Life Just Got Weird

Chapter 28

A/N: Thank you for being so much for your patient! A lot has been happening. We are close to reaching the end of our story and there will be two different endings. Thank you again and I apologize for the wait.

Disclaimer: I don't anyone or anything from the TMNT universe.

Review Replies from Chapter 27:

Sairey13: Thank you so much for the review. As for what has happened to Leonardo and what the serum was for, you will have to find out as this story continues ;). Hope you enjoy this chapter! Thanks again! :) :) :)

MoonMaiden7241969: Yeah, Leo's going through a lot right now ;). Sorry for the wait in update; I hope this chapter is worth it!

leggo lover 99: I'm glad you like Shredder's part. It was interesting writing in his P.O.V for the first time ;). He is definitely going to get it once Leo's family finds him ;P. Thank you so much for reviewing! Hope you like this chapter!

Miwa's P.O.V

Leaning over Raph's seat as he drives toward Shredder's Lair, I impatiently tap my finger against the leather. So badly my mind craves for Leo, my son, to be in my arms. My heart continues to pound painfully in my chest as images of what they could be doing to him flash through me.

"Please, try to have patience, Miwa," my father says behind me. My gaze moves from the front window to him, searching his dark orbs. "We will bring him home."

"I know," I tell him, swallowing hard before returning to my original position. "I'm just feeling anxious, I guess."

"How do you think I feel? I have to wait in the Shellraiser while you guys get all the action!" Raph's voice held a joking tone, but there was a hidden layer of anger and disappointment. Even though he didn't voice it, I know for a fact that he was upset with his assigned position. If I were to be in his place, I would be feeling the exact same way.

"Don't worry, Raphie, we won't be keeping you waiting for too long. And once we get back, you can be our crazy, reckless getaway driver! How many people get that kind of opportunity?" Mikey asks, his voice uplifting and cheerfully. A smile somehow makes its way across my face, even despite the current problem we are wrapped up in.

"How are you feeling Mikey?" my brother in purple asks, his eyes narrowed in curiosity and concern. The only reason Donnie has agreed to allow him to join was because of how critical it is for getting Leo out.

"Besides a killer headache and an upset stomach, I'm A-okay!"

Donnie nods in understanding before looking down at the computer screen in front of him. "Okay, Raph, stop here. This will give us enough distance to stay close to Shredder's Lair without getting detected." Raph presses his foot onto the brake, causing the van to suddenly slow to a stop. My hand tightens Raph's seat for some extra support until the Shellraiser comes to a complete stop. "Okay, guys. Make sure you have your earpiece in and on. We will stay and radio contact the whole time."

"Rodger that, Purple Leader!" Mikey chimed through the walkie talkie part of his ear piece. Watching Donnie roll his eyes at our younger brother, I couldn't help but smirk. Honestly, I don't think there is anyway I could get annoyed by Mikey's attempts to always keep us smiling.

"Stay cautious and vigilant, my children," Master Splinter says. "We stay together and fight united."

"Hai, Sensei," we all say at once. The sound of our voices replying in unison causes a shiver to snake up my spine and a warm, proud feeling to enter my chest.

Raphael gives us all a nod before opening the doors. Taking a deep breath, I make my way onto the streets of New York. My family follows behind me as I move towards Shredder's Lair, determined to find my son.

We walk in silence, stopping at the steps of the tall, dark building we have left our home for. Standing next to my father and Donnie, my mind begins to replay memories of when I looked upon this building as a teenager, when I use to live here and look up to the Shredder. It's a shame that those days were nothing but lies. Swallowing hard, I turn to look at my real family. Mikey's blue eyes meet mine and he gives me a reassuring smile with a green thumbs-up. Returning with a small smile of my own, I turn towards Master Splinter, waiting for him to give the order.

"I will handle the Shredder while you three search for Leonardo. We will leave as soon as he is in our position; he could need immediate medical attention."

At my father's words, I can feel my heart beat faster and my face grow pale. Despite the truth he speaks, visions of Leo bloody and unconscious in a cold, dark cell flash before me. Anger returns to me like a spark catching a field of dry grass on fire. Nodding in understanding, I position myself ready to quickly jump into Shredder's Lair, adrenaline already beginning to flow through me.

