*Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles franchise.
*Author's Notes: Chapter 7 of 'Lost in the Fight' is here and this one's a bit intense.
Thank you so much to everyone who has taken the time to read, favorite, follow, and review this story. I am just blown away by all of the positive feedback that I have received on 'LITF.' I cannot thank all of you enough for your kindness, but I will keep trying. Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! =)
As always, if you like this story, please continue to favorite/follow/review it. It's always nice to know that people are enjoying my stories . . . Thank you for reading. ;) CJ
Chapter 7 – Out of Their Shells
Even though he saw Leonardo's hand retract, there was not enough time for Donatello to defend himself from the incoming strike. The back of his oldest brother's hand came lashing out at him and Donnie took the brunt of the lightning fast blow across the mouth and cheek. His brother's backhand had been so fierce, it had whipped the genius turtle's head to one side and sent a spray of blood and saliva airborne. The force of the impact had instantly split Donnie's lip open and blood was already spilling out of his mouth before he could even really register what had just happened.
More dazed and lightheaded than he probably should have been from one hit to the face, Donnie swayed on his feet. He cupped an unsteady hand over his stinging mouth and cheek as he tried to clear his clouded thoughts and vision. Although he had not thought it was possible, his head was now pounding even worse than before, making it difficult to get his bearings straight. His blurry eyes gazed at Leo in both bewilderment and utter sadness, but at the same time, his expression was full of remorse, like he was the one at fault.
Leo stood there frozen for what felt like an eternity, absolutely mortified by what he had just done. He stared down at his trembling right hand as though it was pure evil protruding from his arm. He then looked up at his genius brother and his heart sank into the farthest depths of his stomach. He could see how shaken Donnie was and the hurt in his eyes. Leo's own eyes filled with tears as he watched the rivulets of blood trickle out of his brother's mouth. He had hit his little brother so hard, his hand was sore and Donnie's face was already starting to bruise and swell where he had struck him.
All at once, Leonardo felt as though a thousand pounds of pressure was bearing down upon his chest.
He had struck Donnie. He had struck his docile, kindhearted little brother out of sheer rage. He had lost control of his temper and taken it out on the very brother who deserved it the least. Donnie, the quiet one, who rarely spoke out or defied Leo's authority. Donnie, the selfless one, who constantly sacrificed his own needs in order to help them. Donnie, the peaceful one, who would rather spend his time in his lab studying, inventing things, or working on machines or techno stuff than being out in combat. He had hit Donnie of all turtles.
Leo had never been so ashamed of himself in all of his life.
After a few stunned moments, the reality of what had just happened began to set in. One by one, the brothers slowly came out of their initial shock and started to react.
"Donnie!" Mikey cried out, running to his brainy brother's side. He quickly wrapped an arm around Donnie's carapace to help support his brother's weight since he looked as though he was having a difficult time standing on his own. Mikey then carefully led his genius brother away from where Leo and Raph were standing. He didn't want Donnie anywhere near their big brothers right now. Not after what had just gone down.
"D-Donnie . . . I . . . I . . . " Leo stumbled over the words, not even sure what to say. He reached out for his traumatized brother just as he started to stagger away.
It was at that moment that Raph was finally able to process what had just happened, and as soon as he did, his sanity up and abandoned him. Seeing Leo reaching out for Donnie instantly pushed the hothead over the edge.
"Don't you touch him!" Raph roared, suddenly springing forward and barreling into Leo's plastron with something that looked more like a football tackling maneuver than a ninja move.
Despite Raph's bestial strength and the tremendous force of the collision, Leo somehow managed to stay upright. The leader then used his powerful lower and upper body to push Raph backwards a couple of steps. For a moment, the two livid oldest brothers were separated and they took this opportunity to reach for their weapons. Within a fraction of a second, Leo's katanas and Raph's sais were locked together in a heated battle. The two of them were both at their wits' end and their animal instincts had kicked in. They released guttural growls and looked at each other with the same loathing expressions that they would wear if they were facing one of their sworn enemies.
Even after what had just happened, Donnie's first impulse was to try to intervene, but Mikey was quick to pull him away from the fight, afraid that his genius brother would get hurt even worse than he already was. It was then that Mikey noticed the heat radiating off of his big brother's skin.
"Shell, Donnie. You're burning up," Mikey gasped out and his already big eyes just about doubled in size.
"I'm fine, Mikey," Donnie grunted in response, shrugging free of his younger sibling's grip with relative ease.
