Author Notes:

This story is a winner of two 2018 Reader's Choice Awards;
2nd Place - Most Exciting Action/Adventure
2nd Place - Most Compelling AU

Thank you everybody for reading and nominating! I'm in awe and shock! And to new readers, I hope you enjoy this story, I had a lot of fun writing it, and it's one of my favorites.

Chapter One: Blue Eyes

Pain.

Pulsing, stabbing, paralyzing pain coursed through his whole being.

But it was fading into nothingness. Just like everything else.

The darkness around him was almost tangible, pulling him down into an empty void.

"Leo! No!"

The words rippled through the darkness like echoes through murky water, sounding distant and far away.

"Stay with us bro. Hang on!"

They needed him.

He needed Them.

But he was sinking into the dark and the cold and the numbness. It was thick and pulled him down, further and further, away from the pain and away from Them.

"Please... Leo... We need you! Don't go!"

They were crying? No... no he couldn't leave them. Not now. Not ever!

Conjuring up every last ounce of his strength and will, he tried to force his way past the pain, past the cold, and past the darkness.

He needed to see Them! He needed to protect Them!

He managed to push his way through the intense pain to the very edge of the darkness. But for all his effort, he could only crack his blue eyes open a fraction.

It was dark. Rain was falling on him.

He couldn't get his eyes to focus like they should. But, just barely visible against a bright light, three shadowy forms hovered over him in the haze.

Red.

Purple.

Orange.

The three most important colors in the world.

And then he could hold on no longer, and the cold, silent darkness dragged him away.

The last thing he faintly heard was Their voices, the voices of his Shadows, begging him, "Leo! No! Don't leave us! LEONARDO!"

With a gasp, I bolted upright, my blanket flying back as sweat dripped down my face and back.

Still not completely awake, my eyes darted around the room as my heart beat wildly, looking desperately for any sight of Them in a panic.

There was nothing, just the bluish black shadows of early morning. I was still alone in the dark bedroom with its cracked wall plaster and water spots on the ceiling, decorated sparsely with my meager worldly possessions and a few posters taped to the faded wallpaper.

I had been dreaming again.

Groaning, I flopped back into my bed with the creak of old rusty springs. I ran my still trembling hand through my thick hair, damp with sweat as I tried to will my heartbeat back into a calmer, more normal rhythm.

That dream again.

Why did I keep having that dream? Why did those three shadows of red, orange, and purple haunt me? Who were they? And did they even exist?

Exhaling and trying to calm myself down, I turned my head to look at the alarm clock by my bed.

Four thirty in the morning. Great.

Biting my lower lip, I then sighed and decided that I wasn't going to be able to go back to sleep. Rolling over, I let my small legs hang over the side of the bed, still too short to get anywhere near touching the bare floor. I rubbed the last of sleep from my eyes with the palm of my hands, then slipped off and padded barefoot across the ancient and well worn wooden floor. Normally, anybody walking across these boards covered in old, chipped paint would elicit creaks and groans from the poorly maintained wood, but my small footsteps were silent and soundless.

I opened my bedroom door a crack and peeked out, looking up and down the dark hallway covered in peeling wallpaper. Quiet, except for the loud snoring of Mr. Acosta at the end of the hall. I was the only one in the building who seemed to be awake, which was just fine by me.

I quietly moved towards the bathroom door down the hall, and stopped and frowned when I saw a bleach blonde lady sprawled out in the old clawed foot tub. Again. Frowning, I quickly made my way over to her and checked on Miss Kay. Thankfully, the middle aged woman covered in thick, smeared makeup was actually clothed this time.

Convinced that she was just passed out again and not in need of medical intervention, I sighed and pulled the shower curtain across to give myself a little privacy while I quickly moved through the necessary morning routines. The sooner I could get out of this house and begin my daily routine, the better, though it seemed that I would be sneaking a shower over at the rec center again.