"Let's go get Leo back," Mikey says, a layer of seriousness painting his voice. It sounds foreign but right at the same time.

As one, we charge into the building, Father and Donnie kicking the doors open. We are immediately greeted by a swarm of Foot soldiers; images of myself being held captive swarm my mind before me. Allowing anger to flow within me, I pull out my tanto blade, slicing through my enemies. The battle around me becomes a blur of motion, my mind unable to follow my family as they fight for my son, for Leonardo. A large amount of sparks flash in front of my eyes as the last Foot soldier falls in front of me, causing me to snap back into reality. Then, a soft, gentle hand rests against my shoulder. Looking up over my shoulder, I find my father, giving me a proud smile and a gentle nod. We were both excited and anxious to finally see Leo again.

A loud scream pierces the quiet air around us, causing my body to stiffen and tense. There was no mistaking the voice that strikes my heart; I have heard that scream multiple times while I was captive. No matter how many times his yell of pain reached my ears, my heart could never harden against the pain. Every time felt like the first time, making me panic and be filled with heartache and fear.

"Leonardo!" I cry out, racing down the hallway. I ignore my family chasing behind me and calling my name; I am too focused on reaching the holding cells. On my mission, however, I am forced to slid to a stop. Swallowing down my fear, I allow a small growl of anger to climb up my throats as I come face-to-face with the man I have before called "Father." Behind him stands his goons and Foot ninjas, appearing to be ready for a fight. Good, I am, too. Removing my tango from its sheath once again, I take a step forward. A hand stops me, though, causing me to look up and find Master Splinter staring at the Shredder with a great amount of hate.

"I will take care of Saki," he mutters quietly. "Fight against his army; we must reach Leonardo as soon as possible."

"Fool," Shredder hisses. "It is already too late; you have failed your child!"

His words are like a gunshot, starting the battle instantly. No matter how much my blood boils to get revenge on the Shredder, I instead run to meet Tigerclaw, letting Splinter take on the monster. Their hatred and war has started so much before my time, causing the battle wounds to strike deep and powerful. They need to finish this themselves; it's the way it has to go.

Tigerclaw's machete meets my tanto, our strength pushing against each other. While my opponent is busy fighting against my blade, my eyes dart to study my family. Master Splinter and the Shredder are further away from the battle, too focused on each other. Donnie swipes Xever's feet from under him, taking the time to knock down two Footbots as well. Mikey dodges a strike from Bradford, swinging his nunchucks towards the back of his head. As the wood meets the dog-mutant's skin, my younger brother lands on a Footbot, causing it to crumble and spark. Proudly smirking at the strength my family possesses, I return my attention to my own opponent.

I twist my body, causing Tigerclaw's weight to push him forward and off-balance. Assisting gravity, I send a powerful kick to his back. Hearing him growl, I watch him turn around a begin shooting at my with his laser gun. Being light on my foot and moving quickly, I swing my blades to oncoming Footbots, trying to shorten Shredder's army.

Something hard strikes my legs, causing them to swing out from underneath me. Although I try to put my hands out to touch the ground first and accept most of the impact, I can still feel most of the air escape my lungs. Looking up, I find a Footbot, glaring down at me with it's red, blank eyes. Moving quickly, it pulls out a Katana, obviously attempting to strike me and possibly end me. Before I can grab my tanto to block the attack, the robot ninja is shot by a laser, falling to the ground. Surprise fills me as my eyes widen, I couldn't have expected that to happen.

A large paw grabs me by the front of my clothing, lifting me up and pushing me against the wall. Sharp, cool metal touches my neck harshly as my eyes meet Tigerclaw's golden ones. Forcing myself not to swallow, I continue to glare at him. "You have kidnapped, tortured, and hurt my son and I," I whisper darkly to him. "He is nothing but a child anymore! How can you just let this happen? What happened to honor?"

