Chapter 7: Differing Views
A/N: So here's the next chapter in this saga. I'm having a lot of fun fleshing this story out and once again writing in my Truth and Lies universe. It's probably one of my favorite universes to write in as I have so much fun weaving the plot and this sort of prequel story of sorts is even better to write as it leads up to the events in Truth and Lies. Thanks to all of those who have read and reviewed thus far. I'm glad you're enjoying this story as always.
Disclaimer: TMNT and all related characters belong to Nickelodeon. I only own Madison Kinney and the plot.
Leo was sitting in front of the TV watching an episode of Space Heroes. He figured that maybe watching the show would help to get him in the mood for writing more of his story. Just then, a Breaking News bulletin interrupted the show, making Leo groan.
"We interrupt this program to bring you breaking news," Carlos Chiang O'Brien Gambe said. "Police Chief Sterns has ordered a press conference concerning the search of missing teenager, April O'Neil. We now join them live as Chief Sterns takes the podium."
Chief Robert Sterns stood at the podium where all of the citizens and media gathered to hear what he had to say. "Thank you for joining me for this press conference, ladies and gentleman," he said. "It is my deepest regret to inform you that we have given up the search for April O'Neil due to no leads being forthcoming. We have investigated thoroughly since this case began, and no leads have been found, so we are ceasing our efforts to search. Our deepest sympathies go to the O'Neil family. We cannot stress enough how hard this must be for you and how hard it was to come to this decision. It was not an easy one, but our look into this case has forced us to abandon other major cases, and I feel we need to get back to those cases for the time being. We will still listen to any citizens who may have any leads and investigate based on that if any come to light. Are there any questions?"
A flurry of hands shot up, and Chief Sterns pointed to Joan Grody, a very well know reporter who often reported on very weird things going on in the city.
"Chief Sterns, do you think that this may be the work of those aliens who invaded last year?" she asked.
"I have no reason to believe that as those aliens left before Miss O'Neil disappeared," he answered.
"But if it's not the aliens, do you think it could be something else?" Grody pursued. "There are rumors about mutants roaming the streets. What if one of them killed Miss O'Neil?"
"No evidence of anything remotely like that has been discovered," Sterns replied. "And the sightings of said mutants were reported by gang members who have known drug history, so please excuse me if I don't take them seriously. Any other questions?"
Another reporter raised his hand. "Chief, don't you think you should continue the investigation for Kirby O'Neil's sake? He has to be worried sick about his daughter and probably feels that this is a slap in the face that you're just giving up on her."
"As I said, we have done all we could and can't find any reason to continue the investigation," Sterns answered. "I'm sorry, but there's nothing more we can do, and I hope Mr. O'Neil will understand that."
More questions continued to be fired at the chief, but Leo listened to none of it. His heart sank at the realization that even the police had given up searching for April.
"I can't believe this!" Don complained. "They're just giving up?"
"There's nothing they can do," Leo replied. "They probably think she's dead."
"Even if she is dead, they should at least look for a body," said Don. "You know what this means, don't you Leo?"
"No, I don't," Leo answered.
"We should keep looking. If the police aren't adept enough to find her, then we should try our hand at it."
Leo sighed. "We already did, Donnie," he said. "We've looked everywhere with no sign of her."
"So you just want us to give up like they did?" Don snarled. "You want to treat her as if she's nothing?"
"I'm sorry, Donnie, but I don't know what else we can do or where else we can look," said Leo wearily.
"I do," said Don. "I can help find her, and I want all of you to help me too. We're a team, Leo. We do things together."
"But we can't do anything else," answered Leo.
"Well, if I was leader, I would make sure to still find my friend," Don charged.
"Good point, Donnie, but you're not the leader," Leo countered. "I am, and I say that we leave the search alone. She's gone. Why can't you accept that?"
"Because, unlike you, I'm willing to still stand up for my friends and not give up on them!" Don replied. "I'm not some stupid coward sitting around watching stupid cartoons and writing stupid stories about said cartoon. Yeah, I heard you're doing that now, and I think it's ridiculous when you could be doing more to help find April."
A pained look crossed Leo's face at his brother's words. "I've tried, Donnie," he said softly. "There's nothing more to do."
"Yes, there is!" Don insisted. "Why do you insist on giving up on her, Leo? You know she would never do that to you!"
"She would if there was no chance I was alive," Leo answered.
"There's always a chance she could be alive," Don countered. "But then again, this is all your fault. If you would have just walked her home, this never would have happened in the first place."
"That's out of line, Donnie," Raph said. "It's not Leo's fault that this happened."
"Yes it is," Don answered. "He probably did it on purpose because he was jealous of April or something."
"That's not true!" Leo cried. "I wanted to walk her home, and you know it, Donnie!"
"And yet you gave in to her after she said she would be fine instead of insisting on walking her home."
"Well, I didn't see YOU volunteering to walk her home either," Leo countered. "You just stood there like a lovestruck puppy, probably fantasizing about getting into her pants!"
