Disclaimer: Don't sue me, please. I don't own the Ninja Turtles, though I
do own Ssylvar, the Reapers, the Siyem, and the Demon world.
A/N : Sorry about the formatting problems. Apparently the text isn't coming in from Word exactly how I've written it. I'll see what I can do to fix it, but for now, if you see a period between words that doesn't look like it belongs, there was probably a set of ellipses there. Also, sometimes things that I do a hard return on come back up to the line above. I apologize for any confusion with dialogue when that happens. I'll try changing the program I use to write these in.
----
Leonardo stood in silence as Michelangelo's words reached his ears. Raphael was watching him intently, trying to figure out what was going on.
"Leo, what is it? Is Don ok?" Raph had the distinct feeling that he wasn't ok. Leo couldn't think, couldn't speak, and it was his silence that gave Raphael the answer.
"No...." Raph said, grabbing the phone from Leonardo's hand, "Mike, tell me that Don's ok! Tell me that nothing's wrong!"
Mike felt his stomach crawl up his throat at Raph's plea. He couldn't tell Raphael that everything was fine, but he wasn't sure he could tell him the truth either. He must have been silent for a long time, because he heard Raph's voice screaming at him.
"Answer me, dammit! Tell me that Don's alright!"
Mike shook his head, but of course Raph couldn't see it. Swallowing the bile that was rising into his throat, Mike took on some resolve. "He's not ok, Raph...." he said, wiping tears from his eyes, "He's dead. Somebody...." Mike wasn't sure he could say it, "Somebody....strangled him."
----
"Wait, run that by me again...." Don wasn't sure he'd heard Ssylvar correctly....at least he was hoping he hadn't.
"You heard me. If you don't accept the job of Siyem, you'll be killed."
"So....great. I don't get a lot of choices in this, do I?" Don didn't give Ssylvar a chance to answer his rhetorical question. "First you kill me before I'm supposed to die, then you drag me through a hole in reality to a place I can barely believe exists, and now you're telling me that I'm supposed to become the most powerful Demon in the whole world? And, on top of all that, if I don't accept this job, you're going to kill me again? Great. So, what happens when I die as a demon?" Don took a few deep breaths....he was starting to sound a bit hysterical, and it frightened the usually calm turtle.
Ssylvar shook his head slowly, "No one knows what happens when Demons die....well, except Gaia, and if she's ever told the Siyem about it, well, the info's never been passed along. It's kind of ironic, actually. You find out what happens when you die and come to this world, but you still have to worry about what happens if you die as a demon. I guess Gaia has a sense of humor."
Don didn't think it was funny. In fact, this whole ordeal was beginning to fray his nerves completely. "This is all just so....hard to digest," Don said after a long pause, "I'm still way back on page one....I've barely accepted that I'm not alive, and I've again barely accepted that I'm in a world full of....well, dead people." Don paused as their waitress returned. Ssylvar was about to wave her away again, but Don held up his index finger. "Could I get a coffee, please? Black as you can make it." The waitress, who looked a bit like a poodle, smiled in what seemed to be a genuine way, snapped her fingers, and a cup of black coffee appeared in front of Don. He nearly leapt out of his seat, and then cast an embarrassed look back at the woman, but she had already moved on to another table.
"You've been dealt a bad hand," Ssylvar was saying, "Usually people get a chance to get used to this place, but we really need a Siyem now, and you're it. If you don't accept, you have to be killed so another can be chosen."
Donatello sighed and reluctantly took a drink of his coffee. He was a little afraid it would turn him into something unnatural, but his need for it outweighed the risks. "You know, I really don't want to be the most powerful anything. I'm just a techno geek."
Ssylvar chuckled, "That's part of the reason you've been chosen. The Siyem can't be a power hungry monster bent on universal rule. Its far better to have someone who will respect the power and responsibility they've been given."
Don took another drink of his coffee; it was actually quite good for having materialized out of thin air. "So...you said that the first and last Reapers are chosen by Gaia. Why is the weakest one picked by her?"
Ssylvar shrugged, "We're not really sure, though I think it's because no one would accept the job of the weakest Reaper. It's pretty degrading."
"Ok.." Don said, thinking he would much rather be the weakest one, "Let me ask you another question. When my family dies, will they come here as well? I'm assuming that they will, but well....I can see that assuming things around here doesn't work."
"Yep, they'll come here, and you'll be able to find them. But, if you die because you didn't want to be the Siyem, you'll never see them again."
