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.
----
"My son.my poor kind Donatello." Splinter was wracked with grief when the brothers returned to the lair with their terrible cargo. Raphael and Michelangelo had been in tears the whole way back, but Leonardo had been strangely unemotional. However, upon seeing his master's grief, Leo could no longer hold it in and began to sob loudly. Mike stared at him in disbelief. Never could he have imagined the day that Leo lost it; he was the most focused of all of them. Mike walked over to him and put his arm around Leo's shoulders.
"Aw Leo.." Mike could feel tears welling up again in his own eyes, but he fought them back, "Don wouldn't have wanted us to get upset like this..though I think he'd be more upset than anyone if one of us had died."
Leonardo looked at Mike in astonishment. Of all of them, Leo had expected Mike to react the worst. He and Don had always been close, and Mike was always the most forward with his emotions. Still, Leo took a deep breath and stopped sobbing. "You're right Mikey," Leo said, "You're absolutely right. It's hard, though. I can't believe he's gone."
There was a long silence as each of them tried their best to deal with the tragedy. Raphael had moved to the training area and was punching on a sandbag. Leonardo sat down on the floor and began to do breathing exercises. He seemed determined not to begin sobbing again. Splinter was standing over Donatello's body with his head bowed, mediating away some of his tears. Michelangelo had retreated to Don's room, and after a while he returned with a worn-out notebook. He cleared his throat and everyone turned towards him.
"Um, I'm not sure if this is the best thing to do right now," Michelangelo said, fidgeting slightly, "But I thought maybe we could read a few things from Don's journal. I always used to bug him about what was in it, but he always said it was a secret and I couldn't read it. I bothered him all the time about it, and one time he told me that it was a top secret government manifesto, and the only way I could read it was if he were dead.." Mike choked off a sob, "I knew he was joking, but.well, he had told me that when he kicked the bucket I could read page 64.I guess he thought I might sneak in and read it sometime..which I really thought about doing. But, today when I opened it to that page..I..well..I think I should read it."
Leonardo looked like he was going to start sobbing again, and Raphael didn't look much better. However, Splinter began to smile slightly, and nodded toward Mike.
"I think you should read it, Michelangelo," Splinter said, his voice quiet. He began to walk into the living room. "Come, we will speak of Donatello and honor his memory. And then," Splinter wiped a tear from his eye, "We will lay his body to rest."
The three brothers followed Splinter into the living room and away from Donatello's body. They sat down, Raphael being the last to look away from Don, and Mike began to read.
"I knew you would read this one day, Mikey, but don't worry, I'm not mad at you. I kinda wanted to you read it, actually. You see, most of what I write in this journal is just boring technical stuff, though sometimes I complain about you guys..not too much, just a little.
"I told you to read this page because I wanted to make sure that if you did read this journal, you'd be able to find one of the parts where I said good things about you guys. I knew you'd read the page I told you to read, Mikey..you're a sneaky guy, but you have a great conscience too. You really care about how other people feel, and I think that's why I get along with you so well. Raph and Leo care about people too, but they care in their own ways. Raph.I love the guy. He's really thick-skinned, but he's a super nice guy underneath. Do you remember that Christmas when we were kids.the one where he gave me that teddy bear? Heh.I named it Newton. He got it for me because he'd thrown my old teddy bear into a river. He even apologized for doing it."
Mike could see that Raph was visibly shaken. Tears were streaming down his eyes with renewed fervor. Michelangelo continued.
"And Leo.he really cares about people..I'm always afraid that Leo will try to help everyone and get himself into trouble. He does things I could never do.he's such a strong person, and such a good ninja.
"Then there's Master Splinter. What can I say about him really? He's our father, and the best father we could ever have. He's always let me be myself, and I can't thank him enough for it.
"So, that's it Mikey. Now that you've read this, you better tell everyone else all the nice things I've said about them.especially if you read some of the bad things I've said."
Michelangelo sighed. "That's the end of the entry. I don't really want to read the rest of it.at least, not right now."
Leonardo wanted to feel awful, but instead he smiled.leave it to Don to make them feel better even when he wasn't there. "I'm glad you read that, Mikey. It really made me feel good. I'll miss Don, but I'll never forget how great he was."
"Me neither," Mike said, and put the journal down.
"My sons," Splinter said, "Thanks to Donatello, the healing process has already begun. I believe he would not want us to dwell on the past, but to live now, in the present. We will take his body and create a pyre, and free his soul to rest."
Leonardo and Michelangelo nodded and stood up with Splinter to retrieve Donatello's body. Raphael stood up as well, but his face did not hold the look of peace that his brothers and master had found. His face was contorted in rage, sorrow and guilt.
Leo and Mike bore Donatello's body out of the lair, followed closely by Splinter. Raphael trailed behind them. They walked through the sewers for some time, until they came to a drainage culvert. They walked out onto a beach, littered with trash and utterly deserted because of its dilapidated state. It was here that the three remaining turtles and their master built Donatello's funeral pyre.
The flames burned long into the night, and when they finally went out, Splinter removed the ashes and cast them out into the sea. Then, the four made their way back home, each lost in thought, each trying to leave their grief behind them. It would take a long time for all of them, and it was only Raph who had found a temporary solution..his grief had been replaced by rage.
