#what would happen if leo had been mutated into a serpent instead of karai ? | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

mad4turtles · 7 years

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TMNT 2012 ~When Time Resumes~

A/N~ ...I have no excuses for this. I've recently finished the Paramount War arc in OP, and filled with both feels from that and TMNT spoilers, this was created. That's pretty much it.

I apologize in advance for this. Trust me, this hurt me too. Like, ouch.

Basic Synopsis: A war breaks out between the Foot and the Hamato's in New York's Central Park, a war said to finally put an end to the feud that had raged for so long. Allies from far and wide rush to aid the turtles in their desperate plight, but even so, fate has other plans.

I OWN NOTHING.

Again, I'm terribly sorry. I couldn't help myself.

It all happened so fast, too fast; it left Donatello's head spinning as he shut his eyes, his mind reeling, trying to catch up with what had just occurred.

He remembered falling to his knees, exhausted and in pain from a blow that would've been fatal had it not been for his shell. He remembered spitting out blood, coughing and wheezing, commanding his body to move through the blinding pain in his gut, to get back up and fight because this was a war dammit, he couldn't afford to go down, not when his family needed him now more than ever. He remembered hearing Shredder's voice, deeper and raspier from his mutation, bloodthirsty as he mocked him, mocked his brothers and his father for their weakness. He remembered a rage bubbling up within him at those words, remembered trying to get up but stumbling and falling onto his back, panting heavily.

He remembered thundering footsteps drawing closer, he remembered an icy fear gripping his heart as he realized what was going to happen, tried and tried and failed to grab his staff and defend, to run away, to move, to live, to move dammit move –!

"DONNIE!"

– and he remembered a sickening crunch, something warm and wet splattering across the ground and his face, dust billowing through the air before finally settling.

Slowly, Donnie opened his eyes again, and looked up – and he froze.

Leonardo was there. His big brother was standing above him, facing him, arms spread out wide, feet planted in the earth like immovable stones, blood dribbling from his lips and nose as he hacked once raggedly, tears pricking his eyes, burning as he stared down at Donnie, but not with hatred –

Behind his leader stood Shredder's bulking form, glowing neon eyes once alight with the flames of anger and vengeance now dancing with a vile mirth as the monster peered down at the pair of turtles. A dark chuckle escaped the crevice of what used to be lips, and with absolute horror settling in every fiber of his being Donnie understood why.

There was a hole in Leo's chest. There was a gaping, bloody, scorching, honest to god hole in Leo's chest.

Shredder's jagged fist had smashed through Leo's carapace and tore through his plastron, and the monster was laughing as Leo's arms started to quake, more blood dripping onto the ground painting the grass red –

Time slowed to a crawl. Donnie's voice was stolen even as his jaw fell open, unable to tear his eyes away from the wound blooming like a bloody rose in the center of his brothers' chest, until another weak cough finally made him lift his eyes to meet Leonardo's.

And all he saw was pain. In his eyes, in the clenching of his teeth, in the quake of his arms and the weakening of his stance, Leo was in pain, Leo was hurt, Leo was going to die –

Because of me.

"No," Donnie whispered, barely, his hand shaking so badly as he reached out to his brother because this couldn't happen this shouldn't happen Leo can't die he can't he can't they were supposed to beat Shredder why was this happening?

"Foolish creature," Shredder spat over Donnie's quiet pleas, and when he pulled his fist from Leo's back the motion was sharp and vicious, Leo's restrained grunt of pain barely audible over the sound of screams around them –

Wait, screams? Who was screaming? It wasn't Donnie, and Leo refused to scream –

"LEO NO!"

Time resumed, and Donnie's heart plummeted.

Mikey.

Oh god, Mikey.

And Raph. And April, and Casey, and Karai, and Splinter –

They were all here. Their friends, their allies, their family, they all saw what happened even amidst the chaos around them, mutants and Foot Bots littered across the battlefield that had once been Central Park. They'd seen it all, and Donnie still couldn't tear his eyes away from Leo as he swayed unsteadily on weakened legs, so he was instead forced to listen to their screams.

"LEONARDO!" he heard Raph wail from afar, and then April was sobbing, Casey cursing loud without restraint. He heard the Mutanimals let out collective screeches of despair and wrath, heard Mikey let out another shrill and desperate cry for his older brother, heard the shouts of their other allies –

The only warning he had that Karai was near was the glimmer of metal in the moonlight before the serpent girl leapt at Shredder, fangs bared as she tore into Shredder's shoulder violently with her blade. The mutant ninja master let out a howl of pain as he staggered away from Donnie, away from Leo, whose eyes had become cloudy, unfocused, his arms falling limply to his side.