"I guess that decides it for me," Don said, defeat in his voice.
"Now, don't sound so happy about it." Ssylvar's tongue flicked out between his grin.
"Well, what do you expect?" Don said, frowning at the serpent man.
"I expect that you'll consider this the best decision you've ever made." Ssylvar continued to grin, his tongue flickering again.
----
Raphael and Leonardo were racing through the sewers of New York at a breakneck pace. Neither could truly believe that Donatello was dead, and that, if they hurried, they might just be able to save his life. They just knew that Michelangelo's judgement had been off; the shock of seeing their brother hurt must have been too much for him.
Sadly, when they reached the alley where Donatello had met Ssylvar, there could be no question that he was indeed dead. Leonardo was frozen in place several feet from the body, but Raph rushed over to it, his hand desperately trying to find a pulse.
"I think I found one!" Raph said, his voice hoarse, but Michelangelo shook his head.
"No Raph....I already tried." Michelangelo was looking at the ground.
"You didn't try hard enough!" Raphael yelled, tears beginning to stream from his eyes. Mike said nothing, and continuted to stare at the ground. They would all need to deal with this in their own way.
There was a silence between them that lasted for several minutes, and then Leonardo began to speak. At first it was so soft that the other two could barely hear him.
"Donatello was the kindest and gentlest of all of us, and he didn't deserve this. I'll miss you, Don." Leo bowed his head, tears trailing in rivers down his face. Mike had thought he was all cried out, but at Leo's words the tears began to fall again. Finally, after several deep breaths, he found his voice.
"Dude, I'm so sorry this happened to you Donnie. I don't know what to say, but it's not gonna be the same without you." Mike sighed and wiped his eyes with the back of his hand. Raphael was still kneeling over Donatello's body, but he wasn't crying anymore. Instead he had a look of pure rage on his face.
"I'm gonna find out who did this to you, Don," Raph said, "And when I do, they'll wish they were dead."
The three remaining turtles stayed in the alley for some time, staring down at their fallen brother. Only once did anyone bother them, but it was just an old homeless man who after glancing at them for a moment, turned around and left. Finally, Leonardo stood up and walked to the back of the alley where a dumpster was sitting. He rummaged through it for several minutes before coming up with two fairly large and supremely tattered bedsheets. He and Michelangelo carefully wrapped up Donatello's body, and the three of them began their somber procession back home, where they would have to tell Splinter that his son was dead.
----
Donatello knocked back the last of his coffee and felt the strong desire to have a beer or two. Everything was just happening too fast; too many things were flying at him at once, and he was expected to just accept it all and move on.
It's not that easy, Donatello thought, taking advantage of a lull in the conversation to focus his mind. I mean, what if I'm going crazy, and this is nothing but a delusion? Don looked over to one of the tables, where the poodle waitress was flirting with a tiger man. Well, he thought, if it is a delusion, it sure is a doozy.
"So, are you going to accept the job or not?" Sslyvar's raspy voice jolted Don from his thoughts. Don rubbed his hand vigorously over his face. "I.give me a few minutes, ok? I need to run all this stuff over in my mind."
Sslyvar nodded, "Sure, no problem. If you need me, I'll be over there," He pointed a scaly hand toward the back of the café, "One of my buddies is over there. He's a Reaper too, y'know."
Don's eyes followed Sslyvar's guesture. There, sitting alone in a dark corner was a gruesome figure. He wore the same type of black robe that Ssylvar had, but unfortunately for any onlookers, he had the hood down. The man's skin was a pallid gray, sickly and lined with blue veins. His face looked almost to be melting, it was covered with so many wrinkles. From the top of his head hung several wayward strands of hair, white and whispy, but for the most part he was bald. Perhaps the most disturbing feature of the man, however, were the two extra arms sprouting from his back, coming up through sloppily cut holes in the back of his robe. The joints were abnormal, coming in all manner of incorrect places and in too great of quantity. The fingers were also abnormally jointed, the right hand having only three fingers which ended with cracked and dirty fingernails, and the left hand having five, though they were more like claws than actual fingers; long and black and razor sharp.
Ssylvar grinned, winked at Don and sauntered over to his friend. Don could not figure out why anyone would want to look like that. Apparently the man had chosen the look on his own, as had the rest of these people, but..why?
Maybe he wants to freak people out, Don thought, hoping he was finally starting to at least understand something. Donatello sighed. He just wasn't cut out for this sort of thing. What he wouldn't give to be fixing motorcycles and televisions right now.
