Authors Note: Hello again. I know I was a day late with this chapter. I came down with a cold or the flu or something this weekend. It sucked. Anyways, here is the third chapter. I hope that you all enjoy, and beware in the next few chapters it might get a bit frisky. So be warned, Consider that your warning because I will not send another for whatever chapter it happens in. Just now it will be in the next few. As always, leave a review or comment, or a private message if you have any questions. Also if you are part of the OCD clan, let me know of any grammar mistakes via PM. Thank you! Have a wonderful Monday.

Dejection

Donatello gently closed his master's door as he exited without looking back. There was an uneasy silence. It had been three hours. Leonardo was becoming impatient after the first five minutes so he was the first to speak. "How is he Don? Is he going to make it? How bad?" Don walked into the kitchen where Leo had sat and began to wash his hands as he replied "Master Splinter is stable. Luckily there isn't much damage to his internals. He only made it halfway." Mikey interjected as he always did no matter the situation "Halfway? What does that mean?" Don looked at Mikey then scanned back at Leo then behind him at Raph. "I believe Master Splinter performed Seppuku, more specifically "jūmonji giri" since no one could be there to deliver the final blow."

All three winced besides Don as they heard the news. They reflected on the teachings of Seppuku by Master Splinter when they were younger. "Leo broke through his memories "Why would master splinter attempt suicide? Are you sure it wasn't set up to look that way? What dishonor did he bring to anyone?." Don had already asked himself this question and had saw it coming. He remained technical, suppressing his emotions. "Who knows Leo? But from what the evidence tells me, he acted upon seppuku. There was no forced entry, and absolutely no signs of a struggle, and there are no other marks on Master Splinter. I checked.." Mikey snapped "Well maybe the one who did it cleaned up after himself. Maybe he snuck up on Master Splinter." With almost a laugh Raph said "Snuck up? On Master Splinter? Get a grip Mikey." Mikey frowned as Don agreed "Precisely. It is possible, but very unlikely. I believe this to be all of Fathers actions. No one else." Leo finally got up to get a glass of water. He couldn't believe the words coming out of Don's mouth. "Well, I suppose we'll find out when he wakes up." Leo said. "If he wakes up!" Raph yelled as his eyes teared up. Don broke his composure "Raph!? Seriously! Don't talk like that. I'm sure there is an explanation for all of this. I know he will pull through, but as of right now he is on some pretty heavy sedatives. It pains me to say this but we need to put him on a suicide watch when he becomes conscious."

"Suicide watch?" Mikey said baffled as if just hearing the phrase for the first time in his life (which it was). "Don looked at Mikey and nodded in conformation. The silence then grew again. "So while he is not awake, does anyone have any idea why Master Splinter would have carried out an act like this. I mean you have to admit...suicidal? It's not like him at all." Leo said as he put his glass in the sink. "No idea" Raph said looking down at his feet, "Yeah I'm beat, I can't think of any reason. His mindset has always been on the rails. Never off track." Mikey said in his most serious tone. "Okay, well we do know this. Seppuku is an act carried out due to an extreme dishonor, a defeat…" Raph interjected Don's speculation "Defeat? We have been defeated before. There is no way that is a reason for this." Leo chimed in, "I'm sure Don knows that already numb nuts, he is just trying to narrow down why he did it, we have to look at all possibilities." Leo looked back at Don, his look told leo of his thanks for defending him. Raph rolled his eyes.

Don continued "Like I said, seppuku is carried out as an act of defeat or a great dishonor to one's family. Other than that, I can not see any other explanation. So if it's not a defeat, does he think he has dishonored us?" Leo took a moment to think back to anything, anything that could shed a light. He tried to remember all his interactions with Splinter, and every hard time they as a family had been through. "Not possible." Leo said sternly. "Who could he have disappointed or dishonored in such a way that he was to take his own life?" Leo followed up. Don, thinking as technical as possible, cogs working to come up with any logical conclusion replied "Maybe he has disappointed one of us, or some of us, and we just don't know it yet. Look, we can speculate all we want, but we will not know definitively until Father wakes. In the meantime I am going to wash up. You guys keep a watch on him. I will be checking his wounds once I am finished."

Leo saw that Don was beginning to lose control over himself. It was all finally starting to hit Don at once. Leo could relate, and the others as well in their own way. Raph was never one to be seen acting soft, and Mikey tried to be the same way but could never hold back. And Don? Don just tried to keep his composure in every situation. He said emotions can become an endgame in dangerous situations. This however was a situation none of them had experienced. How can you protect someone from themselves? Especially someone as strong willed as Master Splinter.

Twenty minutes had passed since the brothers conversation. Don was still cleaning up. Raph was still on watch, and Mikey was hiding somewhere. "Poor Mikey" Leo thought. Mikey would always hide away whenever he had the slightest hint of sadness. For someone as cheery as they are, Mikey was very emotional. Leo wanted to hide away as well, but he knew he couldn't. He had to be there for his father. "Mind if I stand watch until Don is finished up?" Leo asked Raph. He replied with a shrug "Whatever, just don't fall asleep." Leo gave him a sour look as Raph walked off.

Leonardo began to get lost in his thoughts standing watch when he heard slight movements from behind his Masters chambers. The kind of sounds when someone is trying to get comfortable in bed but can't seem to find the right position. "Shit, he must be awake" Leo thought to himself. He then decided to peek his head in to check on Father. Leo gently pushed against the door only open enough to see his father, he was going to leave it at that when he saw his father was okay, however he decided to further investigate just in case. He wanted to be sure he was okay.

Leo entered the room as silent as Master Splinter taught him in training and quietly creeped up upon his Master. Hopefully he was still unconscious. He couldn't bare ask him how this all happened all on his own. He was finally as close as he could get to Master Splinter to lift up his covers to check on his wound. Master Splinter was asleep as far as Leonardo could tell. His Master lay there naked under the covers. Donatello must have undressed him to make it easier to patch the was a small pink blotch through his Masters dressings over his wounds. "Donny should probably hurry up and redress Master Splinter." Leo thought as he examined his Master further.

This was the first time Leonardo could really see the strong features of his father. He was more toned than he could imagine, older yes, but well off in shape. His arms were stiff, yet relaxed, and his legs had a thickness too them, but seemed limber even in his age. Leo went to gently touch his Father's face and nose to make sure his breathing was natural. Master Splinter winced and Leo pulled back. Guess that answered Leo's question. So there he was, looking at his naked father.

Leo wanted to tell his father how much he loved him, he wanted to tell him how much he meant to him and all his brothers. He started to break down into tears. Leonardo decided to lay in the bed with his Master and hold him in his arms. He did as such.

Master Splinter woke to something caressing his body. The sent in the air told him that it was Leonardo. His heart started to race. "No, this cannot be, not now. Not in this state." He was not ready for confrontation from any of his sons, let alone Leonardo, but the embrace was too warm, and he felt so much love behind it. He tried to turn over but felt a sharp pain in his abdomen. He pushed through it and made it over facing Leonardo.

The first thing he heard was "Father. Why?" and to that Master Splinter replied by embracing Leonardo back, and pulling his face in for a long kiss. Leonardo had never looked so confused, yet pleased at the same time...