"You monster! You beast, you killed him!" his sister screeched, arms transforming into snakes that bit into Shredder's armored flesh without mercy, tears pouring down her pale face, heartbroken and enraged. "You killed him!"

Shredder tore Karai off him, throwing her to the ground with a bellow of barbarity, but then Splinter was upon him with a ragged roar of his own, claws and teeth lashing as he hissed and spat like a rat possessed, not at all the Sensei, the father, that Donnie had known –

Leo fell to his knees, snapping Donnie's attention back just in time for him to catch his brother in his arms when Leo pitched forward limply. There, Donnie held him, unable to look down at what remained of Leo's carapace, but his hand hovered over it anyways. He didn't know what he was expecting to see when he drew his hand back again only for his three-fingered palm to be painted a dark, sickening crimson.

Donnie wasn't a doctor. He excelled in many things, but he only knew the basics of medical care; anything beyond that would be left to Splinter or even Rockwell. But even with his limited knowledge, it was clear that Leo, no matter what anyone did, could not be saved.

There was a hole in his carapace; if not the severe blood loss, the fact that his spine, his ribs and any other organs in-between had been destroyed would certainly kill him. He had only minutes, if not seconds, left.

Leo was dying. Leo was going to die, and there was nothing – nothing – that anyone, not even Donnie, could do to stop it.

And it's all my fault.

"…Leo?" Donnie's voice was quiet, pleading as he stared down at his brother lying limp against his chest, one arm draped around his shoulders as if Leo were holding him, trying to console him, when Leo was the only one dying.

"…Leo? Leo, say something." Donnie wanted to shake him, raise him out of his dazed state, but he fought that urge. "Please, Leonardo, say something –"

"Donnie," Leo croaked at last, and Donnie stiffened; never before had he heard Leo sound so weak, not even when he'd recovered from a three month coma, and a part of Donnie wished he hadn't said anything at all.

And yet, though every wheezing breath he took rattled his body, though every word he spoke was labored and low and gravelly with agony, Leo kept talking.

"Donnie…I'm sorry…for being…such an idiot. But this…is as far as I go…"

Donnie's breath hitched, brown eyes blowing wide. And suddenly, a seething anger rose from the pit of his chest, his teeth grinding together as the tears finally pricked his eyes.

"No, Leo, this is not over!" He cried, clutching his brother as tight as he dared, not caring about the blood pooling on the ground beneath them. "It's not over, not yet, don't you dare give up on me now don't you freaking dare! We – we can still save you, we can still fight, you can still live!"

Don't lie to yourself, Donnie. Don't lie to Leo, the condemned boy lying in your arms. He knows it, you know it, every single damn person still fighting on this battlefield knows it –

'Shut up!' Donnie inwardly hissed, blotting out the cruel voice of reality ringing in his head as he squeezed his eyes shut. "T-There's still a chance we can save you, Leo! T-There's still time!"

Aren't you supposed to be the smart one? You're no doctor, but even you know when it's too late. Leo's fading, fast, and you can't stop it –

"W-we can get help, Rockwell will know what to do, h-he can help!"

It's too late, Donnie. Leo's finished. Leo's going to die, so just accept it. Stop lying to him, stop lying to yourself, just stop it –

"It's not too late!"

It's over –

"It's not over!"

He felt Leo's grip tighten around his shoulders and he stopped, eyes snapping open again, and he turned as much as he was able to find a dulling blue orb staring up at him from the corner of a tear-filled eye. Bloodied lips were curved upwards in a slight smile, a sad, resigned one that told Donnie all he needed to know.

It wasn't that Leo had given up; the bruising grip on his shoulder was enough to prove that he was still fighting, clinging onto the fraying threads of his life even now. But he knew, knew that Donnie couldn't do anything, knew that no one could help him now, knew that this was it, this was as far as he could go…

He knew. And it tore at Donnie's heart viciously.

"…Donnie…promise me something…" Leo managed, trembling voice just above a whisper, and despite the sounds of battle raging all around them, Donnie could only hear him and him alone. "…promise me…that you won't blame yourself…for this. Don't – don't let…a-anyone blame themselves…for my own stupid mistakes…for my own recklessness..."

Tears began to drip down Donnie's face, and he bit back the sobs threatening to burst.