This thought made Donatello wonder if his brothers had found his body yet..or, for that matter, if someone else had found it. He felt sorry for his brothers. They would be griefstricken, and if they did find his body, they would surely know he had been murdered. There was no way they could know that he was ok, that they would get to see him again someday. He truly wished he could go back and comfort them; tell them all about what happens when you die. It was then that Donatello realized he was finally beginning to accept what was going on. He had to. The alternative was to deny everything and be unhappy. I'm a scientist, Don thought, I should be glad to be here. Just think of all the new stuff I have to learn!
He was starting to feel better, though he knew it would take some time to truly accept this place. He had to admit that it did fascinate him. He couldn't wait to explore this city and talk to some of the people. He was also thrilled to notice, now that he had time to look at the people in the café, that many of them were talking on cell phones or using laptops. So, technology didn't die with its creators.
Ssylvar came back a few minutes later, his face more serious than before.
"What's the matter?" Don asked, looking toward the back of the café where the ugly Reaper was still sitting. Ssylvar shook his head.
"Nothing you need to worry about. Just some work-related business."
Donatello frowned, "Well, if I'm to be this number one guy, shouldn't I know about your work-related business?"
Ssylvar blinked, his face curling into a smile again, "So, you're gonna take the job?"
Donatello nodded.
"That's great!" Ssylvar said, jumping up from his seat, "Hey everybody!" The whole café turned to look at him, "Check out your new Siyem. His name's Donatello. Not a great name, I know, but I'm sure we'll get used to it." The entire café broke out in loud applause, and Don felt the blood rush to his face. He was glad that turtles didn't blush.
"Stand up and wave to your subjects!" Ssylvar said, patting Don on the back.
"My subjects?" Don asked, staying in his seat, "I'm not supposed to be their leader, am I?"
"You're gonna be the most powerful Demon there is, Donny. Everyone will do what you say." Sslyvar's tongue flickered in and out, his smile seeming less friendly to Don all of a sudden. Then, with lightning speed, the serpent man grabbed onto Don's arm and pulled him out of his seat.
"My fellow Demons, let's hear it for your new Siyem!" Ssylvar released Don's bicep and threw up his own arms, which prompted a loud cheer from those in the café. Don look around himself in horror, wondering what he had gotten himself into.
A/N : Sorry about the formatting problems. Apparently the text isn't coming in from Word exactly how I've written it. I'll see what I can do to fix it, but for now, if you see a period between words that doesn't look like it belongs, there was probably a set of ellipses there. Also, sometimes things that I do a hard return on come back up to the line above. I apologize for any confusion with dialogue when that happens. I'll try changing the program I use to write these in.
----
Leonardo stood in silence as Michelangelo's words reached his ears. Raphael was watching him intently, trying to figure out what was going on.
"Leo, what is it? Is Don ok?" Raph had the distinct feeling that he wasn't ok. Leo couldn't think, couldn't speak, and it was his silence that gave Raphael the answer.
"No...." Raph said, grabbing the phone from Leonardo's hand, "Mike, tell me that Don's ok! Tell me that nothing's wrong!"
Mike felt his stomach crawl up his throat at Raph's plea. He couldn't tell Raphael that everything was fine, but he wasn't sure he could tell him the truth either. He must have been silent for a long time, because he heard Raph's voice screaming at him.
"Answer me, dammit! Tell me that Don's alright!"
Mike shook his head, but of course Raph couldn't see it. Swallowing the bile that was rising into his throat, Mike took on some resolve. "He's not ok, Raph...." he said, wiping tears from his eyes, "He's dead. Somebody...." Mike wasn't sure he could say it, "Somebody....strangled him."
----
"Wait, run that by me again...." Don wasn't sure he'd heard Ssylvar correctly....at least he was hoping he hadn't.
"You heard me. If you don't accept the job of Siyem, you'll be killed."
"So....great. I don't get a lot of choices in this, do I?" Don didn't give Ssylvar a chance to answer his rhetorical question. "First you kill me before I'm supposed to die, then you drag me through a hole in reality to a place I can barely believe exists, and now you're telling me that I'm supposed to become the most powerful Demon in the whole world? And, on top of all that, if I don't accept this job, you're going to kill me again? Great. So, what happens when I die as a demon?" Don took a few deep breaths....he was starting to sound a bit hysterical, and it frightened the usually calm turtle.
