Warning: this fic is dark. If there is any warning that exists, this fic probably should have it. Don't read this if you have any triggers. There's torture, dub-con, non-con, child abuse, explicit violence and possibly eventual tcest.

Prologue

Leonardo didn't know what he'd expected. He'd been ordered to come to New York immediately by The Shredder himself to deal with Hamato's disciples whom were giving Shredder's henchmen trouble. He was surprised to hear that the Hamato clan still lived and even more so when he was told the disciples in question were mutants like him but he hadn't expected them to be turtles who looked exactly like him.

Okay, maybe not exactly. He thought as the tableau continued and he stared, three pairs of eyes staring right back.

He'd received a message the moment he arrived in the North American Foot headquarters that there'd been a sighting of the mutants and he was to head out immediately to confront them. He didn't even have time to settle into his room before he was summoned, just dropped his things on the tatami in the corner of the empty space, strapped on his gear and went to the wing where the troops lived and trained. Leonardo picked a few soldiers he'd worked with before to form a small reconnaissance group and headed out.

These turtles were good. He'd underestimated them and they managed to get the drop on a couple of his men who were fanned out too spread apart and not as silent on their feet as he was. The last two of his men jumped in recklessly, ignoring his previous order of no intervention and were taken down with relative ease. When Leonardo moved to get a good vantage point and scope out this enemy he'd frozen, his gasp giving his position away. That was how they stood now, all three of them frozen in place, his skin tingling as they scrutinized his every feature.

How was this possible?

He knew there were other mutants in the world. He'd been sent to train with Tigerclaw for close to a year before he was called to New York so he was aware of their existence but he'd always assumed he was the only one like him that existed.

He was wrong.

The tall and slender one only balked for a second and now looked at him with interest, examining him in detail, his intelligent reddish-brown eyes sparkling as he took in every detail, his gaze darting over the parts of him that were unclothed under his mask and cowl that wrapped around his neck and shoulders, drifted to the emblem of the Foot clan branded on his bicep, the dark wrappings over his scarred legs and arms and then locking his eyes back to his, tilting his head to the side in thought as he tried to figure Leonardo out.

"Another turtle!?" The little one with the orange mask blurted out pointing rudely like a child that didn't know any better, beaming at him and approaching, leaving himself completely open to an attack.

"Mikey!" The darker, middle one scolded, his thick arm shooting out to the side to stop the other. He was heavily built and from what Leo had heard in the short time he was here, their best fighter. His green eyes that had looked at him with confused awe now blazed as he glared Leo down, an angry scowl on his face. "He's Foot! It doesn't matter if he's a turtle!"

He was right, it didn't.

Those words broke the spell that held him and Leonardo shifted into a defensive stance, ready to draw his blades. He shouldn't engage all three yet, he hadn't really been able to get a feel for their skill and running in blind put him at a disadvantage specially when it was three to one and yet... He could tell they were unbalanced by his presence and he couldn't let this opportunity slip by.

Leonardo took advantage of the momentary distraction of the tall one as he glanced at his angry companion to launch himself at him, unsheathing one red-hilted sword and in the same movement slashing across in an arch intending to slice through his slender neck. Leonardo was expecting this one to be clumsy and slow, he seemed to have grown those long arms and legs too quickly to be able to know how to coordinate them and with the way he slouched as he leaned on his bo staff he didn't think he'd be much of a challenge but everything changed in a split second and Leonardo was forced to ease up on his attack.

Instead of clumsy and uncoordinated, the turtle's body straightened and flowed into a perfect form. His movements were graceful and elegant and his long limbs in addition to his weapon of choice gave him an incredible reach. He wouldn't be able to break this turtle's defences as quickly as he'd thought and he didn't have long before the others would be on him.

Leonardo pushed the tall turtle back, using his speed and drawing a second ninjato to send a barrage of strikes the other couldn't block all at once, forcing him to dodge and give ground, putting a little extra distance between him and his companions.

"Donnie!" The dark, angry one called out.

Big mistake.

Leonardo watched Donnie's eyes flicker in his companion's direction and therefore fail to see the kick aimed for his abdomen. They were close enough to the edge of the building for the taller turtle to be knocked back into the ledge, his large brown eyes opening in fear when he realised he had no room to stop his momentum and he toppled over the side with a surprised scream, one hand outstretched towards him. Leonardo suppressed the impulse to reach out for that hand, his grip tightening on the hilts of his ninjato instead as he watched the turtle fall out of sight.

