A Warrior's Pain
Chapter 1: Awakening
A/N: I'm back, people! Back with another awesome story. Well, at least I think it's awesome. I don't know what you guys will think. I hope you like it though. It didn't take me long to plan it out. Hope you enjoy it!
Summary: This story takes place after the "Tales of Leo" episode. Leonardo is still recovering from his injuries, but he still has emotional scars. Can his family help him snap out of it?
Disclaimer: I don't own the Turtles. They are owned by Mirage Studios, Inc. I'm making no profit from this story. It's just for fun. I do own the plot though. Any flames will be cut up by Leo's famous swords. Enjoy!
Leonardo opened his eyes. At first he couldn't remember where he was, but then it all came rushing back. The Foot had ambushed him! Where was Shredder? Where were his brothers? Were they safe? He closed his eyes and took deep breaths. He tried to sit up, but a sharp spasm of pain stopped him, making him gasp. He'd forgotten how sore he was.
Outside the room, Leo's brother, Raphael, had heard his brother gasp. Was something wrong? He hurried into the room to see his brother trying to sit up. He knew that Leo would just injure himself more.
"Hold on, Leo," the Turtle in red said, rushing to his brother's side. "Don't try to do too much at once. You got beat pretty bad."
Leonardo rolled his eyes. "Thanks for pointing out the obvious, Raph," he said sarcastically.
"Well, I'm just worried about you," Raph said gently. "I don't want anything like this to happen to you again."
"If you hadn't been sleeping, it probably wouldn't have happened in the first place!" Leo snapped.
Raph was taken aback. Leo had never spoken to him like that before. "Leo, I wanted to go after you, but Splinter wouldn't let me," he explained.
"That never stopped you before," Leo retorted.
"Yeah, well, it did then," Raph said. "I actually listened to him. I've been out there all night, waiting to see if you needed me. I thought you'd be a little more grateful."
Leo sighed. "Raph, I'm grateful for what you've done for me," he said. "I'm sorry I snapped at you. I just wish this had never happened."
"We all wish that, bro," Raph said softly. "I swear, Shredder's gonna pay for what he did to you. He might not be alive after I'm done with him."
Leo smiled at Raph's desire to protect him. He'd definitely changed overnight. Then, Leo realized that they all probably had changed. Mikey was probably worried about Leo's injuries, Don was most likely fretting about treating Leo's wounds, April was devastated by the loss of her shop, Casey was probably angry at the Foot, and Splinter was more than likely angry at Leo for failing him. Heck, this was all his fault.
"Leo, I know what you're thinkin'," Raph said. "Don't blame yourself for this. It ain't your fault."
"Yes, it is, Raph," Leo contradicted. "If I hadn't gone out there alone, I probably wouldn't have gotten hurt. I shouldn't have even tried to fight them. I should have just gone home."
"They wouldn't have let you go home," Raph said matter- of-factly. "They would have kept on chasin' you and beatin' you down. Don't do this to yourself. Just concentrate on getting better."
"Who says I want to get better?" retorted Leo. "You're all better off without me!"
"That's not true, Leo!" said Raph sternly. "We need you! I don't know where we'd be without you. Didn't you hear us when we were tellin' you those stories?"
"Yeah, I heard you, but I didn't believe you," answered Leo. "I always thought you hated me, Raph. I mean, you told me you didn't need me anymore yesterday. You resent me because I'm bossy."
"Well, get that thought out of your head right now," ordered Raph. "I don't hate you. I never did. I was just angry at what happened to you. You know I like to hide my emotions with anger. I'm here for you if you need me. I hope you realize that."
Leo did realize it, but he didn't want to talk anymore. "Just go away, Raph," he said. "I don't want to talk anymore. I need to be alone."
"Well, okay," replied Raph. "I'll send in the others when they wake up."
"I don't want to see anyone," said Leo. "I just want to be alone today."
"All right, Leo," said Raph with a gentle smile. "I'll come back and bring you breakfast. What do you want?"
"I'm not very hungry," Leo answered. "I'll have something later."
"That's cool," Raph said, giving his brother's shoulder a gentle squeeze. Then he listened as footsteps started coming down the stairs. "Sounds like the others are gettin' up," he remarked. "I'm gonna get me some grub. I'll talk to you later."
Michelangelo's footsteps came barreling down the stairs. "I've got dibs on the kitchen!" he shouted. "Time for some of my excellent cooking!"
"Oh, no you don't!" April interjected. "I'm manning the kitchen today! We've had enough of your scrambled eggs, thank you!"
"Aw, man!" Mikey groaned. Then, he went to look for a T.V. so he could watch cartoons. He found one in another room with a worn couch. Mikey turned on the T.V. but got a fuzzy signal. He adjusted the antenna until he got a clear signal.
"Hey, Casey, do you get cable here?" he asked.
"Sorry, Mikey," Casey replied. "Grandma didn't believe in cable."
