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Leonardo rolled over on his tatami mat and sighed as sleep refused to come. Ever since the Pulverizer…no ever since Timothy had been transformed into a mutant he couldn't help feeling guilty. Donnie had stated several times that they needed to get him away from the Foot Clan.

But he hadn't listened…he had been so caught up in the thought of having someone who could pass them information on the Foot - on Shredder. Too caught up to listen to his own younger brother's concerns. Looking back on it, it was highly probable that Dogpound, Fishface, or both probably suspected that Timothy knew them, or at least had some connection to them. That was likely why he was used as an experiment with the mutagen, they believed that they would come to his rescue.

Leo couldn't begin to fathom why his intelligent younger brother had been so dead set on protecting the human boy. Ever since they had been children Donnie had always been sensitive, particularly when it came to the suffering of others. Admittedly while Leo could understand his brothers desire to help an innocent who was involved in things that were beyond his comprehension. What truly felt out of character was Donnie's impulse to race after Timothy on his own. He could vaguely recall Donnie muttering something to himself about Splinter saying the Pulverizer was his responsibility. But what did that even mean? Why was Donnie responsible for Timothy? How was he responsible? It was fairly obvious that the Pulverizer irritated his intelligent younger brother to degrees that could only be reached by Mikey at his worst, so why was there an intense desire to save him.

Perhaps the desire to save him was just simply because he was an innocent, after all, they only thing they really knew about the Pulverizer was that he was a fanboy and a nuisance, but he was still an innocent human being. An innocent human being, who was now needlessly involved in their problems and had paid a hefty price for it. By exposing himself to the mutagen, Timothy had lost his humanity through his own foolish delusion of heroism.

They had tried…Donnie had tried several times to convince the Pulverizer that the mutagen was unstable and dangerous. But sadly the foolish human boy had once again refused to see reason, resulting in his blind desire to fight Shredder alongside his idols as a mutant. And what was worse, something about the whole incident seemed to break something in Donatello. Raph and Mikey didn't notice the difference, however, Leo could see that something had shifted in younger brother...but to what effect was yet to be seen. And he couldn't shake the feeling that there was something that Donnie wanted to tell him...tell all of them, but wasn't quite sure how to approach the subject.

Getting up, Leo left his room and made his way to the kitchen. Perhaps some tea would calm his nerves and settle his thoughts. He had just stepped into the dorm hallway when he noticed the light in Donnie's bedroom was on so that meant he was up late...again. Continually trying to find the means to return the Pulverizer to his human form.

If that was even possible and he had been doing this for what…a week now? Donnie was so busy he hardly ate, barely slept, and either was late for morning training or didn't show up at all.

Putting the tea kettle on the stove to boil, Leo left the kitchen and made his way to Donnie's room. He knocked once and received no answer...he knocked again and waited before he opened the door. He wasn't surprised to find Donnie nowhere in sight. Leo shrugged figuring Donnie must be in his lab as he turned out the light; it wasn't unusual for his genius brother to be found asleep there.

Unfortunately, the purple-masked turtle wasn't there either; the only thing that counted as a person was the forlorn looking remains of Timothy that were suspended in their tank. This was too weird, Donnie wouldn't have left the lair without informing anyone or at the very least leaving a clue as to where he had gone to. So where in the sewers could he have gone?

Sighing, he decided to return to the kitchen and finish making tea when his ears detected the familiar buzzing of Donnie's bo staff spinning through the air. Cautiously he walked to the door of the dojo and sure enough his taller brother was obsessively practicing. Leonardo had been so intent on watching his younger brother; he didn't notice Splinter had come up behind him until he felt a hand on his shoulder.

"Master Splinter," Leo acknowledged his father and teacher.

"Donatello has been going over his form for the past several nights," Splinter stated with some concern.

"But...why?" Leonardo asked as he felt every strike and blow Donatello made felt like they were meant for him or maybe all three of his brothers.

"It appears that these recent events have set some unease in your brother's heart," Splinter sighed.

"Donnie did everything he could to stop it from happening," Leo commented. "If anyone is to blame it should be me. Donnie…Donnie was the one saying that Timothy should quit the Foot and I encouraged the idea of having him be intel just so we'd know what Shredder was planning."

