Hey everyone. :) Oh my gosh. 2 chapters back to back?! Without updating Madman's Revenge?! Hahahaha. Well I'm at the end of my spring break and seeing all the "update soon" reviews the last chapter, I felt really motivated to write this chapter. I just want to say that I hope all of you enjoy this installment. I've said this before, but I never expected so many people to read this and actually enjoy it (3,000+ views! And from 30 different countries!). It's crazy when I think about how when I started I thought it'd only be 1-2 chapters and now it's turned into 14 chapters… :D Enough rambling from me. I'll see you guys below ;)

I still don't own the turtles and am really sad to say that I probably never will :(

-x-

-Present time-

April sat in the complete silence that had taken up residence in Leo's room. The blue-eyed leader had been lost in his thoughts for going on nearly three minutes and she was starting to feel uncomfortable. She had watched his eyes become darker and darker, and there was even a period of time where she could have sworn they had turned nearly black! 'I was just imagining it.' She eventually managed to convince herself.

A rustling at the door brought the three other boys to her attention. She puffed her cheeks as she huffed in annoyance. "Leo may be willing to ignore the three eavesdroppers, but I'm sure not." Turning a glare in their direction, an idea suddenly popped into her head. 'If Leo isn't talking around me…maybe…' Deciding she had no better ideas to try, she walked over to the door. As she opened it, she met the startled gazes of three turtles.

"Well, hi, April!" Mikey exclaimed with a huge grin on his face. Under her accusing stare, his grin wilted and he asked, "How'd you know we were here?"

"Well other than the rustling, the bickering and the shadows under the door," she stated in an amused way, "I'm a kunoichi now."

Raph gave Mikey a withering glare, smacking him upside the head as he complained, "See? You mess up everything!"

Unperturbed, Mikey shrugged and rolled his eyes at the hothead. And Raph looked about ready to tackle his baby brother into submission.

Ignoring his brothers, Donnie looked intensely into April's eyes and muttered, "How's he doing?"

Immediately, Mikey and Raph stopped what they were doing and returned their attention to April. She swallowed nervously under the combined power of their three curious and concerned stares. "He hasn't said anything for a while. I think he's lost inside his head."

"Of course he is!" Raph growled in his mounting fury.

Mikey and Donnie's gazes shifted between April, Raph and each other. Their forlorn expressions caused April's heart to clench inside her chest before she boldly stated, "I have a plan."

Feeling their eager gazes peering into the depths of her clear blue eyes, April explained her plan to help Leo – and the whole family although she didn't mention it – get past what happened five years ago.

"Let's do this!" "I think this will work!" "All together bros!" came their eager responses.

Grinning, April led the way back into Leo's dark room, feeling quite proud of herself.

Almost immediately after they entered, Leo stirred, giving April an annoyed glare and asked, "What are you doing, April?"

"I'm bringing in allies," came her hasty response. "I didn't think you'd mind. After all, you knew that they were listening in before I did."

"That was different," Leo sighed, his gaze lowering to the ground as he spoke.

Raph pushed forward, his green eyes smoldering as he growled, "How so, Fearless? Tell me!" 'Trust me!' he thought angrily, hurt beyond belief that his big brother still continued to hold it all in.

If Leo flinched at being called by that hated nickname, April didn't see it. What she did see, however, was how he attempted to retreat within himself. Scowling, she pulled out her trump card. "Leonardo," she yelled, using his full name for effect, "can't you see that your brothers are being affected as well?"

That got Leo's full attention. He opened his mouth as if to speak but then slammed it shut, shaking his head in a silent protest. He was tired and he – he hated to admit it – was terrified to hear how his brothers still feared or hated him.

For the past five years he had desperately wanted to believe that it had never happened. That he hadn't really injured his brother, that he hadn't really encountered Kage. But every time he meditated and saw that he wasn't alone in his Mind, he knew that it wasn't just a nightmare. Every time he saw Raph, he was reminded of his crime.

Seeing that Leo was beginning to panic, April glanced over at Raph and mouthed GO!