Dressed in my worn blue pajamas, I stood on a stool and brushed my teeth. I took a moment to glance into the cracked mirror. A quiet, serious child looked back with large, intense sapphire blue eyes that seemed almost out of place in the face of somebody obviously of asian ethnicity. Japanese, maybe? I really wouldn't mind that. Japanese culture had always had a strange appeal for me, and there were times when I thought of trying to find my way there some day. I felt like I might fit in better over there, under the cherry blossoms and ancient Shinto temples. But those were only fleeting thoughts. I considered New York City to be my true home, even back when I had only known of it from books and television. It was here my Shadows lived, after all, and it was here where I knew I would find them.

If they were actually real, of course, and I wasn't just crazy.

But, alas, that was my life. Looking for the brightly colored Shadows from my dreams, and constantly wondering if I'd one day end up locked in a mental institution.

Three Shadows. Always there were three shadows. Red, Purple, and Orange. I wanted to remember them. I needed to remember them! They had haunted me from my earliest memories. I felt like an amnesiac, wisps of memories lurking in my subconscious, just beyond my grasp. But somehow, deep down, I knew. They were real. They were real, and I needed to find them, to protect them. And, somehow, I knew that I would find them here in New York City.

The thing was, though, was that now I was in New York and there still wasn't the slightest sign of my three Shadows.

Ugh. Maybe I did deserve to be locked up in a looney bin somewhere.

Spitting into the cracked, stained sink, I rinsed my toothbrush off, then gathered up my supplies. I checked on Miss Kay one last time to make sure she was okay, then headed back to my dilapidated room to change and get ready for the day.

It was hours later, and I sat at the picnic table under the park's shelter, tapping the biology textbook in front of me with my pencil as I ignored all the joggers and people out walking. It was still fairly warm out for late September, and everybody seemed to be enjoying the golden sunshine and gentle breezes.

Just because I was living on my own didn't mean that I was going to let myself neglect my education. I made sure to research the proper lesson plans I should be following, and scrounged the library internet and book bargain bins for cheap and affordable educational materials. When I found my Shadows, I was determined I wasn't going to let them down. They deserved only the best, and that's what I aimed to be. That meant bettering myself in every way I possibly could.

I exhaled, and set my pencil down, running my hands over my face.

"I swear I'm not crazy!"

I paused, momentarily wondering if my inward thoughts had really suddenly just became audible. And... spoken in a female voice?

"Its coming from over here somewhere!" a woman's voice grew closer behind me, along the walking path, sounding tense and urgent.

"But... that's impossible, April!" a male voice answered. "You know that as well as I do."

The voices were heading closer. It sounded like they were leaving the path and walking towards the shelter I was in.

"I know, I know! But there's no mistaking it, Casey! It's definitely his aura I'm sensing!" the woman sounded shaken, and much closer.

I turned to look behind me, and my sapphire eyes met the shocked green eyes of a red haired woman who looked to be around thirty or so.

She went completely rigid as she stared at me.

"What?" the man next to her frowned, confused. He looked to be about the same age, with long, dark hair and heavily muscled with a definite scruffy look, wearing torn jeans and a hockey theme ripped shirt. He turned his perplexed glance towards me, and stiffened as well.

"Oh. Oh, wow." he finally swallowed hard, almost as mesmerized as his female companion. "Those... Those are some blue eyes right there."

I frowned, warily watching these two adult strangers who were just staring dumbly at me. "Um. Might I help you with something?" I finally asked cautiously.

That seemed to break them out of whatever shocked trance they were in.

"Oh!" the woman shook her head and rubbed the back of her head, obviously a little sheepish, but still stealing glances at me. "I apologize, you just reminded us of... a friend of ours."

"Hm." I pressed my lips together as I studied them both. For some reason, they almost seemed... familiar? Like somebody I known years ago, but forgotten? Which was crazy, of course. I was certain I had never seen these two before in my life.

