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The Long Walk	By : Breech_Loader Category: Comics > Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Views: 2637 -:- 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.

Chapter List
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The Long Walk

Co-Written by Harley Quinn hyenaholic and SonicFrank

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Harley: Welcome to a new TMNT fanfic. Now, SonicFrank loves writing accents, so you’ll have to deal with those. If you don’t like Canon/OC hook-ups (although I think this approach is better than most) you should leave. Pay attention to the warnings. This story will contain a LOT of fight scenes, some of which will be very graphic, sex, references to child abuse, drug abuse and my favourite warning, torture.

SonicFrank: This fanfic technically takes place after the Live Action movies (you know, after The Shredder got collapsed boardwalk syndrome). But I like the 2003 show a lot, so personalities and appearance are based on that. Also, Baxter Stockman shows up later on, based on 2003’s personality.

Harley: Don meets a new friend on the Internet (haven’t we all?) Will she (yes, she) tear his family apart, or bring them closer together? That’s a good question, because even we haven’t fully decided yet.

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Chapter One: Hermit Crab

"Not now, Mikey. I'm busy. And don't touch anything on your way out!"

He'd been hearing that more and more frequently over the past few months, and although he usually read his comics and rode his skateboard alone, Michelangelo couldn't help feeling something was missing, and it wasn't the second disk of his Star Wars DVD collection, though that had also mysteriously vanished at some point. Leaving his closest brother's room unaccompanied was getting all too familiar - and lonely. Who else was going to admire the Special Effects in the latest Batman film with him, and who was going to help him unlock Sonic in Super Smash Bros. Brawl (and fix the second WiiMote while he was at it)? Leo was uninterested, and Raph always made fun of him, and was too much of a hot-head anyway. Something was up - and it made him feel uneasily down. So he headed for the sibling nearest him at the time. Maybe someone in the lair knew something he didn't...

"Yo, Mikey," Raphael told him, playing furiously on a platform game. He cursed as his character fell down a bottomless pit, and turned his attention to his brother. Even though they were the same age, he always considered Michelangelo to be younger than him. Maybe it was just his light-hearted approach to life... "Would ya believe it? The special moves on dis t'ing ah just... they got eight buttons on duh joypad, and it still uses up ta jump..." he saw his brother's somewhat downcast face, "Ya got a problem?" he asked gruffly, not really wanting to show his concern.

Mikey raised an eyebrow, visible even through his orange bandana, and looked at the game for a moment. He almost felt the urge to laugh at and tease his brother - and get whacked over the noggin for it in the process, but right now, he's not concerned with the precarious setting in which he has found himself. Instead of commenting, he took the controller out of his brother's hands despite his grumbled objection toward the action, and went back to the main menu while he spoke, "I have a new joke for ya, Raph. And if this one doesn't spark a laugh outta ya, I'll call myself Jerry Seinfeld for a week."

"Oh yeah? Hit me wit' it," Raphael told him. "And it bettuh be funniuh than the one about Supuhman." Mikey was always full of jokes and laughter, but for whatever reason he sounded a little more serious than normal about this. The red-masked turtle suspected it wasn't a joke, but you never could tell with Mikey.

It was obvious by his willing patience to go forward with the joke that his brother knew something wasn't right. While Raph spoke, Michelangelo scrolled through the game's main menu, and entered the ‘Adjust Control Settings’ screen. "What has six fingers, four toes, and hasn't left its cave since Fred and Wilma had their honeymoon?" He offered to give the controller back once the question finished. Mikey just helped quell Raph's frustration without poking at the flames first. This was new.

"I got nuthin'," Raph said, his expression humourless as ever. He looked at his own hands and guessed it had something to do with one of them, "But I'm guessin’ that Bam-Bam is worried about it."