Raph nodded and tackled his brother off of the bed where he sat and onto the floor. As Leo's eyes went wide with shock, Raph yelled, "Fearless! You need to trust me!" His vision became blurry as he started to choke back his sobs, "We're brothers! I've always got your back! And…I forgave you already! It wasn't your fault!"

Leo turned his head away from his brother and stared at the wall across from him. He did remember Raph saying that he had forgiven him all those years ago, but it didn't change the fact he felt he didn't deserve it. He hadn't suffered long enough to make up for the pain and trauma he had caused. His voice too shaky to speak with more authority, he whispered, "I do trust you. But you're wrong. Everything that happens is always my fault."

"Dammit Fearless!" Raph was screaming now, his typical response to emotional anguish threatening to kick in at any second. He punched the floor right in front of Leo's face with his fist, bringing Leo's attention back to the temperamental turtle on top of him. "How many times do I have to say it?! It's my fault! April told me! You don't remember everything! So how can you be so damn sure that I am in the clear! Huh? Tell me how I didn't deserve it after everything I said! Tell me how I didn't push you over the edge!"

April, Mikey and Donnie were watching the two oldest brothers in complete silence. April couldn't believe the words that were coming out Raph's mouth. She'd never heard them use that language before. It got to the point that she didn't think they even knew swear words. She leaned in closer to Donnie and whispered, "Does he always talk like this?"

"Only when he's really upset," he replied just as quietly.

"I remember enough!" Leo's raised voice brought April's attention back to the action in front of her. Leo's eyes were stern as he stared unflinchingly into Raph's face, continuing his previous line of thought, "I remember becoming angry! I remember making you hate me! I remember giving you those scars! I remember scaring our little brothers! That's why I don't deserve it, Raphael!"

"And why the shell not?!"

"Because..." Leo drew in a deep breath, calming himself back down before he continued, "I should have had better self control. I shouldn't have allowed myself to become angry. I shouldn't have let you all pay the price for my own weakness."

Raph stared at his brother in disbelief, struggling to understand just what Leo was saying. After it finally sunk in, he swallowed and spoke hoarsely, "You were just a kid. You tried…so hard…but I…I wanted a fight..." Raph's voice died, his desperate gaze turning to one of the younger brothers.

Seeing that Raph was no longer able to speak, Mikey joined in, "Dude, you can't keep doing this." Leo turned his attention to the youngest, watching with a calm expression as Mikey spoke, "I wasn't scared of you. I was scared because I thought you really believed everything Raph said. You have to believe me!"

Leo blinked, confused about what his orange-clad brother was saying. He looked at April to see if she had a clue as to what was going on but when she kept her eyes focused on Mikey's face, he followed suit.

Seeing that Leo was completely clueless, Mikey shook his head sadly. "This is why I hate seeing you like this. You always blame yourself even when it isn't your fault. You protect us even when we don't want it." Tears started to run down his face as he sunk to his knees and sobbed, "You're the best big brother I could ever have! I just want you to let yourself feel happy or sad or angry or scared. I want you to be free, Leo."

"I can't afford to be like that, Mikey. I've hurt all of you." Leo's eyes bounced between all three of his brothers before finally resting on that accursed scar that Raph wore on his shell. "Some more obvious than others…" he muttered to himself quietly.

"Yeah, we were hurt. But so were you, Leonardo." Donnie spoke after a brief moment of silence had settled over them. "Splinter told us about how you were going to meditate for a while. But then you started getting injured. They just kept popping up! I couldn't fix you fast enough. You were in pain and I couldn't do anything to help. I was so afraid we were going to lose you. I never want to feel that again."

'Just look at them, Leonardo-sama.' A teasing voice called out to him from inside his head. 'That red-head was right you know. Your brothers have some severe issues. …And you're not as bad as you think.'

'Oh, so you like me now? What's the deal?'

'Pfft. Don't get the wrong idea, kid.'

Forgetting that he wasn't alone in the room, Leo muttered, "Whatever you say, Kage."

This definitely caught Donnie's interest. Somewhere in the vast expanse of his mind he remembered the time when he last heard the name "Kage."