Mikey hadn't even realized it, but he had loosened his grip on his older brother's upper arm when he had momentarily panicked over his fever. Donnie, on the other hand, had instantly noticed and he had quickly capitalized on his little brother's distress over his elevated body temperature.
"Come on! We have to stop them before they kill each other!" Donnie exclaimed, motioning for Mikey to grab onto Leo as he himself moved towards Raph.
"Dudes! Cut it out!"
As expected, Mikey's two oldest brothers did not listen to him, so he rushed behind Leo and seized hold of his belt. The youngest turtle tugged on the thick band of leather with all of his might, trying to tear Leo off of Raph, but the oldest turtle didn't budge. Not even an inch. Mikey was pretty sure that the belt was going to give way before Leo did, which would be all kinds of awkward, but he kept pulling nonetheless.
Leo and Raph's weapons were still knotted together and they were pushing against one another with every bit of raw power that they had, as if they were both trying to push down an impenetrable wall. Their eyes burned with unforgiving wrath, locked in a death glare on one another.
"Stop it! Please!" Donnie pleaded to no avail.
The genius turtle's efforts to separate his brothers weren't going much better than Mikey's.
Unlike his younger brother, who had gone for the belt, Donnie had opted to wrap his arms around Raph's waist before pulling like mad. The ninja in purple was trying to get a good foothold so he could yank his older brother backwards, but all of his efforts were wasted. Regardless of his obvious height advantage over his hotheaded brother, Donnie had always been the lightest and leanest of the brothers whereas Raph had always been the heaviest and sturdiest of them. This disadvantage in bulk was not working in the genius turtle's favor. He was seriously outmatched for his current tug of war with Raph.
A new strategy was needed.
Donnie released Raph's abdomen and moved alongside his uncontrolled siblings. He decided that his best option would be to attempt to wedge himself between his two older brothers. Keeping a close eye on their weapons, he started to wriggle his good arm between their vice-like hold on each other. His plan was to essentially use his limb as a crowbar to pry them apart. It took a little doing, but he managed to get his arm through far enough so that he could seize Raph by the shoulders and press his elbow against Leo's upper plastron. Donnie then attempted to push Raph off of Leo and further lodge himself between his feuding brothers, thinking that if he somehow jimmied himself into the paper-thin gap between the two of them, he could get them to stop trying to slit each other's throats. His strategy appeared to be working, as the distance separating Leo and Raph began to open up. Donnie then bettered his position and continued to push against Raph's shoulders while Mikey kept pulling on Leo from behind. The katanas and sais finally unlocked, but Donatello was in the wrong place at the wrong time . . .
Free at last, Raph tried to charge his older brother again, but Donnie was standing directly in his line of attack. Blinded by monstrous rage, the temperamental turtle swung his arm out and knocked his genius brother out of his way as callously as he would a Kraangdroid in his path.
Donnie yelped in pain and fell to the floor.
"Raph! What the shell is wrong with you?" Mikey screamed at the top of his lungs, instantly diving to his brainy brother's side.
When Leonardo looked down and saw Donnie crumpled up on the floor, the oldest turtle felt his anger finally start to subside, but the damage had already been done.
The leader in blue wondered how he could have let things get so far out of hand. How could he have lost control like this? How could he have hit Donnie? How could he have let Raph get under his skin so easily? How could he have failed his brothers so badly?
While Leo guiltily stared down at his injured brother, he heard a low growling sound beside him. He turned to see his red-banded brother start to lunge towards him. The oldest turtle raised his katanas up to block his brother's incoming sais just as they were thrust at his shoulders. Had Leo's reaction time been a few seconds slower, his brother would have impaled him. Raph was so berserk with unrestrained fury, he was willing to stab his own brother.
Everything was a total mess . . .
That's when Master Splinter arrived.
"Yamete!" Came their father's thunderous voice as he bolted into the garage. Within seconds of his entrance, he was beside Leonardo and Raphael. Another half second later, his long, bony forefingers were pushed up against pressure points in each of his oldest sons' necks. This disoriented the two turtles enough that they had to release their hold on one another in order to maintain their balance. Once his sons were separated, Master Splinter stopped applying pressure to the reflex points keeping them partially paralyzed.
Still a bit woozy and numb from their temporary loss of muscle function, Leonardo and Raphael gazed up to see that Master Splinter's eyes were smoldering with more anger than any of the boys had ever seen from their normally placid father.