I sighed. It was really didn't matter, they weren't my Shadows, and getting involved with strangers was never a good idea. Not wanting to give them any excuse to keep hanging around, I nodded politely to them and turned back to my school book.

But they didn't leave. Instead, they stood there, hesitant and throwing emotional looks at one another. It was like they were having a silent but intense conversation with just body language and facial expressions.

Maybe I wasn't the only crazy one here?

"Um..." the hockey guy finally stepped forward hesitantly. "Soooooo..." He seemed to be fishing for some reason, any reason, to keep talking to me. "Not that I should be one to judge but... shouldn't a kid your age be in school?"

I got that question a lot. I merely tapped the open book before me with my pencil meaningfully. "I'm homeschooled."

"Oh." he was quiet for a moment, then stepped over to glance at my book, though he was obviously trying to sneak sidelong looks at me without my notice.

I noticed, of course.

"Don't you need somebody teachin' you or something, though?"

I shrugged. "I am quite responsible for my age."

"I bet." the red haired woman sounded like that information wasn't anything unexpected. They exchanged looks behind my back, apparently still silently communicating without words, and then she gingerly sat down next to me, her smile strained but friendly and, oddly, hopeful. "I'm April, and this is Casey."

"Casey Jones, to be exact." the scruffy man puffed up a little proudly.

Hm. I tilted my head and looked them over. Normally when nosy adults came over and began bothering me, I subtly but politely slipped away, avoiding the unwanted attention that could potentially lead to any form of authority being called on me. But... but some part of me wanted to know more about these two. They reminded me of my three Shadows, for some reason.

"Good morning. My name is Leo." I nodded politely, inwardly wondering why I was telling them that.

Both of them choked at that, and I jumped and blinked, startled by their reactions.

"Leo, huh?" Casey asked with a squeak, obviously trying to keep his voice normal, but failing badly. He cleared his throat and rubbed the back of his head. "Ah... Just curious, is that short for something? Like, I dunno, Leopold or Leon or something?"

"Leonardo, actually." I wondered what that had to do with anything.

Casey threw up his hands and began pacing. "Okay! That's it! Too weird for me!"

"I'm... sorry?" I eyed him warily. Did... did I say something wrong?

"No!" April was quick to reassure me. I turned to look at her, and was surprised to see her quickly trying to wipe tears from her eyes. "No, you didn't do anything wrong at all, Leo." she almost breathed my name reverently as she spoke it. "It's just..." she took a deep breath. "Our friend, the one I said you reminded us of? His name was Leonardo as well." She gave an awkward, obviously forced chuckle. "What a wild coincidence, huh?"

I stared at her for a moment. His name 'was'? Hm.

"Casey, settle down." April reached over to put a hand on his muscled arm. "We don't want to make Leo nervous."

"Right! Right." Casey took a deep breath, trying to calm his nerves. "Sorry."

These two were acting strange. Something was definitely going on. The question was, why wasn't my internal alarm triggered yet? If I was smart, I would try to get as far from them as I could. In fact, if they had been anybody else, I would've been gone a long time ago.

But, once again, I was apparently crazy.

"You are fine." I reassured him with a slight, shy smile. I picked up my pencil and turned back to my homework, and then added conversationally. "I don't think I've ever seen you two at this park before."

"It's not our normal stomping ground." Casey admitted. "We just had some... business in the area. Business that we took care of good." He gave a wicked grin as he punched a fist into an open palm, obviously replayed memories of that 'business' internally.

April elbowed him with a dirty look. "Yes. We went shopping for furniture. Right?" she said tersely.

He coughed and deflated. "Oh. Right. Yeah. Shopping. Needed a new couch."

I narrowed my eyes at them. I could see a few bruises starting to form on Casey's skinned up knuckles, but decided not to press the issue.

"It is a nice park, though." April said casually, obviously trying to make the conversation flow naturally. "Do you come here often, Leo?"

