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The Long Walk	By : Breech_Loader Category: Comics > Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Views: 2638 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own the franchise of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, have invented none of its characters, and make no money from writing this story.

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The Long Walk

Co-Written by Harley Quinn hyenaholic and SonicFrank

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Harley: Sometimes I seriously wonder why I even bother to upload this story here. I get next to no reviews, no votes, and very few hits. I should just save myself the bother.

SonicFrank: This chapter: Don has to explain things to Leo. Now I RP Don, and Harley RPs Leo, so any OOCness with the characters is predominantly the RPer’s fault. Just getting that straight.

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Chapter Five: Explaining

A solemn turtle looked up at the dark night sky before he closed the sewer lid. It was past midnight. Well-past midnight. Raphael and Michelangelo were asleep, no doubt about it... Master Splinter would be asleep too, but readily available for lecturing of some sort. Leonardo, on the other hand, was a different story. He'd be waiting right at the lair's entrance, arms crossed with an irate expression on his face. He would require an explanation before the night was over.

It took Don a few sewer-corners before he could sort things out in his head. So much had happened that night. All he’d expected when he secretly left was a meeting. And a horrible one at that. But, it couldn't have turned out better, though the situation was severely complicated. He took a few detours before he headed for his family's lair, just in case someone was following him. A deep breath and two minutes later, he pushed the lair's disguised door open.

"Back from your midnight stroll, Donatello?" Leo asked. He usually only used his brothers' full names when he was mad at them. He didn't shout, but his glare was easily as loud, "And to think Mikey thought you were turning into a hermit crab..." If it had been Raphael, he wouldn't have worried. Well, not quite as much. More worried about whoever Raph was going to beat the shell out of on his own. But Donatello hardly ever left the base on his own, and never without telling anybody.

Donatello's face didn't falter. He needed to stand up to his brother - make sure he knew that there was business to attend, important business, and that he wasn't intimidated. Closing the door behind him, he pulled the trench coat off, followed by his hat. Hanging them both up, he came face-to-face with his oldest brother, and spoke two words, before heading to his quarters, "Follow me.”

"Don," Leo said, his voice softly warning as he followed his brother. How did Master Splinter do it all the time? Never shout, and still get them all to listen? He felt like he could just rage at Donatello for hours right now, about how worried he'd been about the brains of the family when he'd finally let time catch up with him and worked out that Donatello - who was supposed to be having concerning problems even coming out of his room - had been upside for four hours?

"Don't shout, or you'll wake Raph. Then it'll be impossible for me to explain. Just be patient." When he entered his room, Don leant his bo against the far wall, and went for his desk. There, he opened a drawer, and pulled out a crusty notebook, and a pen. His room's wooden door squealed when it shut, leaving the two of them alone within it.

This was no ordinary pen. It was specifically designed for his hands, and the ink actually matched his skin tone. He made one for each of his brothers, but hadn't seen any of them, or their ink, since that day. Taking two steps past his desk, he turned to his brother. "I'm going to write you a letter. Right now. It'll explain everything - starting with what my reasons were for leaving, and ending with how the night concluded. I refuse to explain myself to you in any other way, because what I have to tell you is much more important than us arguing in order for you to express how angry you must be with me." He took a seat on his hammock while he spoke, testing the pen, "I'll be useless to you if I refuse to speak. Your best bet would be to play along, for now, because I assure you, what I have to say can and will interest you in more than one way. That, and I'm asking you to be as understanding as possible. I wouldn't explain this to you if I didn't trust you, Leo. This is very important to me, so please don't give me a hard time." With that, Don began writing, and judging by his bodily actions, he wasn't going to speak until his letter was written, no matter what his brother did or said in order for him to talk.

Leo continued to glare. He was used to having to shout at Raph about orders, and Mikey too. But Donatello? He couldn't remember the last time he'd yelled at his smartest brother. Don usually obeyed orders, and not because he was shy or quiet, but because the order not to go upside without telling somebody first actually made sense... Besides, it wasn't even his order, really. It was what Master Splinter wanted.

And so, despite his brother's glare, which he could feel stabbing at his shell like a tanto, Don continued to write a neat, cursive letter. He and Leonardo shared Master Splinter's art of Handwriting, and practiced for weeks at a time to make it as pretty and professional as possible. It was no surprise to either of them, or Master Splinter, that they were the only two who had any interest in learning to write neatly. The other two goons were more interested in Baywatch.