Ssylvar shook his head slowly, "No one knows what happens when Demons die....well, except Gaia, and if she's ever told the Siyem about it, well, the info's never been passed along. It's kind of ironic, actually. You find out what happens when you die and come to this world, but you still have to worry about what happens if you die as a demon. I guess Gaia has a sense of humor."
Don didn't think it was funny. In fact, this whole ordeal was beginning to fray his nerves completely. "This is all just so....hard to digest," Don said after a long pause, "I'm still way back on page one....I've barely accepted that I'm not alive, and I've again barely accepted that I'm in a world full of....well, dead people." Don paused as their waitress returned. Ssylvar was about to wave her away again, but Don held up his index finger. "Could I get a coffee, please? Black as you can make it." The waitress, who looked a bit like a poodle, smiled in what seemed to be a genuine way, snapped her fingers, and a cup of black coffee appeared in front of Don. He nearly leapt out of his seat, and then cast an embarrassed look back at the woman, but she had already moved on to another table.
"You've been dealt a bad hand," Ssylvar was saying, "Usually people get a chance to get used to this place, but we really need a Siyem now, and you're it. If you don't accept, you have to be killed so another can be chosen."
Donatello sighed and reluctantly took a drink of his coffee. He was a little afraid it would turn him into something unnatural, but his need for it outweighed the risks. "You know, I really don't want to be the most powerful anything. I'm just a techno geek."
Ssylvar chuckled, "That's part of the reason you've been chosen. The Siyem can't be a power hungry monster bent on universal rule. Its far better to have someone who will respect the power and responsibility they've been given."
Don took another drink of his coffee; it was actually quite good for having materialized out of thin air. "So...you said that the first and last Reapers are chosen by Gaia. Why is the weakest one picked by her?"
Ssylvar shrugged, "We're not really sure, though I think it's because no one would accept the job of the weakest Reaper. It's pretty degrading."
"Ok.." Don said, thinking he would much rather be the weakest one, "Let me ask you another question. When my family dies, will they come here as well? I'm assuming that they will, but well....I can see that assuming things around here doesn't work."
"Yep, they'll come here, and you'll be able to find them. But, if you die because you didn't want to be the Siyem, you'll never see them again."
"I guess that decides it for me," Don said, defeat in his voice.
"Now, don't sound so happy about it." Ssylvar's tongue flicked out between his grin.
"Well, what do you expect?" Don said, frowning at the serpent man.
"I expect that you'll consider this the best decision you've ever made." Ssylvar continued to grin, his tongue flickering again.
----
Raphael and Leonardo were racing through the sewers of New York at a breakneck pace. Neither could truly believe that Donatello was dead, and that, if they hurried, they might just be able to save his life. They just knew that Michelangelo's judgement had been off; the shock of seeing their brother hurt must have been too much for him.
Sadly, when they reached the alley where Donatello had met Ssylvar, there could be no question that he was indeed dead. Leonardo was frozen in place several feet from the body, but Raph rushed over to it, his hand desperately trying to find a pulse.
"I think I found one!" Raph said, his voice hoarse, but Michelangelo shook his head.
"No Raph....I already tried." Michelangelo was looking at the ground.
"You didn't try hard enough!" Raphael yelled, tears beginning to stream from his eyes. Mike said nothing, and continuted to stare at the ground. They would all need to deal with this in their own way.
There was a silence between them that lasted for several minutes, and then Leonardo began to speak. At first it was so soft that the other two could barely hear him.
"Donatello was the kindest and gentlest of all of us, and he didn't deserve this. I'll miss you, Don." Leo bowed his head, tears trailing in rivers down his face. Mike had thought he was all cried out, but at Leo's words the tears began to fall again. Finally, after several deep breaths, he found his voice.
"Dude, I'm so sorry this happened to you Donnie. I don't know what to say, but it's not gonna be the same without you." Mike sighed and wiped his eyes with the back of his hand. Raphael was still kneeling over Donatello's body, but he wasn't crying anymore. Instead he had a look of pure rage on his face.
"I'm gonna find out who did this to you, Don," Raph said, "And when I do, they'll wish they were dead."
The three remaining turtles stayed in the alley for some time, staring down at their fallen brother. Only once did anyone bother them, but it was just an old homeless man who after glancing at them for a moment, turned around and left. Finally, Leonardo stood up and walked to the back of the alley where a dumpster was sitting. He rummaged through it for several minutes before coming up with two fairly large and supremely tattered bedsheets. He and Michelangelo carefully wrapped up Donatello's body, and the three of them began their somber procession back home, where they would have to tell Splinter that his son was dead.
