Raphael skids to a halt at the end of the tunnel and comes upon a large junction in the sewers. Michelangelo squeals in surprise as he slams headfirst into the back of his brother's shell, throwing both of them forward. Groaning, the red cladded turtle roughly shoves off his younger brother, going to his feet while simultaneously yanking his brother back up by his belt. The orange cladded turtle giggles nervously as he rubs the back of his neck, shying away from his older brother when he shoots him a menacing glare and raises his fist threateningly.

Michelangelo flinches, jumping backward at the feint of a punch. "Oh, a wise guy," He growls in annoyance, pouting as he petulantly kicks sewer water in his brother's direction.

"Hey, Mikey! Can you keep it down to only slightly deafening," Raphael barks in return, swiftly sidestepping the spray of water as the pair travel farther into the spacious intersection between the sewers. 

Then Raphael drags his arm off to his side, blocking his younger brother from moving any further just as his eyes spot a hunched figure lurking in the shadows. His fingers twitching over the hilts of his twin sai and he hears the soft clinking of his younger brother's nunchaku. The hazy form emits deep and raw sounds of anguish that violently shudders from their lips like a wounded animal. The red cladded turtle spots a streak of blue as the figure shifts its head and he visibly deflates in relief, his hands shifting away from his sais. But he has never seen the blue cladded turtle sit like that, so deflated. His loose shoulders shook, his hands hanging low, making no attempt to conceal or even wipe away his own flowing tears.

"Leo," Michelangelo whispers in shock, frantically shoving his nunchaku back into his belt.

"Somethin' stinks about this whole situation. We've gotta get him back to the lair and pronto," Raphael states stiffly as he shakily moves a hand towards his brother, "Leo, Leo! Bro, listen to me. There's somethin' wrong, okay? Whatever you're seein' it ain't real -"

Leonardo goes eerily still in that moment, a final whimper dying in his throat as a ragged breath escapes him. Raphael swears he can hear the grit of his teeth as a low, throaty growl emits from low within the latter's chest and rumbles across the space warningly. He straightens to his full height as he goes to his feet, his thick, green fingers menacingly curling the hilt of one katana, before drawing the sword to his side with the soft hiss of metal.

"Y-You took them...you took them from me," The blue cladded turtle spits out venomously, sniffling wetly as he turns around to face his two brothers. The underside of the slits in his mask is dark with tears, his eyes bloodshot and his lips are curled into a snarl that reveals his bared teeth, "And now you have the nerve to come here with your blades at my back before their blood even cools. Now, you'll pay... You'll all pay the ultimate price!"

A muscle in the red cladded turtle's jaw ticks as he quickly snatched his twin sai from his belt, twirling them expertly in hand and raising them in a defensive stance. "Look, Leo," He replies in a thick voice and backs up, pushing his younger brother back behind him in the process," You've gotta snap out of it - I don't want to fight you, damn it!"

"And you didn't even come alone. I bet you didn't even have the guts to kill them yourself," The blue cladded turtle scoffs, his arm twisting to turn the blade of his sword as he circles the latter.

The orange cladded turtle whimpers, nervously peeking from behind his older brother's shell," Dude, what the shell is he talking about?! He's totally scaring me!"

"I ain't got a clue, Mikey. Everyone is frickin' losin' their damn marbles," The red cladded turtle replies shortly," Leo - Leo! Get that sword out of my face right now! Now!"

Leonardo's fingers straighten out from around the sword, allowing it to clatter to the ground, much to the other two turtles' shared surprise. Then he steps close to the red cladded turtle, curling his fingers around his wrist and drawing the hand that held his sai to the unprotected spot of flesh just above the edge of his plastron, and he grits out in a pained tone," Then do it. Just end it. But I'll warn you...when I come back, I'm going to be pissed, and I'll find you...I'll find you when you're alone without your soldiers and your new alien bosom buddies and I'll tear you apart piece by piece. Do you hear me?"

"What?! Shit, Leo," Raphael chokes out, yanking his arm away and blindly stumbling back away from his brother," The shell is he ramblin' about -?"

Leonardo hisses angrily," I'll kill you for what you did to them - Gah!"