-Flashback: Donnie-

"Is Kage gone?"

"He's still in my head, Sensei."

Donnie couldn't do anything but watch as his brother Leo fell into unconsciousness. His attention turned to his sensei and the expression on the rat's face nearly broke him. "Sensei? Who's Kage?" he asked hesitantly, hoping against hope that answer would be good.

Master Splinter let out a defeated sigh and turned around to face Don and his brothers. "Donatello, Raphael, and Michelangelo. I am afraid that Leonardo's sanity is in peril."

"WHAT?!" Donnie yelled simultaneously with his brothers, his shock causing his voice to rise in pitch.

"My sons, Leonardo felt exceedingly guilty for his actions today. In response, he took it upon himself to partake in a very extreme ritual." Sensei was silent for a while before he continued, "Kage is a being who appeared before Leonardo in his Mind as a result. This…shadow claimed to be the embodiment of Leonardo's truest emotions. What I sensed from it…if this creature had anything to do with what happened to my old friend, then the very knowledge that Leonardo claims that Kage is still inside his head means that Leonardo was unable to defeat it."

"What does that mean, Sensei?" Donnie asked, fearing the answer that he had already guessed would greet his ears.

"It means that if Leonardo ever becomes too emotional, his inner world could collapse and he would fall into insanity."

Donnie stood in stunned silence, turning a wide-eyed glance to each of his brothers who were also like statues. Sure, Sensei had mentioned the possibility before he had gone to help Leo in the other realm. But now, it was completely different. 'Leo…lost? Leo's…in danger?...I don't believe it! No! Leo couldn't have lost! Aniki never loses!...unless he faces Sensei…but still!' His mind spun, rejecting the very idea that his big brother could ever lose.

"Master Splinter," Donnie heard Raph choke out, "how can we help him?"

Another long silence stretched out between the four of them before Father finally said, "I do not know."

"I know!" Mikey exclaimed happily. "I'll just cheer him up whenever he gets upset!"

Donnie couldn't help but gaze warmly at the optimistic turtle. Mikey's huge grin had the ability to make all the problems in the world go away. However, this time not even Mikey's grin could make it all better. He kept his mouth shut when he saw Raph and Splinter give him a cautionary stare. 'Better to let Mikey stay optimistic about this while he can.' He thought as his eyes dropped down to his unconscious brother on the couch. 'I mean, I know that it all depends on you, Aniki. But I can pretend for Mike. It's what you'd want me to do.'

-Present time-

"So Kage is still around, huh Leonardo?" Donnie pressed, his brown eyes narrowed to slits.

Leo didn't know what surprised him more. The fact that his brother said Kage's name, or the accusation that lay bare in the seemingly innocent question. He hesitated before answering, "Well…yeah. He's still in my Mind."

"Well why haven't you gotten rid of him?! He's a monster!" Donnie's voice tightened as anger started to burn within him. "You're stronger than he is! You're better! Don't you know what could happen to you if you get emotional? To us? Don't you care that he'll destroy you?!"

Leo flinched beneath the power of his brother's fury. If Raph's temper was like an erupting volcano, then Donnie's was cataclysmic. Don just had a longer fuse, but woe to the brother who is nearby when the bomb explodes. "Of course I do! And that's why he's still here!" He protested, feeling hurt that his brother could even think that he didn't care about what happened to them.

"What do you mean 'that's why he's still here'?" Donnie asked, his expression and tone struggling to calm down after his earlier outburst.

"I mean that Kage is the one who has been helping me with my self control. I was too weak all those years ago. So I would meditate, speak with him and now I have a pretty good hold on my emotions because of his help. We have a special agreement and like it or not he's here to stay."

'It is annoying having to teach a brat how to hold your leash.' Kage's voice called out again.

'You may not like it, but at least having a leash means that someone cares enough about you to keep you close.' Leonardo thought in response. He smiled internally when he found that Kage didn't have a retort ready for that.

With all that she had heard, April finally understood just why everyone had reacted the way they did when she reported what she had seen in Leo's eyes. Her curiosity getting the better of her, she asked, "So did Kage take control of you earlier today against the Footbots?"