Don spilled his guts in three pages, from apologizing for disobeying a direct order, all the way down to how he might very well feel love for this girl. The letter, despite its news, was beautifully written, expressing Breech's situation, the things she was forced to do, and the extent of her victimization. It was cruel. It was wrong. And they had to help her. He handed Leo the notebook, and lay back on the hammock.

Leonardo read the letter, but he didn't look any happier, "So let me get this clear," he said, as calmly as he could manage, which wasn't especially calm right now, "First you disobey Master Splinter's number one rule of not going upside without telling somebody. Then you disobey my specific order not to meet a total stranger. Then, after not only putting yourself at risk from discovery or an ambush by the Foot, you actually reveal yourself to her. Then, after discovering she's actually working for the Foot Clan, you STILL take her to April's and put her and Casey in danger too... And now you're actually telling me that you love a girl you've known for a matter of HOURS?!"

He thought about this for a moment. "Actually, yes." He waved his left hand, his voice as soft and calm as always. "But in my defence, she isn't a total stranger. We've been chatting over the internet for a number of months now... Secondly, it was pretty obvious from the start that she wasn't very much different from us in the sense that she also had a secret. Furthermore, she needed help. And Master Splinter always says that we should help those who are less fortunate than we are." He sat up, now, and faced his brother so they could talk eye-to-eye. "I can't help my feelings, Leo. We share a bond! She's... incredible. But what do you have to say about her situation? The abuse? The fact that she was forced to kill...?"

Leo gritted his teeth, closed his eyes and clenched his fists for a few seconds, before glaring again, "Don, you're supposed to be the SMART one! Can't you see how stupid this is? She's not anything like us! She's killed people! I don't care what she told you about being forced! Even if it's not total bullshit, Master Splinter says you ALWAYS have a choice! You could have been killed out there tonight! And just because she's told you all this, doesn't mean it's still not a trap! It's the goddamn Foot Clan!"

Donatello could handle any judgement upon himself, but Leo's doubt of Breech's sincerity was not something he was prepared to tolerate. So he also clenched his fists and gritted his teeth, "Well, I did have a choice, Leo. And I chose to help. Now you need to make a choice. Either help me help a person in need, or leave me to do it on my own. You can be angry all you want, Leonardo, but I need you right now more than I ever have. And don't you go blaming her for her past - none of it was her fault! If Master Splinter had taught us to kill, we'd have done the same thing!" He had to calm himself. He was acting like the same brother he was arguing with. So, with a brief sigh, he continued. "And yes, I am the smart one. Mikey and Raph would have brought her here first. That's how we met April." He raised a finger with his point. "I didn't do that. I thought things through, and I have a plan. You yourself wouldn't have come up with anything better if you were in my situation. In fact, you probably would have done the exact same thing, except you'd have failed at getting Casey to assume Guard Duty because you're technologically impaired."

Leonardo tried to think what Master Splinter would say. He didn't want this to degenerate into a yelling match, which was what he felt like right now, "Donny, maybe the fact that you've just met a female mutant has blinded you. You were just so excited to meet somebody who seemed to understand us, that you're glossing over the big problem, which is that this is probably one big trap to find the lair and kill our family. If she's telling the truth, sure we have to help her, but where's your proof? You're always going on about thinking logically and finding proof! Where's your proof that this mutant isn't being used to trap us all?" Leonardo crossed his arms, his eyes challenging his brother's.

Donatello smiled solemnly now. "I do have proof, Leo. I have the greatest piece of proof you'll ever need." He placed his hands on his hips, and has now changed from defensive, to mildly content.

"Where?" Leo asked crossly, "And don't give me any 'proof of your heart' shit."

"You can meet her in the morning. Plus, I was hoping she wouldn't notice that she's parted with this." On Don’s finger hung Breech's old spiked collar – which he had relieved her of when they hugged, "Now before you say this could be a part of the scam, I’ve taken a good look at it already. Guess what? The residue on the inside is proof that she's worn it for at least seven years. The dead skin cells have formed a ring of bacteria, see?" He angled the collar before the blue-clad turtle, so he could see the residue as Don explained. "This can only happen if it was worn tightly, and it couldn't possibly have been comfortable. And since the body sheds skin mostly when you're asleep, she must have been wearing it in her sleep. Twenty-four seven, every day, every night, sewn on so she couldn’t take it off without cutting the leather and getting into trouble. No scam artist is that determined. Except maybe Mikey." His smile remained.