Michelangelo has his kusarigama chain raveled around his brother's torso, keeping his arms snug at his sides as he frantically struggles against his bonds. Leonardo attempts to wrench his arms free from the chains bunched around him, grunting in exertion as the latter struggles to hold him in place, digging his heels into the concrete. Raphael intervenes, tugging the handles of the long, winding chain from his younger brothers and gripping them tightly in his own stronger grasp, reining in his older brother.

"Guys," Donatello exclaims as he cautiously enters the junction, gently steering April by her shoulder blades," Guys - Oh, thank goodness! I found April but -"

Raphael cuts in growling in frustration as Leonardo bends over against the chains in an attempt to throw the latter over his shell," Lemme guess - She's gone cuckoo-for-cocoa-puffs? So's...Leo!"

"Wait! What on earth is that noise," Donatello inquires curiously as April nervously glances around, her eyes wide in horror.

There's a gentle whirring noise as a luminous sphere rolls across the concrete, flattening onto the surface. Then the thing chitters softly, and stands on a pair of long, spindly legs, revealing a small body beneath its dome-shaped head.

"It's a mushroom. With feet," Michelangelo exclaims in delight, crouching down with a beaming grin to better observe the strange creature," Aw, it's so cute -" Then the thing lunges into the air, curling its lengthy limbs around the underside of the mutant turtle's neck is it suctions itself into place on the side of his face," Ahhhhhhh! Get it off of me! Get it off of me -"

Donatello wedges his bo staff underneath the creature, swiftly pulling it off of his younger brother and swatting it across the junction. The creature curls in on itself, taking on its previous sphere form, then quickly rolls back towards the group.

"It's on the move," The purple cladded turtle warns.

The red cladded turtle grunts out laboriously as the back of his brother's shell slams into him, backing him up against the wall," Occupied!"

"I've got this," The orange cladded turtle cries out as the creature rolls towards him and he jerks the purple cladded turtle's bo staff from him, swinging it at the creature in an uncoordinated manner. He squeaks out nervously when the creature lunges upwards, raveling its tiny limbs around the end of the staff, and begins inching up to it with a chitter," I don't got this - I don't got this, bros! Ahhhhh!"

The purple cladded turtle wonders aloud in awe, "Fascinating. Evolved fungi. Oh, for -" He exclaims hurriedly," Use the blade - The blade, Mikey!"

"Oh, right," Michelangelo realizes with a sheepish look, retracting the blade at the end of the staff, before rapidly twirling the staff, sending the creature flying into the air with a squeal. Then he slices downward, cutting the creature in half with a spray of a glowing blue fluid," Ah, gross!"

April cries out as the fluid drizzles across her shirt, swatting her hands across the air," Get away from me! Ah!"

Leonardo screams in rage, bucking at his bonds like a raging bull as Raphael throws his weight down while going to his knees in an attempt to keep him held in place," No! No, I won't let you take me, coward! Kill me, Shredder!"

Slamming his hand against his cheeks as he gawks at the scene playing out before him, the orange cladded turtle screeches," What is goin' on?!"

The red cladded turtle without even taking a second to think out his actions swings his flat palm across the side of the blue cladded turtle's face. The older turtle's head snaps to side from the force of the slap throwing him onto his shoulder as he tumbles over in a heap of limbs. "Raph, why'd you -" Blinking rapidly, he utters lowly as his eyes take in the sight of his younger brother," Raph...Y-you're alive. No, I-I saw you...y-you were dead. But i-if y-you're... Mikey! Don!"

"It's okay, dude. We're fine," The orange cladded turtle informs the latter, sweeping a hand dramatically over his form, "We're totally fine! Look!"

The purple cladded turtle nods in reassurance, going to stand beside his older brother as he gently tells him," We're all okay, Leo. Just tell us what happened -"

"No! No...No," The blue cladded turtle hisses abruptly, frantically kicking his legs in the latter's general direction," Get away from me - Get away! I know you're not real... not real. He's showing me things - T-trying to trick me...! I'll never join him, never!"

"Donnie? Quick explanation," Michelangelo yells as he jumps away from the flailing legs.

"Wish I knew," Donatello replies honestly as he intertwines his fingers around the chains and helps Raphael heave Leonardo onto his plastron and pin him onto the ground," Leo - Leo, please! Stop this right now!"

