Chapter 23: Deep Wounds
A/N: So this is what you've all been waiting for. The final chapter of Truth and Lies. It has been so much fun writing this story, and I can't be happier with how it's turned out. I know that I haven't been fast with the updates, but I want to thank all of you for being patient with me and sticking through this. Your support has meant the world to me. Now, don't worry because there is a sequel to this story, so I'm sure that will be up as soon as I can get it up. For now, I hope you enjoy the conclusion to this story and will continue to follow this saga to the very end.
Disclaimer: TMNT and all related characters are property of Nickelodeon. I only own the plot of this story.
Leo sighed as he opened his eyes. He'd been trying to meditate, but he couldn't get away from his thoughts no matter how hard he tried. It was bad enough that Karai (he refused to call her Miwa and had vowed that she was no sister to him) was in the Lair as a part of the family. She was obviously lying, and his family believed her. He was disgusted with all of them, including Master Splinter. How could Splinter believe that Karai was telling the truth? Didn't he have better sense than to take what she said at face value? He had once warned Leo that Karai was deceptive and not to believe her, and yet here he was not even taking his own advice. What a hypocrite.
Knowing that he wasn't going to get any meditating done, he left his own room and went to the living area. He turned on the TV and saw that an episode of Space Heroes was on. But then he realized that he wasn't the only one in the living area.
"Hey, Raph told me you liked this show," a voice near him said. Leo whirled around to see Miwa standing by the couch. "I've never seen this show before. Do you mind if I join you?"
Leo glared at her. So much for getting his mind off of Karai. "No, you can't," he said curtly. "You probably wouldn't like this show anyway. After all, one of your enemies likes it."
"Will you stop it with the enemies thing?" Miwa snapped. "We're family now."
"Sorry, I don't count traitors as family, Karai," Leo responded.
She stiffened. "My name is Miwa now," she reminded him.
"Not to me," he retorted. "You'll always be seen as Karai, the one who deliberately attacked me on Robyn's orders."
"And I already explained to you why I did that. Why can't you just forgive and forget?"
"Because it's not easy for me to forget that you obeyed the person who killed April!" Leo replied.
"Leo, I didn't know that," Miwa said softly. "Do you really think that if I had known that, I would have carried out the attack?"
Leo laughed. "Of course you would," he answered. "You hated April, so why would it matter if someone killed her? It was an opportunity to dispose of me, and you took it."
"You can believe what you want," Miwa told him. "I can't force you to forgive me, so if you want to be narrow-minded, then fine." And with that, she left Leo alone to think about what she said.
Leo turned back to Space Heroes, tired of hearing Miwa use the same excuses. Why should he forgive her for trying to kill him? She was trying to manipulate him, and he wouldn't allow that any longer. He wasn't going to forgive her, and that was that. Why couldn't she just drop it already?
"Leonardo, would you like to take a walk with me?" Leo gasped as Splinter suddenly entered the room without Leo knowing it. Had he lost his senses? He was so startled, he didn't answer right away until he registered that Splinter wanted him to answer.
"Hai, Sensei," he replied.
"We can wait until your show is over if you wish," Splinter offered.
"That's okay, I've seen this one already," Leo answered. He followed his father out of the Lair, wondering what this was about but not daring to ask.
"I suppose you are curious as to why I asked you to take this walk with me," Splinter began, sensing his son's thoughts. "It is because I feel that perhaps a walk will do you some good. With everything that has gone on lately, I know that you are frustrated and upset, and I felt that maybe you needed to get out for a little bit. It has been a long time since you and I spent time together, Leonardo."
Leo nodded, but he couldn't help think that Splinter had another motive for asking him to go on a walk with him. Splinter often did things like this when he wanted to impart a lesson or discuss an important issue with one of his sons.
"I know that you have been through a terrible ordeal, but I do not approve of the way you have been acting towards Miwa," Splinter continued. "I thought that perhaps you would have decided to forgive her and accept her into the clan."
Aha! So that was Splinter's issue. He was angry that Leo hadn't forgiven her and accepted her as part of the family. "Sensei, it's not that easy," he said. "You have no idea how she acted the night she attacked me. She enjoyed making me suffer. I can't accept someone like that into our clan."
"Leonardo, a true leader accepts change and adapts to it," Splinter told him. "I have been doing a lot of thinking and feel that perhaps the burden you have been carrying has been too much for you. I know it has not been easy dealing with the fact that Robyn not only killed April but attempted to kill you as well. With that in mind, I have decided that perhaps it would be best if you would step down as leader."