Something changes in his eyes as I speak, something I can't place a name on. My body doesn't move when I feel his machete loosen it's bite. As his face moves closer to mind, I can feel my heart rapidly beat in a panic.

"He is being held in the same cell you both were in before," he whispers to me. Another rush of surprise and shock strike me, making my eyes widen. Honestly, I didn't really expect my words to reach him. "I'm sure you remember the way, cub."

"I'm not a cub anymore," I reply, my previous shock leaving my face. Lifting up my knee, I strike him in the stomach, causing him to grunt and move back. Once his weight is gone, I fall to the ground, my feet touching the hard stone. Rubbing my neck, I straighten my legs, staring at Tigerclaw, attempting to calculate his next move. We stare at each other, not removing eye contact as he stands to his full height as well. After a few moments, my mind searches the memories of Tigerclaw assisting me and Leo. There have been multiple times he provided more food than necessary, or went easy on us with the Shredder watching from over his shoulder. Letting out a small sigh, I slowly lower my weapon before putting it away, showing him I will not bring any harm to him. He copies my movement, causing my speeding heart to relax. Giving him a small nod in gratitude and understand, I watch him return it.

A pain-filled yell pierces the air. Looking up towards Splinter's and Shredder's battle, I watch as my father pulls his blade from the metal-covered human. The Shredder falls, attempting to push himself up again before failing. He lifts his head, his cold eyes meeting mine. However, I am shocked to see emotion in his orbs. Sadness and regret fill them as he reaches a hand towards me.

"Forgive me."

Even though he whispers those words, they seem to reach my ears with such ease. Before I can consider how to respond, he completely falls to the ground, going still and limb. My body is unable to move as Master Splinter moves towards me. Although he appears sad about what he did to his former brother, I can see dedication and determination fill him. I'm sure he is feeling the same way I am; we need to find Leonardo and just get out of here.

When Saki's body hit the ground, the battle seemed to come to a stop, no one moving a muscle. It's not until Tigerclaw shakes away his shock and screams "Master!" before it starts up again; but, the atmosphere is filled with a new energy. The Foot knows they have lost; they know victory is ours. Tigerclaw picks up the Shredder, some of the leader's blood dripping onto the floor and staining the mutant's clothing. "Foot Clan!" he calls out. "Retreat!" He makes eye contact with me once more before jumping and disappearing into the shadows. I watch my brothers lower their weapons, Mikey giving the ninjas some smart remark, as the clan follows suit.

"Come on," I command my family, already on the move once again. "Let's find Leo!"

The four of us race down the staircase into the Shredder's dungeon. Leonardo's scream repeats in my mind, causing my heart to beat with such urgency. After my father defeated the Shredder, I assume that the rest of the Footbots got the message and took off. No matter how many corners we turn, not a single dark-clothed ninja is to be seen. Despite the lack of Footbots, I continue to scan the shadows, making sure we don't run into any more complications.

My legs pulse with energy, making my feet skid across the stone when I attempt to stop. The large door stands in front of me, tall and cold-looking. Reaching for the handle, I begin to push down on it and open the door. Unfortunately, before retreating, the Foot didn't unlock the stupid thing!

Panic begins to flood my mind, my efforts becoming more frantic. My father grabs my shoulder gently, but holding a firm grip. As he calmly moves me away from the large piece of metal, Donatello moves up to take my place. Reaching down, he removes a small piece of equipment. Before I can question him on it, he places the device on the keypad next to the door. Small beeping and gears working fills me my ears, but my attention mostly settles on the door. On the other side rests Leonardo, the turtle that has put his trust in me. The turtle that was the first person to show true compassion towards me; the same turtle I have raised for years!

Out of the corner of my eye, I can see a small green light illuminating from Donnie's invention as it sends a successful beep. Master Splinter allows me to pull myself free from his grasp as I once again move to open the door. This time, the handle moves under my grip and causes the door to move, filling the air with a squeaking noise. My feet carry me into the room, the light from the hallway flooding the dark space. As my eyes lay of the figure before me, a gasp escapes my lips.

My father follows right behind me, creating a light gasp as well. "Leonardo!"