Tender Trap Ch 9 - Insanity

CHAPTER 9 - Insanity
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When he entered the dojo, at first he didn't see Splinter. His eyes darted around the room.

"Sensei?" he called tentatively.

"Here, Leonardo."

Leonardo turned to his right where Splinter stood with his back to him. He glanced over his shoulder at his son then turned back to the wall. With one hand he traced the intricately carved sheath holding a katana mounted on the wall. It sat among a few of their more precious weapons that Splinter had brought with him when he had come to America, while he was still human. With a sigh, he gripped the sheath tightly; dropped his hand down; clasped his claws together behind his back. Leonardo moved quietly to kneel before him. He dropped his palms to the mat and laid his forehead down in total supplication.

"I can explain everything, Sensei."

"And will your explanation hold truth or more lies, I wonder."

Leonardo cringed at the sadness in his Master's voice. He was expecting anger, but not this. Dread sat thick in his stomach. This mess was his in the making and he had to make it right. Somehow he had to find the words to explain.

"Only truth, Sensei. I swear to you, no more . . . lies." The last word stuck in his throat, making it convulse as he said it. Splinter huffed through his nose and that simple small sound made Leonardo flinch with shame.

As quietly as possible, Leonardo's brothers entered the dojo, piling in one after the other. They lined up against one wall a few feet away. Michelangelo put his finger to his lips and sat crossed legged. He waved Donatello over and he quickly scrambled next to him and sat.

Raphael, never taking his eyes off Leonardo and Master Splinter's back, stepped in slowly crossing in front of his younger siblings. He stood to one side, arms folded across his chest. His shoulder had been stitched and bandaged, as well as the deep puncture under his right arm. Donatello told him how lucky he was that the blade had traveled upwards instead of horizontally through him. It mostly cut through muscle and tissue. Feeling achy and stiff, Raphael felt anything but lucky. He felt sick and angry at Leonardo. He couldn't believe his brother's behavior this past week. He wanted Splinter to straighten his ass out and for things to get back to normal.

Splinter turned glanced at Leonardo's prostrate form then glanced at his brothers. He frowned, thinking to dismiss them, but then again, they needed to see this and hopefully learn something after all. Leonardo peered up at Splinter then raised up to sit on his heels.

"So tell me, then, Leonardo. Why is it that you continue to disobey me? Why have you found it so necessary to attempt to deceive me?"

Leonardo ran the tip of his dry tongue over his still swollen bottom lip. What should he say? How could he put this into words that made sense when he hardly understood what was happening himself?

"I . . . Th-There's someone," he began shakily.

Splinter's whiskers twitched. He stood motionless in front of his son waiting for him to elaborate.

"Someone that I've been…pursuing, in a way." Leonardo stared at the creases in the mat at Master Splinter's feet as he struggled to make sense.

"I do not understand. What need is there for secrecy, then? Is this some enemy you are following?"

Raphael paced impatiently. Leonardo was taking his time and beating around the bush. He felt like he was going to burst. This was ridiculous. The sooner he confessed the sooner all this would end. Why drag things out?

"For cryin' out loud, Leo, just tell him."

Leonardo cringed and balled his hands into fists on top of his thighs. Splinter kept his gaze firmly on him.

"I've been seeing a girl," the words rolled out from his mouth, quiet but steady.

Disbelief spread across Splinter's features. His shoulders slumped in shock. Whatever his son had been up to, he was not expecting this revelation.

"What is this? A girl? A human girl? Leonardo, must I remind you of how dangerous . . . how very dangerous that is? Not only for you but for your brothers as well." Only now Splinter's attention shifted to Raphael. His amber eyes flashed. "And you knew this, Raphael?"

Raphael ducked his head; put up his hands defensively, suddenly sorry he said anything.

"Uh, I just found out last night, Master. I followed Leo and saw him with Karai-"

Leonardo flinched at the mention of her name.

"What?!" Splinter shouted. His blazing eyes came back to Leonardo. "The same Karai that belongs to the Foot Clan?"

Leonardo closed his eyes tightly and blew a shallow breath out of his mouth. He felt dizzy and tried to calm himself. His response came across as acknowledgment and Splinter reacted. With his eyes closed he never saw Splinter's hand as it came down, striking his open face squarely across his cheek. The impact made a loud crack sound. His head snapped back and to the left. He fell back onto the bottom of his shell, his left arm bracing him, his right hand shooting to his searing cheek. He blinked back the stars and stared open-mouthed up at Splinter with bright eyes.

