two.
His heart pounded against his plastron, so loud he was absolutely certain the others could hear it. But they didn't so much as glance at him - not that that was unusual in any way. His brothers - no, The Chosen Ones, as Splinter had taken to calling them - never looked at him anymore. For all intents and purposes, it was as if he didn't exist.
But then why was this so hard?
Every step he took towards the exit hurt. A small bead of sweat rolled down his forehead and he quickly wiped it away before anyone could notice. Right before he reached the turnstiles, he stopped. This was it. A few more feet and he would be free forever.
Leonardo swallowed and tightened his grip on the small duffel he had with him. The bag was full of his possessions, meager as they were - memories of the good days, mostly, along with his weapon cleaning kit, a few days' worth of food and some cash should he need it, and his extra pair of katana. Everything he owned was crammed into that bag. The rest of his life he was leaving behind, including his cellphone, and even the mask he'd worn around his eyes. The strip of blue cloth symbolized honor, and duty, and purpose. It symbolized belonging.
He didn't belong, not anymore. They'd all made that abundantly clear.
The maskless turtle cast his blue gaze around the Lair one last time and took a deep breath. He bounded over the turnstiles in a single, fluid, silent move. Then he was gone.
The first few hours of Leo's freedom were blissful ones; he had no one to worry about except himself. He had no fear of repercussions dealt by an angry, vengeful father figure.
Leo ran around the city for a while, reveling in the feeling of being on his own. He could run faster, jump farther, and fly higher than ever before. He could be himself for the first time - wholly, completely, freely.
Around four o'clock AM, his adrenaline and energy started to drop. He decided to call it a night and headed for the docks - specifically, to the safehouse he'd crafted for himself long ago, for the times when he couldn't stay at the Lair. It was a place that only he knew, tucked deep into an abandoned warehouse, in the backmost corner office. It was lonely, but it was warm and it was safe and he would be able to stay as long as he liked.
Or at least until he could gather the necessary supplies for his next step.
The mutant made it to his hideout with no trouble at all (and discovered that it was much easier to stay hidden when there was only himself to worry about) and tiredly dumped his bag on the concrete floor. He quickly and eagerly curled up in the mound of blankets and pillows he'd scavenged long ago and fell asleep to the sound of the waves.
a/n: it's been a really sucky day for me, and what better way to get those feelings of hurt and anger and sadness out than to write? if i had a way to disappear, i would, too. i guess this is just a way for me to see how it could be...
anyway, none of that makes sense and i've got to go. so um...please leave me a review. i need some encouragement.
-queen
