Donatello walked directly in front of his brothers as they were watching the TV.
"So Leo, do you want a rematch?"
His older brother sat up suddenly. "Right now?"
Donatello nodded, and he leaped to his feet.
"You're on." Leo said, exchanging a small wink with Raphael.
When they reached the practice room, Donatello turned back to Leonardo before he took his position.
"Hey Fearless, about before..." Donnie said slowly.
"Do you want to talk, or do you want to fight Don? C'mon, we're burning daylight." Leonardo teased him.
Donatello simply shut his mouth, and joined Leo back on the mat. Every sense was already heightened and already on alert, as he gazed stoically at his older brother, revealing absolutely no emotion. It wasn't about feelings this time.
Leonardo wasn't making any sudden moves, it had never been his style. He seemed to be waiting on Donatello now, as much as Donnie was waiting on him. Leo had his own favorite lead-offs; Donnie couldn't predict exactly what his first move would be, but he had a pretty good idea of where he would end up.
He sensed Leonardo's lunge, a split second before his feet left the ground. Donatello just had time to back out of it, before Leonardo could touch him. Donatello had been doing a lot of 'attacking' in recent weeks to make the farce end faster, but now he was content to let Leonardo have his run of the mat. He ducked out of two more thrusts from his older brother, before getting a hit off of his own to Leonardo's chest.
"Not bad Donnie." Leo allowed. "Move those feet now - try and keep up with me."
They both circled a little bit longer, exchanging thrusts and blocks back and forth, neither really accomplishing very much.
"Would you get on with it already?" Raph called from the door, where he and Michelangelo were watching. "We're missing the movie Leo!"
Leo shot his brother a bit of a grin. "You want it finished Raph? I'll finish it!"
He darted towards Donatello, but the turtle was out of his reach before he could even blink. Leonardo pursued him, and Donnie just let him chase, for a few seconds. Then he firmly planted both feet, feigned one direction, and made a solid connection with Leonardo's stomach as he closed in from the other direction.
Leonardo went down on the mat, waving off Donatello's offered hand with a suspicious look.
"Oh you finished it alright Fearless!" Raphael laughed openly, as Leo scrambled to his feet.
"What is your problem Donnie? Are you just yanking my chain here or what?" Leonardo demanded, puncuating the last word with a hard shove that sent Donatello a quarter of the way across the room.
Mike took two steps forward, a low growl pulsating in his throat. "Leo..." He said warningly.
"Back off Mike, I'm not doing anything!" Leo shot back, still glaring at Donatello. "Are you just trying to lull me into a false sense of security? What is it?"
"No Leo, I--"
"Are you honestly gonna tell me that this last month has been your best effort?"
"No." He admitted outright. "It hasn't."
"You know what Donnie? What you do on your own is your business, I 'spose. But when you come in here to work, you'd better leave your stupid mind games out of it, you got me?"
"Leo, I wasn't--"
"Save it Donnie. You'd better start bringing it all every time, or I really am going to kick your shell." Leonardo finished, stalking out of the room with a giant huff, Raphael directly on his heels.
After they left, Donatello kicked a trash can across the room with impressive force.
"Dang it! Now he thinks I'm messing with him!"
"Donnie, I'm real sorry I pushed you into this." Mike said quietly.
"This is completely my own fault Mikey - I never should have been holding out on him to begin with."
"What are you gonna do?"
"This will blow over eventually I suppose. 'Til then, I'll just try to stay the heck out of his way."
"You don't want to tell him what's really going on?"
"You heard him Mike, he doesn't want to hear it. He probably wouldn't believe me now anyway."
Their Sensei glanced in the door at that moment. "What is going on in here?" He asked a little reproachfully.
"I'm sorry Sensei, I just got mad at the trashcan." Donnie said a little meekly.
His Master stared him down for a moment, and then glanced at Michelangelo. "Would you give me a moment with your brother please?"
"Yes Sensei." Mike replied, quickly backing out of the room.
"Would you care to tell me what is going on Donatello? Leonardo told me only today, that he feels you are not trying very hard in your spars."
"I haven't been Sensei."
"I see. Why is that exactly?"
"I've noticed that...that I tend to get a better reception from the other guys when I don't win."
Splinter shook his head lightly. "I do not completely understand the four of you sometimes. You are all each other has. Why can't you simply be honest with one another?"
"I'm sorry Sensei." Donatello mumbled, and didn't elaborate any further.