Michelangelo cringed for his brother, his eyes bounced back and forth from Leonardo to Splinter. Donatello dropped his gaze down. Raphael stopped pacing and only watched. It had to come out. But damn, he felt like shit right now.

"First your lies and now I learn this!"

"I-I didn't mean for . . . She-she . . . I never . . ." Leonardo sputtered and didn't even know what he was trying to tell Splinter.

"Enough! It is over, do you understand me? I forbid you to see her again, unless it is to dispatch her." Splinter brought his hand across his neck in a slicing gesture.

Leonardo blanched. Slowly he sat back up onto his heels.

"S-Sensei, no . . . I . . . you can't . . . ask me to . . ." his voice quieted to nearly a whisper, his eyes grew large and round. "I won't . . ."

The fire was in Splinter's eyes as he struck Leonardo again. This time, Leonardo fell to his side. He gasped and propped himself up on his elbow. The metal tang of blood filled his mouth. A thin stream of pink spittle flowed out from his bottom lip onto the mat.

"You will obey me. As my son, as the leader of our clan, you bear responsibility to defeat our enemies whenever you can. All of our enemies deserve death! For they will surely show you the same in kind."

With shaking shoulders, Leonardo sat up again. He wiped his bottom lip with the back of his right hand. The fear he felt earlier was being replaced now with a seething anger. It boiled up in his chest as his heart pounded.

"She isn't like that," he said while narrowing his eyes.

Splinter drew in a deep breath. He seemed to grow in size, looming over Leonardo. But despite that, Leonardo did not flinch as he said what came next.

"And I will never harm her."

"Fool! The kunoichi's art is deception, boy! She has ensnared you in her web of deceit! You would lead your brother's to their deaths because of your weakness!"

"No!" This time Leonardo's voice came as a shout. The vision of her battered face, her tears raised in his mind; followed by her lips soft against his mouth. His heart galloped.

Splinter came at Leonardo but didn't strike him. Instead he reached behind Leonardo's head and roughly grabbed the knot at the back of his mask. His nails scratched his skin as he did. He yanked it hard and ripped it off his son's head. The force of it made Leonardo fall forward to his hands and knees. His breathing labored; he glared up at his father.

"You are no longer fit to lead your brothers," Splinter's voice was a growl. He clenched Leonardo's blue mask into his shaking fist then threw it to the floor.

Tears welled up suddenly before Leonardo's sight. He started shaking as he stared at the wrinkled blue fabric laying in front of him. The mask he was given and had worn with great and deep pride for as long as he could remember. He couldn't believe this. After everything he'd done for Splinter, for his brothers. After the long hours of working himself again and again towards exhausted perfection only for Splinter to be pleased with him; to be proud of him. Everything he sacrificed and given up so that his family was safe; the burden of guilt for every misstep; the weight of responsibility for every lapse in judgment his brother's made; his blood that he willingly spilled time and time again for them. And now, when he only wanted this one thing. The only thing that ever gave him the slightest hint of what happiness could feel like. He was being refused and punished for something he had no control over.

His voice came out choked and strained, not sounding like himself at all. Each word struggled to break free from his chest.

"I have lived only to serve you, Sensei. To protect this family. I have never. . . asked for anything . . . ever . . . in my life." He looked up at Splinter who stared coldly down at him.

"Please, Father . . . I-I . . . love her."

The animal sound that came from Splinter made even Raphael fall back. Michelangelo gripped Donatello's arm without thinking, an unconscious action from when they were smaller and Michelangelo would seek the physical presence of his brothers when he was frightened in the dark. Donatello placed a hand over Michelangelo's in a move to comfort his little brother, a response born out of the same history.

Splinter spun; grabbed the katana from the wall. He unsheathed it and with one hand, pulled another sword from the wall and threw it at Leonardo who caught it clumsily against his chest, nearly slicing his plastron and hands as he did. He looked up confused, frightened and miserable at his father, who had dropped his cane and held his sword with two hands in front of him in a fighting stance.

"Fool! You wish to defy me? You'd put your lust before your brother's safety?! Then defeat me and you may leave to pursue your folly. But I assure you, my son, you'll only find death inside Karai's embrace."