Michelangelo’s face went solemn, suddenly, and he decided Raph was the wrong turtle to ask. Raph never seemed noticed his third brother while he was there, much less when he wasn't. If Don weren't so good at fixing his broken toys, the Sai-wielder probably wouldn't give him the light of day. Leo never bothered worrying about Don either, but at least he could hold a conversation with him. That's who he should've asked in the first place. His oldest brother - the one he looked to for guidance. And recipes, but mostly guidance. Sometimes, "Nah, Bam-Bam wasn't born yet. The answer was Heracross! But you smashed your GameBoy over my head way before you could catch one! ...where's Leo?"

Raphael scowled, annoyed that Michelangelo was turning to Leo about... whatever it was. He wasn't totally insensitive to other people's problems, "Probably trainin', the way he always does," he replied, "Or workin’ on puhfectin' his Fearless Leaduhship skills. Dat suck-up." he snatched the controller back from Mikey and returned to the game, pointedly ignoring his little brother.

Leo was never hard to find, and Raph's attitude was best left behind. He wouldn't have been any help anyway, would've told him that Mister Bo was doing his usual sci-fi dork thing. Leo would be much more help. But knowing his oldest brother like they all did, Mikey doubted he'd find him in his room, which was where the other two would look. So he looked everywhere but his room first, including his own! And Master Splinter's...

His nunchucks made rattling noises at the chains as he walked - a sign that they weren't secured properly. When he stopped to adjust them, his brother's voice emanated from within their father's sanctuary. Master Splinter wasn't getting any younger, and he'd been requiring more rest than before. He'd usually be meditating, but when his aging voice also touched his youngest son's ears, it became evident that the two of them were deep in conversation. Whether or not it was important, Mikey didn't know. So he slid the door open a crack, and poked his head in. When Splinter's gaze focussed on him, he held a vexed face, and then a cheesy, bashful grin, before drawing it into his shell and sliding the door shut again.

"It seems that Michelangelo wishes to speak to you," Splinter told Leonardo suddenly, "Perhaps we should continue this conversation some other time, Leonardo?"

"Yes, Sensei," Leonardo told his father respectfully, before quietly leaving the room. He found Mikey outside, fiddling with his nunchucks awkwardly, "Master Splinter thinks you might want to talk to me about something," he told his brother.

The young turtle was lost in his thoughts, too lost to have heard the stealthy Leo slide the door open and close it. When his brother spoke, he yelped "YIKES!!!" girlishly, and leapt so high he risked impaling the ceiling. He landed ten feet away from Leo, and raised an eyebrow when he stood. This was followed by an appealing, cheesy surrender of pride. His embarrassment showed in his expression. "Haha, bet I scared ya Leo. You weren't expectin' me to scream and jump like that! Admit it, you were terrified by my choreographed terror!"

Leonardo smiled a little, approaching his brother. Despite how annoying Mikey could be, he liked his little brother a lot, and to see him thoughtful like that - even for a moment - was a real change, "I wouldn't say terrified. More... impressed by your acting skills. If I didn't know you better, I'd swear you were actually preoccupied with something important!"

This made the younger one smile as well. Leo always knew just what to say. He thought of at least twenty-two jokes on the spot, but having Leonardo before him made too much sense to destroy the moment. Instead, he'd lead right to the point, "Leo, can I show you somethin'?"

"Mikey, you know you can show me anything," Leo raised an eyebrow, wondering what it was, “So what's up?"

Mikey thought about this question, and came to the conclusion that he'd have to express himself in a more accentuated manner in order for Leo to get his point. "Leo, I was minding my own business this morning, while eavesdropping on you while you sharpened your katana. And I noticed, you have three fingers! Then I saw Raph playing this video game that he borrowed from Casey, and since I didn't wanna boil him up, I took the controller out of his hand and I noticed, he has three fingers! And so, I came up with a theory. If you're my brother, and you have three fingers, and Raph's my brother, and he also has three fingers, that means I might have three fingers too! Bodacious! So I looked at my hand, and lo-and behold, three! And I find this amazing! Y'know why? Because that's exactly how many mutant turtles live in this lair! Three! What're the chances of that, huh?"