I shrugged absently. "Sometimes. I find studying in the outdoors pleasant."

"Do you live around here? Oh, I suppose you have a family! What are they like?" April leaned forward eagerly, obviously excited and curious. "Why are you here alone? Do your parents work during the day or something? Do you have any brothers or sisters?"

"Um, no. I don't live in this neighborhood. I took the bus to get here." I stiffened a little, suddenly wary. I didn't need strangers prying into my life, and there were limits to my crazy, common sense had to come into play somewhere. I put my pencil down cautiously. "And I don't mean to sound rude, but that's not really information I should probably share with strangers I just met."

April's eyes widened, and she held up her hands. "Oh! Wait! No! I'm so sorry, Leo. I didn't mean to come off as creepy or anything!" She groaned and facepalmed. "Really, I am sorry. I'm sometimes too nosy for my own good. It's a trait that often gets me in trouble."

My common sense was screaming at me to get out of this situation. I was a kid all alone who was constantly skirting that one phone call that would lead to me being dragged away by the authorities to a place where I couldn't find my Shadows. The last thing I needed was to get myself involved with extremely nosy, strange adults, even if they seemed to have good intentions.

My heart, though, desperately wanted to stay. I wanted to trust these two. Their auras were warm and comfortable and oddly familiar.

I nodded cautiously, and picked my pencil back up. "S'okay."

Casey, obviously hurriedly fishing around for a diversion or change of topic, noticed my porcelain cup, and peered at it curiously. "Wait. Leo. Are you drinking... tea?!" he choked.

"Yes. Jasmine tea." Albeit a very, very cheap brand, it was one of the few indulgences I allowed myself. I got the hot water from that gas station down the block.

"But you're like... seven!" Casey looked at me, baffled. "Shouldn't you be drinking juice or pop or something?"

I knew I was small for my age, but why did people always assume I was so much younger then I was?

"I'm ten, actually." I corrected him, and ignored the small gasp from April, her hand flying up to her mouth. Was this sort of reaction about anything and everything normal for them? If so, that must be an exhausting way to go through life. "And tea is much healthier for you then sugary drinks."

Casey threw up his hands. "Of course. Of course it is. Next you'll be telling me that veggie pizza is your favorite!"

I... wasn't really sure what that had to do with tea. "I'm... not sure? I've never actually had the chance to try any type of pizza before."

April and Casey froze, and then stared at me in shocked disbelief.

"Wait. You've never had pizza? Like, any pizza?" Casey's mouth dropped open.

I rubbed my arms awkwardly. Cooking had always been an area I struggled with, and now that I was here in New York, my finances were too limited to splurge on such things. "I've been... tempted to try it." I admitted. "But the opportunity has never come up."

April glanced at my textbook. "You're studying Biology?"

I looked down at my homework, then up at her and nodded.

"I actually have studied that a lot alongside my husband." she gave me a warm smile. "Tell you what, it's almost lunch time, and Casey and I were going to grab some pizza for lunch anyways. How about I help you with your homework while Casey runs out and grabs some pizzas for us? Our treat."

I hesitated for a second.

"You can't live in New York and not have had pizza. It's against the law or something." she added playfully, hopefully. "Consider this two Big Apple natives trying to right a terrible injustice in the cosmos."

I bit my lip. On one hand, accepting food and trusting these strangers so much was a stupid, foolish thing to do. On the other, my financial situation made a free lunch extremely tempting.

Plus, I really, REALLY wanted to try pizza!

"I'm studying cellular structures right now." I said shyly.

April and Casey exchanged excited, elated looks. It was strange, the vibes I got from them were that they were honestly, genuinely intrigued by me. But why?

"Well, sit tight, kiddo." Casey said cheerfully. "I happen to know of the best pizza place for miles around. You're in for a treat!" He winked at me. "You'll need it after dealing with April for a bit. She's a bossy know it all when it comes to science stuff."

