Hours later, Leonardo woke as his shellcell beeped somewhere in the room. For a moment he considered ignoring it, content to curl a little closer to the warm, fuzzy body beside him. Usagi's shoulder seemed the perfect pillow and the slight draft in the room only made the blanket over them that much more comfortable.

"Stupid siblings," Leonardo mumbled.

"You can't really blame them," Usagi offered. "They gave us plenty of time."

"Mm. I guess." Although if he thought about it, it really seemed like too much time. He sat up and loked around the room until the spotted the little green light blinking in time with the beeping underneath the window, next to his belt.

With half-closed eyes, he crawled off the futon and across the floor. He scooped up the communicator and sat back against the wall as he turned it on, taking a moment to clear his head and take a deep breath before he answered. His little brother popped up on the view screen.

"Leo, finally! I've been calling for like five minutes."

"Sorry, Mike," he answered. "Usagi and I were...practicing. Couldn't hear anything."

"All day? Geez." Michelangelo glanced over his shoulder as if someone was talking to him. "Okay, okay, gimme a minute."

He looked back with a sheepish smile. "Uh, you know how we're all here to compete in the tournament?"

"Yes." Leonardo frowned.

"And how that floaty guy usually comes and grabs people who're fighting in the preliminaries?"

"Considering how we kind of fell into the preliminaries last time, not really." Leonardo sighed, a sense of what his brother was trying to say slowly taking form in his mind. "Mike? What happened?"

"The floaty guy came while you were gone and I guess there was some kind of mix-up 'cause he took all of us except Splinter and we had to fight these freaky bug-looking guys and now we're signed up as just a team of three. No chance to pick up any extra team members." Michelangelo sighed. "Sorry, big bro'."

"Wait, the Gyoji picked you up?" Leonardo glanced at Usagi, who shrugged. "I wonder why he hasn't come here yet."

"Uh, he said there were a lot of contestants this year," Michelangelo said. "So the prelims might take a few days. And it's why he started early."

Usagi stretched and crawled over, sitting down in front of him. "Then we will simply fight as a team. After all, the final matches are single rounds. We'll have the opportunity to face each other later."

Leonardo smiled and almost forgot about his brother. "It's okay, Mike. Usagi and I will enter together. I mean, we'll team up. Just make sure you three make it to the finals."

"You're not angry?" Michelangelo asked. "'Cause Raph' said you would be, that's why he made me call you."

"No, I'm not angry," Leonardo assured him. "Usagi and I will just have to wait to fight each other, that's all."

"Oh, okay." Michelangelo tilted his head. "Um, wait. I thought you two were fighting already?"

"What?"

"You said you were practicing and--"

"Practicing isn't the same as fighting," Leonardo said in a rush, giving Usagi a glare as the samurai covered his mouth to muffle his laughter. "Tell Master Splinter I'll be staying here so I don't miss the next call."

"Okay! See you later, big bro'," Mike grinned. "Unless we don't see you in town, but then I guess we'll see you at the tournament, right?"

"Sure," Leonardo smiled. "If you make it to the finals, that is."

"Uh-huh--wait, what do you mean 'if'?" Michelangelo cried. "I'm the Battle Nexus Cham--"

Leonardo snapped the communicator off and tossed it aside. "Whoops, got cut off."

"I suggest we do not practice any further," Usagi said, letting a little of his laughter slip out. "We should be ready when we are summoned."

"Yeah, I guess so."

Leonardo sounded so disappointed that Usagi started laughing again, but the samurai let it go by without comment. Instead he rose and walked over to the cabinet where he'd tossed most of his clothing.

"There are other things we can do. We don't have to stay inside while we wait," Usagi said as he dressed. "The summons will come wherever we are."

"What did you have in mind?" Leonardo retrieved his belt and swords, as well as his other light weapons like shuriken and caltrops which needed to be tucked away.

"Lunch," Usagi said. He opened the window and grimaced when he saw how low the sun had sunk. "Or perhaps dinner. It seems we slept in later than I thought."

"You don't think we missed the Gyoji?" Leonardo asked.

Usagi quirked an eyebrow. "A large glowing messenger that suddenly pops in on a ninja and a samurai? No, I do not."

"You mean just a samurai," Leonardo said. "I think I was out pretty deep."

"Not as deep as you think," Usagi said. "You don't seem to relax even in your sleep."

Leonardo shrugged. It wasn't too surprising. "Guess it's just part of living the way I do."

He moved to stand next to Usagi, leaning against the window sill as they looked out. Although the trees blocked most of the view, they could still see the city lights as they came on one at a time. Lamps were carefully lit by every door and street corner, and and the taverns nearby all started glowing gold on the inside. The Nexus arena was dark, but two strong bonfires illuminated the gate and a long sheet of paper on the front.

"Those will be the teams already signed up," Usagi said. "We should go see who we might be facing."

When he didn't hear a reply, Usagi looked curiously at him. Leonardo sighed and stared at the street.

"The innkeep said something that bothered me a little. That we might have fans."

Usagi nodded once. "He said the same thing to me. I'm not sure how much weight to give his words, but I thought it best to be prepared."

He opened up the cabinet and drew out two long cloaks. Simple and dark brown, they looked like something many other combatants wore around town. They would blend in nicely with the crowd.

"I thought it would be prudent," Usagi said. His smile turned into a smirk. "Unless you prefer I find a courtesan's gown? I'm sure they sell them here."

Leonardo tried to scowl, but he couldn't help his smile as he took a cloak. "The gowns or the girls?"

