*Though it may not feel significiant in the scheme of things, this was one of the most important chapters in Watchmen to me, because Leonardo drives home such an important point. Gotta love a guy who can get right to the heart of a matter.
Leonardo eyed the somber faces of his younger brothers as they trooped inside the Den, supposing that he was probably looking at a mirror image of himself. The minute he realized how anxiously the women were waiting for them, he regretted not calling anyone when they were finished with their Asian captive. In truth, he'd felt too sick to his stomach to consider making the phone call immediately.
There was a rush of feet from the living area, and Calley was beside him in a flash.
"Leo, we've been so worried! Are you…" She broke off, staring at him pensively.
Trying to get a read on me, no doubt. It's hard to get anything past this woman.
"Are you all right?" Calley finished.
Leonardo cast a glance over his shoulder at his brothers with their respective wives, and then looked back at Calley. "They never touched us, Calley. These were far from the Akiudo's best warriors, with the exception of Daichi. But we got the drop on him before he even realized what had happened."
"Yes, Kat told us." Calley continued to gaze at him without breaking eye contact for a few seconds. "C'mon and sit down, you guys. All of you look…overwhelmed."
"It's been that kinda night," Raphael said heavily.
Leonardo walked silently to the couch, sinking into one of the cushions with the sensation that a large weight was bearing down on his shell. He shot another cursory glance at his brothers as they walked further into the room.
Raphael's face was emotionless as he dropped into his chair, giving away none of the normal smugness he would often display after an evening of kicking tail and remaining uninjured in return. There was no hint of a smile in Mike's eyes either, though he was quick to extend an arm around Rebecca as they settled onto the other couch. Leo believed that the touch was more related to his brother's need for her acceptance, rather than offering her encouragement of his own.
"Stay put, guys," Karina directed. "We'll get you something to drink. Is anyone hungry at all?"
Leonardo shook his head. "I don't think so," he murmured. "Everything is still…sinking in."
"I'll be back," Karina said briskly.
Leo made quick eye contact with Jenna before the raven-haired woman turned for the kitchen too.
"I'm going to help Karina," she told Leo. "Try to unwind and relax a little."
Footsteps in the hall announced Katherine's presence before the woman hurried into the living area. "Good, you're back." She sounded relieved. "I was ready to go out looking for all of you."
Leonardo sighed softly. "Sorry we didn't call. Things didn't go exactly the way we planned."
"Is everything all right? Are you all right?" Katherine was instantly concerned.
"Yeah, we are, but our informant isn't," Raphael volunteered. "He jumped off a building, and I do mean he jumped."
Kat sat down with a sharp breath. "Well…" It was clear the woman didn't know what to say. "Did he tell you anything helpful?"
The blue-masked turtle shrugged. "Maybe. He laid out what happened that evening between the gang, Brandon, and Don. He also acknowledged that Takashi has a plan and wants to return to that States, but he didn't know what the plan is or how he intends to get here."
"What about the phone conversation, Leo? Who was Daichi answering to? Who sent him back here?" Kat asked.
"That's the weirdest part," Leo confessed. "The guy swore up and down that Daichi was taking orders from Yukiko."
Katherine's mouth dropped, and it took her a moment to find her voice. "Yukiko? How can that be?"
"It isn't, that's how," Raphael said darkly. "Either the guy was lying to us, or Daichi was lying to them."
"Raph, we don't know that," Leonardo pointed out.
"I was there when her heart stopped beating, Leo."
"I'm not saying she is alive, Raph, but something is strange about all of this. Why would Daichi use her name as a cover for someone else? And if she isn't organizing this effort, then who is?"
No one in the room had another suggestion.
"So, are you saying Yukiko could have been the one behind the plot to get information out of Brandon?" Kat clarified.
"No," Leo answered. "Our informant claimed that Daichi was acting alone in that respect, that it was all his own idea."
Katherine stared at the floor before bringing herself to meet Leonardo's gaze again. "You believe me, don't you? I swear Daichi was this close to snapping Tim's neck." She held up two fingers in a pinch-like gesture to illustrate her point. "Shooting him was pure instinct."
"Kat, we know you were only defending Tim. He told us so himself," Leonardo said patiently. "How is he by the way?"
"He's fine," she replied. "Nothing but abrasions. Victoria insisted on taking Tim home, so he's probably resting now."
Leo shifted uncomfortably. "Yeah, about that…I'm kind of concerned about everyone's safety on the surface. Yes, Daichi is out of the way, but this isn't finished. Whether it's Yukiko or someone else, there's an enemy looking for us. If this was a sign of things to come, all of you might need to lie low."
Katherine looked troubled. "I hadn't given it much thought, but I guess we need to, huh?"
The hiss of the kitchen door had Leonardo turning his head to see Karina and Jenna returning.
"What's going on with Brandon?" Leo forced himself to ask.
"I told the docs to set him up in mine and Donny's room," Jenna said stoically, offering him a mug. "I'm not sleeping there anyway. I just didn't want Brandon to wake up in the Lab and have Don be the first thing he sees. I think he's probably been traumatized enough."