Leo gritted his teeth, but conceded slightly, "No. Tomorrow morning, Master Splinter is going to hear all about this. And then we'll meet your new friend."

"One by one," Don said, "You'll meet her one by one. I'd like you guys to meet her one at a time, so that you can focus your attention on her and only her, and she won't be swamped with four alternative personalities at the same time." He offered the collar to Leo, so he could make his own inspection if he so chose. "And of course we're going to tell Master Splinter. There's no way I could keep him out of the loop. I need his wisdom more than ever now, and so does Breech. Call me conceited, but I love it when I'm right." Leo was adorable when he was mad, and Don couldn't help pressing the fact.

Leo examined the spiked collar closely, seeing where it had been sewn on, "Did it ever occur to you, that if everything this girl says about being forced to obey is true, she could be being forced to help the Foot with their trap?"

Don crossed his arms, challenging his brother with his grin. "Of course it did. That's obviously why I have Casey standing guard over them both. Aside from that, I'm peeved that you could underestimate my intelligence so proficiently, Big Brother Leo. Allow me to wow your techno-parched mind. Just a second while I boot up." Turning his shell to his brother, he did the one thing that's been concerning him - he sat at his computer, and started doing his thing - and rather quickly, at that, going past a password screen and booting up four different programs at once. "Are you ready to see a magic trick, Leonardo?"

"How do you even know she has romantic feelings for you anyway?" Leo asked, not even bothering to answer the question. Don would show him his 'magic trick' whether he wanted him to or not, "What experience have you had with that kind of affection?"

"About as much as you have, so I'm afraid you have no means of out-talking me on that." He typed frantically, and after a few ‘loading’, and ‘initiating connection’ screens, Don began to explain himself. "Here's what happens when you place a Shell-Cell's signal-enhancer onto a television satellite. See, by synchronizing with the signal that said satellite transmitting to the Mother Satellite up in space, I can trace the signal's coordinates. This gives me the exact wavelength and radio frequency required from one satellite to communicate with the other. Then, by hacking into the government's main frame computer, I can bounce the signal from the Mother Satellite, to a Spy Satellite located just a couple-hundred miles North-East of the original. Do a little more Geek-Squad limbo, and, voila." April's apartment building was on the screen. "Even if she was a spy, she'd never expect to have two guards on duty."

The older turtle blinked. "So, this is a security camera into April's apartment," Leo said, trying to decipher Don's techno-babble.

"No," He placed an elbow on the desk, and yawned. "Not into it. The signal's not strong enough for that. But unless they're using some kind of sewer-system, any kind of an ambush would have to emanate from outside of the apartment. If anything happens, we'll see it from this screen, and we'll be there to protect April in no time. I'm pretty confident that Casey can handle himself until we get there to kick some serious shell."

"Y'know, if this girl is the gymnast all your talk about her 'slim body' and 'hard muscle' makes her out to be, the ambush could start from inside the apartment," Leo pointed out. He knew he was mostly being stubborn now, but he was still mad about his brother putting them all at so much risk, "Sounds like she's won over April and Casey. With the element of surprise, they could be dead already."

Don yawned again, and took a moment to speak. He waved his finger at Leo to hold his thought. "Then we'd have heard some kind of screaming and shouting from the hidden microphones in the apartment. There's one in April's room, one in the living room, one under her kitchen table, and one on Breech's belt, in order to replace the weight of the collar that I took. She had it on her belt, after I cut it off. Can't you just accept that I've taken precautions, Leo? You're really contradicting yourself. You always say I'm the smart one."

"It's pretty hard to say that when you seem to be thinking with your balls instead of your brain," Leo replied, "But you do realise that if this all messes up, Master Splinter will be on my back just as much as yours? I'm the leader here, and I can't even get you to obey one simple order?" he slapped his hand to his forehead, "I'm sick of this. Tomorrow we're going to meet this girl, and if Master Splinter isn't one-hundred percent satisfied with her authenticity, then don't expect me to be for one second. And what's more, you had better not be satisfied either, because I'm not going to let you put this family at risk again."