"I have…so many regrets, Donnie." A weak, bitter laugh escaped him, followed by an even weaker cough that shook Leo's body. "I regret…not being a better leader…being a better brother…not being there for all of you…when you really needed me."

"Stop, Leo, stop," Donnie implored, letting the tears cascade down his face as he bowed his head, wanting more than anything to bury his face into the crook of Leo's neck as he did when he was younger, to shield himself from the horrible truth the world had thrust at him without mercy, to feel the warmth of his older brother, his best friend, his protector. But even now, that warmth was dwindling. "Leo, you were always there, always, you –"

"I'm sorry…I was never there…for you, Donnie…when you needed me…please…forgive me."

Donnie's shoulders shook with his efforts to withhold his own agony. "Leo…t-there's nothing to forgive! Stop it!" he shouted, begged. "You're an amazing leader, the greatest I've ever known, I'm proud to follow you, to call you my big brother! Don't you dare say you're sorry!"

How could he not have known? How could any of them not have known how Leo felt, how Leo had always felt? How could Donnie not have known that his own big brother thought so little of himself, thought he was nothing, that he was wrong, that his own family deserved better than him? Didn't he see that they could never have wished for more than Leo, that Leo was all they wanted? Couldn't he see that they were the undeserving ones?

"…I have so many regrets…" Leo said, using what little strength he had left in his voice, making sure that Donnie heard every word.

"But saving you…making sure you lived…putting myself on the line, again and again…is not one of them!"

Time stopped a second time, the world around them falling into silence.

There, in that moment, it was only Leonardo and Donatello, two brothers, arm in arm, amidst the chaos of battle around them, the grass beneath them stained crimson, the words of the older piercing the heart of the younger with a keenness sharper than any blade.

Memories flashed before Donatello's eyes, fleeting moments of their early youth; Leo, barely four years old, chasing away the hidden terrors that plagued their darkest dreams with only a smile and a comforting word, little arms enveloping them in a warm embrace, accepting the burden not even his young shoulders were ready to bear without a word of protest.

It'd been this way since then – the older protecting the younger ones readily, without hesitation, without fear – and even years later, Leo still refused to think of himself first, letting the needs of his brothers outweigh his own, laying down his own safety, his own life, for their sakes, knowing that one day it would cost him a higher price than any of them were willing to pay.

Oh, Leo…

Leo was getting heavier against him now, colder, weaker, his grip around Donnie's shoulders slackening. There was no time left.

It's over. It's really over.

"…that's it…I can't…raise my voice anymore…too weak…" Leo all but rasped, his head lolling against Donnie's shoulder. "...could you…pass on…what I'm about to say…after I'm done?"

Donnie said nothing, couldn't say anything lest he succumbed to the sobs that wracked his throat. Instead, he nodded.

Leo took a breath, as deep a breath as he could take.

"…Dad…Raphie…Mikey…April and Casey…Karai…all our friends…and you, Donnie…thank you, for following me…fighting alongside me…even though…I wasn't the leader…you deserved. Thank you…for caring so much…about this dumb older brother."

Donnie felt something wet drip down his shoulder, heard Leo's breath hitch and felt his shoulders as they started quivering, and he knew Leo was crying. Leo was crying, Leo was scared, Leo was dying and he didn't want to die, he didn't want to leave them he wanted to stay he wanted to live –

"…aishite kurete…arigatō!"

Donnie choked on a gasp.

Thank you for loving me.

'Leo, please, don't go' he wanted to beg, to scream as Leo's arm finally slipped from his shoulder, a long sigh escaping his lips as he began to slip from Donnie's numbed arms, but his voice was trapped in his throat. 'Leo please, hang on, please, you can't go, we don't want you to, I don't want you to I won't let you Tang Shen please don't take him away from me please Leo come back –!'

Leonardo's body landed on the grass with a thud that seemed to echo with finality across the desecrated gardens.

Time resumed, and Donatello looked down at Leonardo's still form. Time resumed, and there was a peaceful smile frozen across Leonardo's lips even as death claimed him with gentle hands. Time resumed, and Donatello was alone, his brothers' life painting his hands cerise.

"…Leo. No…"

Time resumed, and only silence met Donatello's whispered plea.

Time resumed, and Donatello threw his head back and screamed.

#TMNT 2012 #tmnt fanfiction #fanfiction #inspired by one piece #oh god why did i do this?#my writing #leonardo #donatello #blood warning #gore warning #death warning #i am the devil

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