After a brief moment of hesitation, Leo nodded and said, "Yes. I wasn't in the right state of mind, so Kage took control." When he saw the shocked, outraged and horrified expressions on everyone's faces he quickly added, "I already told you. We have a special agreement. And he wouldn't betray me. I trust him."

He watched and waited as everyone visibly relaxed, and he realized that he too felt more at peace. When he gazed at his hands, he found that he didn't hate them anymore. Or at least, not to the extent that he used to. On some level, Leo knew that he would never be able to completely let all his guilt go. It was too ingrained into his psyche to never pick up his katana out of anger because of the guilt he felt. But he could at least revel in the fact that his brothers didn't fear or hate him, and that was good enough for him.

April couldn't help but smile as she observed the change that occurred over the boys. 'I think I've accomplished what I needed to do here today.' she thought with pride. Placing her hands on her hips she ordered, "Okay now. Group hug. Go on."

She was content to stand outside the circle and watch, but that wasn't what her brothers had in mind. Without asking her for her opinion, they pulled her into the circle and they all stood clustered together for about thirty seconds, wearing silly grins on their faces.

When their hug ended, Mikey, Donnie and Raph each cast mischievous glances at each other and began to affectionately bicker as they left Leo's room.

"We should stomp some sleaze balls!" "No. We should watch Super Robo Mecha Force Five!" "How about I show you guys the modifications I made to the Shell Raiser?" "NO!"

April shook her head with a smile as she watched them leave. When she turned her attention back to Leo, she was surprised to find herself wrapped up in another hug from the blue-eyed leader. She heard him mutter, "Thank you…for everything."

"But I didn't do anything." She protested softly.

"Wrong. You forced me to face my…demons from the past. I'm better now. And so are my brothers. All thanks to you."

April was touched to say the least. Choking back her tears she whispered, "Need help fixing your bed? Raph messed it up when he tackled you earlier."

Leo laughed and let go of her, "Haha. No. I've got it."

As she turned to walk out of his room, she heard Leo say, "Watashi wa hanata wo nogashita, chiinee-san."

April froze before stepping out, trying to remember what Japanese she had managed to learn before her grudge got in the way of their friendship. Smiling, she replied, "Watashi mo, chiinii-san."

"Arigatou."

April ended up spending the rest of the day with the brothers, only returning home to eat dinner with her aunt back home. On her way home, she found her thoughts consumed by how special each and every one of the boys were to her heart. Leonardo, the dedicated leader who would do anything to ensure that his family didn't have to suffer. Raphael, the passionate hot-head who is more of a softie than he lets on. Donatello, the genius who, when he isn't being awkward, is one of the sweetest people she could ever know. And finally, Michelangelo, the goofball who hates to see the people he cares about feeling upset.

Before she walked into her house, she declared loudly to herself, "From now on, whenever anything tries to tear them apart, I will be there to help put them back together." As she walked into her home and gave her aunt a hug, she had one last thought run through her head. 'Zutto.'

-END-

Wow. I can't believe I've actually done it. :D Hahaha. Sorry if the ending was really fluffy and a little cheesy. –ducks and hides under a blanket in shame—have mercy on me! I felt like I owed it to Leo to give him a good ending here…you know, since I pretty much tore him to shreds throughout this entire story.

Quick Japanese lessons: "Aniki" = "Big brother"; "Watashi wa hanata wo nogashita, chiinee-san" = "I missed you, little big-sister"; "Watashi mo, chiinii-san" = "Me too, little big brother"; "Arigatou" = "Thank you"; "Zutto" = "Forever".

A huge thank you to everyone who ever wrote a review for this story! I really appreciated all the feedback. And if I didn't send you a message thanking you for favoriting/following, I apologize. I just got so mixed up on which favoriters/followers I had messaged so I stopped after sending 8 of them. I also want to thank Fantasia Wandering once again for giving me the inspiration for this. I couldn't have done it without all of you.

I love you all! –gives hugs and kisses to everyone– I'll see you guys later ;)

-Ariane