Raphael digs his knee into the back of Leonardo's shell, keeping his hand against the side of his head as he pushes him into the concrete to keep him from struggling. "Leo, listen - Damn it, listen! No one is tryin' to trick you! It's us... it's your brothers," Then he releases a high pitched yelp as the latter clamps his teeth over a finger dangling too close to his mouth," Did you just bite me?! Did you see - He bit me!"

The purple cladded turtle snorts, barely stifling a laugh that rises in his throat. When the latter glowers at him, he claims," Sorry, I was, uh, cleaning the airway."

"Get - Keep away," The human girl whimpers, frightened as she shuffles away, using her arms to shield her face.

"April," The purple cladded turtle insists as he wraps his arms around the erratically moving mutant turtle's legs, not noticing the girl approaching with her hand raised to swat him," April, there are no bats. I promise. Ow - !"

The orange cladded turtle clucks," That's gotta sting almost as much as rejection, my bro."

"What the shell is goin' on," The red cladded turtle demands through tight teeth as the blue cladded turtle writhes on the ground beneath him.

"Fungus," Donatello exclaims in realization with his arms coiled tightly around the blue cladded turtle's muscular legs.

"Language, please. There's a lady present," Michelangelo replies shortly with his nose in the air.

Shaking his head, Donatello goes on to explain," No, whatever's happening to Leo is happening to April and Casey. It's like - like they're experiencing their worst fears. And I think I know why," He grunts as the pair of legs trapped in his intertwined arms jolt up against him," We need to somehow move them to my lab so I can test them - Ow! He bit me! He's got sharp little teeth for a turtle."

"Ha! Now you know how it feels," Raphael taunts, laughing mockingly.

Donatello pries his finger out of the mutant turtle's mouth with a groan of disgust, then yells in a mixture of shock and pain as the latter's legs kick out simultaneously, crashing into his stomach and sending him skidding across the concrete. Leonardo plants his feet into the ground, then hoists himself upwards, flinging Raphael onto the floor with the back of his shell and making the handles of the kusarigama chain fall from his limp hands. The blue cladded turtle quickly unwinds the chains from around himself and without so much as a second glance, he takes off running down the tunnels. The red cladded turtle blinks blearily, his eyes flickering up to the quickly fading image of his brother and he stands on shaking legs, stumbling after him.

Breathing heavily, Raphael groans painfully as he grips the back of his head," Mikey! Try...try to catch up to Leo. Hurry."

"On it," Michelangelo shouts with a nod, retreating down the tunnel his older brother took off down. He doesn't notice the small fungus creature chittering as it rolls past his feet.

———

Leonardo goes to his knees, head whipping around frantically as he leans back against the tunnel wall. "...Krang...Shredder...they've gotta be on my tail," He mutters to himself, panting loudly as he bows his head. A warm, moist substance squelches underneath his fingers and he grimaced, raising his hand into his view. The substance is a luminous intermingled mix of blue and purple," Gotta...gotta keep goin'...Huh? What's this?"

A tiny fungus creature jumps into the air, spraying the yellow radiant spores into his face. His head snaps back in surprise, slamming into the wall as he coughs violently. Then nearly a dozen of the mushroom men line up in a straight formation in front of him, bending ever so slightly at their tiny knees. The blue cladded turtle blinks as the fungi mutated bring their minuscule arms forward into a circular position in front of themselves and plié in unison as a soft piano melody plays. Another row comes hopping in a perfect linear row from behind a large stalk of the glowing ooze dripping from the walls onto the floor, weaving across the tunnel with pique turns as the music grows louder in his ears.

Leonardo gasps softly, going to his feet and shaking his head as his hand grips the side of his face. His eyes flicker back and forth rapidly as the mushroom begin to spiral downwards from the ceiling of the tunnel, their arms twirling around them as they plummet through the air. Then he turns on his heel, choking out a breath of air as the scenery changes entirely and he sees a brightly painted background of many hues of a moonlight sky that the mutated fungi spiral down from. The blue cladded turtle looks upward, his mouth hanging open in astonishment as the fungi that had been falling from the starry night sky gather into a formation of circles over his head, before splitting up and fluttering back down to the ground gracefully. The music spikes, quickening as a line of mushroom men link their tiny arms together and perform the cancan, kicking their long, spindly legs high into the air. 