Upon noticing the incensed look creasing his father's features, Leonardo promptly cast his weapons aside and dropped down to his knees, bowing his head in both deference and disgrace. The eldest turtle knew that letting his guard down so quickly provided Raph with the opening needed to strike him down, but he didn't care at this point. All he cared about was how badly he had wronged his family.
Still demented by his animosity, Raphael did not stand down as readily as Leonardo had. Master Splinter could see and feel the ferocity that continued to sear through his second oldest son. There was still a standoffish glint in Raphael's eyes, as though he was considering making another attack, but Master Splinter swiftly put an end to anything of the sort. With one fell swoop, the rat easily took Raphael's feet out from underneath him and his son landed hard on his carapace. It was an unpleasant reminder of why one should not mess with Master Splinter.
Raphael shrunk back in fear as his father raised his walking staff and thrust it downwards. Much to the red-clad turtle's relief, the end of the wooden staff smashed onto the floor, not him, but the sound of the impact resonating throughout the garage made him shudder over what could have been.
"Raphael! Kneel!" Master Splinter ordered with such volume and intensity, it was a wonder he hadn't brought the roof crumbling down upon them.
Though it stung his pride, Raphael immediately followed his father's command and forced himself up onto his knees in submission. As he did so, he set his weapons down in front of him.
It was then that Raphael noticed the blood on his sai and his heart filled with dread at sight. He anxiously looked over at Donatello and saw that he was down on the floor, clutching his shoulder while Mikey hovered over him like a mother hen.
It was then that Raphael realized what he had done . . .
Now that things had settled down a bit, Master Splinter's narrowed eyes darted across the room, visually assessing the situation before him.
His oldest son was panting and hanging his head down in blatant shame, presumably holding himself accountable for whatever wrongdoings had transpired here. This was most likely because he had entrusted Leonardo to assume the role of leader over his brothers and his son did not take that responsibility lightly, to the point that he felt liable for his brothers' every action.
His second oldest son was still breathing heavily, but he looked to be coming down from his anger high. Raphael's entire body was tensed up as he stared over at his two younger brothers. There looked to be a feeling of horror seizing control of him, as though the comprehension of what had happened was slowly sinking in.
His youngest son was visibly stricken by the events that had come to pass. He was protectively crouched next to his purple-clad brother. The usual smile and happiness that graced Michelangelo's face was absent, replaced by an expression of despair.
His second youngest son was down on the floor, clearly wounded. Blood was dripping from his mouth and through his fingers which were clenching his shoulder. His face bore profound sadness and dejection and he looked as though he could barely hold his head up.
"What is the meaning of this? What has happened here?" Master Splinter yelled, turning his head from side to side so he could cast a hardened look at all of his sons. Two of them to his right and two of them to his left.
None of the brothers volunteered to speak up about what had taken place. They were afraid of the consequences that a confession would bring, like four little kids scared to tell their parents the truth for fear of getting into trouble for having done something bad. They all knew that their father would not go easy on them when he found out what had happened. Some sort of discipline would no doubt follow.
Master Splinter frowned over his four sons' lack of response. He thought that he had taught them better than this. In his mind, he distinctly remembered teaching them to always own up to their mistakes.
"Michelangelo, please take Donatello to the laboratory and help him tend to his wounds."
Their father's voice was much quieter than before, but there was still austerity lingering in his tone. It was obvious that he was none too happy with them and they had all found out at a very young age that making their father unhappy did not bode well.
Not seeing a need to test his father's patience, Mikey hurriedly helped Donnie to his unsteady feet.
As his little brother hoisted him up, the genius turtle fought to keep the room from spinning and his stomach from erupting. He momentarily released his grip on his shoulder so that he could hold onto Mikey for support.
"Donnie . . . " Raph softly croaked out his brother's nickname when he saw the deep slash across his shoulder. There was now no doubt in Raphael's mind that the appalling wound had been caused by his sai. The very same sai that was lying on the floor before him, stained with his brother's blood.
In Raph's fit of rage over Leo hurting Donnie, he himself had hurt his second youngest brother. There were no words for the regret that he felt.
Both Leo and Raph stared up at their wounded brother with apologetic eyes.
