Chapter 3: Predator and Prey

A/N: Okay, I know I said I was going to wait until "Battle for New York" aired, but I've read spoilers for it, and then this idea just came into my head. So I figured I had better get it down before I lost the idea as that tends to happen sometimes. This chapter will take place after "Battle for New York." Thanks to all of those who have read and reviewed thus far. Your kind words have been greatly appreciated.

Disclaimer: TMNT and all related characters are property of Nickelodeon. I only own the plot and nothing else.

The New York night was peaceful and serene. Cars ran on the streets below while people chattered as they walked from wherever they had been. The noises were music to the Turtles' ears as they hadn't heard this type of noise since they'd returned to the city. Now that the Kraang were gone, things had gotten better for everyone. The citizens were returned to normal, and the Turtles had even moved back to their Lair now that it was safe again. Tonight was supposed to be a regular patrol, but Leo had a better idea.

"Okay, Leo, what do you want us to do?" Raph asked him.

"Well, I was thinking we could all play a game of Turtle Hunt together," Leo suggested. "Now that the city's safe, I think we deserve a break and some fun."

"Dude, Don and I suck at this game," Mikey whined.

"That's why we're going to play it," Leo told him. "You both need to practice. So it's gonna be Raph and me versus Donnie and Mikey."

"Why can't I be paired with you or Raph?" Mikey complained.

Leo sighed. "I just told you that you and Donnie need to practice and working together will help you to do that."

"Awesome!" said Raph. "So what do the winners and losers get?"

"The losers have to do the winners' chores for an entire week," answered Leo.

"Yeah, and they also have to make dinner for the winners, too," added Raph.

"Okay, but if we win, you guys have to do our chores for a week and you have to help me in my lab," countered Don.

"And you have to spend time with me, too," added Mikey.

"Fair enough," said Leo. "Let's get this game started."

Mikey stuck out his tongue. "So long, suckers!" Then he took off at a sprint followed closely by Donnie.

"You don't think they're gonna win, do ya?" Raph asked.

Leo smiled at his brother. "They don't stand a chance," he replied as he fist bumped with Raph.

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Mikey and Donnie stayed together for a short time, but then Don stopped and looked around.

"What should we do, D?" Mikey asked him.

"We need to split up," Don answered. "If we stay together, Leo and Raph will have an easier time finding us."

"Good idea," Mikey said. "I'll catch you later, D."

"Yep. Good luck."

Donnie sprinted away and surveyed the area. Where was he going to hide out at? Then his eyes fell on a ventilation unit that was no longer working. He used his bo to pry it apart and saw a perfect place for him to hide. "Perfect," he said before slipping inside.

Meanwhile, Mikey was also looking for a spot to hide but each place he tried wasn't good enough. Then he spotted a water tower and smiled. "This will be good," he said. He climbed up and wedged himself under it. "They won't find me here," he boasted.

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"Time to find them," Raph said after their five minutes were up. "This is gonna be a piece of cake, especially if they hid together."

Leo shook his head. "I don't think they'd do that, Raph. Don's too smart to not think of a plan. I think they split up and are hiding separately, so that means we split up. I'll look for Donnie and you try and find Mikey."

"Okay, got it," said Raph. "Meet you back here."

Leo nodded and took off to find Donnie while Raph went off to find Mikey. Both were confident that they'd win this game, so they weren't worried at all about anything happening.

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What the Turtles didn't know was that Bebop and Rocksteady were also out for a patrol and were monitoring the rooftops. Bebop had his glasses on and was monitoring for signs of activity when he spotted something.

"Yo, Baby Ivan, I got somethin'," he said.

Rocksteady took out binoculars and looked at where Bebop was pointing. He spotted Leo jumping the rooftops. "You are right, Comrade Zeck," he said. "It looks like ve have spotted a Turtle."

"So what do we do?" Bebop asked him. "Should we kidnap him and take him to Shredder?"

"No," Rocksteady replied. "Ve already gave him Karai. I say ve take out the Turtle and his brothers on our own."

"But he could be by himself," Bebop pointed out.

"I do not think so," Rocksteady said. "Vhere there is vun, there are alvays the others."

"So you wanna split up and look for them?" Bebop asked him.