Mouth parted ever so slightly, and one eye twitching, Leonardo watches the scene unfold, unaware of two mushroom men leaping into the air beside him. The mutated fungi emit groans as they spray their spores into his face, sending the mutant turtle flailing back with his eyes pinched shut as he coughs uncontrollably. As he stumbles backward, he feels his footing give out from underneath him as screams as he tumbled off the edge of the tunnel, plummeting into the pulsating, oozing mass of bright blue below. The blue cladded turtle blinks as the wind stops rushing in his ears and his body goes eerily still. He opens his eyes, groaning aloud.

"You let us down, bro," Michelangelo exclaims in dismay, his shadowy form rippling from behind.

Donatello growls throatily, accusing him, "You did this."

"It's your fault, Leo," Raphael roars in the distance, enraged.

"Clear your mind," A new voice interjects softly, resonating in the darkness, "Listen to the sound of my voice. This is not real, but I am. Just follow my voice and I will lead you from the darkness."

A hand bursts from the darkness, light spewing out from around it, and not even hesitating, the blue cladded turtle seizes it. The human fingers intertwine with his, the nails digging into his skin as the hand clasps his hand tightly. There's a fierce tug, then he's plummeting again with an echoing cry. 

———

Leonardo slowly lifts his head, his jaw slack as he lets out a shaking breath that mists in the air before his eyes. An involuntary shiver quaked through his body and his teeth chatter uncontrollably, as he realizes that wherever he had awakened was substantially colder than where he'd been. His bleary, slack eyes settle on a blurry figure sitting a foot or so away from him, a mutant turtle to be specific. As he blinks rapidly he takes in a streak of red across his face and he breathes a sigh of relief.

"Raph...Raph," Leonardo groans, clenching his eyes shut briefly, then as he opens them again, his vision clearer, his blue hues take in the stony face of his brother, "Not Raph."

"Hello, MT-1987," Raphael greets audibly, the corner of his lips quirking slightly.

Leonardo gulps thickly, his head lolling forward as he gasps out hoarsely," Who are you -? You're not Raph, are you... Huh, I'm-I'm, uh, going insane, aren't I," He wonders aloud, letting out a raw, scratchy laugh as another shiver wracks through his body," I'm finally going off the deep end."

"No. You are not insane. There is nothing wrong with you physically or mentally because you were made to be this way. Everything that you've seen, up until this point, has been the product of mutant fungi with quite the nasty defense mechanism. Before your encountered this creature, the dreams, the visions, they all had a purpose and it was certainly not to drive you insane," The red cladded turtle counters softly, his usually rough, hard voice engrossing in its smooth elegance and grace," Tell me, Leonardo—that is your given name, if I remember correctly—why are you afraid?"

The mutant turtle's mouth twists as he demands, "W-What...? What are you talking about -?"

The other turtle simply repeats," Why are you afraid?"

"My friends, my brothers, everyone I ever cared for...that I was supposed to protect they're gone. All gone," The blue cladded turtle whimpers, bowing his head as he tries to blink away the sheen of tears in his vision, "I couldn't protect them - I wasn't there!"

"No. No, they are not dead. And you know this. Yet you continue to go along with this illusion because you are being crippled by this fear and I want to know exactly why," The thing wearing Raphael's objects, his voice still deathly calm, "Call it intellectual curiosity."

The mutant turtle shivers, and blinks rapidly, before answering sluggishly," I am afraid all of the time and half of the time I don't even know why. I face this fear every day of my life, even in my dreams, yet I still can't get over it...I-I just can't."

"You can and you will. Fear is a redundant thing to a being that cannot die," The other mutant turtle counters coldly," Death is at the root of every single fear possible, whether you know it or not. You already have the power to conquer death in your grasp, but you cannot truly face it, not until you do so without fear. That is why you struggle so."

Shaking his head, the blue cladded turtle responds heavily," I-I don't understand...I don't..."

The red cladded turtle stresses, his voice sharp," You are afraid but you do not have to be, for a game of chess cannot be lost if the queen never falters on the board. Show no fear, knowing that you cannot die and you will be free at last."

"W-who are you - W-What...a-are y-you - ?!"

"You've been looking for me for quite some time now, though you are not aware of it. I am the itch that scratches your brain, burns, keeps you up at a night. I'll show you what you're missing. And I don't know if you're ready to be burdened with the knowledge of your true meaning of existence, but unfortunately, you and I have begun to run out of time," The other mutant turtle states cooly, his voice unnaturally stiff and unwavering in tone," They're coming for you, and I haven't the slightest idea just what they'll do to you if they capture you."