"I am not!" April smacked him playfully, and I couldn't help but chuckle at their banter.

And that was how I learned three new things that afternoon.

The first thing I learned was that it was so much easier to learn things with somebody explaining it!

It turned out that April was a smart as she claimed she was, and it was almost like she knew me already and how my mind worked. She was patient, kind, and funny, though every once in a while I could swear I could see tears welling up in her eyes when she looked at me.

The second thing that I learned was what culinary delights I had been missing all these ten years of my life.

Casey came back with three boxes of heavenly smelling pizzas, and with an all-knowing smirk put a pizza topped with sweet red onions, black olives, green peppers, and mushrooms in front of me. I wasn't really sure why he had chosen those particular toppings, but he almost acted proud of them, like he already knew they were my favorite. Strange, as I had just told them I never had tried it before.

I thanked them politely for the food, determined to be polite and mind my manners. Then I took a slice of pizza and tentatively took one bite.

The next thing I knew, I had an entire empty box sitting in front of me while I was licking sauce and cheese off of my fingers. I froze, mortified when I realized what I had just done, but Casey and April laughed, not at all offended and in fact acting like they had expected it.

I had the sneaking suspicion that April had even snuck in a picture or two while I was distracted.

They had stuck around after that, and it was like hanging out with two long lost friends. April continued to help me with my homework, apparently quite educated in more then just science, and Casey, for the most part, just goofed off. He actually made me laugh out loud a few times, something I hadn't done in a very long time, and I began to realize just how lonely I actually was.

Then, all too soon, the small watch clipped to my Captain Ryan backpack began beeping, and I leaned over to check the time, before turning off the alarm with a disappointed sigh. "I have to go." I said regretfully, gathering up my books and pushing them into the bag.

"Oh. Already?" April said, the smile fading slightly. She rubbed the back of her head. "That's... that's too bad."

I shouldered my backpack, and turned to give them a polite bow. "Thank you so much for helping me with my homework, and for the pizza, Miss April and Mr Jones."

"It's just April and Casey." Casey gave me a friendly cuff on the hair. "And it was our pleasure. Honestly. You... you're a good kid, Leo." He seemed to choke up a little.

April rubbed her arm. "Um... Leonardo? Will... will you be back at this park again? Perhaps we'll... see you again?"

I gnawed at my lower lip for a second, and then came to a decision. I wasn't going to run from this. I would take that leap of faith and trust them. "I usually get here about six each morning, and stay until two. If you're ever in the area again, I wouldn't mind..." I trailed off.

April and Casey grinned at each other, and then the scruffy hockey dude nodded at me. "Well, I have a feeling we'll probably be couch shopping again tomorrow, so we'll bring lunch again. Sound good?"

"Yeah... I look forward to it." I grinned and bowed a little in farewell, before I turned and took off. I'd have to hurry to make my bus in time, but I didn't mind the run.

The third thing I had learned today was that I think I might enjoy having friends.

"Oh, there you guys are! You're way late!" Mikey's face lit up as the two humans walked back into the lair. "Donnie was starting to panic, and Raph was threatening to punch him to make him sit down."

"I wasn't panicking. Don't exaggerate, Mikey." Donnie scolded him, striding over to run a thumb over April's hair and give her a peck on the cheek. "You are much later then we expected though. Did the antique dealer give you more trouble then you thought?"

"Huh? Oh, him." Casey waved it off distractedly, as if the main objective of their whole trip was nothing more then a background detail. "Turns out that the 'artifact' was really plastic and made in China, and he was just some two bit con-man. Had to punch out both him and his bodyguard, though."

"Something... something else came up, though." April swallowed hard, rubbing her arm.

Donnie noticed this immediately and looked concerned. "Is everything okay, April?"

She gave a laugh, and wiped a tear away. "Better then okay! You'll never believe what we found today!"