"No, I say ve take him out and then get his brothers," replied Rocksteady. "Ve can hand them the body and then take them out."

"Oooh, I like the way you think, Baby Ivan," said Bebop. "It's time for some Turtle huntin'." With a laugh he activated his electric line and zipped down the rooftops to follow Leo with Rocksteady on his tail. There would be no mistake this time. The Turtles would pay.

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Leo was hopping the rooftops and surveying the area. "Hmm, where would Donnie hide out at?" he asked himself. "It can't be something too obvious since Don's too smart for that." He was just going to leave when he sensed someone was watching him. He whirled around and saw Bebop and Rocksteady heading for him. Leo pulled out his katanas and got into a defensive stance.

"What are you guys doing here?" he demanded.

"Ve are here to take you out," Rocksteady replied.

Leo smirked. "Good luck with that," he scoffed.

"Aww, little Turtle thinks he can take us on his own," Bebop teased. "Let's see what you got." He fired up his laser from his Mohawk and started firing in different directions. Leo dodged the blasts easily and even deflected some with his swords.

"You'll have to do better than that," Leo taunted.

Rocksteady charged Leo, but Leo dodged him and landed a kick to the rhino's side. Rocksteady fell and growled menacingly. "You vill pay for that," he snarled. He charged again, but Leo was quick and dodged, causing Rocksteady to bump right into Bebop. The two mutants fell, rubbing their heads from the impact.

"Man this is not cool!" Bebop whined.

"I vill pop your head like blueberry!" Rocksteady growled.

Leo smirked and dared them to come forward. Bebop tried first, and Leo kept dodging him, but he didn't see Rocksteady sneak up from behind him. The rhino landed a punch to Leo's back, causing him to fall forward. His katanas fell out of his hands and skittered away from him. Laughing, Bebop took them.

"Man, these babies are pretty sweet," he commented. "I wonder if I could sell them and make some money."

"Give those back!" Leo commanded.

"Oh, I don't think so," Bebop said. "These babies are mine now."

"No, I have better idea," Rocksteady said. He took Leo's swords and started bending them. The swords strained and then broke into pieces.

Leo gasped. "No!" he cried.

"Aww, is the Turtle sad that his weapons are gone?" taunted Bebop.

Rocksteady laughed and grabbed Leo, forcing him into a bear hug.

"Let me go!" cried Leo.

"Gladly," said Rocksteady,, and he slammed Leo hard on the ground, causing the Turtle to cry out in pain.

"Listen to him cry, Baby Ivan," laughed Bebop. "He ain't so tough."

Leo tried to get up, but Rocksteady pushed him down and stomped on Leo's right knee, the same knee that had been injured before, causing a wave of paint to shoot through him.

"You are finished, Turtle," Rocksteady declared. "You vill surrender now."

"Let's finish him off, Baby Ivan," Bebop said.

"Yes, I think that vould be a good thing to do," Rocksteady replied. He cracked his knuckles and prepared to deliver another blow to Leo.

"Let him go!" A voice commanded.

The two mutants turned to see Raph, Mikey, and Donnie above them, their weapons drawn.

"Oooh, this is even better," Bebop cackled. "Now we can finish them all off."

"I don't think so," Raph said.

"Booyakasha!" yelled Mikey as he aimed a kick at Bebop. Bebop turned invisible and countered with a kick of his own.

"Oh no you don't!" Donnie yelled.

"Oh, yes I do!" Bebop countered.

Don smiled and threw a powder bomb, making Bebop visible again before hitting him in the head with his bo and knocking him out.

Raph was tussling with Rocksteady, who was trying his best to get the jump on the green-eyed Turtle. Rocksteady went to give Raph a punch, but Raph dodged it and kicked the rhino in the jaw. Mikey grabbed part of a broken ventilation shaft and threw it at the rhino. It hit him hard, causing him to be knocked unconscious.

Raph spotted Leo lying on the ground and hurried to his side. "Leo, are you okay, bro?"

"No, Rocksteady hit me in my knee, and my back hurts, too," Leo answered.

Raph gently helped Leo to stand and let Leo lean on him. "Let's get you back home," he said.

"How did you guys find me?" he asked.