Breathing heavy, hands trembling, body shaking uncontrollably, Leonardo's eyes went from the sword in his sweating fists to Splinter. This isn't happening. This isn't happening! It had to be a nightmare. In the corner of his eye, he saw Raphael standing with both hands clutching the top of his head in shock and horror. Dimly, he thought he could hear Michelangelo and Donatello protesting and pleading. His stomach lurched and he fought back the nausea. The room swam before him, the floor tilted to one side.

Splinter roared at him, snapping him to attention.

"Stand and fight me!"

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Splinter wasted no time and leapt forward, swinging the blade up over his shoulder and down in a wide arc. Leonardo gasped and brought up his blade at the last second. The force knocked him back a bit. Splinter bounced back and Leonardo jumped to stand on legs made of rubber. Again Splinter came at him, striking from the left and right and right in a chopping motion. The swords clashing and clanging together, ringing loudly throughout the dojo.

"Stop! Stop this!" Donatello ran towards them, only to have Raphael wrap his arms around him and pull him back with a grunt of pain. He struggled weakly in his older brother's arms. "This is insane!"

"You wanna get sliced in half brainiac?"

Donatello looked desperately between Raphael and Michelangelo. "We have to stop them!"

Raphael leveled a look at Donatello. "Leo's brought this on himself. Splinter knows what he's doin'."

"B…but…" Donatello was at a loss. He turned and continued to watch helplessly as his father and brother continued clashing swords.

"I trust Sensei, Donnie." Raphael said quietly.

"That's not who I'm worried about," he said sadly.

Leonardo blinked the sweat out from his eyes. Without his mask to catch and absorb the drips, they trickled into his eyes, stinging them and making it hard to see. Disbelief was pushed from him as fury replaced it. He moved out of defensive position and began to press Splinter back. He was younger and stronger than his sensei. But he hadn't gotten any sleep last night and his heart was conflicted though angered. Splinter's breath was coming in ragged bursts, but still for every blow that Leonardo advanced, he was pushed back by the old rat's quick maneuvering.

He staggered backwards as he felt something bit into his left arm. He glanced down to see a red line in his flesh that quickly began to weep a stream of blood down his bicep. When did he manage to cut him? He wondered blearily. The distraction cost him as he was thrown backwards from a kick Splinter landed onto the middle of his chest. The wind knocked from him as he scrambled back to stand, clutching the sword tightly.

Splinter circled him and again his attack was furious and a blur of deadly steel. Another bite of pain and Leonardo caught his breath. Across both his fists, a red line appeared.

"You are young and foolish. Forget your obsession with the kunoichi whore. She is your enemy. Our enemy! Come to your senses!"

Leonardo blocked the jabs that Splinter launched at his throat and face as he spoke in panting gasps. With a growl, Leonardo launched himself at his sensei. With a combination of swings and kicks, he found an opening as Splinter blocked and brought his blade up, slicing through the fabric of Splinter's robe and cutting deep into his shoulder. He staggered back with a hiss. His hand clawed at the wound and with wide eyes, Leonardo saw the blood seeping between his fingers, thick and dark. Sensing his chance, he swiftly moved forward two steps, raising his sword to plunge it into Splinter, but came to a stuttering halt.

"Leo! Don't!" Donatello and Michelangelo's terrified voices rang out cutting through his adrenaline-fueled daze.

What am I doing? His sword dropped to the floor.

"Sensei," he whispered.

Splinter took a step and spun. The roundhouse kick to Leonardo's head knocked him back, spinning him to fall hard onto his plastron, before he could move, Splinter kicked him over onto his shell. The point of the blade rested at his throat. His breath froze in his chest, his blood raced through his ears. Splinter pressed the tip and it bit into the fragile skin, a pearl of red formed where flesh met steel.

"Your enemy will show no mercy. And neither shall you when the time comes."

Splinter stepped back, regarding his son with cold disappointment. Leonardo slowly shook his head. He would never hurt her. Never. He rolled to his side then scrambled to his feet and sprinted from the dojo.

"Leo!" Michelangelo tried to stop him by the exit. He pushed roughly past him, knocking Michelangelo down and back into Donatello. They stumbled with a grunt and yelp.

"Dammit, Leo, get back here!" Raphael moved to chase after him.

"Let him go," Splinter barked.

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He ran. Hard and as fast as his feet and legs could go. Each step beat back the pain and kept the raging thoughts far behind him. If he could just keep running and if he was fast enough, maybe he could outrun the pain that chased him like a monstrous nightmare through the sewers. After a long time; after his legs first burned then turned numb, his feet slowed and sloshed through the water in the tunnels. Though in a haze of hysteria, survival instincts kicked in and kept him staying underground. He knew in the back of his mind, where he still had some sense of self-preservation, that it was day up above and he couldn't risk being seen.