Unable to face his older brothers, Donnie could only look away, and in doing so, his gaze landed on the blood now oozing down his arm. As he peered over at his shoulder, he could see and feel the swelling on his face. From a medical standpoint, he was in pretty tough shape. His mouth stung, his face was sore, his shoulder and arm burned, his throat and chest hurt, his fever climbed, his stomach roiled, and his head throbbed in time with his broken heart. There was seemingly no end to his misery. Then, the voices in his head began to torment him once again.
"It was a stupid move, Donatello. Stupid!"
"You're supposed to be the smart one."
"You know you're not the strongest fighter out of all of us."
"You let him take you out!"
"You went off and almost got yourself killed!"
"I can't babysit you all of the time!"
"If you can't handle yourself around one Foot Soldier, then . . . "
Donnie pressed his hands over his ear slits and closed his eyes, trying to block out the horrible words, but they hurt. They hurt so very badly. So much more than any of the physical wounds afflicting him. He was drowning in the words and there seemed to be no hope of surfacing. He felt the tears coming on again, and this time, he was powerless to fight them off. After all that had happened, he was too weak to even stop himself from crying anymore.
"Stop! Please!" Donnie cried out, immediately gaining the attention of his whole family.
"Donatello? What is wrong?" Master Splinter asked and his voice was now drenched with concern. The sternness from earlier was completely gone.
The genius turtle slowly cracked his eyes open and looked around only to discover that his entire family was staring at him.
Oh, now I have their undivided attention . . . Donnie internally groaned.
When the purple-clad ninja had been desperately trying to get his brothers' attention before, they would not give it to him, but now that he was a complete wreck – verging on a nervous breakdown – they willingly handed it to him.
He quickly attempted to compose himself, but he was struggling to create the sleight of face necessary to conceal his anguish. He couldn't let them see him this way. He couldn't let them see him fall apart like this.
"I'm . . . I'm sorry. Sorry for all that's happened . . . S – Sorry for screwing everything up. I'm just . . . I'm so sorry," Donnie choked out with infinite sadness, and with that said, he ran out of the garage with as much speed as his tired legs could rally.
"Donnie!" Mikey called out as he helplessly watched his hurting brother sprint away. He then turned and glared at his two oldest brothers.
"This is totally your fault!" The youngest turtle wailed, pointing an accusing finger at the brothers that he deemed responsible for all of Donnie's pain. The tears plummeted down his light green, freckled cheeks as he shouted, "You hurt Donnie! You hurt him real bad! How could you do that? He's our brother!"
Mikey then covered his face with his hands and started to sob uncontrollably.
Master Splinter was instantly at his hysterical son's side, patting his shell and whispering Japanese words of comfort into his ear slit. This went on for several agonizing minutes.
Upon hearing their baby brother completely lose it, Leo and Raph's heads hung down even lower than they had been before. They now knew that they had hurt both of their little brothers with their selfish actions and the guilt was overwhelming.
Once Michelangelo was consolable again, his father lovingly stroked the back of his scalp with his paw.
"Michelangelo, would you please go check on Donatello? Your brother needs you right now," Master Splinter said in the gentlest of tones, still trying to pacify his youngest child.
After letting out a few more soft whimpers, Mikey nodded. He sniffled and wiped his tears away as he walked out of the garage to go find Donnie.
The gentleness that Master Splinter had shown towards Michelangelo rapidly vanished as he fixed a glare on his two oldest sons.
"Now, one or both of you will tell me exactly what happened here," Splinter instructed and his irritated tone told them that they would be foolish to disobey him.
"This is all my fault, Sensei," Leonardo stated, keeping his head down and his eyes glued to the floor as he began his recount of the events. "Raph and I were arguing and I let my temper get the better of me. Donnie tried to stop us from fighting, but somehow, things got out of control and it escalated into a shouting match between Donnie and I."
Leonardo swallowed thickly, as it was getting harder and harder to speak. Still, he forced himself to continue, even though his voice was getting noticeably quieter as he went on. "I . . . I was frustrated . . . and Donnie . . . he was upset. I should have kept a level head and just walked away, but I said some things that I never should have and Donnie got mad. He . . . he argued with me and I . . . I just lost it. I – "
Never in all of Leonardo's life had the words been so difficult to say to his father as the ones that he spoke next.
" – I hit Donnie."
The shame surging through Leonardo as he uttered those three awful words felt as though it was crushing his insides. He had thought that he had hit rock bottom when he had struck Donnie, but having to tell his father what he had done was a whole new low.