Mike took a long drink of the bottled water Karina had given him, but then appeared to be crushing the plastic container in his grip. "I can't stand this," he said hoarsely. "I don't wanna think about what they did to Bran, all because…" The orange-masked turtle looked between Leonardo and Raphael instead of finishing.
Rebecca braced an arm around him. "Don't say it, Mike. This was not your fault."
Michelangelo slowly separated from her side. "Yes it was. Saying it's not our fault doesn't change the fact that they hurt him to get to us."
Both anger and frustration entered his youngest brother's voice, and Leonardo identified with it strongly. Mike got to his feet and strode out of the living area. Rebecca rapidly pursued him, and Leonardo decided to let the young woman handle him for the time being.
"We don't blame you," Kat spoke up at once. "I know it might not mean anything, but Karina and I stand by all of you, guys. You're not responsible for what those evil men did, but you are the reason we got Brandon back."
Leonardo took a sip from his tea to satisfy the small effort Karina and Jenna had made. "Emotions are running really high, and we're all going to need to be patient with each other," he said. "Do the docs have a prognosis on Brandon?"
"They concentrated on treating his injuries," Katherine replied. "He hasn't responded to anything yet. He opens his eyes, but his gaze is just…dead, like he's not even in there. Luke said Bran would snap out of it with time."
Leo nodded as a numb feeling spread over his mind.
"Brandon will be himself again," Raphael said confidently. "He's too strong to be broken by scum like them."
Leonardo dutifully drank his tea, and didn't offer any further information about their exploits from that evening. Calley remained at his side, not bothering to speak either. He didn't see any sign of Mike or Rebecca returning, and Raphael and Karina eventually separated from the rest of them too. Katherine stepped way to return to Brandon's side. The living area was down to him, Calley, and Jenna, and he felt his eyes being drawn toward the Lab, as a desire to see Donny overtook him.
The blue-masked turtle traced a hand over Calley's ivory cheekbone, and brushed blond bangs from her forehead tenderly. "It's late. Why don't you head back, and I'll join you in a little while. I want to look in on Don."
She nodded after a beat of hesitation, and stretched a hand toward Jenna. "C'mon, Jen. I can show you that thing I was talking about earlier."
Leonardo watched gratefully as his wife took charge of the raven-haired woman, moved by the ease with which Jenna went along with her. Then he ducked his head through the door to the Lab, and found Caleb guarding the fort.
"Hey," Leo offered.
"Hi, Leo." Caleb rose to meet him. "Come to see your brother, or do you need something from me?"
"I just want to sit with him for a while," he replied. "Um…would you terribly mind giving me a couple of minutes?"
Caleb appeared to understand what he was asking. "Yeah, that's fine, Leo. I'll check on you in a little bit, okay?"
Leonardo nodded, taking a seat at his prone brother's side as Caleb shut the door behind him. His throat suddenly felt dry, even though he'd had plenty to drink. For a few seconds he sat in an overwhelmed silence, then his hand strayed to Don's arm, gripping it firmly as he began.
"We took them out, Donny, the guys who did this to you and Bran. Pockets of the Akiudo are alive and well right under our noses, and we had no idea. Daichi is dead, and hopefully the others can be returned to jail.
"When we first went in there tonight, I was fighting with so much anger. I expected there to be some release when it was over. I thought there would be a tiny shred of relief that they'd paid for what they did to both of you. They really hurt Brandon, Don."
Leonardo braced a fist against his forehead as tears came. "Seeing Bran the first time, shell, Donny, I wanted to round up all those thugs and kill them on the spot. But we didn't do that – we didn't even lay hands on Daichi. Kat shot him to save Tim. Another man committed suicide tonight, while we were pushing him for information.
"In the eyes of most people, it could be said that they paid for their crimes. They got what they deserved. But the more I think about, the more I realize that it changes nothing. It doesn't make me feel better about how badly you're hurt, or how Brandon was tortured. If anything, I feel emptier because the threat has been neutralized, and there's nothing left to do. We can only sit back and hope that both of you can recover from this."
Tears came faster as he buried his forehead in one hand. "Sensei was right. Violence can't be the ultimate means to an end. It won't satisfy a broken heart, and it can't undo a grievous hurt. He taught us the way of defense, not revenge.
"All of us wanted revenge tonight, Don; I won't pretend that we didn't. I can't tell you how hard it was to rein myself in, or about the sick pleasure I experienced in destroying those warriors. But the satisfaction didn't last, Bro. Sensei taught us too well. Watching that man jump to his death, I didn't feel victorious. I felt sick for pushing him to feel that desperate, to think that death by his own hand was better than facing us. I don't want to be the demons that they think we are."
He took a shuddering breath, and squeezed Donny's arm tighter. "I wish this was over, Don, but it's not. There's still a faction of the Akiudo out there, and they're plotting something against us as I speak. But I swear to you, no matter what happens, I won't let them make a monster out of me, or any of us. No revenge is worth that."