"See, now you're just trying to make me feel guilty, and it's not going to work." Don placed a hand on his face as he spoke, rubbing the irritations out of his eyes. "Even if Master Splinter doesn't approve of her, I'm going to help her on my own, and there's nothing you, him, or anyone else can do to stop me." He knew his brother would speak, that he would condescend, so he went on before he had the chance. He faced him now, though still seated. "I'm tired of all this secrecy, Leo! I didn't ask to be a turtle. I didn't ask to be a freak! And I especially didn't ask to live my entire life without love. I won't. I refuse to. Not while I have the opportunity right in front of me. You can live your life in the shadows as a ninja if you want to, that's your choice. But you won't impose it on me, Leonardo. Especially not now. You'd better hope Master Splinter is satisfied with her, otherwise, you'll be one brother short." Turning away again, to avoid his brother's gaze, he concluded his speech. "And you can quote me on that, if you choose to keep being such a spiteful, power-hungry fool." He didn't even bother standing up, or facing his brother when he told him this. Leo had apparently struck a nerve.

Leo was starting to wonder if his brother had been replaced by some crazy, stupid clone. Damn, that was the kind of thing Mikey would think. This was his brother. And he was so struck from meeting a female mutant, that he couldn't see the risks. But Donny's last statement about running away just made him mad again, "Then you'll be on your own," he said quietly, "Because you're so love-struck that you refuse to even listen to Master Splinter's judgement if it's not what you want to hear. I never thought you'd be the one to tear our family apart. I always put that job down to Raph." He turned away sharply and headed out of the room. If he didn't leave now, he was going to say something he would really regret, he knew it, "Goodnight, Donatello," he told his brother.

Don's hand latched onto his elbow right at the pad, holding him in place. He was still seated, but the expression on his face was one of anger, "Don't turn your back on me, Leonardo, because I've never once turned my back on you." His voice was almost threatening. "I'd really like to know, big brother, why every decision you make has to come from Master Splinter. How about being an individual for a change!? I love him - god, do I love our father, but I'm not his clone, Leo! And you shouldn't be either! If he disapproves of this, why can't you take it upon yourself to help me on your own?! Why can't you make your own choices, follow your heart for once! I've always looked up to you, Leonardo, because you've always been the strong one. But if you turn your shell on me now, when I've told you more than once that I need you more than ever, I swear you will Never. See me. Again." He held onto his brother still, his heart desperate for an answer, paining for one. But his eyes were still angry, and they pierced from his purple bandanna through Leo' blue one in stand-out.

"I AM following my heart, Don! Why don't you get that?" Leonardo asked, and suddenly he wasn't angry anymore. He was disappointed. Disappointed in himself, "My heart wants me to protect my brothers from getting hurt. My heart wants me to protect YOU, from doing something stupid. I don't want to see you get hurt, Don," he said, "Just because I'm doing what Master Splinter would do, doesn't mean I'm not doing what I want to do! You're my brother, and I just feel..." he took a breath, "I just feel like you're getting into something you don't understand."

Donatello let go of his arm, his own voice dropping as well. "You think I've never felt that way toward your decisions? Leo, you make hard decisions all the time, some I don't agree with. But I followed you anyway, because I trusted you. Why can't you do the same for me? This chance at happiness - it means everything to me. And even if it doesn't work out, I'll know that I tried. But... I can't be like you. I can't be like Master Splinter." He took a deep sigh, "Haven't you ever noticed, Leo, that our father is alone? I mean, sure he has us, but we're his adopted children. He had nobody to share the experience of raising us with. He has nobody to look back with, and laugh at all the crazy stunts we used to pull. I'd bet my shell that we were a handful, especially Raph and Mikey, but he never had anybody to share the headaches with. And he still doesn't. I don't want to end up like Master Splinter, Bro. I don't want to be like my father. This is my chance to be loved - to be happy. I'm so afraid that I'll be alone. I have you guys, my brothers, and I love you all to death. Master Splinter was lucky to find us and not live his life completely alone. But can you really guarantee that I'm going to find myself a canister that'll provide me with fatherhood someday...?"

Leo sat down on his brother's bed, his face in his hands. He didn't look it, but deep inside he was terrified. Terrified that he'd say the wrong thing, and lose his brother, and destroy the family, and... oh, what would a good leader do? What would they say? "No," he said finally, "No, I don't want you to be alone for the rest of your life, and never know love. And you know what? I don't want to be alone either. And we're not alone. We have each other. But I know that's not what you mean..."