"That I wouldn't know," Usagi smiled. "I've never been to that part of town."

His sheaths had to be attached at his side instead of his back, but Leonardo didn't mind so much. He had practiced drawing from his side before, and this way the cloak wouldn't catch on his swords.

They locked their door and made their way downstairs, passing a handful of other lodgers talking in the front room. No one spared them a glance except the innkeep to wave and assure them that he would leave the outside lanterns lit through the night.

"Where to?" Leonardo asked.

"The Stuffed Bun, I think," Usagi said. "It's one of the less rambunctious taverns."

"Are they really bad here?"

"No, not most of them, although I wouldn't be surprised if we had a few warm up fights before the preliminaries."

The streets were almost empty when they came out from the inn's grove. Flickering firelight gave the Nexus a much different feel than New York lamps. Although the night air was chilly, the fires kept the street comfortably warm. Even better, there were no strong city lights to blot out the stars. They spread out across the sky in a stream across the moon, pure silver against the pitch black night.

Few spectators had arrived for the preliminaries, leaving the streets mostly empty. Only a handful of vendors even had merchandise displayed, instead using the time to position themselves most favorably for the start of the games. One of them busily set up his signs and arranged his various trinkets on a backboard. Something glinted and caught Leonardo's eye, and when he turned for a better look, he groaned to see that the innkeep had been right. Fake turtle shells were hung on a post, each of them polished with a strap so that tourists could simply drape them over their backs like cloaks. Although most of them bore a belt with the letter M, a few had a letter L, D or R in the center. A sign on top of the post advertised for both the Battle Nexus champion and the saviors of the Nexus.

"Great," he muttered. "At least they're focusing more on Mike."

Usagi laughed. "He's selling your masks, too. Mostly orange, but I do see a few blue ones in the pile."

His laughter faded when he spotted another pile, and Leonardo followed his look. Long white rabbit ears attached to headbands lay on the other side of the cart, with a sign advertising about another Nexus savior.

"How much are they?" Leonardo whispered.

"Don't you dare," Usagi warned.

"Don't worry," Leonardo reassured him. "I wouldn't embarass you like that."

"I'm glad to hear it."

"And they're nowhere near as cute as yours--ow!" Leonardo rubbed his bruised shoulder. "I can't help it if you're fuzzy."

Usagi lowered his fist. "I should've hit you harder. I never even noticed vendors before, but now... You must be a bad influence."

"Me? You dragged me into a fight against a dozen ninja clans."

"Stop exaggerating. And that was your fault, too." Usagi sighed and shook his head. "Falling in love with a ninja only makes life complicated."

Leonardo smiled, but he wasn't about to lose the argument. "Have you ever heard of love making anyone's life simpler?"

About to answer, Usagi considered the question before shaking his head once. "Only when the lovers committed suicide. I admit, I do not like that particular solution."

They turned the corner and stepped into the light of a dozen bars lining both sides of the street. Farther along the way, contestants and early spectators drank and gambled in the dust of the road, both on the throw of a dice or in the skill of two brawling drunks. This close to the arena, however, the first tavern had a sign showing a steaming bun with a fork stuck inside and nothing but the murmur of quiet patrons.

A smell of smoke filled the room, but burning tobacco and other plants were a small price to pay for the dim lighting. A single candle lit every table, adding to the smoky haze near the ceiling, and as soon as they sat down, the waiter brought around a bottle of sake with a strong scent. Leonardo allowed Usagi to pour both cups, too interested in glancing around at the bar.

"You should be careful," Usagi warned, but his voice was too light to be taken seriously. "If you keep looking around like that, people will think you're a newcomer. Easy pickings."

"Only amateurs make that mistake," Leonardo said. "Any real fighter watching me move will know exactly what I am. If I'm not in disguise, of course."

Usagi took a sip from his cup and smiled. As always, the Bun's sake was good quality. "If I had not seen your various disguises, I would not believe you. I still cannot reconcile my memory of you playing a courtesan. You stood before me and I thought you were just another silly girl."

"You were tied up and exhausted," Leonardo said. "And everyone else was drunk. Trust me, if you were to see me dressed the same but in good light, alert and awake, the illusion wouldn't stand a chance."

Usagi's eyes sparkled. "Perhaps we could put that to the test some day? I do remember that you looked good in a dress."

"I don't mind," Leonardo said, taking a sip of sake and wincing, unused to alcohol. "As long as you wear the same." He smiled despite the alchol when Usagi balked. "I'm sure you'd look much better than I would."

With a look, Usagi shook his head and leaned back in his seat. "How is it you usually have a comeback to everything? Does you master train you in verbal sparring?"

"Not really," Leonardo laughed. "But I do have three younger brothers who can be very sarcastic."

Usagi opened his mouth to reply, but a bright blue light flashed through the small tavern, interrupting him. Everyone turned and watched as the Gyoji spoke for a moment with two alien females before vanishing with them again. Nothing was said as the other combatants realized how suddenly a summons could come.

Leonardo leaned forward and whispered to his friend. "He does know we're going to compete, right?"

Usagi smiled. "I'm sure your brothers made that quite clear to him."

The thought of what his family must have said to the Gyoji, ranting and complaining about the sudden summons, made him laugh. "I'm kind of glad the tournament is so hectic this year. I wouldn't want to fight alongside anyone else."

"Only in the qualifying rounds," Usagi reminded him. "In the main arena, we will eventually compete against each other."

"Hopefully as the last two competitors," Leonardo said.

Usagi smiled around his sake. "Of that, I have no doubt."

TBC...