When they reached the lair, Donatello headed straight to his lab, while Leonardo headed for the dojo. Raphael walked over to the lounging area and sat down on the floor, where his pet turtle Spike was chewing on a leaf.
"I know you're a little worried about me," he said quietly. "Look, I'm not gonna lie to you. We've never gone into a fight like this, but I don't know what's gonna happen. But you don't have to worry. I will make it back. I love you, man."
"Aww," Michelangelo spoke up from behind him. "Are you talking to your pet turtle?"
"No," Raphael said defensively. "Shut up!"
"That's adorable." Michelangelo snickered.
"Oh, I'm gonna crush you!" Raphael shouted, getting up and starting to chase Michelangelo.
Meanwhile, in the dojo, Leonardo had just finished telling Master Splinter the plan that he had come up with. He drew in a deep breath.
"Sensei, do you think I'm ready for this?" he asked quietly.
"Leonardo, I made you leader for a reason."
"What is that reason?"
"That is for you to discover on your own."
Leonardo sighed. "There's so much riding on this. What if something goes wrong?"
"Failure is a possibility every leader must face, Leonardo," Master Splinter said. "It is something I had to face in Japan during my final battle with my enemy, the Shredder. Years ago, Oroku Saki, as Shredder was called then, had been my friend. But the love of a woman came between us. He could not accept her rejection, and his jealousy turned outward in a vengeful attack. And while he could not defeat me that day, my world fell and crumbled around me as the battle took the life of my beloved Tang Shen, and I lost my baby daughter, Miwa."
"But that's my point, sensei," Leonardo said. It was a rare thing, to see the blue leader admit to his feelings. "You lost everything."
"I lost many things," Master Splinter corrected. "My family, my home, my name. But I gained many things as well, like the four of you."
Leonardo drew in a deep breath. "We can handle this," he said, sounding more confident than he felt.
CZYTASZ
Rise of the Turtles - Part 1 of "Experiment 1251514118415"
FanfictionTMNT 2012 angst-fueled story. This particular one follows the first episode, with minor changes to the plot - specifically the characters of Leo and Casey - to better suit what I want to write. Leo has a different personality (which will be obvious...