Donatello couldn't help feeling bad, now that he'd told his brother that he wasn't enough. It was true, but it wasn't the right words, "Listen. I have a real problem with the direction our lives are taking. All of this hiding, all this secrecy, it was necessary when we were children, so that Master Splinter could keep us safe so that one day, we'd be able to make our own choices with the experience and intellect of adults. But those days are over, Leo! Those days are done. If we remain here in the sewers, with nobody but each other, we're eventually going to end up with nothing but memories of how solitary and secluded our lives were. We can't stay here forever. We have to take risks. We have to find lives... Where do you see your life going...?"

Leonardo sighed, "I don't know," he told his younger brother. It was so rare for Leo to admit he didn't have a plan, "I'm an adult too, Donny. You think I don't look at April sometimes, and think, 'Hey, that's a nice ass'? But that's not an option. It's amazing you've found one potential option. And... and it would be great if this was genuine and I would love more than anything for it to work out and for you to be happy... But you think Mikey and Raph won't ever want some of that kind of love? I doubt your new friend would be willing to be shared, somehow."

"Well, I'm not willing to share her, if it ever comes to that. The difference between the three of you and me, is that I'm not afraid to admit that I want love in my life, and I'm the only one who's willing to put my shell on the line in order to get it. But even if she isn't genuine, and this whole thing blows up in my face, I'll get over it. And I'll keep searching for a path. I'll find some kind of love, and I'll find someone to pass Master Splinter's lessons down to. I'll teach morality, honour, and the importance of family, just like he taught us. I refuse to grow old building new things for this lair, reading pointless comics with Mikey, babysitting Raphael's temper, and meditating with you. They say turtles live forever, Leonardo. They're wrong. You guys can stay here and spar forever. But you can count me out." It took him a moment to think up his next point. "And for the record, if that's how you feel about April, you need to tell her. You're a sentient being. You walk on two feet and you possess two arms and two hands. We've been hiding from what other people think all our lives. I'm sure you can handle it with April. You'd better take action before Casey Jones does."

"It's not an option," Leonardo repeated, "It’s not that kind of love. It's called testosterone. Making you feel differently. It's just a phase..." Leo didn't usually open up this way, "So yeah, to cut to the chase, I too want to have sex with a woman some day."

Donatello sighed as he worked. "Look, Leonardo. She means a shell of a lot more to me than sex. I wouldn't care if we never did that. I'm not thinking with my sperm here, I'm thinking with my heart. If I had to choose between you guys and Breech, of course I would choose you guys. You're my brothers! But, I really wish I had your support. If not the whole family, then at least just you."

Leo looked up again, "Don, you're my brother and I love you," he said, "Whatever you choose to do in life, I want you to be happy. Even if it's not down here."

Donatello smiled, and turned his chair around to face his brother. "I love you too. And that's why I want you to come up to the surface with me, and meet her. She's great, Leo. I think you'll approve."

"I'll decide when I meet her," Leo said simply, protectively, "But you know something, Don?" he stood up and walked over to his brother, putting his hands on his shoulders and looking into his eyes with a joking smile, "If she works out for you, you'd better get working on finding hot mutant girls for me, Raph and Mikey too."

Don smiled back. "I'll see what I can find on MySpace." Then he stood up, and pulled his brother into a tight hug. "Thanks, Leo. I knew you'd come through."

Leonardo hugged his younger brother back, incredibly relieved that he hadn't lost him. Then he held Don’s purple bandana, smiling again, "Just don't forget to wear this when we meet her. Or she'll never be able to tell us apart."

He took the bandanna in his hand, looked at it for a moment, "There's an option. If I ever do decide to share her, we could just swap colours," he joked, and punched his brother on the shoulder. Then he turned around to get back to work, "Now get out of my room, before you get any ideas."

"Yeah... I'm pretty beat," Leo yawned, feeling a lot better himself, now that he'd gotten his own private urges off his plastron a bit, "And you'd better hit the sack too, because you'll have to go through this again with Master Splinter tomorrow." He left the room again, quietly, "Sleep tight, Donny," he told his brother softly, as he closed the door.

"Yep. Goodnight, Leo." He heard the door close behind him and listened to the microphone on Breech’s waist, to see what he could hear.

~~~

Harley: I didn’t like Don in this chapter. He felt kind of self-righteous to me. But SonicFrank refused to listen to me about Don being an asshole so I did what I could... He was a whole lot worse than this before the edits I made.
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The Long Walk