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((Author's Note: Long, I know, but Leo's got some linguring issues--probably more than his brothers. sweatdrop Besides, he's almost as bad to figure out as Donny! Well, anyway, now that the dreams are out of the way, I can get to the actual story! Yaaaay...))

Leonardo gazed out towards the watery horizon. He stood on the shores of Brazil, watching as the dawn lit the cloud-strewn horizons. Normally, the dawn was a mix of purple and pink...but today, it seemed so red...

As red as blood...

"I thought the trip would make me stronger," he found himself talking. "I thought by going off, I could become a better leader for my brother...that I could give my heart time it needed to heal...especially after what happened with Karai..."

He saw a flash--a memory of the fight between her and him...and how she had run him through the chest. It...it was as if she had pierced his heart...in many, many ways.

"I thought it was over, then--that there was truly nothing between us... She was the Shredder's daughter, and leader of the Foot. I am Hamato Leonardo, leader of the Ninja Turtles. I thought it was settled when I left...that she was truly like her father. But..."

He then saw the scene where they were right back at Winters towers, when Max Winters--who was really Yaotl--explained his need for redemption. He had seen Karai's face...and it was not the cold, uncaring stare of what the Turtle had expected of Oroku Saki's child. No...it was the face of a warrior who understood another warrior's need for aid...and actually helped. "We of the Foot are not without honor," she had told the immortal man. When the latter replied, she merely answered, "We will help you."

And she did. She helped Casey and April find the 13th and final monster needed to break the curse and defeat Yaotl's brotherhood.

That was more like the Karai he once knew: the honorable warrior--the honorable woman--that he once respected...and yearned for.

His heart was so mixed up. On one hand, he was pretty sure that she would never forgive him and his brothers for the death of her father. On the other hand...his interest in her has stirred again...and he felt that his family would not be happy if they found out.

"My family...my brother...Raph... God, I can't believe we actually tried to kill each other!" he exclaimed, holding his head in his hand as he closed his eyes in regret. "I can't believe it... I know he's sorry for it. I know he blames himself for my capture...but it's so hard to fully trust him the way I once did! In battle against a common foe, it's no question--we fight as one. But...how can I be a good leader for my brothers if I have trouble trusting one of them to not totally flip out on me?

"I can't talk to Don or Mikey about it; they will flip! Mikey wouldn't believe me, and Don..." Leo shuddered. "He rarely gets angry, but man! He's scary when he is! And...I can't go to Father about it... He's under enough stress as it is, trying to help us finish our training... He won't be around forever...and I fear the day when he passes away...but..."

The waves grew stronger as Leo gazed out to sea. "It's so much like me now, the ocean..."

"Indeed, it is, my son."

Leo was a little surprised to see his father walking along the beach towards him. "Father--"

"The ocean seems like you, doesn't it? It appears to be troubled...just as you seem to be, though you've hidden it well from your brothers."

Leo shifted his weight from one foot to another. "...everything has changed so much since I left," he stated--which was true. Mikey had his party business, and Don ran tech-support through his speaker headsent. And Raph...somehow, what happened between them had made Raph back down, cool off a bit. It...it was almost like getting to know him for the first time.

"And the whirlwinds of change have left you confused and lost," Splinter pointed out.

"...yes...yes, it has."

"My son...take heed of the water...for it is part of you--your inner strength."

"My...my inner strength? How so, Sensei?"

"Each of you four are like the four elements of this world. Raphael is the fire beneath, Donatello is the supporting earth, and Michelangelo is the swift wind. And you, my son, are the life-giving waters. On their own, each element has its strenght and weaknesses--and too much of each leads to destruction."

There was images of wildfires, hurricanes, tsunamis, and buildings falling apart from earthquakes.

"But if all four work together--and in balance with each other--then there will be peace and prosperity."

An exploding volcano brought up magma, which formed into new land. The wind brought seeds to the new land, and the rains helped the seed sprout--a new start at life for all.

"Like the elements, each of you have your strength and weaknesses--and if each of you let yourselves go, you will only create chaos and destruction. However, by working together as one--by supporting each other and solving the difference between each other--you, my sons, will remain a strong force against any evil threat."

"But...what if some of my issues...lie outside the family? I can't drag them into such things. I...I don't wish to burden you with my troubles, Sensei..." Leo looked to the side, and he swore that, for a moment, he spotted Karai--armored and cloaked--waiting for him in the shady branches.

When he turned back to his teacher, the latter surprised Leonardo with his reply: "One does not have to carry such heavy burdons on their own--at least, not all the time. Find strength within our family as well as within yourself, Leonardo. Only then...can you calm the raging waters..."

Leo then gazed out at the ocean once again, to find that a storm was coming in.

The last thing he remembered, before the scene faded, was his teacher's final words: "Become one with the sea, my son, and calm the storm raging within..."

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