"Aw, nuts!" Mikey complained. "We should be at the Lair." Then, he thought for a minute. "Well, do you have satellite?" he asked Casey hopefully.
"Do you see a satellite dish out there?" Donatello asked.
Mikey looked out the window. "Nope," he said.
"Okay, what's on?" Mikey asked dolefully. "I wish I could watch Animal Planet." He flipped through channels until he came to "Teletubbies."
Raph came over to him. "Mikey, why the shell are you watching this stupid show?" he asked his orange-clad brother.
"Because it's cute!" Mkey said. "I love these little guys!"
Raph just rolled his eyes and left before he got the urge to smack his brother upside the head.
"Hey, Raph, wanna go out to the barn and help me look for some tools?" Casey asked. "I've gotta tune up the truck."
"Sure," Raph answered. He followed his friend outside to the barn. It looked pretty big, and Raph wondered if Casey's grandmother had kept animals in there.
"Hey, Case, did your grandma really live on a farm?" the red-clad Turtle asked.
"Yeah, she kept cows and sheep, but when she got sick, she couldn't keep it up," Casey answered.
Raphael said nothing. His thoughts were on Leo. He didn't think he could bear it if anything happened to his big brother. He made a promise to himself to protect Leo from anything dangerous from now on.
Casey seemed to read his friend's thoughts. "So, how's Leo doin'?" he asked Raph.
Raph sighed. "Not good," he said sadly. "He's pretty down right now. I tried talking to him, but I don't think it helped. He pretty much said that we were better off without him. Why would he say something like that?"
"I think it's because he's depressed," Casey replied. "When people get like that, they may say things they normally wouldn't say otherwise."
"How do you know this stuff?" Raph asked his friend skeptically.
"Because my grandma had depression," answered Casey. "When she got sick, she was really down. She kept sayin' she wished she was already dead. I knew she didn't mean it 'cause I knew she wouldn't have said that at any other time. Grandma loved life."
Raph thought about this. "You don't think Leo's thinkin' like that, do you?" he asked fearfully.
"Well, not exactly," Casey said reassuringly. "I mean, I don't think he wants to be dead. I just think he feels bad about what happened."
"I know that," said Raph. "I'm just worried he might try somethin' stupid."
"Don't worry, Raphie," Casey reassured him. "Leo will snap out of it. He's got us to look out for him."
"Yeah, you're right," said Raph with a smile. "Let's get back to the house. Mikey's probably causin' havoc."
However, the two found Mikey watching "The Price Is Right" and complaining to the contestants who were clueless. Rah laughed to himself, imagining what Leo would say. Leo thought most game shows were stupid. The only one he liked was "Wheel of Fortune." He would always watch it with Splinter. (A/N: I like that show, too. I'm the master of it. I can usually solve the puzzles before the contestants do. Okay, now I'd better get back to the story.)
"There you are!" said April sternly, shattering Raph's thoughts. "I've been looking all over for you! Where have you been?"
"We were lookin' in the barn for some tools," replied Casey. "I was gonna tune up the truck later. What's for breakfast?"
"There isn't anything to cook," answered April. "Is there a store near here?"
"Yeah, there is," said Casey. "I remember beggin' Grandma to get me candy when we'd go there."
"Great!" exclaimed April. "Then, you can go and get us some supplies. We need enough food to last us for a few days, and Donnie needs first aid supplies."
"Hey, I don't do shopping," protested Casey. "I'm not good at rememberin' stuff."
"That's okay!" said April cheerfully. "I've written a list down. Just get the things listed."
"I'm on it," said Casey. "See ya later!" He gave them all a wave and left the house.
After he was gone, April took charge. "All right, everyone, we need to tidy this place up," she said. "Raph, I need you to get more firewood. We're running low. Mikey can go with you. Donnie, I need you to make sure that the appliances in the kitchen are in working order. I don't want any unpleasant surprises when I get in there to cook. And, Master Splinter, you can help me with the dusting."
"I would be honored to help you, Miss O'Neil," said Splinter contritely. "I only hope that my sons will participate as well."
"Well, they kinda have no choice," April said with a smile.
"Do you think it was a good idea to let Raph and Mikey get firewood, April?" Donnie asked. "You know the havoc they can raise."
"It'll be fine," April reassured him. "It's pretty cold out there. I don't think they'll waste any time getting the firewood. It's the only way to keep Leo warm."
"I just hope Casey gets back soon," Donnie worried. "I really want to patch Leo up. He needs treatment right away."
"I believe Leonardo needs more than just bandages to heal, Donatello," Splinter remarked. "He needs support."
"Well, he has that," April said confidently. "He has family to look out for him."
A/N: Okay, so what do you think? It isn't lame, is it? I hope not. I'm doing the best I can. I had a lot of stress over the summer, and I can't stop thinking about my grandma. I just hope she'll be okay. At least I've got this story to keep me occupied, as well as my homework. Math is evil! Please review this story. I want people to tell me if I'm doing a good job or not. The next chapter will be coming out soon. See you then!