Leonardo drew in a sharp breath and lifted his head up, ready to accept his punishment for what he had done. He then saw the expression written on his father's face and it was almost too much for him to take. It was a countenance of sorrow, disappointment, and hostility all rolled into one.
"I cannot begin to tell you how sorry I am. Please . . . forgive me, father," Leonardo implored, bowing his head yet again.
"You struck your brother in anger and you are asking me for forgiveness? I am most certainly not the one you should be asking forgiveness from," Master Splinter growled, clearly offended by Leonardo's request for absolution.
"Leonardo, as leader, you cannot let your emotions control you. You have accepted the responsibility of leading your brothers, and with that responsibility, comes a great deal of obligation and burden. Above all else, you must stay strong and be the beacon that navigates your brothers to safety. They need you to keep balance at all times and it is critical that you remain calm and steady when faced with danger and hardship. If you cannot keep your feelings in check, you will not be able to protect your brothers."
Leonardo nodded his head as he struggled to hold back his tears. Whenever he closed his eyes, he kept seeing Donnie's head jerk to the side from the harsh blow of his backhand. He kept seeing the blood spill out of his little brother's mouth and the redness and swelling where he had hit him. He kept seeing the hurt and despondent expression on his gentlest brother's face. It was all because of him.
"Sensei . . . I know I've made a terrible, terrible mistake, but I swear to you, as long as there is breath in my body, I will never let something like this happen again. Ever!" Leonardo solemnly vowed, and all the while, his glistening eyes stared deep into his father's dark orbs.
His oldest son's face held such pain and such conviction, Master Splinter felt tears begin to prick his own eyes. His son was so young to be weighed down with so much responsibility. He feared what kind of mental toll such liability would have on his oldest boy. Yes, Leonardo was the most mature of his sons and the most fit to be in command, but he was still only a teenager. It was so much for his son to bear at such a tender age, but the added strain on Leonardo did not make what he had done any less inexcusable.
"I believe you, my son. But I fear that the psychological damage done to your brother may be difficult to mend. Donatello spoke to me earlier today and his spirit was deeply troubled. I believe it has something to do with the way you two have been conducting yourselves as of late," Master Splinter said with a heavy heart as his gaze volleyed back and forth between his two oldest sons.
Leonardo and Raphael glanced at one another as their father continued to speak.
"Do you think I have not seen the rising tension between the both of you these past few months? You are practically at each other's throats even over the smallest of things. Do you think that that tension has not affected your younger brothers as well? Well . . . perhaps not so much Michelangelo, as he can be easily distracted, but Donatello is far more perceptive and he quickly takes things to heart. Words can hurt Donatello just as deeply as any weapon. He has a peaceful soul and your increased bickering affects him more than you realize."
It was at this point that Michelangelo came sprinting back into the garage. He was completely out of breath, as though he had just run a marathon, when in fact, he had only come from Donnie's room. The youngest turtle had always had a particular flair for making a dramatic entrance.
"Sensei! Donnie won't come out of his room! I knocked and knocked 'til my knuckles were sore, but he wouldn't let me in!" Mikey whined, tugging on his father's red robe like a small child would if they wanted something.
In spite of the rather gloomy circumstances, Master Splinter could not stop the corners of his mouth from curving up into a miniscule smile. Michelangelo still had so many childlike qualities about him. Out of all of his sons, his youngest child was by leaps and bounds the most immature, but at the same time, because of this, he was so delightfully innocent and trusting. He was the lighthearted one that brought the most fun and laughter into their lives. During times such as these, his enthusiasm was most needed.
"Do not fret, my son. I suspect that Donatello just needs some time to himself right now. We will check on him after we are done here. Then, perhaps he will get some much-needed rest. He has not been feeling well," Master Splinter said as he petted Michelangelo's cheek softly, trying to settle him down.
"What do you mean Donnie's not feeling well?" The concern in Leonardo's voice as he had asked his question was quite obvious. The oldest turtle then slowly rose to his feet and he was thankful when his father didn't object to him getting up, because his body was seriously beginning to protest being in a kneeling position for so long. Of course, it didn't help that Leo was still trying to recover from Master Splinter's earlier assault on his central nervous system.
Upon seeing Leo stand, Raph followed suit, figuring if his older brother could get up, he would be allowed to as well.
Mikey took this opportunity the chew his two brothers out.
"He's real sick! He's got a bad fever and he hasn't eaten anything or slept in days! Not that either of you care!" Mikey barked and his tone was uncharacteristically bitter. He glowered at his two oldest brothers as though they were evil incarnate.