With a growl, Don took out his bo and stood in a defensive stance. "You take that back!" he whispered.
Leo stood up and took out his katanas, his blue eyes blazing with anger. "No," he said. "It's the truth, and you know it."
Don gave a yell and rushed toward Leo, who dodged Don's attack and parried it with his katanas. Don kept on coming and managed to knock the swords out of Leo's grip. Leo kicked Don in the stomach, knocking him back and reached for his swords, but then Don swung his bo and hit Leo in the head, causing Leo to fall as darkness consumed him.
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"Nice goin', Donnie!" Raph snapped.
"Dude, did you have to hit him so hard?" Mikey asked.
"He deserved it," Don said petulantly.
"No, he did not," Splinter replied. "That was very wrong of you to attack your brother, Donatello."
"He shouldn't have said what he did!" Don protested.
"And you shouldn't have said what you did to him, either," Raph retorted.
Leo groaned and opened his eyes. Hearing all of them speaking gave him a headache.
"How are you feeling, my son?" Splinter asked, gazing at Leo with concern.
"Like I got hit with a bo staff," he answered.
"You shouldn't have baited me like that, Leo," Don said.
"That is enough," Splinter chastised. "Donatello, report to the dojo. I will meet you there shortly."
Don sighed and left the infirmary, muttering under his breath.
"Will I be okay?" Leo asked.
"You'll be fine, bro," Raph soothed. "You just have a bump on the head."
"He didn't have to do that," Leo said bitterly.
"Donatello is going through a hard time dealing with acceptance," Splinter said. "But in light of what has happened with the police, I am inclined to agree with you, my son. It does no good to dwell on something that cannot be fixed while neglecting your own desire to live your life. I know how Donatello felt about April, but he must learn to let her go as you all have done."
"But he shouldn't just give up hope!" Mikey protested. "You've always told us that there's always hope, Sensei!"
"Yes, I have, but sometimes, hope is very fleeting," Splinter answered. "I had a hope that my daughter would return to me, and that was taken away when she made her decision. Sometimes what you hope for does not always happen. Now, we should leave Leonardo and let him get some rest."
"Leo, do you want me to stay with you?" Raph asked.
"If you want to," Leo answered. "He can stay, can't he, Sensei?"
"Yes, Raphael may stay with you," Splinter replied. "Now I must go speak to Donatello."
"Get better soon, bro," Mikey said. He kissed Leo on the cheek and left the room after a playful shove from Raph.
"So, why did you want to stay with me?" Leo asked.
"I knew you'd need company after what Donnie said."
"What happened after he hit me?"
"I wanted to knock him into next Tuesday, but Mikey held me back and called for Sensei. We carried you into the infirmary and that was it until you woke up. Sensei examined you and said that you'd probably have a concussion, so we gotta watch you closely."
"That figures," Leo said bitterly. "But Donnie was right. It is my fault that April disappeared."
"No, it's not," Raph said. "You did all you could, Leo. She didn't want you walkin' her home, and there was nothin' you could do. You know how April always was. She was stubborn and never wanted anyone helpin' her unless she needed it. You can't beat yourself up, bro."
"I try not to, but sometimes, I just feel like I could have done more," Leo said, tears filling his eyes. "Maybe I'm just not cut out to be leader."
"Leo, stop this!" Raph said sternly. "Stop doubtin' yourself. That's what Don wants so that you'll give in and do what he wants you to do. He needs to let go and stop dwellin' on all of this. April's gone, and that's that. The police don't wanna search anymore because they can't find anything. Don just doesn't want to accept it because he doesn't wanna accept that the love of his life is dead. He's going through withdrawal, and nothing we say is gonna help."
Leo knew Raph was right, but he still felt awful for the horrible things Don had said to him. It just wasn't fair that all of this had to happen so quickly. And why couldn't Don accept that April could be lost to them? Why couldn't he just let it go?
"Look, you need your rest, bro," Raph said. "You've been through enough today. I'll stay with you for a little bit though, if you want."
Leo nodded. "Yeah, I'd like that," he said. He let out a sigh and closed his eyes, taking comfort in the fact that Raph had his back and always would.
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When Leo woke up again, Raph was still there by his side though he had fallen asleep, too. Leo thought about waking him up and urging him to go to his room, but he decided against it since Raph hated being woken up abruptly and would probably try to punch him if he tried. He started as Mikey came through the door.
"Dude, you missed it," he said. "Don got chewed out by Sensei and is grounded for three weeks. He can't go on the computer or anything, and he has to do randori as punishment, too."
"Does Sensei want to speak with me, too?" Leo asked him. "I also fought with him."
"He's going to, but I don't think you'll get too much punishment since you didn't hit him like Don hit you," Mikey reassured him. His gaze turned to Raph. "You think I should put him in his room?"
"I wouldn't try it unless you want to get punched in the face," Leo replied wisely.
"Nah, this face is too cute to get punched," Mikey said.