"NO!" The other turtles yelled in time with the loud crash in the alley, much closer to him than he had anticipated and was comfortable with.

Leonardo turned around just in time to block the incoming sai with his blades and his arms trembled from the strain of keeping them locked in place and his own swords from cutting into his face. This turtle was a lot stronger than he had thought.

"You'll pay for that!" He yelled in Leonardo's face, baring his teeth in a furious growl as he bore down even harder on their locked weapons. If this continued, Leonardo was uncertain his blades would hold the pressure and could eventually snap between the prongs of the other's weapon.

"He should have kept his eyes on me." Leonardo said through his clenched teeth, sweat beading on his arms as they gave slightly. "It's his own fault. He wouldn't have fallen if he were more skilled and more aware of his surroundings."

The shorter turtle roared, his pupils contracting into pin pricks and his expression feral, his arms pushing with his full power. Leonardo used it against him by suddenly pulling back and to the side making him lose balance long enough for Leonardo to strike him in the side of the head with the hilt of his ninjato and then kick the turtle in the way of the little one who'd come back from the alley and was now charging him. They both fell in a heap at his feet as he jumped away from the edge of the building. His men were beginning to stir and he barked out an order for them to retreat while he held the mutants at bay.

Donnie was back now, bruises were starting to form all along his right arm and leg but he didn't seem to be hindered by them as he helped his companion up and checked his head quickly. The injured turtle swatted his hands away, wiped the trickle of blood from his temple with a fist and took another ready stance, they were all going to attack at once this time.

He'd be in trouble if they performed a coordinated attack but he could probably goad the angry one into attacking on his own and therefore get in the way of the others. He was good, very good and a lot stronger than he was but his emotions were volatile and made his attacks unfocussed and him unable to read the intentions of his opponent effectively and only reacting to what he saw in front of him. Instead of using his anger to fuel him it had become his weakness, Leonardo had fought men like this before and come out victorious because of it.

"You're good," He said calmly before directing a cocky grin in his direction, "but you're not as good as you think."

"Oh yeah?" Blazing green eyes glared back at him and he lifted his sai menacingly. "You wanna test that out, pretty-boy?"

"No!" Donnie interjected, lifting an arm to keep him back. "He's trying to provoke you, Raph, don't listen to him."

"Listen to your boss," Leonardo sneered and internally smiled when he saw the look between them and Raph visibly bristling. Jackpot. "Are you sure you want to fight me? Without the others around to defend you I'd wipe the floor with you. I don't see why the Foot haven't destroyed you already, your skills are pathetic."

"Raphael! STOP!" Donnie called out and tried to grab Raph to physically restrain him but it was too late.

Leonardo laughed as the enraged turtle charged, "I've already won." He declared in a dark, low voice before Raphael got into reach.

He feinted a diagonal slash with his blade which Raphael fell for, too far gone to read through the guise, and he was knocked over with a quick sweep of his feet. So easy. Leonardo was on him in the same movement, a foot on the middle of the downed turtle's plastron, pressing him into the gravel of the roof and the tip of his sword under Raph's chin, a drop of blood beading where it pressed against his skin.

"Surrender to me or this one dies." Leonardo commanded, blue eyes locking with brown. "You are lucky we want your Master instea-"

It all happened very fast, Raphael pulled his blade away with his bare hand, edge cutting into his palm as he wrenched it out of his grasp and tossed it away. With his free arm he somehow managed to lift and throw Leonardo off him by his leg as if he weighed nothing. Leonardo twisted in mid air like a cat and crashed into the metal door of the building's roof access with his carapace instead of face first but he barely had enough time to regain his breath and roll out of the way before the others were upon him.

He winced as he put weight on the ankle Raph had used to swing him out of the way. This could be bad. As he was reassessing his options the little one, who's skill he had discarded immediately, swung a nunchuck in his direction and with the press of a finger a blade appeared on the handle and the chain extended, catching him off guard and slicing into his forearm before he could jump away.