"Who? The Krang? And besides, why should I trust you - Why should I believe a single word that comes out of your mouth, well, my brother's mouth," Leonardo counters angrily, "You're hiding behind my brother's face, and you won't even tell me who you are!"

The wearer of Raphael's face responds quickly," The ones you know as the Krang are onto you, and unlike you, they know just what you are and what you mean to this war and all future wars. If you were to take just a simple glance at my true face and get captured, the safety of my people would be compromised," With his voice harsh, accusatory he tells him as he motions to the form he has taken," You of any creature in this universe should understand that."

The blue cladded turtle utters in regret," I'm sorry...I-I didn't know."

"No, you just don't remember," The red cladded turtle informs him as a matter-of-a-factly, his voice softening with a hint of sadness," I-I...saw to that personally. The others, they always thought me to be too soft with you. They thought it would simpler if we just terminated you to ensure that you could not be used by others who sought the power you hold, but I knew a time would come when we would need you. But a price comes with this new life I've continued to let you live over the past decade, and that is this semblance of free will we've allowed you to maintain. So you must choose here and now, if you wish to simply forget everything you've stumbled upon about yourself over these past few weeks, or if you want to keep going down this path, and eventually find the door."

"I-I want to know. I want to remember," The blue cladded turtle responds automatically, shivering as he gives an eager nod," I can't live like this anymore - Not knowing who I really am, where I come from. I have to know."

The red cladded turtle sighs aloud, and he watches as his arms move forward in a strangely fluid motion, his thick, green fingers intertwining as he leans forward. "You have many questions. And while I do have the answers you seek, and more, I cannot give them to you...not here, not now," He goes on after a beat," But know this, if you continue to question the nature of your reality you'll be lead further and further down the path until there is no turning back, and all that will be left in the door. The wool will be ripped from your eyes, and you will never be the same again."

"T-the door? You...y-you keep saying that like it's something that I already know about," Leonardo stutters out in confusion," W-what door...?"

"A door that was made special for you. The answer is right in front of you. The path to the door. But you must decide. It's the only way. You will understand in due time."

The blue cladded turtle puffs out a misty breath as his body goes through a violent shiver, and inquires of the latter," Fine just, tell me this, why are the Krang after me? What do they want?"

The red cladded turtle gives a small frown as he asks the latter, "You are familiar with human history? The Second World War?"

"Yeah, I've seen just about every documentary on it that's available to rent."

"That does not surprise me. In this situation, I would equate you to the biological counterpart of the nuclear warhead they need to end this war in one fell swoop. Or...the queen piece in a game of chess."

"The most powerful piece in the game," Leonardo gasps in shock, before promptly shaking his head in refusal," I-I...I'm not that strong...I-I'm just not. I-I'm just a kid w-who plays with swords that keeps getting thrown into mess after mess, with others expecting him to automatically know how to clean them up. A-and I j-just want to know what I am! That's all I want to know is...w-w-why...why I can't die...!"

"You are far stronger than you realize, Leonardo. Far stronger," The thing wearing Raphael's face declares boldly, his hand suddenly reaching out towards him desperately, his fingers grasping in midair. He hesitates, his blazing emerald green hues widening, then he slowly brings his hand back, clutching it to his platted chest as he sighs heavily," But the time has come for you to go. Remember this, you cannot ever hope to truly conquer death, not until you face your fear - No fear. Listen to the sound of my voice, focus on it, and silence everything else. You're underwater...deep, deep underwater..."

Leonardo feels his body go stiff as a board, even his lips tensing in a wide, outstretched gape with his blue hues blown wide and fixed vacantly at the woman before him. His head lolls as his chin rests against his platted chest. His arms are like a puppet's limbs cut off its interconnected series of string, laying flat and motionless across his lap. His legs are crossed at the ankle and his long, muscular shanks are rooted in place.

"I'm underwater...deep, deep underwater," Leonardo repeats, his voice devoid of all emotion.

"...You're drowning," The red cladded turtle whispers chillingly.

The blue cladded turtle replies automatically," I'm drowning."

"Do you want to come back up?"