"Michelangelo, Leonardo has already expressed his deep remorse for what has happened and he has sworn that nothing like this will ever happen again. I am certain that he will make this up to Donatello as best he can," Master Splinter assured his riled youngest son.
"He hit Donnie! How's he gonna make that up? And what about Raph? Huh?" Mikey yowled, aiming a glare at his brother in red.
Raphael gruffly cleared his throat and turned his head away.
Master Splinter had not failed to recognize that his second oldest son had been unusually quiet since the altercation. He had intentionally been giving Raphael a chance to cool off before pressing him for information. He knew that Leonardo would offer up details rather freely, but getting Raphael to open up always proved to be more of a challenge.
"Raphael, it seems as though your brother is quite upset with something that you have done. Is there something you would like to contribute to this conversation?" Master Splinter asked calmly, trying not to compel his son into a confession. He hoped that if he gave his confrontational son a choice to answer, he would not feel cornered and put up his defenses.
"I . . . I don't really know what happened, Sensei. I guess I kind of lost it . . . When I saw Leo hit Donnie, something inside me just sort of snapped and I attacked Leo without thinking. Donnie . . . well, he tried to stop us from fighting, like he always does, but I didn't listen. I was too shell-bent on taking Leo down. Then, when Donnie got in my way, I – " Raphael paused for a moment, struggling to find the right words. Like Leonardo, he was having an extraordinarily difficult time admitting what he had done. He felt as though he had failed his father in the worst possible way. He had hurt his own brother.
Gnashing his teeth together and releasing a heavy sigh, Raph then managed to finish the sentence that he had started. " – I knocked him to the ground with no regard for his safety. I didn't even hesitate. I just lashed out at him with my sai. I was so dead set on getting vengeance on Leo for hurting Donnie, and then . . . then I went and hurt him, just like Leo. What's worse is that I didn't even show any remorse for it. I just ignored him while he laid there bleeding," Raph uttered, staring down at the blood stains on the floor where Donnie had been.
An awkward silence settled over the room, as they all were lost in their thoughts.
Eventually, it was the oldest and wisest one who broke the silence.
"Tell me something. What was it that started this disagreement?" Master Splinter asked, resting both of his paws atop his walking staff and standing perfectly still, as though he was a statue. Had there been pigeons in the garage, they would have done their business on him.
Leonardo and Raphael exchanged confused glances, and then, looked back up at their father.
"What difference does that make now?" Raph huffed, demonstrating his usual lack of patience.
"Perhaps it makes all the difference, Raphael. You have revealed to me that you both struck your brother out of anger. Surely, the reason for your initial argument must have been of the utmost importance. To be that enraged . . . I am most certain that the grounds for the quarrel must have been of great consequence and magnitude," Master Splinter remarked in a tone that was saturated with cynicism.
Leonardo's mouth drooped sadly and he lowered his head yet again, gaping down at his feet. He wondered how their Sensei could possibly be so perceptive and omniscient all of the time. Was it that their father was able to read minds or was it because he and his brothers were that hopelessly predictable?
"Raph and I were fighting over whether Donnie should have been working on what I had asked him to do or what Raph had asked him to do," Leonardo groaned and his face flushed with humiliation. At the time, it had seemed significant, but in hindsight, it was truly petty. Especially after all that had just occurred . . .
"So you mean to tell me that you two were arguing over what Donatello should and should not be doing right in front of him?" Master Splinter asked in disbelief. He now had a much better understanding of why his intelligent son had gotten cross with them.
Both Leonardo and Raphael responded with a barely perceptible nod, and then, they stared down at their feet, embarrassed by the truth that had just come to light.
"I worry that we have all become overly dependent on Donatello's special talents. We oftentimes request too much of him, and because of your brother's good nature, he has a tendency to forsake his own tasks as well as his needs in order to please us. Earlier today, when I noticed that Donatello was not feeling well, I asked him to get some rest, but he was not willing to do so because he felt that finishing up your projects was more important than his own health. Sometimes, I fear that we take your brother's extensive knowledge and unique skills for granted," Master Splinter said with a deep frown, remembering how upset his quietest son had been when he had spoken to him in the afternoon. He was now concerned about what kind of effect this recent incident would have on Donatello's already damaged psyche.
