Disclaimer: I don't and never will own the TMNT franchise.
Author's Notes: And here I am with chapter four! Took me long enough huh? I used to have a routine of updating every four days but the past couple of months have been a complete nightmare for me.
Chapter 4Michelangelo's point of view
I don't know when I did it, but I somehow managed to work up the nerve to visit Leo. Walking the short distance to Leo's room, I knocked on the door, trying the knob when he didn't answer me. It was unlocked, so I let myself in.
Leo was sitting down on his bed, staring off into space again. His katanas were hanging nicely above his nightstand. Japanese artwork and weaponry alike adorned the walls. His bookshelf contained everything ranging from meditation, folklore, Bushido and spirituality. The dimmed lights did nothing to help calm my nerves, for shadows seemed to dance across the room, giving me the chills. I used to love coming into Leo's room, but now it felt so dark and foreboding.
I didn't like Leo acting so unnerved, so I decided that I would try and help him. I took a seat next to him on the bed, and for a minute all was quiet. He looked at me and then turned away. Whether it was from shame, embarrassment or even pride, I didn't know.
He scooted away from me and kept his attention elsewhere, his posture rigid like a statue. His face looked so impassive, unlike the normally cool expression he always wore.
Sighing heavily, I got up and gently forced him to look at me. "Leo, he's okay. Nothing's wrong with Don."
Those words sounded so empty and hollow. Even though I was trying to comfort him, I myself didn't fully believe my own words. He held my gaze for a moment and then shook his head.
There was no mistaking the pain in his eyes. Then again, it was to be expected. I hadn't been there to witness whatever Leo had, but I wouldn't be able to help him if he refused to open up to me.
"He's not okay," Leo whispered harshly. "He's in some kind of trouble and we're just sitting here. There's no telling what's become of Don!"
He got up and turned his back on me. His movements were so uncoordinated that I briefly wondered if this was really my big brother. Nothing ever shook him up, and even if something did manage to break his resolve, then he did a pretty job of hiding it.
I grinned a little as I said, "If I didn't know any better, I'd say you were turning into a parrot."
Leo glared at me fiercely. "This is not the time for jokes, Mikey."
Not to be deterred, I continued with my ramblings, "Would you rather I did impressions then? I do a mean…"
All of a sudden Leo whirled on me and exploded in rage, his face wrathful. I watched in horror as he inched closer and closer to me. "Can't you be serious for even a minute! Is it not registering to you that our brother has been kidnapped? For all we know he could be dead, and all you're doing is sitting there cracking jokes."
He was breathing heavily with his fists clenched at his sides. That didn't scare me nearly as much as his glare. It was so terrifying. As I stared into his eyes, I immediately knew this wasn't Leo. Leo would never lose his cool like this. He'd never get mad at me for trying to help him.
I desperately wanted to help him, but his body language was making it quite clear he didn't want it. As he continued to watch me, he was so still and unyielding. There was so much anger and despair radiating from him that it broke my heart. I was close to crying again, but his reaction didn't surprise me. He'd never been one to accept pity or sympathy.
My voice came out softly and filled with compassion, "Leo, I don't like this anymore than you do, but Donnie is okay. He's the smartest guy on the planet, so I know he'll be able to take care of himself until we're able to find him."
During my speech, I tried my darn best to sound cheerful, but it wasn't working. My shoulders were slumped as I shook slightly, and the tears were slowly gathering in my eyes. It didn't help matters when I tried to smile reassuringly at him, either, because deep down it hurt to even do that.
I heard him sigh before he once again looked at me. He was breathing slowly now, as he seemed to have finally come back to his senses. His eyes were damp and he was shaking slightly. I steeled myself for another emotional breakdown, but when it never came, I closed the gap between us. I was about to hug him when his words cut me to the core.
"We drove him to this, Mikey."
He sounded so angry that I slightly backed away from him as my eyes widened. My tremors seemed to increase as I nervously wrung my hands together. "What are you saying?" I asked, fearful of his answer.
I was beyond confused. Why did Leo think it was our fault that Don was missing?
His eyes were glossed over and his voice trembled as he spoke. "After we were reunited with you, Mikey, things went back to the way they used to be. I also think Don was fed up with the way we treated him."
The tears were pleading to be let loose, but I refused to do so. Slightly biting my lip, I knew that I had to be strong. "But we never did anything to make Don feel useless or unhappy, did we?"
Doubt began eating away at my heart as I awaited his response. Part of me knew what was coming, and yet I didn't want to face the cold, hard truth that was about to make itself known to me.
"All we ever did was bring him things to repair. Even when he was exhausted from training or staying up late at night working on one of his projects, we never took his feelings into consideration. We never appreciated all of the small things he did… and now we're paying for it."
Hearing those words deeply hurt me, because while they were true, I didn't want to believe them. How could those be Donnie's true feelings? I knew Donnie almost as well as I knew Raph. Donnie didn't and couldn't have those feelings in him.
I shook my head frantically while clenching my fists. "You're wrong! Donnie knew we loved him. He knew that we would've done anything for him. He's not the type to…" I trailed off.
That's when the truth hit me with all of its unyielding and merciless weight. As much as I didn't want to believe or accept it, Leo's words were true. Even if Donnie wasn't happy, he wasn't going to tell us. He would just keep it bottled up inside and let it eat away at him.
My eyes widened as the dam finally broke and let loose a river of tears. Leo turned his back on me once again, his voice coming out in a mere whisper. "Now you understand how I feel. I thought I knew Don, but now…"
Before he could finish, I cut him off with what I hoped would be some sort of reassurance. "If there's one thing I don't do, it's give up! This isn't over yet! We're going to get him back and kick the living shell out of whoever decided to take him in the first place!"
Even as I said those words, I wasn't too sure I believed them. Not wanting to hear anymore from Leo, I left his room. I ran to my bedroom and slammed the door shut. Breathing heavily, I went to my comic book stand and opened up one of the drawers. I pushed everything aside and found what I was looking for.
It was a crudely drawn picture of me and Donnie, one of my rare childhood treasures. I had managed to save it when the old lair collapsed and we were forced to move elsewhere. I turned the picture over and read the little message on the back.
I'm not really much for drawing, but I thought this would cheer you up since you're sick. While you're sick, that means you have to stay in bed and listen to what Master Splinter and I say. But I'm going to be easier on you. If you need anything, you know where to find me.
Love always,
Don
I held the picture to my plastron and cried. It wasn't fair! I was just reunited with my family, only to be torn away from them again. I wanted to blame someone else, anyone else for this, but in my heart I knew whose fault it was. We had pushed him away by continually taking advantage of him and not taking his feelings into consideration… and now we were indeed paying for it.
As much as I didn't want to think about it, there was a strong possibility that we might not see him again.