"...Yes.

"Then take a deep breath and...redux."

———

Leonardo lunges back up as he comes gasping back to awareness, his hands fumbling to the sheathes at his back. His fingers curl around the one katana, swiftly pulling it out and drawing it to his side, raising it as he whispers to himself, "Come on. Fight your fear, Leo," He makes a fist at his side, clenching it so tight it pales, "You can't truly conquer death, not until you face it without fear."

A low, rumbling sound emits from behind him and the blue cladded turtle turns on his heel, grimacing at the sight of a humongous fungus creature with one veiny eyeball that stares at him unblinking. His eyes flicker to a canister of mutagen embedded in the massive layers of glowing, pulsating sludge that is spread over the spacious area he'd tumbled into. Veins of bright blue hue crackle through the ground. His fingers twitch nervously over the hilt of his sword as he circles the expanse, his katana pointed protectively in front of himself.

"Taste. Fear," The ginormous fungus creature hisses in his head and as it rasps noisily, warm, moist wind rushing into the air, "Feed."

Leonardo groans in pain as he falls to his knees, clutching the side of his face, "It's in my head. Help me," He gasps throatily, "Please...please if you can hear me...whoever you are...help me..."

"More fear. Stronger. Spread, my spawn," The humongous creature growls, its voice a husky wheeze.

The blue cladded turtle clenches his eyes shut, his sword stabbed into the ground beside him to help him brace himself. His hand runs over his face as a bead of sweat dribbles down the side, trickling down his cheek. "Fight it, Leo," He grits out to himself as brief flashes of his family and his friends flicker across his eyelids. Their screams echo in his hearing and he flinches violently, snapping his head back in forth in denial, "Fight your fear."

Chuckling deeply, the creature snarls a command," Spread, spawn."

Leonardo lifts his head, breathing raggedly. "Fight it," He roared, his pupils contracting into pinpricks and his expression feral, "I will face my fear! I will let it pass through me!"

As one mushroom man pounces through the air, he swiftly cuts through it, lifting one leg into the air and spinning around to slice down two more who had taken positions behind him. He front flips through the air, landing crouched on one knee with his other leg stretched to his side as luminous blue ooze sprays through the air, the remains of the mushroom men that had taken to the air wetly slapping against the ground. Then the tiny army of mutated fungi that had lined up was not charging at him anymore, it was retreating as he charged them head-on with his katana at the ready. Then several drop in from overhead, their tendrils curling tightly around his biceps, forcing him to his knees as a handful of the retreating fungi circle around him, chittering softly. One by one they spray their luminous yellow spores directly into his face, and he gasps for air that doesn't come, only inhaling more of the spores as his eyes water painfully.

"No. No! I won't let you keep me in fear anymore," Leonardo snarls as he jumps to his feet, hunching as he brings his katana blade to his right side, and with a heart-pounding scream, he brings the arm gripping his blade across his chest and lashes it out against the mushroom men encircling him.

The blue cladded turtle spins his blade overhead, before wrenching it down upon a solitary fungus that was laying on the ground. The earth below his feet rumbles and he narrows his gaze at the gargantuan fungus creature, then jumps into the air as he senses a substantial disturbance in the air. His feet land on a stalk of a long, but sturdy fungus that bursts out of the ground, and as his blue hues flit around he sees nearly a dozen of the same creatures spurting out of the warm, moist layers of the glowing sludge on the ground. He leans forward with his arms stretched out behind him as he runs across the thick branch beneath his feet. He cries out as he glimpses and spots a rapidly approaching sphere that's a bright orange speckled in blue spots, and as it slams into his chest it explodes into a thick mist of luminous red-yellow spores. The mutant turtle is thrown off of the towering fungus creature, and he hurdles into the glowing sludge below, plunging through it as he's engulfed in darkness.

Leonardo slowly blinks open his eyes and he's floating in midair, his blue mask tails fluttering in the wind behind him. "You can't die," He whispers to himself, "You...can't...die. So why are you afraid?"

"Fear is your one and only weakness. The weight shackled to you to keep you from taking full advantage of this untapped power," A voice whispers in the darkness, and he recognizes it as his red cladded brother's, or rather the one that had been wearing his face, "Cast that weight aside. Fear nothing."