"You have nothing else to say?"
"No Sensei. I won't do it anymore, I promise."
Splinter sighed heavily. "All of you are so close to becoming adults. It seems that things were so much simpler when you were all youngsters, constantly getting under my feet. Are you able to make up with your brother?"
"I will Sensei."
"And you have nothing more to say?"
"No Master."
When Donatello came back out, Mike was waiting in the hallway for him. He nodded his head towards the stairs, and Donatello followed him up to their bedroom.
"How did that go?" Mike asked.
"It was fine." Donnie answered flatly.
"You didn't tell him anything."
"What good would it have done? Master's right, we're almost adults, we need to get to a point where we're working things out on our own."
"That's not what he said." Mike objected.
"You were listening?"
"You're the one who showed me the vent trick Donnie."
"I don't think Sensei needs to hear about every little issue we have Mikey. Honestly, I think I might just be too sensitive sometimes. They don't mean half the stuff they say."
"That doesn't give 'em the right to say it."
Donatello shrugged."I'll apologize to him later, when Raph's not around."
"I don't see why you need to."
"I told Sensei I would, and this will be over faster if I just eat crow."
"You know what the real problem is, don't you? They're just so darn intimidated by you Donnie."
"Are you out of your mind?'
"You have no idea what it's like having a genius for a brother."
"You're not intimidated by me."
"Sure I am Donnie, I just don't let it bother me."
"You mighta been a little hard on him Fearless." Raphael was saying at that moment.
"Raph, what are you saying? He sits back here for this last month, absolutely wasting my time, and I'm not supposed to be upset? He and Mike are probably laughing about it right now."
"Leo, I'm just sayin'...Donnie don't like to cause trouble, and I don't think he was trying to."
"Are you inside his head Raph? Do you have a clue what he's ever thinking?"
"I know Donnie's kinda a mystery Leo, but he ain't malicious."
"What do you want me to do, track him down? He's the one who's been fronting this whole time."
"I just think you ought give him a chance to explain maybe. It sounded like he was trying to tell you something."
"All he's doing is making excuses for himself." Leo replied shortly. "If he wants to come clean, he knows where to find me."
"How would it be if I went up to the surface, got myself hit by a car? Do you think that could clear things up?" Mike cracked, and Donatello shook his head at him.
"We do tend to come together better during a crisis, but no Mikey, I couldn't recommend doing that."
"What about a bicyclist? That wouldn't be so bad, would it?"
"Mike..."
"There's always the flu to fall back on too."
"Because we all know you're such a great faker." Donatello finally said, allowing a bit of a smile to emerge. He rose off of the bottom bunk, adjusting his belt a little awkwardly. "I think I'm going to take a walk. I'll be back in a little bit, okay?"
"Leave your cellphone on!" Mike called after him.
Donnie was gone for a little over and hour, and when he returned to the Den, no one was in immediate sight. He could hear music coming from the practice room, what sounded like Leo's particular flavor. He ventured back through the hall, stopping outside the room when he saw his oldest brother practicing some katas on his own. He knocked lightly on the partially open door, and received a rather placid look from Leonardo.
"Where's Raph?" He asked, just to find out if Leo was talking to him.
"Bedroom - where'd you go?"
"Nowhere. I was just walking." Donatello came into the room further, still a little tense. "Leo, I wasn't trying to play you - you have to believe me."
Leonardo simply stared for a moment, and Donatello could read the cold mistrust in his eyes still.
"I'm sorry Fearless, I didn't want to take advantage of you."
"What do you call it then Donnie? What was the purpose?"
Donatello thought rapidly for a second, not at all certain how he should phrase the next statement.
"I thought that...that making sure you were winning, would somehow make you like me more."
"Donnie, that's the dumbest thing I've ever heard. Why would I want you to waste my time, or yours for that matter? Throwing the matches doesn't make one iota of sense."
"I said I was sorry Leo." Donatello said evenly. "I won't do it again."
"Alright." Leonardo said a little dismissively. "It's cool. I would appreciate it if you'd attempt to keep me on my toes."
"You don't know what you're asking for." Donatello said a little hopefully.
"Then you're going to have to show me." Leonardo replied, his stance finally relaxing somewhat.
Donatello let out a breath inwardly, partially out of relief, and partially from sheer weariness.
"Raph and I were planning on going out on patrol in a little while - do you and Mike wanna come? We haven't been out together all week."
"Sure Fearless. We'll follow you anywhere."