"Yeah! And I worry about what you guys said to Donnie the night he got attacked! He was injured and you should have been nice to him and stuff, but you were cruel and not . . . well, nice," Michelangelo chimed in, trying to sound all wise and serious like his father, but it wound up an epic fail at best. His tone was totally wrong and the words were not deep and meaningful Splinter-type words.
'Much to learn, you still have,' Mikey reminded himself, mentally quoting the famous words of another legendary master near and dear to his heart.
Oh, Master Yoda, is there nothing you can't do, dude? Mikey wondered, temporarily getting lost in yet another one of his bizarre 'Star Wars' fantasies. His ultimate dream come true would be to master the force and be as smart and uber-cool as Yoda. In Mikey's eyes, being the first ever Jedi ninja knight would be the sweetest thing since sliced pizza.
Meanwhile, back in reality, his family just stood there shaking their heads while the youngest turtle stared off into space, both literally and figuratively. They all recognized the vacant gape on Mikey's face and realized that they would have to wait a few moments for him to come back down to Earth.
A mind is a terrible thing to waste, Raph thought, rolling his eyes impatiently.
Once the orange-clad ninja appeared to have snapped out of his daydream, Master Splinter was the first to ask Mikey for further clarification on what he had said seconds before zoning out.
"What do you mean, my son? Is there something you have not told me about the night that Donatello was attacked?" Master Splinter inquired, arching an eyebrow curiously. He was not aware of anything that had occurred between his sons that night. He had only been told of the lone Foot Soldier and Donatello's fall from the fire escape.
"When Donnie got hurt the other night, the guys chewed him out for going after that Foot Soldier on his own. They said he was stupid and not a strong fighter! And now he's beating himself up 'cause he thinks he's weak and a screw-up. And then tonight, Leo went and told him that he was incapable of taking down one Foot Soldier right before he hit him!" Mikey pointed out, not concerning himself with being a tattletale.
Normally, Leo and Raph would have given Mikey grief about his big mouth, but in this rare case, their baby brother snitching them out was actually warranted. Now that the oldest turtles realized how badly they had hurt Donnie, the two of them just wanted to hide inside of their shells.
Master Splinter shook his head in disgust. The mental damage done to his second youngest son was much worse than he had initially feared. He now understood why his most intelligent son was so brokenhearted. His older brothers, whom he had always looked up to and tried to impress, had told him that he was inferior, both intellectually and physically. Master Splinter had seen firsthand what a profound effect this had had on Donatello's psychological state. To make matters worse, after making him feel inferior, Leonardo and Raphael had had the audacity to ask Donatello to work on their projects, most likely causing their younger brother to drop everything that he had been working on because their things were more important than his. Then, to top it all off, they had injured him physically because he had tried to speak up and keep the peace. They had attacked their brother, who was the least prone to violence, all because he had tried to help them.
The potential emotional repercussions of his two oldest sons' cruel acts against Donatello was of great concern to Splinter. Donatello was the most withdrawn and reserved of his sons. He had always been very quiet compared to his three more social and confident brothers, and he was somewhat reclusive, having a propensity to keep his pain and suffering to himself. What would this do to him? Would he shut them out completely?
Master Splinter shuddered at the possible path of self-destruction that could follow the events of this night. Donatello was already allowing himself to become ill without contest, as if caring for his ailments was of no value. It scared Splinter to think that his second youngest child knew that he was sick, and yet, he had done nothing to take care of himself. He worried that it was because his son no longer cared about himself and he could not see his own worth.
This latest event would only worsen the situation . . .
Though it was not his oldest sons' intention to emotionally cripple their brother, they had indeed crippled him. Master Splinter just hoped that the harm that had been done these past few days was reversible.
A flicker of anger started to burn inside of the Ninjutsu master, but he closed his eyes and focused on his breathing, pushing the anger away so that he could keep his thoughts collected. This was something that his oldest sons should have done before assaulting their brother.
"Haji no tame. You have wounded your brother, both physically and mentally, and you will find a way to make amends for what you have done to him," Master Splinter informed his two oldest boys and there was a no-nonsense look on his face that let them know that this was not up for debate. He lowered his whiskers and knit his white eyebrows as he slowly started to pace back and forth between the two of them.
"Hai, Sensei," Leonardo said, bowing his head in respect.
Raphael grunted out the same two words and bowed his head as well.
"When I spoke to Donatello earlier in the day, he was very distraught. Do you know why that was?" As Master Splinter asked the question, he glanced at his sons, waiting to see how they would react.