"Ooh, what? What?!" Mikey hopped around them excited. He quickly began circling them like a vulture. "Did you bring it home with you? I smell pizza, did you have pizza? Did you bring home pizza? Is that the surprise?! Did you find some new, mystical type of pizza topping?!"

"Even better!" April grinned through tears that she finally let fall.

Mikey's face looked doubtful that anything could top pizza-related surprises.

Donnie, however, was starting to look concerned at his wife's tears. "April, what's going on?"

"Raph's in the dojo?" Casey asked eagerly, and at Mikey's nod, he turned towards the indicated room to fetch the red turtle. "He's going to want to hear this!"

A few minutes later, and they were all seated around the table, Raph with a towel around his neck to wipe away the sweat, Mikey balanced on a stool eagerly, and Donnie sitting by April, arm around her.

"So what's the big news?" Raph asked brusquely, taking a drink of water.

April and Casey looked at one another, obviously wondering where even to begin.

"Okay." April shakily ran her hands over her face. "So... where do I even start?" She began tentatively. "Do... do you guys believe in reincarnation?"

The turtles looked at one another, confused.

"Suppose we've seen crazier shit in our lives." Raph shrugged. "Why not?"

"Right. So..."April swallowed hard. "How do I put this...?"

Casey let his hands hit the table and stood up resolutely. "You know what? I'm going to rip the band aid off fast and in one go." He turned to the turtles. "April and I came across this ten year old kid who's super polite and responsible, chooses to drink jasmine tea over sugary drinks, has a Space Heroes backpack, absolutely demolishes veggie pizza, has the most intense blue eyes you've ever seen, and his name is Leonardo."

The three turtles froze.

"Wh... what?" Mikey finally breathed hoarsely.

Donnie looked strained. "Casey... this... this isn't funny. At all."

"He's not joking, guys. We would never joke about something like this." April put a hand on his arm. "We were walking through the park on the way home, when suddenly I could feel Leo's aura nearby. At first I thought I was going crazy, but then we saw him, and... and those eyes! Even though he was a human kid, there's no mistaking those clear sapphire blue eyes!" She ran a sleeve across her face, wiping away the tears.

"You're... you're serious?" Mikey swallowed hard. "You're really saying that Leo... Leo's back?"

"I'm pretty sure that Leo's been reincarnated." April corrected him tearfully. "Into the most adorable human kid ever!" she rushed out as she finally broke down and let all the tears burst forth, sobbing. "Y-you guys should see him! The quiet and graceful way he moved and talked... Th-the slight smiles, the wave of h-his hands! The w-way that he just studies you quiet w-with his eyes, all his mannerisms, every... everything was just so... so LEO."

"During lunch, I let a big ol' belch rip out." Casey added. "Do you guys remember the look Leo used to give me when I did that? Well, it was all there. Playing out exactly like it used to, only this time on a human kid's face. The slightly horrified look, then the eyebrow raise, the disapproving lip purse, and then finally the eyeroll and sigh of resignation. He did it all!"

"That's... that's impossible." Donnie breathed out, then looked up shakily. "Wait. You... said that this human child was ten years old?"

Casey nodded. "That's what he told us."

They were all quiet for a moment, digesting this. It had been a little over ten years since... since that day.

Then there was a loud crash, and they all looked over to see that Raphael, who had been standing in shocked silence up to this point, had fainted.

Author Notes:

Fun fact. Pizza Hut ran a promotion where they had TMNT themed pizzas, one with each of the turtle's 'favorite' toppings. I'm not sure if that's canon or not, but I decided to run with it.

For anybody curious, these were the toppings:

Michelangelo: pepperoni, smoked ham, pineapple, and jalepenos;
Donatello: chicken, mushrooms, green peppers, Roma tomatoes;
Leonardo: sweet red onions, black olives, green peppers, mushrooms;
Raphael: pepperoni, sausage, bacon, and beef.