Leo's mouth fell open. Wait, what was Splinter saying? He couldn't give up his role as leader! Splinter had chosen him specifically to fill that role. Without it, he had no place within the clan. Leo knew this wasn't about Robyn and what he'd gone through, despite Splinter's concerns. It was because he wouldn't accept Karai as part of the clan, and Splinter felt that the best punishment was to take away the one thing that meant the most to his son. What kind of father was that?
Splinter noticed his son's expression. "Leonardo, are you all right?"
How could he be all right? His father had just demoted him. He swallowed and said, "So you're punishing me?"
"No, I am not," Splinter answered. "I am simply giving you a chance to rid yourself of the burden you carry. Once you have healed mentally, you will be leader once again."
Despite this reassurance, Leo was still angry about the whole thing. "So who's going to take my place?" he asked.
"I have decided to let Raphael take your place," Splinter replied.
"But, Sensei, Raph tried that before, and it was a disaster!" Leo protested.
"Yes, but he has grown since then," Splinter told him. "He will not be leader forever, my son."
"But what if I don't heal?"
Splinter put a paw on his son's shoulder. "You will heal, Leonardo," he assured him. "It may take some time, but you will get better."
Leo wasn't sure about that, but he knew better than to argue with Splinter about the matter. Still, he knew Raph wouldn't want to be the leader and would protest about the idea. He snapped out of his thoughts and realized that Splinter had stopped beside a manhole cover. "Sensei, where are we going?" he asked.
"I thought that it would be nice to get something to eat at Murakami's," Splinter answered.
"Sorry, Sensei, but I'm not in the mood for anything to eat," Leo replied.
"Then I will bring you something for later," Splinter told him. "Please inform your brothers and sister where I have gone and that I will be back soon."
"Hai Sensei." Leo bowed to him and left for home, feeling so horrible about everything. Why did this have to happen to him? What had he done to deserve this fate? Was this really about what had happened to him, or was it something else? He knew that Splinter was angry with him and had found a way to make that known. What better way than to take away his leadership, the one thing he prided himself on? It was like a slap in the face to Leo, and he was angry at Splinter for doing it.
When he arrived at the Lair, he found that the others were nowhere in sight. He decided to go to the dojo to work on some katas to calm his nerves. He unsheathed his katanas and began to work on some katas, imagining that he was facing his sensei. His rage intensified, and his movements became faster as he gave into the rage that consumed him.
"Hey, Leo, where's Splinter?" a voice asked. Leo turned to see Raph in the doorway, his green eye filled with concern.
The blue-clad Turtle turned to him, and his blue eyes filled with rage. Here was the one who was going to take his position away from him, and if he couldn't take his anger out on his father, he was going to take it out on Raph. With a yell, Leo lunged at his brother with his swords in his hands, but Raph was ready and had pulled out his sais to block the attack. This didn't deter Leo as he kept on attacking and Raph kept on blocking him.
"Leo, what's gotten into you?" Raph asked him.
Leo didn't reply and pressed his attack. At one point he knocked Raph's weapons from his hands, swept his legs out from under him, and pinned him to the ground, his katana at Raph's throat.
Raph's green eyes grew wide. "Leo, what are you doing?" he whispered.
"He dares to give it to you," hissed Leo. "We all know you aren't worthy of the position, but he wants you to have it instead of me."
"What the hell are you talkin' about, Leo?" asked Raph.
"I can't let him do it," declared Leo, not answering his brother's question. "He can't do this to me."
"Leo, calm down," begged Raph. "What's the matter? Snap out of it and talk to me."
"Splinter wants you to take my place, Raph," replied Leo. "He wants you to be the leader while I'm reduced to nothing. Do you hear me, Raph? I'm nothing!" Suddenly, Leo's features changed as tears fell from his eyes and sobs wracked his body. His katanas fell to the ground, and Raph hurried to his side as Leo sank to the floor.
"Hey, it's gonna be okay," Raph soothed as he embraced his brother. "Why would Sensei do this?"
"He says it's because of all the stuff with Robyn, but I think he's punishing me for not accepting Ka—Miwa into the clan."
"So fake it," Raph suggested. "Just tell Sensei you accept her into the clan, and he'll change his mind."
"I can't accept her right away, Raph," Leo argued. "It'll look too suspicious, especially since I told him I can't do that yet."
"Well, then maybe you should try and get along with her. Show Splinter that you're trying to make an effort to accept her. In the meantime, I'll talk to him and see if I can get him to change his mind."