----
"My son.my poor kind Donatello." Splinter was wracked with grief when the brothers returned to the lair with their terrible cargo. Raphael and Michelangelo had been in tears the whole way back, but Leonardo had been strangely unemotional. However, upon seeing his master's grief, Leo could no longer hold it in and began to sob loudly. Mike stared at him in disbelief. Never could he have imagined the day that Leo lost it; he was the most focused of all of them. Mike walked over to him and put his arm around Leo's shoulders.
"Aw Leo.." Mike could feel tears welling up again in his own eyes, but he fought them back, "Don wouldn't have wanted us to get upset like this..though I think he'd be more upset than anyone if one of us had died."
Leonardo looked at Mike in astonishment. Of all of them, Leo had expected Mike to react the worst. He and Don had always been close, and Mike was always the most forward with his emotions. Still, Leo took a deep breath and stopped sobbing. "You're right Mikey," Leo said, "You're absolutely right. It's hard, though. I can't believe he's gone."
There was a long silence as each of them tried their best to deal with the tragedy. Raphael had moved to the training area and was punching on a sandbag. Leonardo sat down on the floor and began to do breathing exercises. He seemed determined not to begin sobbing again. Splinter was standing over Donatello's body with his head bowed, mediating away some of his tears. Michelangelo had retreated to Don's room, and after a while he returned with a worn-out notebook. He cleared his throat and everyone turned towards him.
"Um, I'm not sure if this is the best thing to do right now," Michelangelo said, fidgeting slightly, "But I thought maybe we could read a few things from Don's journal. I always used to bug him about what was in it, but he always said it was a secret and I couldn't read it. I bothered him all the time about it, and one time he told me that it was a top secret government manifesto, and the only way I could read it was if he were dead.." Mike choked off a sob, "I knew he was joking, but.well, he had told me that when he kicked the bucket I could read page 64.I guess he thought I might sneak in and read it sometime..which I really thought about doing. But, today when I opened it to that page..I..well..I think I should read it."
Leonardo looked like he was going to start sobbing again, and Raphael didn't look much better. However, Splinter began to smile slightly, and nodded toward Mike.
"I think you should read it, Michelangelo," Splinter said, his voice quiet. He began to walk into the living room. "Come, we will speak of Donatello and honor his memory. And then," Splinter wiped a tear from his eye, "We will lay his body to rest."
The three brothers followed Splinter into the living room and away from Donatello's body. They sat down, Raphael being the last to look away from Don, and Mike began to read.
"I knew you would read this one day, Mikey, but don't worry, I'm not mad at you. I kinda wanted to you read it, actually. You see, most of what I write in this journal is just boring technical stuff, though sometimes I complain about you guys..not too much, just a little.
"I told you to read this page because I wanted to make sure that if you did read this journal, you'd be able to find one of the parts where I said good things about you guys. I knew you'd read the page I told you to read, Mikey..you're a sneaky guy, but you have a great conscience too. You really care about how other people feel, and I think that's why I get along with you so well. Raph and Leo care about people too, but they care in their own ways. Raph.I love the guy. He's really thick-skinned, but he's a super nice guy underneath. Do you remember that Christmas when we were kids.the one where he gave me that teddy bear? Heh.I named it Newton. He got it for me because he'd thrown my old teddy bear into a river. He even apologized for doing it."
Mike could see that Raph was visibly shaken. Tears were streaming down his eyes with renewed fervor. Michelangelo continued.
"And Leo.he really cares about people..I'm always afraid that Leo will try to help everyone and get himself into trouble. He does things I could never do.he's such a strong person, and such a good ninja.
"Then there's Master Splinter. What can I say about him really? He's our father, and the best father we could ever have. He's always let me be myself, and I can't thank him enough for it.
"So, that's it Mikey. Now that you've read this, you better tell everyone else all the nice things I've said about them.especially if you read some of the bad things I've said."
Michelangelo sighed. "That's the end of the entry. I don't really want to read the rest of it.at least, not right now."
Leonardo wanted to feel awful, but instead he smiled.leave it to Don to make them feel better even when he wasn't there. "I'm glad you read that, Mikey. It really made me feel good. I'll miss Don, but I'll never forget how great he was."
"Me neither," Mike said, and put the journal down.
"My sons," Splinter said, "Thanks to Donatello, the healing process has already begun. I believe he would not want us to dwell on the past, but to live now, in the present. We will take his body and create a pyre, and free his soul to rest."
Leonardo and Michelangelo nodded and stood up with Splinter to retrieve Donatello's body. Raphael stood up as well, but his face did not hold the look of peace that his brothers and master had found. His face was contorted in rage, sorrow and guilt.
Leo and Mike bore Donatello's body out of the lair, followed closely by Splinter. Raphael trailed behind them. They walked through the sewers for some time, until they came to a drainage culvert. They walked out onto a beach, littered with trash and utterly deserted because of its dilapidated state. It was here that the three remaining turtles and their master built Donatello's funeral pyre.
The flames burned long into the night, and when they finally went out, Splinter removed the ashes and cast them out into the sea. Then, the four made their way back home, each lost in thought, each trying to leave their grief behind them. It would take a long time for all of them, and it was only Raph who had found a temporary solution..his grief had been replaced by rage.