Leonardo's eyes flash open as huge, heaving breath bursts from his lungs and he declares aloud, "Your spores won't work on me," He brings his arms to either side of himself, an open challenge to the gargantuan fungus creature as he coldly states, "I can't die. What do I have to fear if not even death poses a threat to me?"

"No fear. Empty. Starving," The humongous fungus creature roars in despair.

The blue cladded turtle spins on his heel, throwing his sword in front of him and catching the sunlight that penetrates the layer of the luminous blue sludge below. The light glints on the metal, splashing over the towering, bulbous mushroom men that were sprouting from the ground and the creatures hiss in unison, shriveling underneath the bright rays. He smirks, twirling his blade around in front of himself and catching the light again, reflecting it onto a gathering crowd of the smaller mushroom men. They all screech simultaneously and tiny wisps of smoke spurt from their bodies as they sink to the ground, curling in on themselves.

"And now...I know your fear. Sunlight," Leonardo proclaims as he turns his head upwards, facing the streaming rays of sunlight from the glowing mucus ceiling.

Overlooking figures of the bigger mushroom men intertwined themselves in a tangled maze that blocks the direct path to the gargantuan fungus. The mutant turtle vaults into the air, his feet touching down on the stalk of one of the towering mushroom men and he front flips across the stalk to another that been plunging through the air to catapult him off. The stalk attempts to buck him off, and he uses that boost to strengthen his leap as he catches one of the spheres in midair, and with a pained groan, he throws it into the small crack in the luminous oozing ceiling. The globe flies to pieces, its radiating spores raining down as the roof collapses, debris soaring through the air. The turtle cries out as sunlight bursts through the cavernous hole above him and he shoves his single katana blade in front of himself, bouncing back the rays onto the humongous fungus creature. With the agonized bellow echoing in his hearing he's descending rapidly to the ground below with nothing to cushion his fall or even slow his descent.

Third time's the charm. Leonardo grits out as his body crumples on the ground, his neck snapping on impact as his body goes limp as a rag doll.

———

The three mutant turtles and their two human friends finally come to the large cavern where the blue cladded turtle had run off to amid his feverish hallucinations. The human girl skids to a halt, panting harshly as her eyes widen at the sight before her and her hand slaps over her mouth. The human boy follows her gaze and he gulps thickly, placing a hand on the girl's shoulder and he squeezes in reassuringly. The three mutant turtles go to stand beside the two humans and the purple cladded turtle quickly bolts ahead, crouching beside the crumpled form of the eldest of the mutant turtles.

"Leo," April chokes out in a gasp, lowering her arm to her side.

"Oh, no. Leo," Michelangelo whimpers as he squats down beside his older brother's limp head laid at its side.

Leonardo is laid out on his back, a dark blue, luminous sludge spread out beneath him. His lips are parted ever so slightly, but no breath escapes him and his eyes remain closed. Raphael goes to hover behind his youngest brother, his green hues glued to the collapsed form in his vision as a deep frown pushes across his lips. Donatello pulls his fingers away from where they were slotted on his older brother's wrist, his head bowed as he lets out a trembling breath.

Michelangelo exclaims, panicking, "Dude. Speak to me, bro. Do you need mouth-to-mouth?"

Leonardo's hand abruptly flies up, slapping against the latter's face as he groans weakly, "Absolutely...not," His eyes narrow as he frowns at the three turtles gathered in a circle around him. He slides his hand off, letting it limply slap against his chest as he coughs harshly, "Your breath alone would send me to an early grave... Y-You're all okay?"

Raphael gently runs his hand over his older brother's shoulder blade, gingerly clasping it as he tells him, "Whatever you did, you saved us. All of us," He gives him a tight-lipped smile, "Thanks, man."

"And almost got your shell waxed in the process," Donatello snaps, whacking the flat of his palm upside his oldest brother's head, "You're getting a full checkup when we get back to the lair - I don't even want to hear a word that even implies an argument out of you! After all the heart attacks you've given us lately -"

The red cladded turtle shoves his brother aside with an eye roll and gently wraps an arm around the back of his older brother's shell, then grabs his limp arm and slings it over his shoulder. With a grunt he hoists him up, allowing the blue cladded turtle to lean into him as he guides him back down the tunnel. The orange cladded turtle trails behind, chattering nonsensically to his eldest brother as he practically bounces with every word. The purple cladded turtle sighs, and he goes to follow the trio when his eyes spot a dark pool on the ground where his eldest brother had been laying. His eyes narrow at the sight of an exceptionally wide puddle of blood, but he shakes his head, muttering to himself, before taking off after his brothers.