----
Donatello knocked back the last of his coffee and felt the strong desire to have a beer or two. Everything was just happening too fast; too many things were flying at him at once, and he was expected to just accept it all and move on.
It's not that easy, Donatello thought, taking advantage of a lull in the conversation to focus his mind. I mean, what if I'm going crazy, and this is nothing but a delusion? Don looked over to one of the tables, where the poodle waitress was flirting with a tiger man. Well, he thought, if it is a delusion, it sure is a doozy.
"So, are you going to accept the job or not?" Sslyvar's raspy voice jolted Don from his thoughts. Don rubbed his hand vigorously over his face. "I.give me a few minutes, ok? I need to run all this stuff over in my mind."
Sslyvar nodded, "Sure, no problem. If you need me, I'll be over there," He pointed a scaly hand toward the back of the café, "One of my buddies is over there. He's a Reaper too, y'know."
Don's eyes followed Sslyvar's guesture. There, sitting alone in a dark corner was a gruesome figure. He wore the same type of black robe that Ssylvar had, but unfortunately for any onlookers, he had the hood down. The man's skin was a pallid gray, sickly and lined with blue veins. His face looked almost to be melting, it was covered with so many wrinkles. From the top of his head hung several wayward strands of hair, white and whispy, but for the most part he was bald. Perhaps the most disturbing feature of the man, however, were the two extra arms sprouting from his back, coming up through sloppily cut holes in the back of his robe. The joints were abnormal, coming in all manner of incorrect places and in too great of quantity. The fingers were also abnormally jointed, the right hand having only three fingers which ended with cracked and dirty fingernails, and the left hand having five, though they were more like claws than actual fingers; long and black and razor sharp.
Ssylvar grinned, winked at Don and sauntered over to his friend. Don could not figure out why anyone would want to look like that. Apparently the man had chosen the look on his own, as had the rest of these people, but..why?
Maybe he wants to freak people out, Don thought, hoping he was finally starting to at least understand something. Donatello sighed. He just wasn't cut out for this sort of thing. What he wouldn't give to be fixing motorcycles and televisions right now.
This thought made Donatello wonder if his brothers had found his body yet..or, for that matter, if someone else had found it. He felt sorry for his brothers. They would be griefstricken, and if they did find his body, they would surely know he had been murdered. There was no way they could know that he was ok, that they would get to see him again someday. He truly wished he could go back and comfort them; tell them all about what happens when you die. It was then that Donatello realized he was finally beginning to accept what was going on. He had to. The alternative was to deny everything and be unhappy. I'm a scientist, Don thought, I should be glad to be here. Just think of all the new stuff I have to learn!
He was starting to feel better, though he knew it would take some time to truly accept this place. He had to admit that it did fascinate him. He couldn't wait to explore this city and talk to some of the people. He was also thrilled to notice, now that he had time to look at the people in the café, that many of them were talking on cell phones or using laptops. So, technology didn't die with its creators.
Ssylvar came back a few minutes later, his face more serious than before.
"What's the matter?" Don asked, looking toward the back of the café where the ugly Reaper was still sitting. Ssylvar shook his head.
"Nothing you need to worry about. Just some work-related business."
Donatello frowned, "Well, if I'm to be this number one guy, shouldn't I know about your work-related business?"
Ssylvar blinked, his face curling into a smile again, "So, you're gonna take the job?"
Donatello nodded.
"That's great!" Ssylvar said, jumping up from his seat, "Hey everybody!" The whole café turned to look at him, "Check out your new Siyem. His name's Donatello. Not a great name, I know, but I'm sure we'll get used to it." The entire café broke out in loud applause, and Don felt the blood rush to his face. He was glad that turtles didn't blush.
"Stand up and wave to your subjects!" Ssylvar said, patting Don on the back.
"My subjects?" Don asked, staying in his seat, "I'm not supposed to be their leader, am I?"
"You're gonna be the most powerful Demon there is, Donny. Everyone will do what you say." Sslyvar's tongue flickered in and out, his smile seeming less friendly to Don all of a sudden. Then, with lightning speed, the serpent man grabbed onto Don's arm and pulled him out of his seat.
"My fellow Demons, let's hear it for your new Siyem!" Ssylvar released Don's bicep and threw up his own arms, which prompted a loud cheer from those in the café. Don look around himself in horror, wondering what he had gotten himself into.