Leonardo and Raphael had a pretty good hunch that they knew what the answer to the question was, but they chose not to respond, figuring it was best to just keep their mouths shut. They were sure that their father would offer up the answer either way. He had that 'I'm going to lecture you now' gleam in his eye.
When no response followed, Master Splinter let out a long "hmmm" sound and kept pacing.
Just as Leonardo and Raphael had suspected, their father answered his own question.
"It was because your brother was worried that he was not strong enough to fight beside you. He asked if he was a disappointment to me and said he wished that he was strong like his brothers," Master Splinter pointed out, clearly intent on doling out a guilt trip. It had worked. Leonardo and Raphael both frowned at this new revelation.
"My sons, Donatello is more than aware that he was not born with the same natural fighting abilities as the three of you. The art of Ninjutsu does not come as easily to him as it does to you, so he must work very hard to remain at your skill level. Do you know why he does this?"
Again, no response followed their father's question. Leonardo and Raphael knew this type of monologue far too well. Even if they had chosen to answer, no matter what they would have said, it would have been wrong anyway. It was all part of an exercise in humility.
"It is because he looks up to you and wants you to approve of him. Donatello does not fight because he wants to. He fights because you three do. The main reason your brother trains in our art is not because he desires to be a great ninja warrior someday. It is because it is what his family does and he wants only to be accepted and to fit in. Knowing this, how do you think Donatello felt when you told him that he was weaker than you and you insinuated that he was unintelligent?" Master Splinter quizzed and he stopped in front of Raphael, leaning unnervingly close to his son's face. He then walked over to Leonardo and repeated the same process. He could see both of his oldest sons looking away and squirming with anxiety.
As the wise old rat watched his sons fidget, a slight sneer passed his lips. He was pleased to see that he was succeeding in making his oldest sons uncomfortable. That was the point of the lesson.
"Your brother is wounded both inside and out because of what you have done. I trust that you will both learn from what has happened here and I hope that you now have a better understanding of how much anger and words can hurt. As I said before, you will find a way to make it up to Donatello and learn to appreciate him more."
Their father's instructions were not necessary. They would have done exactly what he had just told them to do had he not spoken it, but they nodded their acceptance of his assignment, nevertheless.
"And you should learn to listen to him more, too!" Mikey chipped in and he paused to glare at his two big brothers for a moment before elaborating on what he had meant. "Donnie tried to tell you he was going after that Foot Soldier, but you just told him to shut up! You ignored him, and then, you totally bit his head off for going after the dude on his own! And he tried to tell you something before you hit him, but you wouldn't even let him talk! Lately, you've done nothing but ignore him and treat him like he's not good enough! Well, now he thinks he's a failure! Is that what you wanted? Is it? 'Cause you guys have made him feel like the only thing that he's good for is fixing your stuff, and you've got him so down in the dumps, he doesn't even think he does that good anymore!"
When Michelangelo appeared to be done with his rant, Master Splinter eyed his two oldest sons, who were once again hanging their heads down.
"It would appear that the two of you have much work to be done. And this project comes first."
"Hai, Sensei," Leonardo and Raphael simultaneously responded. They then turned and walked away.
As Master Splinter watched his two sons leave the garage, he felt his stomach twist with apprehension. Ever since his conversation with Donatello in the lab earlier in the day, he had not been able to shake the feeling that something dark was coming. He had assumed that what had just transpired was the looming darkness that he had sensed, but if it was, why did he still feel so uneasy?
To be continued . . .
*Author's Notes: I sure hope that you liked this chapter. Please continue to review/favorite/follow this story if you are enjoying it. I would love to know. Thank you very much for reading. ;) CJ
*I would like to take a moment to thank all of my 'LITF' guest reviewers out there, including 'Alex,' 'Heather,' 'CJTST Fanatic/YNHND Fanatic,' 'StitcherBell,' 'Gabbs,' and 'Scrap of Paper.' THANK YOU! I can't send you PM's each week to thank you for sharing your thoughts with me, so I really wanted to let you know how much I truly appreciate your feedback.
Having said that, I would also like to thank ALL of my reviewers on this site. I received 26 reviews for last week's chapter. That is amazing! THANK YOU SO MUCH! It is so kind of you to take the time to comment on my stories and I always love hearing from you. You are all wonderful and I am incredibly grateful for the support. ;) CJ