"Your brother is not entirely blameless for Timothy's fate," Splinter responded sternly, but not a reprimanding way. "But you are right, that you all do hold responsibility for this as well. However, from what you have told me, it seems that Timothy is a person who would only realize his foolishness the hard way."

"And that is the reason why Donnie is desperately seeking a cure," Leonardo sighed shaking his head sadly. "But all the other unfortunate people who were exposed to the mutagen…their conditions are most likely permanent, including you Sensei. I don't know if it's even possible to restore Timothy to being a human, and I fear that all attempts to find a cure may end up destroying Donnie altogether."

"The mutagen doesn't bring desirable results," Splinter said with a sigh. "But sometimes it can be a blessing in disguise. I have lost my humanity, but I have gained the four of you. And while life has not been easy, I don't feel any regret about how our family has turned out. As for your brother, Donatello is capable of many things, and I have faith that if a cure is possible he would be able to find it. However, I too have concerns about this task…all that his happened is far too much of a burden for one so young. And should a cure even be found...that would bring its own sense of danger both in those who could benefit from its existence and those who would see it as a threat."

"Then what should we do?" Leonardo looked up at his teacher. "What should I do?"

"For now I would suggest talking to him..." Splinter responded in a fatherly manner as he turned to leave. "Don't approach the conversation as a leader to an underling, instead approach him as an older brother and friend."

Hearing the hum of the tea kettle, Leo stepped away from the Dojo and returned to the kitchen. Removing the kettle from the heat and shutting off the stove he pondered Master Splinter's words. Don't approach as a leader to a subordinate, but as an older brother. What did that mean? As far as he could remember he'd always been seen as a leader of their group. The others looked up to him to lead the way out when it really mattered. But being a big brother…that was different? How was that different from being a leader? He started to pour himself a cup of jasmine tea when he paused a moment and placed the kettle down. Perhaps he could at least try and get Donnie to talk over a cup of tea…and he could see about getting his brother to eat something while he was at it.

Returning to the dojo, he found Donnie kneeling on the ground. His bo staff propped against the floor as if trying to support him. His face looked flushed from exertion, the way his chest was heaving and the blank look in his eyes, Leo could tell his second brother had exhausted himself. He was at his brother's side in an instant, taking hold of the wooden staff and gently pulling it away from Donatello's grasp. He could easily see the unmistakable sheen of sweat coating his brother's face and body, and also the faint metallic smell of blood. Leo sighed softly to himself as he returned his brothers staff to the weapons rack. That was when he took note of the rust-colored stains that had formed on the white strip of cloth bound around the center of the staff. Glancing towards Donatello in concern, he saw the purple masked turtle examining his hands which were cracked and bloody from the seemingly non-stop training.

"Come on, let's get you cleaned up," Leo said as he returned to his brothers sided and took hold of one of Donatello's arms and hoisting him to his feet. The taller turtle didn't protest, but rather mechanically followed his brother where he was being led. Leo knew this was a bad sign; this was the behavior of a person who was mentally or emotionally at the end of their rope. Pulling Donatello into the kitchen Leo placing him down on one of the stools before grabbing the first-aid kit from underneath the sink. Leo sat down on a second stool and began inspecting the abrasions on Donnie's hands to assess the damage. He sucked in a breath when he realized it was worse than he had actually thought, the skin on Donnie's hands was cracked and blistered from the hours upon hours of training, and several of the blisters had ruptured, oozing blood. What was worse, some of them even looked red and puckered with possible infection and filled with the filmy white globs of puss. How long had Donnie been doing this? In concern, Leo placed a hand on his brother's forehead and noticed he felt rather warm, but it didn't feel like a fever, at least not yet.

"You really did a number on yourself," Leo commented with a sigh before he pulled a brown bottle of hydrogen peroxide from the first aid kit. "I don't think I need to tell you that this may sting a bit." Measuring a little of the clear fluid into a paper towel before dabbing at some of the more infected areas. Donatello let out a small hiss at the burning sensation while the chemical bubbled in the wounds, cooking the infected areas and oxidizing the uninfected. The blue-masked turtle stepped away to the sink a moment and grabbed a clean washcloth he started soaking it under the tap. Wringing out the wet cloth he returned to where his brother was sitting and started to cleanse away the blood and broken skin before gently wrapping them in a thin layer of bandages, trying to sooth away the pain his brother was feeling. Blisters were a common injury when they first began training and continued to be even now that their hands had formed calluses and grown accustomed to the feel of their weapons. Leo, however, knew Donatello's wounds ran far deeper than just these physical ones, and those were wounds that were harder to heal.