Leo nodded, accepting that his brother would do his best to get Splinter to change his mind. But even so, Leo had doubts that Splinter would give in to Raph's pleas. Once he made a decision, that decision was final and binding. "I'm sorry I attacked you," he said softly.
Raph gave his brother a gentle hug. "I know, and I forgive you," he said. "You've been through a lot, and it's taken a big toll, so I can't blame you for acting like you did. But I promise to try and fix it."
So when Splinter came home, he asked to speak to Raph alone. Leo watched Raph follow Splinter to his room and waited to see what would happen. Sadly, Splinter refused to change his mind, stating that the decision was final until further notice. Raph went to the living area where Leo was waiting for him to tell him what the decision was.
"I'm sorry, bro, but he won't change his mind," he said.
Leo sighed and put a hand on Raph's shoulder. "That's okay, Raph, you tried," he said.
"Well, I'm still gonna come to you for help on this leader thing," said Raph. "There's no way I can do this on my own, and I told Splinter that he has to allow it."
"And what did he say?"
"He said that would be fine," answered Raph.
"Then it's settled," declared Leo. "I'll help you if you have a hard time coming up with a plan or if you have any trouble with anything else. Just remember that this is only temporary until I get my head on straight, got it?"
Raph smiled. "Yeah, I get it, bro."
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The next day at practice, Don, Mikey, and Miwa were informed of the change of leadership. All of them were surprised and shot Leo looks of concern, which he returned with a smile of reassurance. Then Splinter had Miwa spar with Raph while Mikey sparred with Don. Leo watched as Miwa wiped the floor with Raph. Granted, Miwa was more skilled than they were, but Leo still expected Raph to put up more of a fight than he had. Both of them bowed to each other and then sat to watch Don and Mikey's match, which ended with Mikey winning.
"Leonardo, you are to face Miwa," Splinter ordered.
Leo took his place in the middle of the dojo and bowed to Miwa, who returned it. Then she smiled at him and motioned for him to bring it. It was just like old times when they used to fight, though this time they weren't bitter enemies.
"So, are you ready to face me?" Miwa taunted. "I promise I won't hurt you too badly."
"As if you could," he retorted, unsheathing his own swords. He was doing his best to see her as a worthy opponent and not as someone who was trying to kill him.
"Hajime!" called Splinter, and the two began to spar. Leo parried each of Miwa's attacks, but she still kept coming at him. They were evenly matched and kept on striking and parrying each other's attacks. Leo found himself really enjoying this session. It reminded him of their encounters before, except for the one where she'd had the Foot attack him. They teased each other as they sparred about who was going to come out on top. Leo knew he had the upper hand, but then something happened that changed everything.
Fire surrounded the dojo, and Leo began to panic. How had that happened? He turned to his brothers and Splinter to see if they had noticed anything, but they remained where they were, oblivious of what Leo was seeing. He turned back to Miwa and saw that she was no longer in front of him. Instead, Robyn O'Neil stood there, a smirk on her face. Fear flooded him, and he turned back to the others to see what they would do, but they didn't respond. He tried to back up, but a wall of flame shot up, blocking his path. He turned back and knew he had to fight Robyn to get out of this mess.
Gritting his teeth, he ran at her, his swords flashing. Normally he wouldn't attack anyone who wasn't armed, but he didn't care about that now. Robyn fought back, but Leo was able to sweep her legs from under her and pinned her to the ground, his katana at her throat.
"Give me one good reason why I shouldn't kill you now," he hissed.
"Leo, what are you talking about?" asked Robyn.
"Leo, stop!" yelled Raph.
"Raph, take the others and go!" ordered Leo. "I'll finish this myself!"
"Leo, what's going on?" asked Mikey.
"Get out of here!" yelled Leo. "Save yourselves!"
"Save ourselves from what?" inquired Don.
"The dojo's on fire, and she started it," replied Leo. "Just get out of here."
"Leonardo, unhand Miwa at once!" ordered Splinter.
"This isn't Miwa, Sensei," said Leo. "It's Robyn. She's come back to finish what she started, but I won't allow it!" He got ready to make the killing blow, but Raph tackled him and pushed him away from Robyn. Don and Mikey helped her up and took her to Splinter. Leo struggled to get to her, but Raph held him back and squeezed down on a pressure point on his neck. The blue-clad Turtle felt his strength leave him as he fell into darkness.