"Yeah," Leonardo smiled again, "But, uh, aren't you forgetting somebody?" he asked, playing along and hoping he was getting it right, "You know, the fourth mutant turtle? The one who's always fixing the XBox? Donatello?"

A placed a hand under his chin in response, but he grew bored of the game as soon as he did. "Leo, where's your brother?"

"You mean, Donny?" Leo asked, a little confused, "He's in his room. Working on the computer," Leonardo's expression became thoughtful, "The way he has been doing for some weeks now..." he looked at Michelangelo, "Mikey, is that what you're worried about? Don in his room all the time?"

His next few sentences were eccentric - filled with exaggeration, typical of Mikey when he needed to get his point across, "Well, duh! I mean, he's more like a crab than a turtle! Er, a hermit crab. He hasn't worked on a single contraption in days, hasn't read any books, hasn't studied anything, and he's gotta have the world record for fastest type-artist with three fingers! He hasn't done anything but type his life away for a month of Sundays, Leo. And nobody notices but me, so he thinks it's okay! And it isn't! ...right? Spending time with the family? Ninja Training? ...sleeping? All that ...Master Splinter's words stuff..?"

"You know, you're right..." Leo said, knowing that he had to calm his brother - and also knowing instinctively that the kid had a point, "He's always been the quiet one of the family... but that's not healthy. And I should have noticed it sooner. Thanks for bringing it to my attention..." he thought for a second, "In fact, I'll go talk to him right now."

"Uh... I'm gonna spy on you. So just, uh... pretend I'm not there?" Okay, he just engulfed himself in stupidity again, but hey, at least he was honest!

"You do that, Mikey," Leo replied, heading to Donatello's room with Mikey following behind. He knocked on the door, but got no answer, so he just let himself in quietly. As Mikey had said, Don was sitting at his computer, quite oblivious to his entrance, "Hey, Don," he said loudly, making his presence known.

Now there's a voice he hadn't heard in awhile - at least not addressing him. He must need advice on some type of fabric again. Leo heard him hit three keys on his keyboard, then the Enter one. The computer made a low chime of a sound right after, and he turned his chair to face Leo. His purple bandanna was off. "How may I be of service to you, fellow brethren?" He greeted Leo with a genuine smile, much unlike Mikey, whom he tried his best to ignore...

"Don..." Leo wasn't quite sure how to approach this, "You've been spending an awful lot of time alone in your room lately. Don't you think you should, you know... turn the computer off, and come out and train for a while with your brothers?"

Don's turtle eyebrow raised in suspicion, and then he smiled, "Oh, I'm sure you guys are doing just fine without me. Like I'm doing in here! You have no need to worry about me, Leo. Good ol' Don's never been happier in his life. You can take my bo and train with it, if you like. I won't be needing it for a while."

Leo frowned. He knew that Raphael would have simply stepped forward and ripped the plug out of the wall, but he preferred a more subtle approach, and he wasn't going to be put off so easily either, "Is there something wrong? Something you're not telling us?"

"Wrong? Why no, of course not!" Donatello turned his chair back around, to face his computer. He wasn’t wearing his holster over his shell, either. In fact, it was tossed beside his hammock, "Come, I'll show you. I've made a friend. A very good friend." He began typing again, and hit the Enter key shortly after. The computer chimes again. "And just now, we were discussing the theory of the spacious atom, and how the world as we know it might very well exist not as a solidity, but as a frequency called dimension. Her mind is fascinating." His voice sounded genuine, and he was in a good mood. Unfortunately, this meant he had been enjoying himself, and Don had always been quite the addict when it came to things he enjoyed doing. Thus, the Shell Cell, Shell-Cycle, Shell-Sub and Shell-Mobile were born.

"Yeah, it's good you've made a friend on the internet..." Leo said, looking over his shoulder at the conversation. Whoever Don was talking to seemed to be somewhat unclear on science, but apparently enjoyed having it explained. And a lot of the discussion seemed very philosophical about the existence of good and evil, and the origins of morality. As he read, a new line popped up.

