Seeing Double (TMNT)

Chapter 3

Around the kitchen table sat 4 turtles, one alien salamander, and 3 humans. They were huddled together, talking in hushed whispers and silent looks. Raphael sits beside his girlfriend, Mona, recounting what the Other-him had said.

"... and then Mini-Leo pulled a normal Leo and sacrificed himself, which is why he is so beat up. They only got him back alive because of his families 'Mystic Powers'" He air quotes as he finishes the sentence, visibly confused. "Which I'm annoyed about by the way, why don't we get cool powers? And how do they work?" Raphael huffs, and slumps back, leaning on the salamander next to him. She smiles, wrapping her arm around his shoulders and squeezing him closer to him. It was their subconscious way to tell each other that they were there; to listen and to help. Karai rolls her eyes, shifting in her chair to rest her arms on the table.

"Why don't we just ask them? I mean we know what they faced, and the basics about how they got here? We don't need to walk on eggshells around them! It's not like they'll attack us or something!" She rants, when Leonardo interrupts.

"It's not them attacking us that I'm worried about Karai" he starts. He's not sure how to explain this to someone like Karai. She doesn't always understand emotions all that well, being raised by the Shredder and all. "It's their emotions." Leonardo sighs, pausing to regather his thoughts before continuing. "Do you remember after the fight with the Shredder- what I was like? I was paranoid, I thought I could hear him, see him. I thought I was crazy, and you all did too. Imagine constantly seeing pink ooze, robot bodies and horrible dimensions where there is nothing but emptiness. Not being able to prove its real, yet it haunting your every breath, threatening to take it away. We can't just ask them because it could seriously trigger them, and make them relive what they saw- over and over and over. If this Leo is anything like me, he's going to be prone to panic attacks, and he won't ask for help either. I want us to ask them about things slowly! Don't pressure them into telling you things unless you think that it is absolutely necessary!" Leonardo, for once, is glad for all his past trauma. Yea, it sounds like a fucked up thing to say, but it made him a banging therapist!

"So how do you suggest we go about this Leo?" Donatello interjects, "I mean other than the chat between Raph and his counterpart, plus their medical records- which Other-me was very hesitant to inform me about!-, we have no information on what their universe is like. We don't even know if opening a portal would be safe, what if the Kraang managed to escape from the so called 'Prison Dimension'!" Leonardo doesn't respond straight away. He can't. He doesn't know what to say! They could try and talk to their counterparts, but he had just established very loudly to the group that they had to take their time! He get up from the table, announcing that he is going to the dojo to meditate on it. Secretly, he just wants to get away from the conversation. He is still getting used to being the leader without Master Splinter, and everyone just expects him to know everything!! It's just not fair!

"But let me know if you think of anything, OK?" Leonardo calms himself, and smiles before exiting the kitchen.

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He paces towards the dojo, thumb nail getting chewed on anxiously. It was an old habit he had picked up during the whole Shredder situation. He hoped that he would grow out of it soon; because of how on edge he had been the last few days, his nail had been reduced to a stump, and he tasted iron in his mouth. Great. He finally reaches dojo, and manages half a step through the door before he sees someone training. Not just anyone- his seriously injured alternate! Leonardo goes to interrupt the strictly-forbidden training session, but hesitates, stopping to watch his counterpart train for a moment. Other-Leo slices through the air with his katanas, and often winces with pain, doubling over and clutching his shell before taking a deep breath and continuing on. The cracks on his plastron have started to bleed, and Leos' breathing quickly becomes more rapid, drawing in ragged, raspy breaths. Leonardo then decided to interject, and he calls out across the dojo.