Disclaimer: I do not own TMNT 2K3.
Panting heavily, Leonardo gazed up at the ebony, silver-dotted blanket that was the night sky. He sat, his legs sprawled out in front of him, in a growing puddle of blood that was not his own, but of his brother who leaned weightily on his left side. Donatello was struggling for air, his gasps short and shallow, as he bled gradually from two holes on his chest that practically went through him.
It all started when all four turtles went on their usual night patrol around New York City. No thanks to the food fight a certain orange-masked brother started, they had come out of the sewers late into the night and had no other choice but to split into two groups to cover more ground in less time. Raph and Mikey had dibs on the east while Leo and Don headed west. The two pairs kept contact with each other via ShellCell and were to meet up later in front of the lair entrance.
Luck was apparently not on the west pair's side when they found themselves surrounded by a dozen Foot ninja a couple of hours into the run. And it was more so proved when the enemies' reinforcements entered the fray when the battle was seemingly over. At this point, Leonardo ordered his younger brother to fall back and call the others. Donatello protested, but the eldest had no time to hear it since he had led the battle to the rooftops above.
The blue-masked turtle leaped from building to building, luring the Foot away farther away from his brainy sibling when one of his pursuers swung a heavy kanabo at his right ankle, effectively shattering the joint. Leo screamed in both surprise and pain before tumbling across the rooftop, barely missing the fall off the edge and twisting his other ankle in the process. Once on his knees, he crawled towards his katana that had flown out from the sheaths on his back during his tumble, only to have his left hand stepped on by the heel of a Foot ninja's split-toed boot. Soon, more of the Foot held his arms to his shell.
"Any last words, freak?" He heard his enemy snarl as he picked up the discarded blades and raised them at their owner.
There was a green-and-purple blur and instead of Leonardo, the Foot ninja brought down the swords on Donatello's bo-staff, slicing it into three parts. Before Don could even recover from the force of the attack, the Foot lifted the katana again and with all strength mustered, stabbed them into him.
No, "stab" was practically an understatement.
The blades literally skewered Donatello. Leo could only watch in horror as his own weapons speared his brother's flesh, their tips even cracking through his hard carapace. Time seemed to slow down as Don collapsed on his side to the floor of the rooftop, blood gurgling from his mouth and the swords still impaling him.
"Donnie…" The eldest muttered, tears beginning to form in his wide, hazel eyes. "DONNIE!"
His brother's oppressor was saying something, but Leonardo tuned him out. Blinded by rage and sorrow, he freed himself from his captors' grips and charged at the Foot ninja, snapping his neck with his bare hands. The other Foot immediately came to their dead comrade's aid, only to be cut in half when Leo lashed out with his victim's sword. The remaining enemies tried to retreat, but no one was spared from the infuriated turtle's wrath. The battle was quick and Foot ninja body parts, external and internal, littered the rooftop as Leo's anger dissipated into worry for his little brother. He approached the purple-masked genius, hope beginning to spark in his heart when he saw him still alive and only unconscious. The leader then forced himself to stand on unsteady feet while carrying his limp sibling in his arms and left the gory scene.
It was on the third rooftop he landed that his ankles yelled at him for his abuse on them and they instantly stopped functioning, sending him into another unintelligible glide. He grunted upon impact and struggled to his hands and knees but paled when he heard a loud thud and an agonized scream.
"DON!" He cried, scooting towards his younger brother.
Donatello lay on his side, whimpering and gripping one of the blades skewering his chest, not caring if it cut his hand. He coughed up more blood as he looked at his eldest sibling with weary, glassy eyes.
"'Eeo..." He called, his speech slurred. "I'…'urts…"
"Take it easy now, Donnie," Leo tried his best to suppress the panic in his voice, "everything's gonna be alright."
"…'Ull i'…out…"
"What did you say, Don?"
The purple-masked turtle swallowed the creeping bile and blood his throat, regretting his action when the searing pain it caused hit. With a lax, shaking finger, he pointed at the blades in his chest.
"Pul'…'em out," he drawled out.
Leonardo stared at his brother beyond himself with disbelief. Had Donnie given up?
"But, Don," the leader began, "if I do what you want, you'll bleed to death – "
"JUS' PUL' 'EM FUCKIN' BUH-LADES OUT!" A round of bloody coughs rattled the genius turtle's limp frame. "Puh-leesh, 'Eeo…can't b-breathe as m-much…t-think 'ung pu-unctured…"
It actually surprised Leo more that his pacifist of a brother had just cussed, than him signing his own death contract.