I'm glad I've met you Don, even if I can't see you. My foster parents are very closed-minded. And very stupid. I don't think they'd like you. Not that I care what they think... but I have to delete our conversations afterwards, and I hate that.

"Don, just how much do you know about this new friend?" he asked his brother.

Donatello replied to both of them at the same time, "Not nearly enough, I'm afraid." He typed quickly while he spoke, "What I know for sure is that she has foster parents, and they're about as open-minded about what gives people happiness as the Shredder was. But that's okay, because I'm not exactly willing to tell her a whole lot about myself, either. She does know that I was raised by a non-biological father, and that I have two crazy brothers, plus Mikey. But that's all." He at least hadn't lost his sense of humour.

Leonardo smiled at this, "You do know that spending this much time talking to her is kinda pointless, right? You'll never be able to meet her. I don't care how open-minded she is; we're still... you know..." he hated the word but used it anyway, "Freaks. Vigilantes. And that's something she won't be able to understand. So why not come off that computer for a while and train with people who do understand you?"

Donatello took a moment to process this information. It took genuine effort to not let anger overwhelm his thoughts after what his oldest brother had just told him, "That, my dear brother, is where you're wrong." He finished typing, and hit the Enter key. The computer chimed for the third time.

Don't you worry about that. I've programmed my chat program to instantly record any conversations I have. That way, I'll never lose an important piece of information gathered through a chatbox. So, if you ever want to read a past conversation of ours, all you have to do is ask.

"This person understands me more than the three of you combined ever will,” he continued, “But I have no desire to argue my logic with you. So either be enthusiastic about my friend, or leave my room and let me be."

Leonardo read the line Donatello had just typed, and pushed down a growing irritation, "If this new friend of yours is so much more understanding, why don't you show me a few of your recorded conversations too? Maybe then I'll be as capable of understanding you as this almost-total stranger seems to be." Another message entered on the screen.

Thanks for the offer. At least you think things through and plan ahead. Nobody in my family ever bothers to do that.
If I can even call them family... the other end added.

"Sounds like she doesn't have much respect for those foster parents of hers," Leo pointed out.

Donatello began typing again, I'm sorry, but you'll have to excuse me for a moment while I deal with my feeble brother's ignorance. This shouldn't take long.

When he sent that in, the computer chimed, and he turned to Leo, crossed one leg over the other, and rested his elbow on the desk. "First of all. You don't know a thing about her, so I advise you keep your mouth free of any assumptions relating to her character." He placed his chin on his hand, "And second, I'm sorry, Leo, but I refuse to allow you to interrogate my friend by any means. Everything she knows of me that you don't, she knows because she's interested in what I have to say. She takes the time to ask me questions, to listen to my thoughts, to ask me how I feel. She's made a genuine effort to get to know me. You, on the other hand, only converse with me when there's business to attend to, and never ask my opinion on matters because you're too afraid to be nullified by my expanded intellect. This is why your attention solely remains on Mikey and Raph. Because you know you're smarter than them, and that they actually care to garner your attention. I, on the other hand, never give you a problem, and have followed every one of your orders directly. And yet not once have you sat here, in my room with me, the way you are now, asking for any explanations as to who I am. So, that being said, don't you have some type of sucking up to attend to, Big Brother?"

"Don, let me make something clear to you," said Leonardo, stifling the urge to raise his voice, "You cannot meet her, ever. She's human. We are not human. Even on the miniscule offchance that she could grasp what we are without totally freaking out, it doesn't sound like her foster parents could. Chances are they'd run to the cops. You can't put your family in that much danger. And you know what else? I won't let you."