"I failed him, Leo."

The statement was so soft, Leonardo was barely sure he heard it. But the voice was unmistakable. His heart clenched as he noticed Donnie visibly flinch when he reached out and placed a hand on his younger brother's shoulder. But that couldn't be right; Leo rarely if ever raised his hand to his brothers, least of all Donatello. At once he pulled the taller turtle into a hug.

"No, you didn't," Leo whispered softly into his brother's ear. "You did everything I would have done."

"You saw him that night," Donatello's softly answered into Leo's shoulder. "He was scared, confused, and so much pain." It was the medic in Donatello that abhorred the sight of people getting hurt for any reason.

"It couldn't be helped, Donnie." Leo answered, "He did it to himself."

"I should have…" Donatello had hardly finished his statement when Leo's hands firmly grabbed his shoulders and pushing him away.

"Donnie…Donatello look at me," Leonardo commanded. The purple-masked turtle hesitantly turned his mahogany eyes to meet Leo's ocean colored ones. Instead of disappointment or anger, the depths of blue were expansive; filled with concern, but there was love in their depths as well. "You can't save everyone...least of all from themselves," The blue-masked turtle continued. "You had warned him...you had given him every possible out and he chose to foolishly pursue his desire to be a hero. It wouldn't have surprised me if the reason he was even chosen as a member of the Foot, was because they suspected it would lead to us or maybe our lair." The elder turtle felt his younger brother tense at that statement. Leo at once returned to the comforting embrace the two sitting in silence for what felt like an hour, with Leonard running his hand in gentle circles along Donatello's shell. The silence was suddenly broken by the sound of Donatello's stomach growling.

"Here," Leo said as he got up. "Why don't I make you some toast."

"You don't need to…" Donnie started to protest.

"Yes, I do…" Leo started to say. "As your older brother, I do. Don, making yourself sick is not going to be a help to any of us."

"I'm fine, Leo."

"Damn it, Donnie!" Leo nearly shouted as he slammed his fists onto the concrete. "This is the problem! I know you want to rescue April's father and restore the Pulverizer to being a human once again, but at what cost? For the past week, you've barely eaten, and I don't think you've been sleeping either. Why do you do this to yourself? Why do you honestly think working yourself to death is going to solve anything?"

Two doors could be heard opening within the lair. Leo knew the Raph and Mikey had heard the commotion and were coming to investigate. He could tell which footsteps were Mikey's as they pattered closer to the kitchen to see what was going on.

Leo heaved a calming breath to steady his nerves. Walking to a cabinet he pulled out a second teacup, filling the two cups of tea he returned the table. Donatello had grown strangely silent after Leo's outburst and the sight the older turtles eyes beheld was heart breaking. The taller turtle continued to sit on the kitchen stool, his head facing downward as if he was studying the thin layer of dust and sewer grime on the floor. His arms were wrapped around himself and he seemed to shiver as if cold. Leo could tell right away that second brother was fighting a losing battle to keep himself from breaking.

Placing down the two cups of tea on the concrete table, he wrapped one arm around his younger brother, pulling him close once again. Carefully tilting up Donatello's face, Leo's ocean blue eyes were met by Donnie's mahogany eyes brimming with unshed tears. Never before had he seen his second brother look so lost.

"I'm just so scared, Leo," Donatello whispered as he leaned his head against his brother's plastron, allowing the tears to slip down his face. "I'm afraid that every promise I make will end result in nothing. The last chance we had in rescuing April's father only resulted in his getting recaptured, and now this promise I made to Timothy..."

"You'll find a way," Leo said comfortingly as he sat down, allowing Donnie to wrap his arms around his neck. "I know you will...*He* needs you. I know for a fact you were able to reach him before…it was only a moment, but it was your voice that helped him remember who he was."

