first into possible death.

Leo shook his head, scattering away the thoughts. 'You're not helping, brain,'

And so, he sucked in a deep breath, gathered up his courage, and walked in.

Careful as to not make a sound, he lightly placed his footsteps over the areas he had learned made little to no noise. Then, he settled himself next to his father on the carpet, occasionally glancing over to see if he had noticed his presence yet.

The two sat in silence for a long, drawn-out minute, with Leonardo occasionally glancing over to see if he had noticed the presence of another person.

Eventually, the thought of Splinter waiting for him to speak first flashed through his mind, and he hastily cleared his throat. "Um.. sensei…?

"Yes?"

He received a reply almost at once. 'How long did he know I was…? Whatever, whatever. Get on with it.'

"Well… I was… wondering…" Leo began, not exactly sure how to phrase his thoughts. "I've been having really, really bad nightmares again. Like, the ones where I'm... forced to watch my team get… dragged away."

His father contemplated the words for a few seconds. "And do you know what may be causing these unpleasant dreams?"

Leo hesitated. "I… I don't… in all honestly, I was going to ask you what it could mean, sensei," Leo admitted. "It's been really calm lately, and I think that's throwing me off. But... do you think it could mean something?"

His father sighed, thinking over the information. "I am not in your mind, Leonardo." He eventually said. "I can give you guidance, but I cannot sense the problem as well as you. I do not know how badly these dreams are affecting you, but if they are anything like the first time you came to me, I'm afraid I can only repeat what I said to you then."

Leo balled his hands into fists down by his side. "I know it has something to do with… my fears about being a leader. That's always the basis."

His father nodded. "Go on. That is a common fear."

"And, uh," The turtle's eyes darted around the floor, as though searching for guidance. "It's… affecting my ability to focus… a lot. I mean, more than it did before. In fact, I almost… ran off a building, today, actually. Raph caught me at the last second."

His father's ears swivelled forward at the comment; his figure stiffened.

But Leo went on, unaware of the slight movements. "I don't know what to do about this, sensei. Last time it felt this bad, we faced those freaky little mushroom things and… and then, I had to fight this huge mutant mushroom and, well, you know the story. I just… I'm worried."

The old rat lifted up his head, observing the shrine which reflected his previous life.

"Stress can often lead to nightmares." He said. "Do you believe something bad is approaching?"

Leo glanced over at the shrine then towards the ground. "N-no… I mean, maybe, but… if something bad is coming, I just want the guys to be safe. And... I'd rather not tell them."

"Why not?" His father seemed interested in his last comment.

"They'll worry. I don't want that on their shoulders."

"So you would rather keep them in the dark about a possible threat?"

Leo shook his head. "No! Never!" He deflected. "I don't... it might not be a threat, just... like you said, with the stress and stuff... uh..."

"And how can they trust you to keep them safe if you cannot trust yourself?" His father shot right back, catching Leo off guard with his stern tone.

He stammered over his words, surprised. "I… it's not that I don't trust myself, it's just that when I get these nightmares, usually… um… "

"You are hesitating. Why?" His father interrupted, turning his gaze toward his son.

Leo nervously looked back.

"I don't know," He confessed softly. "How… how are you able to stay calm? Even in the worse scenarios? Whenever I see you, you're always calm. I don't get it…"

His father put a hand on his son's sinking shoulder; Leo's gaze drifted up towards his face.

"Contrary to what you believe, I am always fearing for you boys." He revealed. "I have already told you this, but I face my fear everyday when you and your brothers leave the lair. However, I trust your judgements, and I trust that you will heed my teachings and use them to your advantage to get home safely."

His grip on his son's shoulder tightened a little.

"I cannot trust you if you do not trust yourself." He said sternly. "And your brothers cannot trust you if you don't trust yourself."

It took Leo a few seconds to find his voice. "B-but… what about my dreams? W-what…are they important?"

His father pulled back his arm and sighed. "You have had many nightmares like this, Leonardo. You have come to me more times than I can count with similar worries. However, the times where these dreams seem to be linked to events is very rare."

Leo's stomach flipped in uncertainty. "So, does that mean... this could be something?"

His father didn't exactly answer. "If I can tell you and your brothers about what I believe my dreams foresee, then you should be more willing to tell them about yours. Fearing for your team's safety is normal for a leader, my son. Do not overthink the easily explainable and wave away the impossible."

There was a pause.

"You can meditate with me if you wish. It may help."

But Leo shook his head, readying himself to stand back up.

"With all due respect, father, no thank you." He kindly declined. "I… I've been told to rest by a certain 'doctor', and I actually think it would benefit me… both physically and mentally."

Master Splinter nodded; his attention suddenly averted to something behind Leo.

"Oh, and is that your 'doctor' over there?"

Leo was about to ask what he meant, but the answer hit him like a subway car; his head flew over his shoulder, coming almost face to face with a very, very irritated Donatello.

The leader straightened up, bringing his hands up by his chest as though he were expecting his brother to strike him.

"I, uh… I just wanted to talk about-" Leo rambled, the purple ninja's unimpressed gaze boring into him. "I was talking about my… dreams and I was about to go back! I wasn't out long, I swear-"

Donnie pointed at the exit without a word.

'There's no point in arguing, he's a stubborn turtle. Just go.'

And so, Leo took the hit to his pride without complaint, turning toward his father and thanking him for his time with a bow of respect.

'This could be nothing,' He tried convincing himself. 'Sensei's right. I've had these nightmares before. This could all mean nothing…'

Donnie practically walked him out, holding the top rim of his shell as though to 'steer him' in the correct direction. The leader's footfalls were slightly heavier than when he walked in twenty minutes beforehand.

Before long, he was planted back onto the bed in his room and told to remain there until the family doctor decided he was fit to return to a normal schedule.

He watched the door gently close as Donnie left, and the sounds of Mikey and Raph arguing over the TV faintly trickled through the walls. The pinball game was on.

Leo stared up at the ceiling and sighed, placing his hands over his plastron and intertwining his fingers.

Perhaps Master Splinter was right; maybe these dreams were just regular nightmares and nothing more. Maybe he was just overworked. After all, both his father and Donnie had warned him that stress often led to disturbed sleeping patterns.

But… what if this time around, it was different? What if this actually meant something?

Leo tightly gripped the childish Space Heroes bed sheets he should have outgrown years ago.

What if these were simply feelings of uncertainty toward himself… that he wasn't as perfect of a leader as he could be? As he thought he was?

'No… no, that's… I'm doing the best I can. I'm doing all I can for them.' He suddenly winced, recalling the nightmare from a few days ago, where his brothers did not shout for him, but rather at him.

"You failed us!"

"Why didn't you do anything?"

"Why are you just standing there? You're the leader, Leo! Do something!"

Leonardo cringed as their angry voices filled his ears, drowning out the white noise he had grown accustomed to. He ran his hands down his face and let out a deep exhale.

'I'm… I'm not gonna let a few stupid insecurities and nightmares tear my team apart. I've gotten through things like this before and worse. If I can survive the end of the world, then I can handle anything. And if there's something bad coming, let it.'

His eyes narrowed.

"I'm ready for anything you've got."

End Prologue