He cursed under his breath as he gave more ground, he'd underestimated this one, written him off as childlike and unskilled but somehow his warm, sunny expression from before had melted into one of complete concentration, unforgiving and merciless. The change was night and day and Leonardo considered escaping before the others could regroup. There was still a chance he would be able to take them on his own but his odds were not good, it was too risky.

The dark look the little one wore seemed out of place as he spun the bladed nunchuck-turned-kusarigama chain slowly as he eyed Leonardo. This one was a lot more dangerous than he'd seemed at first and the reports he'd received said close to nothing about him. Finally, a formidable adversary.

"What's your name?" He asked from a safe distance.

The little one's expression seemed to clear almost immediately and his bright blue eyes sparkled with glee. The change was so quick one could almost think the previous incident had been entirely imagined.

He holstered his weapons, cleared his throat and then began talking with a huge smile splitting his face. "My name is Michelangelo, the cute one!" He did a little spin and a pose. "But you can call me Mikey." He winked at Leonardo who gaped back.

He wasn't quite sure how to respond to what had just happened and his eyes sought out Donnie's in confusion but he had his face covered with a hand and was shaking his head before he caught his eye and shrugged. "Just, ignore him."

"What's your name?" Mikey asked as he walked closer, face full of playful curiosity and he would have walked right up to Leonardo if Donnie hadn't caught him by belt and pulled him back like an eager puppy trying to walk into traffic.

"Uh," Leonardo was caught off balance. This wasn't how a fight between ninja clans was supposed to go. He cleared his throat and straightened, deciding to go along with the other's advice and ignoring the strange behaviour. "My name is Leonardo."

"Wait." Donatello let go of Mikey and began examining him again as he'd been doing when they first met. "You mean Leonardo as in Leonardo da Vinci? The Italian renaissance artist?"

"Huh?" Just like that he was off balance again. "Yes? What? I don't know. Uh, no, just Leonardo... What kind of question is that?"

Donnie shook his head. "Nevermind, the point is that you've lost. You're good, Leonardo, and if we continued you might be able to wound us further but it's three against one and you'll tire out before we do. This fight is over."

Leonardo clenched his teeth but knew his assessment was correct. Instead he said, "You don't have the skill to defeat me. I've already taken out your hard hitter, he probably has a concussion and he can't wield a weapon with his right hand, you are favouring your right side from your fall and the only member of your team who isn't hurt yet has the focus of a goldfish."

"Hey!" Mikey called out but was quieted with an olive-green hand on his shoulder.

"And yet," Donnie continued, his voice calm and level, "you are already considering retreat." His reddish-brown eyes watched him carefully, he was wearing the smug sort of half-grin one wore when they knew they were right.

Check mate. He seemed to say with his eyes.

"This isn't over." Leonardo growled but decided he'd take the out that was offered. "Next time I won't go so easy on you. You better be prepared."

"Next time I'll wipe that cocky smirk off your face permanently!" Raphael called out from the side, holding his injured hand loosely against his plastron.

"We will be." Donnie answered as he watched Leonardo walk over to retrieve his fallen sword before turning away.

"Bye, Leo!" The little one yelled before he was out of earshot.

He shook his head as he flew over the rooftops, stopping and ducking into a shadow to make sure he wasn't being followed and assessing his injuries. He wasn't too bad off, the cut on his arm had stopped bleeding, it probably didn't even require stitches and the other scrapes and bruises wouldn't require medical attention either.

Confident he hadn't been followed he set out on a more direct route towards the base. He was mostly exhausted, his limbs were feeling heavier with each step. It had almost been 48 hours since he'd last slept and the thought of being able to fall face first into a warm bed soon sounded glorious. He'd check up on his men quickly first though and hope he wouldn't be required to report to Shredder until morning.

Once his responsibilities were concluded, he headed to his rooms situated in the wing reserved for higher ranks of the Foot clan. He had no official rank or men under his permanent authority but he was well respected. He was known as a skilled fighter trained by The Shredder himself and it was common knowledge he garnered his favour and that was enough for lower ranks to listen when he gave an order. Not having an official rank wasn't as bad as it sounded, it also meant that he was outside of the chain of command and responded to The Shredder personally.