"Well, while I was hiding, I was monitoring your T-Phones with my own so I could check your location," Don replied. "I noticed that there were two others with you and that you were fighting them, so I alerted Raph and Mikey, and we tracked you here."

"I'm glad you did," Leo said.

"But he cheated!" Raph protested. "That's cheating, Donnie."

"It doesn't matter, Raph," said Leo. "If Don hadn't been doing that, you guys wouldn't have come to help me when you did."

"So who won?" Mikey asked.

"It's a draw," Don answered. "Nobody won."

"What does that mean, D?"

"It means that the game's been postponed," Leo answered. "We'll just have to try again another time."

"Yeah, like when your knee's better," Raph said.

"I can't believe I injured it again," Leo moaned.

"It may not be that bad, Leo," Don said. "Let's go home so I can check it out."

Raph decided to carry Leo since he couldn't jump the rooftops with his injured knee. They made it home in record time and hurried to Don's lab so he could examine Leo's knee. He took an X-Ray and studied the results on his computer.

"Hmm, it doesn't look like Rocksteady broke anything," Don surmised. "I think it's just a sprain, so it shouldn't take too long to heal. We'll put ice on it and just monitor it. If it gets worse, you better tell me immediately."

"I will," Leo promised. "Thanks, Donnie."

"No problem," Don said. He wrapped the knee in an Ace bandage and guided Leo to the couch in the living area. Mikey got some ice from Ice Cream Kitty and set it on Leo's knee.

"Thanks, Mikey. That feels good."

"No problem, dude. Do you want me to make you something?"

"Nah, I'm good," Leo answered.

Raph came out of the dojo with Splinter where Raph had been giving Splinter a report of what had happened.

"How are you feeling, Leonardo?" Splinter asked.

"Sore, but I think I'll be okay," Leo answered.

"That is good to hear. I suppose you will have to be more careful now that we have two more enemies in our midst. This is not a time to relax, even though I know that is what you wanted to do. You can never be too careful, is that understood?"

"Hai, Sensei," the Turtles chorused.

"Good. Now I believe it is time for bed."

"Do you want me to help you to your room, Leo?" Raph offered.

"Sure," Leo answered.

Raph smiled and guided Leo up the short set of steps to his room before gently helping him settle in. "You want me to stay with you?"

"You don't have to if you don't want to," Leo told him.

"But I do want to," Raph said.

"Then make yourself at home," Leo said.

Raph grabbed one of the sleeping bags Leo kept in his room in case one of them wanted to stay the night and made himself comfortable next to Leo's bed. "I'm sorry I wasn't there to help you," he said.

"It's not your fault, Raph," Leo said. "We had no idea Bebop and Rocksteady would be there. But Master Splinter's right. We can't be too relaxed anymore. We have to be vigilant and ready for anything."

"We will be," Raph promised. "And when I get my hands on those two, they're gonna get a beating they'll never forget."

"Somehow I don't doubt that," Leo laughed. Then he yawned. "We'd better get some sleep now. I'll see you in the morning, Raph. Good night."

"Good night, Leo," Raph replied. "And if you need anything during the night, don't hesitate to wake me up."

"You mean you won't pound me into mush if I wake you too early?" Leo teased, reminding Raph about when he'd said that when Mikey woke him up too early with a water balloon to the face.

"Nope, you're the exception to that rule," Raph replied. "I made that rule for Mikey only."

With a smile, Leo drifted off to sleep. The game definitely hadn't gone the way he'd wanted it to, but there would be other opportunities to play Turtle Hunt with his brothers. Yet what happened was a constant reminder that there was no such thing as peace in their lives. The Kraang were gone, but Shredder remained, and as long as he and his henchmen were around, they couldn't afford to have lapses in judgment. One mistake could very well cost them their lives as Leo had almost experienced himself. Shaking that thought from his head, he allowed his mind to relax and think of calm thoughts as sleep overcame him.

The End

A/N: So that's the end of the story. I had a lot of fun writing it and writing this chapter was my favorite part. I hope I got Bebop and Rocksteady right and I hope the fight scenes weren't too bad. I do tend to be leery of those no matter how hard I try to write them. Feel free to leave a review and have a shelltastic day.