He stopped, leaning his shell against the slimy bricks. Don't think, don't think. The snarling face of his father rose up in his mind. Vertigo hit him and black spots appeared in front of his vision. His left arm was slick with blood, his hands burned from the gashes across his knuckles. Shaking from exertion and exhaustion, he slid down and hung his head between his knees. Suddenly, the edges of his vision turned dark; he couldn't breathe. He needed air. He felt suffocated as his lungs tried unsuccessfully to fill. He clambered up a ladder and poked his head out. The air hit him and instantly he felt better. He gulped at it like a fish. A bitter laugh choked free from his chest when he realized where he had gone.

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The bag slapped merrily against the back of her legs as she bounced towards her goal. It was filled with smoke bombs, spray paint, blinding powder as well as a pair of hand cuffs and a few other items that Karai thought would come in handy for her planned mischief for this evening. She chuckled as several scenarios played out in her mind. This was going to be so much fun!

That he'd be out looking for her again tonight, she had no doubt. Her feet faltered a step. But what if he wasn't? She shrugged and patted the side of her duffle bag. Well, she'd set up some booby-traps in the church for later anyway. They could sit. The chances that someone else might wander into them were low and even if they did, she'd just have to reset them.

As the church loomed ahead she thought she caught the sound of something crashing and breaking. Her steps slowed and she moved in a circle as she walked, scanning the surroundings carefully in case of hidden threats. The storage facilities were dead of any movement. A few doves fluttered in a panic out from the open rafters of the church. They scattered in the afternoon sky towards the scrawny trees lining the scrub behind the building.

The sound came again and she crept closer to the burned ruins. She gasped and dove to one side as a brick erupted through one of the shattered stained glass windows. A rainbow of glass shards tinkled down around her. Must be some stupid punk kids tearing up the place, she reasoned. Better come back later, she wasn't in a fighting mood at the moment. But as she turned a strange sound caught her attention. It sounded like an injured animal; a strangled howl that unnerved her. She frowned; approached the side entrance that Leonardo had used with her the other night as stealthily as she could.

She crouched and crept low along some fallen beams. She peered over the rotting and burnt wood. Her eyes widened; her heart jumped into her throat. She stood up, dropping the bag, making an eruption of dust at her feet. All her plans abandoned and forgotten in that moment.

He was sitting in the center of a mess of broken glass, splintered pews and scattered candles. His shoulders were shaking and a strange choking, coughing noise was coming from him. The sound she'd heard outside, it was him. He made no move or sign that he'd heard her or even knew she was there.

She moved slowly and came but a few feet from where he sat, her boots crunching the broken pieces of glass. He was hurt. She took in the blood and the hasty wrapping of his wound that wasn't doing him or it any good. It wasn't the injury that made her feel so frightened for him. Rather, the fact that he seemed to be . . . crying. She crouched down and tentatively reached out her hand. When her fingertips made contact with his shoulder he jumped and snapped his head up. She gasped and nearly fell backwards from the shock.

His mask was gone, she'd never seen any of them without their masks. Without it, he looked child-like and defenseless. His face was a mess of dirt and tear tracks. Large tears continued to spill from the corners of his eyes and roll down the sides of his cheeks as he stared at her; eyes bouncing between hers, as if he were trying to decide if she was really there or not. His deep blue eyes shielded nothing from her. Open and raw with emotion; full of deep sadness and fear, his bottom lip quivered. She had never seen him so vulnerable. It was breaking her heart and invoking in her a powerful desire to ease his pain somehow.

"Leonardo," she began, she brought her hand gently to his bruised cheek. He shook and pressed his cheek into her palm; blinked as more tears spilled free. "What has happened?"

His throat worked, but no words came from his mouth. He lifted trembling arms and suddenly fell into her embrace, completely and utterly helpless. He pressed his face into her chest and shoulder as his body fought against the rising tide of sobs that threatened to take him under again. She wrapped her arms around his shell and his head and began kissing the top of it. She felt his body trembling against her.

"It . . . It's okay," Karai murmured and felt her heart hammering. Fear, excitement and something deeper filled her then. It shook her to her core.

Slowly, she realized he was saying something, over and over, desperately pleading with her, and slowly she made it out.

"Please, help me, Karai, please. Karai, please, please help me."
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