One-Way Ticket Home [Rise of the TMNT au]

02: Donatello/Sceptic-Turned-Believer

[You know I'm not good, no good at goodbyes.
No good without you, better by your side.]

"Leo?" Donnie whispered as he went into his brother's room, seeing that the latter had already begun packing his bags with his belongings and essentials, that is if comics books and figurines had anything to do with essentials.

Leo turned upon hearing his brother calling him.

"What is it, Donnie?" Leo asked as he stopped whatever he was doing.

"Do you actually believe what Dad told us?" He asked as he nestled on Leo's bed, "I mean think about it — a clan of ninjas, some enemy that Dad never bothered to mention to us until now, not to mention he got all that from our ancestors allegedly appearing before him — really?"

"You can't take dad's word for it?" Leo asked his brother, eyebrow raised, if he ever had them, "We're literally talking turtles who have a talking rat as a dad, plus, he literally teaches us how to handle the weapons frequently used in martial arts."

"It's just, it's too much, and I understand already how we became like this, Dad said some mad scientist had us five, or probably more, as tests subjects, Dad got us out and now here we are, somehow learning ninjutsu basing off of the Lou Jitsu movies that somehow he know just by watching them," Donnie said in defense, "I've only started to learn to fix and invent things with scraps of junk from wherever dad had scavenged them from, you know that I only believe in something if it has a proper explanation," he sighed, "and besides, we're still kids, are you alright being out there without us — your brothers?"

"I think we're old enough to have some time away from each other," Leo replied, arms crossed over his chest, "besides, isn't independence like a disciplinary requirement to be good ninja?"

"But Leo, we're kids, we're supposed to stick together and work as a team." Donnie protested, "I hate to say this, but we all need each other!"

"I know that Donnie," Leo frowned, "Dad said that we need to spread out and go our own ways so our enemies won't find us all if they come across one of us."

"But..." Donnie paused, swallowing the lump that was starting to form in his throat, "I can't believe I'm saying this Leo, but in all truthfulness, I'm terrified to be separated from you, from Raph, Mikey... And even from Dad, despite not being that close to him."

"Donatello?" The two turtles turned to look who had called them and found Splinter standing at the doorway to Leo's room, "Walk with me, my child."

Rather with a displeased expression, Splinter had a warm smile gracing his lips as he gestured Donnie to go with him.

And so, nodding a goodbye to Leo, Donnie left with Splinter as they went for an evening stroll through the sewers, only the sound of their feet pattering on the floors as they heard the faint running of sewage waters from the distance.

"I overheard your conversation with Leonardo before proceeding to Raphael's bedroom," Splinter informed as he and Donnie both walked along the sewers, "and I sensed a cloud of hesitance and doubt in your words, though I fathom that you lean on the skeptical perspective when it comes to the spiritual beliefs, I still wonder: what is it that bothers you, my son?"

Donnie swallowed, he didn't know where to start first; when he thought of his brothers, and of the place he called home, words started to spill, following tears Donnie didn't know were there but being held back all this time.

"I really do want to believe, Dad," Donnie affirmed, "I want to believe the things such as the astral lanes, spirits, everything surrounding spirituality and even magic, but I can't seem to understand when I need to rely on scientific explanations to make sense."