Not long after, Raph woke up, and the three Turtles headed to practice. Leo figured he'd be okay since he just had a blow to the head, but Splinter didn't want him practicing, so he took his place beside his sensei instead. He looked at Donnie, who glared at him and then turned his back on his older brother. It made Leo feel bad for the things he had said, but he was still right about letting April go. Splinter instructed what he wanted the Turtles to do, and practice began. It was weird for Leo to be watching it instead of participating in it, but he gained a new outlook on his brothers' fighting styles and how they operated. Mikey was the most athletic of the group and used this to his advantage with stylized flips and turns. Raph was the brute fighter, going more for brute force than any fancy acrobatics, though he did do his fair share of flips when he felt the situation called for it. Donnie was all about strategy and analyzing what his opponent was going to do and forming a strategy as to how to counter it. His concentration wasn't good this morning, however, and Leo could tell that he was going to lose the match fairly quickly.
Sure enough, Raph knocked Donnie on the mat and pinned him to the floor.
"Very good, Raphael," Splinter praised. "Your form is getting better. Leonardo, do you have any tips for Donatello where he could improve?"
"You need to focus more on your opponent and quit daydreaming," Leo replied. "Distractions are a ninja's worst enemy."
"Well, I wouldn't be so distracted if SOMEONE hadn't gotten me grounded!" Don charged.
"And I wouldn't be sore right now if SOMEONE ELSE hadn't hit me with their bo staff," Leo countered back.
Don was about to retort when Splinter intervened.
"Boys, that is enough!" he chastised. "Leonardo is right, Donatello. Distractions can cost you the match, and more importantly, your life. You must be aware of your surroundings at all times and leave all distractions elsewhere when in battle. That is enough for today. Donatello, wait here for your extra session. I must speak to Leonardo."
Don smiled and stuck his tongue out at Leo. Leo wanted to counter that, but he figured it would be too childish and something Mikey might do, so he ignored it and followed Splinter to his chambers. He knelt in front of his father and waited for Splinter to start talking.
"I see you are still upset by the argument you had with Donatello yesterday," Splinter began.
"I just can't believe he blamed me for April's death," Leo said. "Doesn't he know I've blamed myself for that since it happened?"
"Perhaps not, but you should not blame yourself, my son," Splinter said. "It was not your fault."
"But I didn't take April home," Leo insisted. "I let her go by herself instead of escorting her."
"Yes, but hasn't April gone home alone many times before?" Splinter asked him.
"Yeah, but this time I had a funny feeling about it. I thought maybe something was going to happen, but I brushed off the feeling and let her go off. I should have listened to my instincts and helped her."
"And do you think that if you had escorted her home, that she still would not have disappeared?"
"Maybe."
Splinter shook his head. "Leonardo, you burden yourself with things that are beyond your control," he said gently. "You need to learn to accept that certain things cannot be helped and that you cannot alter certain events."
"But it's so hard to do that sometimes, Sensei," Leo replied. "I'm the leader of this clan, so I feel like it's my responsibility to look after my team. Isn't that what you want me to do?"
"Yes, but sometimes you cannot control what your brothers do, just as you could not control what April did. She asked you not to walk her home, and that was her decision alone. And even if you had insisted on walking her home, she could have easily argued with you or even evaded you by slipping away. There are some things you cannot prevent, my son, no matter how hard you try."
"I know, Sensei, but I wish there was a way I could change it. I just hate how Donnie looks at me and acts like it's my fault April disappeared."
Splinter sighed. "Yes, Donatello is definitely fixated on finding April even though I have a feeling she is not alive. There is not much we can do for Donatello is a stubborn boy and will not listen to reason."
"So what should be do, Sensei?" Leo asked him.
"We should leave Donatello and let him keep searching. Sooner or later, he will come to realize that what he dreams is not real and will come to terms with it. Now, run along while I go and speak to your brother. I am still awaiting the next chapter of your marvelous story."
Leo smiled and bowed to his father before leaving. He caught Don's eye, and the purple-clad Turtle glared at him. Leo sighed and left the dojo. Though Splinter was right about the fact that he couldn't control Donnie or how he thought, he still felt guilty that Don was working himself to death on all of this. Why did he have to be so stubborn about April? Though Leo knew Splinter was right about them leaving Donnie alone, Leo feared that it wasn't the right solution and that Don would never face the reality that April may not come back. Deciding not to dwell on it, Leo went to his room to work on his story and to try to erase the hateful look Donnie had just given him.
"It's not my fault she's gone," he said to himself. "I had no control over it, and I'm not gonna dwell on it right now. Donnie will see reason soon, and if he doesn't, then that's his loss."
And with those last words, Leo turned on his computer and concentrated on the one thing that gave him joy in all of this strife.
A/N: So that's the end of another chapter. I hope you all enjoyed it. I don't know when the next chapter will be out as I still have to plot it out, but I'll get it out as soon as I can. Also, I'm working on other stories, so if I don't update this one, that's why. Feel free to leave a review and have a shelltastic day.