———

Leonardo's blade halts in midair and he froze, before sheathing his katana and letting his arms fall loosely at his sides. Only one being could still sneak upon him, and it most certainly wasn't his noisy brothers. Well, to be fair, they were noisy by ninja standards when they poorly attempted to creep up on him. Master Splinter stands in the doorway of the dojo, his staff implanted firmly in the ground as he faces him with a stony look on his furry features, his lips a deep creased frown.

"Sensei," Leonardo greets politely, giving a quick, short bow," I'm sorry if I awoke you -"

"It is late, Leonardo. After all that occurred today, I thought you would be resting," Master Splinter lightly scolds, taking his time as he approaches the latter," Come, sit with me, my son."

Leonardo gulps thickly, for he had known a confrontation about his disappearance the night before would eventually go down, and he obediently took a seat on the bamboo mat situated in front of the tree. Master Splinter stood facing him for a moment, leaning against his walking staff set on point on the floor, then he walked over to take a seat beside him. His whiskers twitched once as he settles himself down with a weary sigh.

Leonardo doesn't wait for a cue and simply starts," I know that I haven't been the best leader lately, Sensei. I know that I am disappointing you at seemingly every turn because you expect me to react differently to these situations I find myself in," His voice is wrought with guilt," As a perfect leader would. Well, I'm not - I'm not perfect. I bottle things up. And I run when I'm afraid -"

Master Splinter interjects with a gentle tone," Is that what you think? That I think you any lesser of a leader as of late because of your behavior? My son, you couldn't be any more wrong," He sighs heavily, turning his head back and forth," My son, I am proud of you."

The blue cladded turtle blinks at the latter as he stupidly gasps out," Huh?"

"Failure, fear, in the lives we lead these things are inevitable. But how we deal with them that is the true test of our character," The mutant rat tells him sagely, reaching a paw out to his son, resting it on his shoulder," As both your father and your teacher, I do not ever expect you to be perfect, despite what you and your brothers think. You, my son, will make mistakes and you will learn from them. It is as simple as that."

"Sensei, I...I don't know what to say," Leonardo utters softly, keeping his eyes glued to the floor," After all, I've done - I know it's foolish, but there is something..."

Master Splinter cuts in sharply," I have done all that you have done and more, my son. You are a leader and an older brother. If you let the weight of the world rest on your shoulders, all you will accomplish is getting crushed," He gently pulls his hand away, settling both in his lap," You must learn from your mistakes and move on. Today you faced what your brothers could not; your greatest fear. And you saved them and your friends. I would say that is a victory."

Leonardo gives the latter a tiny smile, and he says warmly," Thank you, Sensei. That means a lot coming from you."

"I only say what I observe, my son. I know you do what you can to protect this family," The mutant rat replies, before inhaling deeply," But I am concerned with the looming threat of the Krang, especially since they have evidently set their eyes upon my eldest son. Do you know why this is?"

The blue cladded turtle said quickly," I guess it's because I'm leader, you know? Maybe they're looking for information," His heart hammers in his chest, and in the back of his head, he is agonizing over the fact that he had just blatantly lied," But I refuse to take a backseat as my brothers continue to go out and risk their lives. They may give up on taking the leader and move through the ranks until they capture one of us and I cannot allow that. As a leader, I think it best that I do just that - lead."

Master Splinter at first said nothing, and his eyes only widened almost imperceptibly. He responds after a moment," Very well. I entrusted you with this position for a reason, my son. Not only because you asked, but because I trust you to make the right decisions," His tail twitches," I do not sense fear from you. No, I can tell that you are different now."

"Sensei?"

"It is not a bad thing. But you have changed greatly in such a short amount of time. I can already feel the burden lifting from your shoulders," The mutant rat informs him, and he grimaced, trying to stifle a yawn," Go, go and rest, my son. I sense you have much in your mind, much more than you are letting on. I only hope that someday soon you will see it right to tell the whole truth."

"Hai, Sensei," The mutant turtle responds stiffly as he goes to his feet and gives the latter a quick bow.