Footsteps cautiously approached as Raph and Mikey appeared in the kitchen doorway. Raph had an uncharacteristic look of concern in his eyes, Mikey looked near tears himself as he approached his older brothers, placing a hand on Donatello's shell. Mikey always did have an empathic personality and hated to see his brothers upset or distressed.

Raph also placed an arm around Donatello's shoulders. "Hey, I know I'm not the comforting type and I am harder on you more than the other guys…and yeah I have said you were a 'useless ninja' on more than one occasion. But even I admit *I* need you too. I mean, who else is going to keep an eye on Mikey."

"Hey," Mikey yelled in protest.

"Remember when you, me, and Mikey went up against Snakeweed." Raph continued. "When Mikey got hurt, I froze up and didn't know what to do. But you…you kept a level head through it all. You were the one who managed to subdue Snakeweed and snap me out of my panic attack long enough for us to escape, if you hadn't been there, both Mikey and I would'a been done for."

"Donnie," Mikey softly said as he leaned his cheek against his brother's shell. "I do admit I tune out whenever you go into lecture mode and I don't understand what you're saying when you get started on the technobabble. I do poke fun at your expense, particularly about April. But as much as I annoy you, I also look up to you. *We* need you, Donnie, you've saved our shells on so many occasions I don't think I have enough fingers and toes to count that high. No one has been kinder or more generous then you have, whenever one of us has been sick or hurt, you've always been there. And you've always been there to listen when we've wanted to talk, and offered advice whenever we're down. I can't think of a big brother who's better than you."

"And what are we...chopped liver?" Raph commented.

"We're here for you too, Donnie," Leo spoke. "If you need anything, we're here. You don't need to feel like you are undergoing these tasks alone. All you need to do is let us know where you need assistance the most, that way we'd get through whatever needs to get done…together."

There was a long moment of quiet before Donatello lifted his head and met the smiling gazes of his brothers. Leo gave Donnie's cheek a light playful punch which did earn a small laugh from the brainy turtle.

"I think this situation call for a nice, Shrimp and Sausage Pizza," Michelangelo said pulling out his T-phone and gleefully running out of the room to make the call to Antonios.

"You better not include anchovies on that pie!" Raphael warned as he raced after his youngest brother. "Otherwise you and I are going to play a little game called, "Does Mikey fit in that pipe?" Leo just smiled and shook his head in amusement before turning to his purple-banded brother.

"You going to be okay?" He asked.

"I think so…"Donnie answered. "Thanks, Leo."

"Don't mention it." Leo smiled companionably at his younger brother. "I think might be a good idea not to practice with your bo again, at least not until those blisters heal."

"Alright…" Donatello answered as he tentatively picked up the cup of Jasmine tea that Leonardo had made for him.

"I'd be willing to undergo some hand to hand exercises with you in the meantime," Leo added. "I have noticed some areas in your fighting where you look like you need assistance. And speaking of assistance…can you teach me how to use your bo? When you have the time?"

"Sure…" Donatello answered taking a sip of the tea, letting the warm soothing liquid slide down his throat. "Can I ask why?"

"Remember when Master Splinter told us to switch weapons," Leo inquired. "I think where we went wrong most in that exercise is that we didn't understand how to use an unfamiliar weapon. None of us really considered the option that even though we couldn't use our own weapons for that day, there was nothing said about learning from one another. So maybe if there are times we do have to switch weapons, we'd be better prepared."

"If you want, I can teach you some basics right now," Donatello answered as he pulled Leo to the dojo. Splinter watched from the shadows of his room as his third son handed his weapon to his older brother and began to instruct him in its use. A smile crossed his face at the dynamic the calmer two of his four sons held for one another, a dynamic his second oldest and youngest sons could stand to learn from. But there was still many emotional trials left for them to face as individuals. Splinter had suspected for some time now, his third son had a pacifistic nature and this would be an issue that will manifest itself later in the boy's life. When the time came, he would have to make difficult choices. Choices the ratly master wished he could spare his son from experiencing. In some of the actions, Donatello will be forced to choose -while for the greater good- would still affect him in damaging ways. But through it all, Splinter knew that his other sons will remain by their brothers side to guide him back the best they can.