Leonardo started losing his ground. This was not a battle he had been prepared for.
As for the relationship with the girls, they weren't completely innocent. Their unique existence sometimes simply forced them to be in close proximity with woman.
And all of their interactions with opposite sex had always been strange, dangerous and exotic.
Not only their saving April from the Mouser robots or getting Angel from the hands of Purple Dragons.
There was Sydney-Quarry - the mutant from the underground city, or Renet - the crazy time traveler. Or the females warriors of all races, colors and shapes from Battle Nexus.
But their usual meetings were bound by simply rule - to save and go. It had never allowed any inappropriate thoughts.
Well, almost never.
There was one girl. She was brave, deadly with her weapons and sheared the same sense of honor with him. And she was the new leader of the clan of their enemies. Their sporadic meetings were filled with the right amount of the excitement he needed. Right.
But this. This was completely different. It was impersonal and forced. And it filled him with some dark questions. Was it real? Was she real? Can it be taken as a rape. And who by whom?
He watched the glass in his hand with disgust. What if it doesn't work? What if it does? And how long, the hell, is Donne there? Two minutes? One hour? One year?
The lock clicked.
Leo cursed.
The room was painted in red and contained no furniture. Except for one.
Leonardo ignored the person lying on the huge bed as he was looking around. The paintings on the walls were much more expressive then those in the book. He quickly looked away and headed for the exit.
Then he hesitated. A key was in the lock.
Leo's grip on the glass tightened and he turned around.
"What is taken him so long?"
Donatello grated his teeth.
He had just been through a quite unsatisfactory and embarrassing experience and still had not been able to analyze it. And now he was not sure what was more annoying. Mikey´s whining or Raph´s self-satisfied smile?
But Michelangelo was right. Leo had been there for too long. And without the reason. Because his experiment worked out just perfectly. Maybe too perfectly. And quite quickly. With heavy sign, he looked back at the door, which had led him back to the hall with locked entrances.
What is taken him so long?
Donatello grated his teeth.
Leonardo closed his eyes and breathed out. For how many times? He did not know.
Then he loosened his grip and laid his head down, at girl's warm scruff. Her breathing rhythm was same as his, now slowly calming down.
He gently touched her hairs. There were almost mahogany in the red light and cascaded to her whist.
"Turn around."
He couldn't tear his eyes from her. Her skin - in this room dark bronze - was painted by floral tattoo. He followed the thin brown lines - form the small roots on her toes, past the stem twined around her ankles, calves and tights, to two blossoms on the top.
Leo cupped her chin and turned her face away.
"Lift." He moved with her.
He wanted everything.
He must leave.
He needed...
He should...
But before...
He gently touched her lips. "Open.." he whispered.
The sound of Raph's restless steps echoed through the hall.
"He will come out, eventually," Michelangelo failed to comfort his more and more impatient brother.
Donnie watched them with doubts. He remembered one specific tomb inscription.
"Think of something already!" Raph turned to his clever brother with agitation. Donatello frowned.
They had tried rattling, knocking, yelling. Nothing worked. And the manual was left behind the door now locked again.
"We can try to persuade him!" suggested Mikey suddenly and received two disdainful looks.
"I mean by this," he tapped his head, "you and Leo are the best at a mental communication after all."
Donnie nodded in surprised approval. Why didn't he figure that out?
He sat down to the lotus position.
"I can't reach him," he admitted after a while. "I can feel him, but can't get through his barrier."
"What if something is happening to him?" Michelangelo shivered with worry.
"Yeah, it does," Raph snorted, "and I know exactly what," and he joined his brother sitting on the floor.
"You have to help me, Don. Both of you."
Then the hall was silent again, only sound of the deeply breathing was heard.
Heart hammering inside his chest. Blood running through his veins. Deep breath deafening his ears... Almost... Almost there... Everything for one single moment...
Leo took a deep breath and slowly exhaled. He was prolonging what he desperated for.
"Leo."
No. Not now. He clenched his teeth and focused. Only him and her. And the burning feeling inside.
"Bro. Listen to me."
Leonardo was sick of listening. He had been listening all his life. He shook his head and quicken his rhythm.
"I know what you are missing. I'm too. We all are."
Leo stopped breathing.
"I haven't lost hope, not yet. It will come one day. She will come. But not her."
He closed his eyes and tried to escape the thoughts which were his and were not at the same time.
"Not like this," the unwanted voice faded away. "Look at her. Closely.."
Leonardo was slowing down until he stopped and opened his eyes.
He could see it now. Under the painting on her body were thousands of thin white scars.
How long had she been here? How many people had been there before him?
His eyes slowly traveled up. Up to her face he had avoided all the time.
Chapped lips. Wheezy breath.
And her eyes. Deep and dark brown in this room. But cold as ice.
The door hesitantly opened.
The turtle in blue bandana leaned on the cool wall. Nobody said a word.
Finally Leo looked up to face their judging eyes. But he found nothing like that. Only understanding.
"Let's go on," said Raphael with unusual softness.
"Go on?"
"To the next level," showed Mikey to the end of the hall.
A new door had been opened.
So this is probably the last chapter in this year, I hope you enjoyed it so far.
Very happy Christmas everyone and thank you for reading and following :)