"C-Can't…suh-ave me an'moh…wanna…spend 'ast m'ments b-breathin' an'…'ith you, 'Eeo…"
'So he wishes to die in the battlefield like a true warrior,' Leonardo solemnly thought, sighing sadly, 'and he wants me to be the last person he sees? No…it cannot be…'
Nodding, he lifted Donatello's head and back carefully, holding him up nearly into a sitting position. With much hesitation, he gripped the handle of one of his katana, the blade going through the very center of the genius' chest.
"Sorry about this, Donnie," Leo mumbled, already watery-eyed.
"S'OK, 'Eeo," he heard his frail sibling's hoarse whisper.
At this, the eldest pulled. In his embrace, he could feel his little brother writhing in pain, trying with all his might to be strong and not make a sound. The katana barely inched from its placed and it struck Leonardo like a lightning bolt.
He needed to pull HARDER.
Tears had begun to fall and he would have stopped then and there if it wasn't for the feeble squeeze Don had given his left arm, the one propping the second-youngest up. Gathering all strength he had left in him, the blue-masked turtle yanked out the sword in one swift motion, drawing blood and leaving the entry and exit holes open to leak more of the vital red fluid. A bloodcurdling cry of sheer agony tore through Donatello's tight throat the moment the weapon had been forcefully removed from his body.
"Oh, God…" Leo murmured, tears cascading down his face as he threw away the object he once thought so valuable to him until it had impaled his brother.
Don was panting now like a dead-beat dog, his doe brown eyes hardly half-open. Placing a hand to cover his chest wound, he gestured lethargically to the other blade.
"One…moh…'Eeo…" He managed to say through his pants.
His elder brother nodded and looked at the katana. It was a little more to the to left than the first blade, dangerously close to the purple-masked turtle's heart. Leonardo knew he had to be careful with this one. Again, he pulled slowly, this time applying more and more force gradually. Too tired and exhausted, Donatello couldn't restrain his screams and they clawed at Leo's core. In a couple of minutes, the sword was out and had rejoined its twin on the far side of the rooftop. With no more hold on his emotions, Leonardo let it all out, sitting with his limp and bleeding brother's form in his arms as his whole body quivered like a leaf.
'What kind of a leader am I? What kind of a BROTHER am I? I…I let Donnie fall to hands of Death. If I were just…so much more alert…this would never have happened!'
"'Eeo…i' cold…" Came Don's oh so faint whisper. "C-Can you…'tay 'ith…m-me?"
Despite his tears, Leo turned to him and gave him a small smile.
"Don't worry, little brother. I'll be by your side 'til the end."
And so, here they were sitting together, one leaning against the other, under the starry night sky. The eldest had tied their bandanna masks together and used them as an attempt to bandage his brother's wounds, leaving the two turtles with exposed faces. He had also called Raphael and Michelangelo to come over as fast as they can. He was hoping that they would arrive in time for their second youngest sibling to see them before passing away.
"'Eeo?"
"Yeah, Donnie?"
"D-Don't… buh-lame yerself…"
"Don…"
"Dis all…da Foot's shit…n-not 'Eeo's shit, K?"
"But – "
"NOT YER SHIT, K?"
"Fine. Alright. It's not my…shit. Got it."
There was a pause as a cool night breeze blew.
"Don?"
"Wha'…?"
"Why'd you…do that and take the blow for me? You could've still been…well. Why'd you do it?"
"M'just…sick an' t-tired dat…you an' 'Aph always…g-get 'njured 'stead o' eitha…m-me or M'key…"
Leo's heart shattered into a million pieces at his brother's words. With a sniff, he laid his chin on top of Don's head. As a response, Donatello snuggled in closer to him, cringing as he moved his body.
"Oh, Donnie…"
"J-Jus' 'coz we d-da young 'uns… dat d-don't mean we can't pr'tect you t-two…an' t'was m-my turn to do so…I-I don't w-wanna…see you 'urt, "Eeo…"
They sat there in silence for the next few minutes. The multiple untreated injuries were beginning to take their toll on Leonardo, but he didn't care. Blood dripped from his brother's mouth onto his left shoulder and arm. Frowning, he caressed the chest wounds gently. The makeshift bandages weren't actually helping a lot. The holes were still bleeding, still feeding the red pool they sat on, but more slowly now. Yet his brother felt cold under his touch and the younger turtle's skin was a deathly pale green under the starlight. Leo knew from the raspy gasps that Don was still alive, just barely hanging on. But panic had won him over and he gently nudged his brother's head with his bloodied shoulder, immediately regretting it when Don gazed at him with drained, nearly lifeless, doe brown eyes.
