XII - AN ILLUSTRATED SCENE

The sudden noise suggesting the door to Donatello's room was opened caught Leonardo's attention. Reaching out at the kitchen table he was able to see Raphael exit the chamber heading towards the bathroom.

"Now is our chance, Donny", he turned to Don, who was staring at his coffee cup looking uneasy.

"I don't like this, Leo..." he started, letting his voice die out.

"Trust me Donny, he's hiding something."

"But Leo, it's ethically --"

"Think about our family. He chose not to be cooperative. If it's something dangerous, we have to be aware of it."

Leonardo had a point. But still Don felt like he was left to a nasty situation being a middleman between his brothers' stupid quarrel. Don sighed deeply and rose from the seat, heading to his chamber. Leo followed him quickly.

"So, you want to know which web-pages he has been visiting recently, right?"

Leo nodded hastily while Don started to click with the mouse.

"Okay. But I'm not breaking into any e-mail inboxes or anything, you know that."

"Of course, Donny. I don't like this either. But we have to --"

"Yeah yeah. I just hope Raph has been smart enough to delete his history and cache as I've instructed."

Leo sneered.

"Even I don't do that."

"Hmm, neither does Raphie. Some ninjas you guys are", Don snorted.

Don did some more of his 'magic' with the computer, and a web page consisting images of half naked women loaded in front of their eyes, posing in suggestive positions wearing accessories, that left no room for guessing what kind of a web page it was.

Leonardo crouched nearer the screen, studying the figures.

"Is that a whip? And look, what that other one is doing with that wakizashi? Chains...blades...Uh, this is gross."

Donatello tried to look politely the other way. The situation was rather awkward.

"I can't believe that my own brother..." Leo murmured, probably more to himself than Donny,

"Raph really has problems..."

"Actually, Leonardo, it's a fetish. I don't think you should be --"

"Oh no, don't tell me you have the nerve to side with him! I mean, look at this! What kind of a psycho gets his kicks via these...these 'whores of death'!!"

"Leo, you're not getting the point -- ", Don tried to calm his big brother, but only to notice it was pointless.

"We're honoring the code of bushido, for goodness' sake! This is unbelievable!" Leo kept ranting.

"It's not about hurting, it's about pleasing people who actually enjoy being hurt. It's not the same thing as being beaten up."

Leo looked at Don lifting his eyebrow.

"Why are you saying that? You have something to do with this perversion?"

Don swallowed at his brother's inquiry.

"With a fetish? Well, I guess that we all have our fetishes. With hurting people for sexual pleasure? Not my cup of tea, bro. Honestly."

"Good. That's what I thought so", Leo sounded relieved, getting absorbed in the view on the screen again,

"Only Raph --"

Donatello interrupted him sounding frustrated to Leo's stubborn attitude:

"Now listen to me Leo. The matter is something I ran across while studying...uh, some stuff. Anyway, it's merely a culture related thing which is considered as somehow unhealthy way to express sexuality. I mean that you probably won't judge masturbation or homosexuality for example, although they have been considered as perversions."

Leo gave a weird look at Don.

"Are you trying to hint that Raph's gay?"

Don shrugged.

"No Leo, now we are getting sidetracked", he sighed, but the pragmatic in him insisted on carrying the discussion on:

"There always is that possibility, that not all of us are heterosexuals. Though the pictures indicate Raph's interested in females. Human females, to be exact."

Leonardo glanced at him looking even more confused. Don snorted in frustration.

"What I'm trying to say is, that this is totally Raph's own business, and that we don't have any right to judge him by the nature of his sexuality. I mean, we know that he wouldn't practise 'these things' if it was somehow against bushido."

Leo sighed, refusing to look at Don's eyes.

"We all know that", Don repeated, laying an inquiring glance at his big brother, waiting for him to acknowledge the fact too.

"Who-hoa! What are those babes? Looks...dunno. Painful."

The elder turtles startled turning their heads towards their baby brother, who was glancing at them from the doorway.

"Great. Mikey seeing what we're up to is the last thing we need", Don shook his head, while Leo remained silent, thinking through what he had just learnt.