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Leo opened his eyes when he heard voices talking about him. As the room came into focus, he saw that he wasn't in the dojo any longer and could see that a blanket was covering him. The voices were coming from outside, though he was confused as to what they were saying.
"Is he gonna be okay?" Mikey was asking.
"He'll be fine, Mikey," Don reassured him.
"What the hell was that all about?" Raph demanded. "One minute he's sparrin' with Miwa, and the next he's tryin' to kill her. It doesn't make sense."
"From what I can gather, it looks like Leo suffered a flashback," Don replied. "He was seeing Robyn and not Miwa in front of him."
"So, clearly Leonardo is still suffering from what happened, and it has decided to manifest itself in this manner," Splinter said.
"That's pretty much what I think," Don replied.
"So what are we gonna do about it?" Raph asked him.
"Well, Leo's going to have to undergo therapy to help him deal with what's happened to him," Don answered.
"Maybe I should just leave," Miwa suggested. "I could probably find a cheap apartment and get a good job here."
"You're not going anywhere, Sis," said Raph. "What happened to Leo isn't your fault."
"But maybe seeing me triggered his hallucination since I did her dirty work," Miwa protested.
"It probably would have happened with any of us," Don told her. "Seeing you wasn't the problem. Besides, you don't have any money to get an apartment, and jobs are pretty scarce. There's no way you'd be able to move out, especially with the Foot looking for you. You'll be safer here."
"Donatello is right, my daughter," Splinter said. "The surface is not safe for you at this time, and I do not want to lose you again."
"So what's all this talk about therapy?" Mikey asked them. "Does that mean he'll have to see some doctor or something?" He remembered April once telling them about her school counselor who had talked to her after her dad was kidnapped. She would always have to talk about her feelings and stuff like that.
"Well obviously he can't see a real doctor, but Master Splinter has agreed to meet with him and talk with him," Don answered.
"Well, we better make sure he's awake first," Raph said. He walked into the infirmary and was surprised to see his brother's eyes were open. "Leo, how long have you been awake?"
"Long enough to hear what you guys were saying," Leo answered.
Raph called to the others, who promptly came in when they heard Leo was awake.
"I'm glad you're awake," Don told him. "How do you feel, Leo?"
"I think I'm okay," Leo answered.
"Do you remember what happened to you?" Mikey asked him.
It all came back to Leo as soon as Mikey asked him. "Is the dojo okay?" he asked them.
"Yeah, the dojo's fine," Raph told him. "Why do you ask?"
"It was on fire!" Leo cried. "Robyn was here! She was trying to kill us!"
Splinter put a paw on Leo's shoulder. "Relax, my son," he soothed. "Robyn was not there. You were sparring with Miwa."
"Yeah, I was at first, but then the dojo was on fire, and Robyn showed up," Leo told him. "I told you guys to run, and you just sat there."
"That is because what you experienced was a product of your mental wounds," explained Splinter.
"But she was there, Sensei!" protested Leo.
"Yes because you still carry the burden of what happened to you," said his father gently. "We are not doubting that it happened, Leonardo. However, we do feel that by talking about what happened, it may help."
"But the others went through it, too. Why aren't they seeing things that aren't there?"
"My theory is that it's because you almost died, Leo," answered Don. "She was aiming to kill you first, so that's why it sticks in your mind more than ours. You suffered something really traumatic."
"So, if I talk about it, all of the hallucinations will stop?"
"Well, that's what we hope anyway," Don replied.
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The next day, Leo's therapy began. He met privately with Splinter every day after practice to discuss his day. He was also required to keep a journal and record his feelings and emotions and discuss them in each session. Splinter maintained that what they discussed wasn't to be shared with the others, nor were the others allowed to ask him any questions about what was discussed in the sessions. Leo was relieved about that because he didn't want to discuss it with anyone else.
Despite the sessions, Leo still had nightmares every night, though he spoke about them to Splinter. The chance that Robyn was still out there or not was still nagging at him no matter how many times Splinter tried to soothe his worries by telling him she was gone. Leo still believed she had escaped and was biding her time until she came for all of them. Because of this, Leo vowed to remain alert and protect his family until they could take her down for good.
End of Part One
A/N: And that's a wrap, folks. Yep, Leo's going crazy, and it's not going to end here by a long shot. So, is Robyn still out there, or did she die in the fire? That's the mystery that still keeps on haunting our Turtles and will still haunt them in the next installment. As I said there will be a sequel, so look out for Liar, Liar, Pants on Fire, coming soon. In the meantime, feel free to leave a review, and have a shelltastic day.