"Mmm…'Eeo?"
"It's nothing, Donnie," Leonardo waved off, then noticed something above them. "Hey, isn't that Polaris?"
"If it's…u-up dere an' parta da Lil' D-Dippah, den yea'…"
A look of confusion appeared on Donatello's features, his eye ridges knitting together ever so slightly.
"…Wait…Lil' Dippah or…B-Big Dippah…?"
Leo had to chuckle at his brother's uncertainty and Don let out an amused snort.
"The 'North Star', huh? I remember you telling me about how early navigators and explorers had used it to point them north."
His genius sibling nodded sluggishly, grinning slightly at the memory from when they were just little tots. The eldest went on.
"Then, you said that it's not the real North. You told me that the Earth's magnetic poles shift constantly throughout the years and that only a compass can truly pinpoint the 'Real North'."
"Heh…you 'ave g-good m'm'ry, 'Eeo…"
"It's because I listened to you. I believe that was my first science lesson from you."
"LEO! DONNIE!"
The leader whipped his head to where he heard the calls come from. To his left, Raphael and Michelangelo were rushing towards them, worry etched clearly on their faces.
"Hey, Don. Raph and Mikey are here – " He stopped himself short when he turned to his frail sibling. "Don? DONNIE? Oh, God…"
Donatello wasn't moving. In dread, Leo lay him down as his other two brothers came.
"HE'S NOT BREATHING!" He shouted, wild-eyed. "WAKE UP, DON! WAKE UP!"
"Da hell, Don…" Raph muttered, his fists clenching tightly. "I SWEAR DAT 'EM FOOT BASTARDS ARE GONNA PAY!"
Mikey wasn't paying any attention. In a trance-like manner, he approached his fallen brother and fell to his knees, not caring how slick the concrete was with blood. He just stared at the limp form before him and noted the slight twitch in his elder sibling's face.
"Uh, guys…I think Donnie's waking up!"
Instantly, Raph and Leo gathered around the genius, the dying flame of hope in them flickering back to life a little. Sure enough, Donatello awakened, his doe brown eyes frighteningly glassy.
"'Eeo…'Aph…M'key…" He whispered before giving in to a coughing fit.
"Don't stress yerself, bro," Raphael said, his voice cracking. "Do ya have…any last wishes? Fer us?"
His other two brothers paled at his question. Don finally quieted down and nodded.
"M'key…you 'ontinue laughin'…a-an' make ev'ryone h-happy…"
The youngest nodded viciously, already crying.
"'Aph…w-watch yer tempah an'… kick 'em Foot's…asses fer m-me…"
Aforementioned hothead grinned sadly, giving his little brother a thumbs-up.
"'Eeo…s-stop buh-lamin' yerself…an'…take c-care o'…da fam'ly…"
The eldest flashed him a small smile as tears flowed again. He gave his brainy brother's hand a light squeeze with his own.
"T-Tell C-Case…ta pr'tect Apr'l…an' Apr'l ta l-look aftah C-Case…an' dat they 'tay 'ith each o-othah no m-mattah wha'…"
Again, Don coughed, heaving out a hefty amount of air and blood. His brothers huddled closer around him.
"An' M-Mastah Splintah…tell 'im..t-thank you…fer guidin' me…fer bein' my d-dad…"
"We will, Donnie-boy," Michelangelo replied softly, wiping away his tears with the back of his arm, "and…we love ya, bro. Remember that."
Donatello's smile was a peaceful one as he closed his eyes.
"Will do. I-I love all o' you, t-too…"
And with that, he was gone, leaving his beloved brothers to mourn for him under Polaris' silver gleam.
A/N
Donnie! DDX
I gotta stop killing him in my Fanfics! O.O
I just had let this out! This Fanfic had been nipping at the back of my mind for some time now, and I really wanted to share it with all of you TMNT fans out there! :D
If I made any of you cry, then I apologize for doing so. ^^
And for those who are keeping their eyes out for Good Ol' Days, I might update within this week. X)