Donatello blinked in amazement at the level of thickness his brother had demonstrated. "Leo, I've always seen you as quite gullible. But I never once thought you were stupid. Didn't I just finish saying that I have no plans of meeting this person? And aside from that, there you go judging her again. I suppose it's okay for Mikey to bring April, and Raph to bring Casey. But me? I'm not allowed the pleasure of a friend. Not even on the internet. Go away, Leo. You're making me angry, and you're insulting the one part of me that's better than you. My intelligence."

"What I'm trying to say, Don," Leo managed to refrain from banging his brother’s head against the keyboard, "Is that you can't meet her. Therefore, it's pointless to spend this much time talking to her. Come off the damn computer! Spend some time with your family! Train! Talk! Come out of your room! You can do it because I'm telling you to, or you can do it because Master Splinter will tell you to. You can't spend your life talking to a faceless stranger!"

On the computer, another line came through, You’re ahead of the game then. I can’t decide whether to congratulate you on your brother ONLY being ignorant, or only being IGNORANT. :) But if he’s there, it might be simpler to chat some other time.

Leonardo saw the line, Breech_Loader signed off at 15:32:11, “There, you see?” he asked, “She’s signed off. NOW will you come off the damn computer?”

Leo physically saw his brother's glum reaction suck the light out of his face, and his hands made fists. "Leave. I don't want to talk to you anymore."

"Donny..." Leo reached out, "Come on. Now you don't even have her - whoever she is - to talk to. You're not seriously planning to sit here and do nothing?" he looked at his brother's pale face.

Don avoided his brother's touch, and stood up, "No." Rubbing his head, he walked over to his other desk, the one with all the gizmos and doo-dads piled onto it. "I have work to do. I'm building a heater for Master Splinter's mattress. It has to be just right, otherwise it could malfunction, overheat and burn him. And Raph broke his Shell Cell. Again."

Leonardo didn't want to give up. But he wasn't sure what else he could try. Short of physically dragging Don out of the room, there wasn't much more he could do, "Well, just remember, this girl isn't the only one you can talk to," he said finally. Mikey was still watching behind him, and he hated letting down his little brother like this, "You can still talk to me. Or Mikey. Or Raph. Or Master Splinter."

Donatello sat down, and didn't bother facing his brother when he next spoke. In fact, he avoided doing so intentionally, a method to add spite. "No, Leo. I can't. I never could before, and I refuse to now. Now stop pretending to be concerned. I'll make up with Mikey later. He's the only one who's noticed my absence. I'm sure of it."

"I..." Leo sighed, "You're right Donny. I should have noticed something was up. I'm sorry..." He left the room quietly, hating the way he felt like he had just failed Mikey, failed Donny, failed Master Splinter, hell, he even felt like he'd failed Raph right now. He looked at Mikey, "I'm sorry..." he told his orange-clad brother, "But I'm not going to give up on any of you," he said more firmly.

"Leo..." Mikey started, looking down at his thick, green toes. "I miss my brother..."

"I know..." Leo paused, then gave his downcast brother a hug, "You know... I think you might be better at talking some sense into him. I think he's... angry at me. You noticed. He might listen to you."

He didn't hug him back, but he did lean on him. Leo had always been so strong. Not power-strong, like Raph, but inner-strong, like Master Splinter, "I'd have more luck talking Raph into watching Sex and the City. But I can try again..."

"Try a little later," Leo advised, "For now... how about we play some Super Smash Bros, huh?"

Mikey froze, and pulled away from his brother. "Y'know... Raincheck, Bro. All this missin' Don stuff's makin' me wanna go meditate. I know. Bizarro World, huh?" He turned around, and headed for Splinter's room. Spinning a pair of nunchucks over his head on one finger, he thought he'd also do some weapons practice, "You can play against Raph, though. He's always an easy win."

~~~

Harley: There you go. Don's met somebody. More on that somebody next chapter, but for now, won't you please Read and Review? Oh, and this fanfic is going up on my Loanet DA account, and my Fanfiction.net account too. Just in case you see it and get all uppity about plagiarism and stuff.
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The Long Walk