Ninja Honor

Prologue

A/N: Here's another story I've had in my head for some time. I've based this story on a storyline that's currently going on in the WWE. In the storyline John Cena had to fight Wade Barrett in a match with a stipulation. If Cena won the match, The Nexus would be disbanded, but if Cena lost, he had to join Nexus. So, while I was watching wrestling on Monday after the Pay-Per-View, I thought about what would happen if the Turtles were put in that same situation. And that's where this story was born. However, I'm going to make it different that what's going on in the storyline on WWE because I think the way they're handling it now isn't what I would want. I hope that you enjoy the story.

Disclaimer: TMNT doesn't belong to me. They are the property of Nickelodeon.

Additional Disclaimer (FF only): If this chapter and any subsequent chapters don't appear in the regular textual format it's a glitch with Windows Vista. So far, I haven't had any problems lately, but I want to be cautious in case it happens again. If you have a hard time reading this story, you may also view it at Mikey's TMNT and Stealthy Stories.

Summary: For Hamato Leonardo honor means everything. But what happens when you have to join the enemy in the name of honor?

Leonardo never thought it would come down ot this. He stared between the two groups that were on the roof. One group contained his brothers who were staring at him with pleading eyes. How could he do this to them? What would Master Splinter think about this? Would he accept that Leo had no choice in the matter? Or would he pretend that Leo never existed and that he only had three sons?

The second group contained the Foot Clan, his mortal enemy. Was joining them the right thing to do? How could he go over to the other side after all they had put him through? Could he give up his family and join the enemy? He would rather die than do that, but there wasn't any choice. He either had to join the Foot or watch his family die.

"Make the choice," whispered the leader of the Foot Clan. "Do the honorable thing."

Honor. That one word was all Leo needed to hear. Yes, honor meant everything to him, and he couldn't go back on his word. His mind was made up. With one last glance at his brothers, he said, "I love you. Tell Master Splinter I'm sorry and that I love him too."

"Leo, don't do this!" growled Raphael. "There's gotta be another way!"

Leo smiled. "I'm sorry, Raph, but I have no choice," he said. "This is what I have to do."

And with that, he stepped over to the enemy's side.

22222

Leonardo woke with a start, his heart pounding at the images of the nightmare. It frightened him to think that he'd ever join the Foot even though he knew it wasn't possible. He just couldn't do anything like that.

"Leo, are you okay?" Raphael asked. He was on his way to get a late night snack when he heard Leo cry out.

"Yeah, I'm fine," Leo replied. "It was just a stupid dram."

"Well, for a stupid dream, you seem pretty tense about it," Raph commented. "If you need to talk, I'm here."

Leo nodded. He knew that Raph was sincere about what he said, and he also knew that he couldn't keep this from him. It wouldn't be the right thing to do. Since Leo had come back from Japan he learned that keeping things locked up in inside wasn't a good thing to do. So he told Raph about the dream. When he was done, Raph looked a little worried for his brother.

"Man, that's one messed up dream," he commented. "No wonder you're so tense about it."

"What scared me is that it felt so real," said Leo. "I felt like I was really there."

"Well, you're not there, you're here," Raph consoled him. "Don't worry about it, bro. It was just a weird dream."

"Yeah, I know," Leo replied. "Thanks, Raph."

"No problem, Leo," Raph said. "It's what I'm here for. You try to get some sleep so you don't zone out during practice."

Leo smiled. "You're right," he said. "I'll see you in the morning, Raph."

"See you then," Raph said. "If you need anything, let me know."

Leo nodded and watched Raph leave his room. He was glad to have a brother like Raph to talk to in times of need. He sat in the lotus position and tried to meditate about the dream. Master Splinter always told them that their bad dreams were a manifestation of their fears. It made sense, but why did he have this particular dream? He wasn't dreading anything having to do with joining the Foot. In fact, he knew such a thing was unlikely. Or was it a premonition of something to come? He needed to discuss this with Master Splinter. Maybe he would have an answer to Leo's questions.

Practice went surprisingly well the next day. Leo fought Mikey and Raph, beating both of them. Though he was still thinking about the dream he made sure not to think about it during practice so he wouldn't get distracted. Once the session was over, and Splinter dismissed them, Leo requested to talk to his father in private. The rat granted the request though he was unsure what this meant.

Once they were in Splinter's room, Leo said, "Sensei, I had a dream last night that's troubling me."

"What was it about, my son?" Splinter inquired.

"Well, it was a dream about me joining the Foot," Leo replied. "I'm trying to decide what to do and I choose the Foot."

Splinter mused over Leo's revelation. "You know that bad dreams are often the manifestation of your fears," he began. "Do you think it may be your fear that you will become like your enemy?"

Leo shook his head. "No, I don't think that's it," he answered. "I think it's a premonition of something to come. Do you think that's possible?"

"Perhaps," Splinter replied. "If you recall, I had a premonition involving Master Yoshi before our final battle with Shredder. There is no doubt that your dream may be a premonition."

"So, what should I do?" Leo asked. "I don't want to join the Foot if I can help it."

"Did you have a choice in the dream?" Splinter inquired.

"I did, but it wasn't a good one," responded Leo. "I had to join the Foot or my brothers would get killed."

"I see," said Splinter. "Well, I think you should just move forward and see what happens. But if such a situation does come to pass, it does not change the fact that you are my son. I will love you no matter what you have to do."

"Thank you, Master Splinter," said Leo graciously. It meant a lot to him to hear his father say that. Maybe things would be okay after all.

"So, what did Sensei, say?" asked Raph when Leo exited Splinter's room.

"He said I should just move forward," replied Leo.

"Then that's what you have to do," advised Raph. "I wouldn't worry about it, bro. It was just a stupid dream. You'd never join the Foot."

Leo nodded, wanting to believe his brother's words. Yet some part of him wasn't so sure. If his family's life was on the line, would he have the courage to join the enemy, or would he let his family be slaughtered? He knew the answer to that one, but it didn't make him feel better. The prospect of siding with the enemy would be a huge betrayal no matter what Splinter said. He would never feel the same way again. And what about his brothers? Would they still consider him as family, or would they shun him and pretend he didn't exist?

"Stop it, Leo," he told himself. "Raph's right. It was just a stupid dream."

Or was it?

To be continued….

A/N: Sorry it's so short, but prologues usually are. The scenario with the dream is different than what is actually going to happen with Leo, but I wanted to set things up that way. This story takes place after the Lost Season. The next chapter should be up next week. Feel free to leave a review and have a shell-tastic day.