Chapter Text
The city of New York echoed down into the cavernous sewers where four turtles and their rat sensei laid their heads.
The brothers stuck together like glue in those early years, adapting their own reptilian noises and were drowned out by the humans above. In winter their favorite place to be was huddled up against their father, stealing any warmth they could.
Splinter spent those few years scavenging for food, making sure not to leave the tiny turtles alone for too long, and every three years he would open a portal to the nexus while they were sleeping, the daimyo knew the rat from before his mutation, when yoshi held the role of champion. The man was a great help, providing the splinter with the foods and clothing he needed for his sons to last the winter.
It wasn't much but the tiny family made it work.
As they grew, splinter watched as they each morphed into their own character, Michelangelo, curious and ever so cunning, donatello, smart with the need to know why to every possible mystery, Raphael, brave and loud, but wears his heart on his sleeve, and his eldest, Leonardo, who grew to adapt the same mannerisms as his grandfather, eager to learn and ready to right a wrong. Even though they continued to change one thing stayed the same,
They stuck together like glue. When one wanders off the other three will eventually follow after some time.
So when their bright orange grew curious of the portal that their father had walked into, the others followed along.
Michelangelo's scales shone with the blue light that was created by the ripple in the wall, his three fingered hand already reaching to touch, like a moth to a flame.
“Mikey!” Leonardo had hissed out from behind, already making his way to the group. “Dad said to not leave the lair!” he spoke sternly, but not loud enough to disturb whatever laid in the alleyway, “oh come onnn leo if splinter went in there than its safe! Besides, don't you want to see what's on the other side?” Raphael had protested, slinging an arm around the youngest in a playful manner, “no!? I don't want to go through a creepy gateway to who knows what in the middle of the night!” Leo squeaked, donatello smiled, "it'll be fine leo! Come on!” Well, if the techy guy was now intrigued then there was no way Leonardo would be able to win this argument, “yeah fearless, lets go!” Ralph teased, the blue nine year old sighed, already feeling himself age more than he actually was. . 'uh guys?’ Mikey called out from where he was watching the portal wobble, the others turned to look, “the portal’s closing we gotta go now!” he said, grabbing raphael who let out a squawk in protest and jumped through the portal disappearing on the other side, “MIKEY!!” Leo yelled but it was too late, two of his three brothers already went into the strange doorway, the portal grew smaller and Leonardo panicked, not wanting to be separated from his brothers for too long he grabbed Donnie's hand and held his breath while jumping through the portal.
Leonardo didn't know what he was expecting when they inevitably got to the other side but it wasn't this.
Everything was huge, the sight of it all took Leonardo's breath away, up ahead he can see his brother’s weaving through the crowds the music echoed throughout the streets and rumbled in his stomach, tents bathed in colors that usually stay in the crayon box, bright pinks, orange and electric blues and so many more it was so much.
The air smelled of buttery popcorns, deep fry and a sweet sugar tang as if all the different food stands mushed together into his nose at once, his eyes sparkled for a split second before turning to where his siblings had run off to,
His heart dropped.
The music didn't sound nice anymore.
His heartbeat thudded in his ears as everything went silent.
He didn't recognize these people.
But before he could panic he heard the ever so familiar sound of his raphael calling his name, he whipped his head to the yell and let out a relieved sigh when he spotted all three of them thankfully unharmed, they had found a much less crowded area between two tents where michelangelo could stand donnie’s shoulders look over the fence, it seemed that whatever he was seeing had him with stars in his eyes and his tail (literally) wagging behind him, when he spotted leonardo he let out a giant grin yelling over the noise, “look! Dad’s down there! He's fighting a lion guy!”
Leo didn't believe it till he peeked through the cracks of the fence, he gasped as he saw his father take down a giant lion three times his height, the crowd was cheering, and so were the brothers, mikey had all but jumped off of Donnie's shoulders and fell back onto the ground with emotion, Leo went to check if he was okay and all he got back was the youngest with their eyes blown wide and mouth moving way to fast for leonardo to keep up, “DIDYASEETHATDADJUSTDIDANINJASPINKICKDOYOUTHINKHE”LLTEACHUSHOWTODOTHAT?-” Leo smiled at the orange masked turtle’s antics, nodding along even if he didn't understand it, the initial shock of the event wore off now, but everything was still loud, it began to hurt his head. And he couldn't shake off that creeping feeling that something was wrong.
“Is that rat man your father?” a voice spoke from behind, startling the kids, a shiver went up Leonardo's spine as he turned to look the man in the eyes, a dragon it seemed, standing on two legs. Leonardo backed up till all his brothers stood behind him in a protective manner, he's heard from father about bad people..
“OH SHELL ARE YOU A DRAGON!?” mikey’s voice broke through the tense atmosphere leaning over leo’s shell,
“Mikey no-” he tried but was cut off by the newcomer, “why yes, say little one whats your name?” the dragon man replied in a fake sweet tone, his tail twitched behind him throwing leo off the illusion that this man was any shape or form good.
“Mikey! My dads down there fighting the lion right now see! Oh wait he's not there anymore aw.."Michelangelo spoke, Leo took the chance to look through the crack and swallowed, his dad was gone. Splinter. Who didn't even know his four sons had snuck into this strange place after him and now talking to a strange dragon thinks his kids are at home in bed asleep.
Leonardo wishes he just stayed home.
But his brothers stuck like glue.
“Say, ill take him to you if you’d like..” the dragon suggested, this time leo or mikey were not the ones to speak, “no. we got it.” raph cut in, seemingly feeling leo’s unease with the situation.
“Yeah we can find him ourselves. Leonardo added in already grabbing donnie and mikey’s hands turning away from the man, he knew it was a faulty move. But something in his tiny nine year old brain told him if he just grabbed their hands and ran he could make it.
He didn't make it.
The crowd was just a few yards away, if he ran they could lose him in the crowd.
He heard Mikey scream and felt the hand in his be ripped away. He turned and watched the man clutch his baby brother in one of his claws, his brother was at the hands of a monster, and he was screaming for Leo to help him.
“LET HIM GO” Raphael yelled charging headfirst towards the giant raging red as his twin dashed into the crowd running to get someone..
Hearing Raphael's plastron crack, snapped him out of his fear, watching his brother get flung into the empty street. Where was everybody? When has it been so dark?
Leonardo used to momentum from jumping off the wall to land on the dragon’s head, claws out and he managed to cut open one of his eyes, the man screamed, finally letting go of Michelangelo in turn to grab the blue brother off his face, his shell smacked the wall, temporarily his lungs gave out and his eyes widened.
His brothers yelled his name and he glanced to the side to see raph leaning heavily on mikey clutching his plastron where it was bleeding onto his fist, they were just on the outskirts, they could make it. Why are they standing there?
Oh
They're waiting for him.
“YOU DAMN BRAT THAT FUCKING HURT” the man roared, leo didnt turn to the dragon, instead grunting as he stood, his brother’s were waiting for him. He can't keep them waiting.
His stance was wobbly, he was sure the man broke his ankle when he threw him off, the white hot pain and the scream he let out as he fell was proof of it.
Raphael yelled his name again trying to head towards the fallen leader but couldn't make a few steps, the amount of blood he was losing was too much.
So, with the last strength he had, on all fours, he lifted his head to command one last order.
“RUN.”
He didn't know what came out of him but it terrified his brothers into listening. He watched their forms disappear until claws enveloped his head threatening to squish his brains out like a grape.
“You little bitch.”
He felt his head slam into the pavement, the strike enough for his vision to black.
In the silence he felt what he thought was forever be ripped away like glue that never got the chance to harden.
He was so close.