That alone was enough for the other soldiers to keep their distance and show him respect. He also had quite a few loyal followers who found that he was more than open to imparting his knowledge in the dojo if asked and showed potential. There'd been a rumour amongst the men for a time that those who were taught by Shredder's turtle would be blessed by good luck and immediately raised in rank but the truth was it was only because of Leonardo's sharp eye for spotting talent and his ability to teach and motivate that this was ever the case.

"I was starting to think you'd gotten lost along the way." A feminine voice stopped him the moment he walked into the hallway leading to his room.

"Karai!" He smiled at Shredder's daughter. He hadn't seen her since she was brought to New York to assist her father and act as his second in command. He was glad to see her, she was a friendly face in a strange place and she'd always been kind to him in the past.

"I was hoping we could talk." The edge of her mouth curled up into a seductive smile.

Down in the sewers the turtles returned to the lair in silence. Before Raphael could argue, Donnie pulled him by the arm into the lab and started treating his wounds. Mikey followed them in and sat on the metal table beside Raph, swinging his feet.

"I can't believe there's another turtle!" He mused out loud. "Do you think we can convince him to join us?"

"Don't be ridiculous, he belongs to the Shredder, Mikey." Donatello answered. Raphael lifted an eye ridge at his choice of words but he'd meant what he said. He'd seen the brand of the Foot emblem on his arm, burned into his skin as if he were cattle.

"Yeah, Mikey. He's Foot clan. It doesn't matter if he's a turtle, he's our enemy." Raphael grumbled while he looked away from Donnie as he began stitching up his hand.

They sat in silence for a while, well, mostly in silence as Mikey had started humming some tune from a television show but they turned to Donnie when he began speaking again.

"It doesn't make any sense though!" He finished tying off the surgical thread and began bandaging the cut. "I mean, he was obviously mutated by the Kraang like us but those mutations are usually so unpredictable. What are the odds that he'd be mutated in the exact same way with the same results?"

Mikey and Raph looked at each other while Donatello's mind seemed to be working a mile a minute in another plane of existence. His eyes would do that thing when he was trying to find out the solution to something where they would dart side to side as if he were reading some invisible text inside his head.

"And why is he named like us?" He spoke against his fingers poised on his lips after a long moment of silence.

"He isn't named like us, he's called Leonardo." Mikey answered.

Donatello's attention snapped to them and he looked as if he were surprised they were still there. "No, I mean... Splinter named us after renaissance artists. What are the odds they would have named another mutant turtle following the same principal? There has to be more to this, we need to ask Splinter." He got up and started heading toward the dojo but Raphael stopped him.

"Leave it for tomorrow." Raphael told him but Donnie just got that determined glint in his eye and shrugged out of Raphael's grasp. "Who even cares how he was mutated or how he got his name? We should only care about taking him down. So what if he's a turtle?"

"Yes, lets talk about that then." Donatello whirled on Raphael. "Let's talk about how you almost got us all killed or handed over to the Foot clan."

"Me? You were the one who got thrown off a building!" Michelangelo tried to get in between them but they only pushed him aside and kept raising their volume.

"You distracted me!"

"I was warning you!"

"How am I supposed to lead this team if you won't listen?" Donatello held his hands out as he questioned Raphael. He'd been happy when Splinter designated him as leader but it had created a huge rift between him and Raph, not that they'd ever been very close to begin with. He knew Raph resented him because his fighting skill was much better than Donnie's but then again, leading wasn't about who was stronger and he felt that Raphael should understand that.

"Maybe you're just not good enough to be the leader." Raphael snapped back.

"And you think you are? You just do whatever you want. If we would have gone in as a team Leonardo wouldn't have stood a chance! But no, you decided to run off when we needed you."

Raphael began growling and getting into Donnie's space when they were interrupted by the stern voice of Master Splinter that boomed around them.

"WHAT IS GOING ON HERE?"

"Sensei!" All three turtles answered in different levels of surprise and shame, lining up and bowing their heads in respect.

Master Splinter walked up to them and they knelt. "Do you realise what time it is?!" He paced and stopped in front of Donatello, his step faltering as he noticed the state his sons were in. "What happened?" He asked more softly.

"There was another turtle and he was just like us but he was evil and working for Shredder!" Mikey spoke up cheerfully as if he was explaining the plot to an amazing movie he'd just seen.

Splinter stared at them, frozen as if he'd seen a ghost. After a moment he seemed to snap out of it. "My sons, please start at the beginning."