School for Heroes (Year Two)

SHS- Inner strength

Characters: Donatello, Iroh, Mystique, Robin
○<○<○<○<○<○<○<○<○<○<○<○<○<○<○<○<

Donatello shivered in his cold cell. He refused to believe that his brothers had really joined the Council; it just wasn't like them. So whenever fake Leo walked in, followed by fake Raph and fake Mikey, he ignored them completely. They weren't his brothers. They weren't.

Instead, Donnie focused on how his real brothers would come and save him. He focused (or imagined) his friends Falcon and Beast rushing in with a genius idea to save him. He imagined April's smiling face at the end of the year, ready to greet them with a nice welcome back.

He focused on ignoring the vocie of the symbiote in his head, telling him to give in to the darkness. He tried not to listen to the screams of pain from the other prisoners. He tried not to just give up, and let go.

He tried to be strong.

"Little brother, why must you fight us? We can be a family again....all of us, together." Fake Leo's words were convincing. Donnie wanted nothing more than to just reach out and take his hand. But he knew that it wasn't real.

The only thing he knew was real was his pain.

"You are a convincing Leonardo, Mystique. But, you have not yet mastered his sense of honor and responsibility. Once you have mastered that, perhaps Donatello will believe you." Iroh said. His cell was directly across from Donatello's and every day he watched as they tried to break the young mutant. Iroh respected his strength.

Mystique spun around, glaring at Iroh, but still managing her cover.

"Shut up old man!! You don't know anything about me!!" Iroh chuckled.

"On the contrary Ms. Darkholme. I know you are a shape shifter who has played with Hank McCoy's mind many times, just like you are trying to do now to Donatello. Just a word of advice, however; even if Leonardo had switched sides, he would still be respectful to his elders. His master has taught him well." Donnie somehow managed to smile. He didn't know much about Iroh; he never had a reason to visit him. But apparently he knew something about Leo.

Fake Leo stormed out, and Donnie turned to Iroh.

"Thank you." Iroh bowed his head.

"Of course young Hamato. But tell me; at any time you could've bended and given in to the words and lies of the Council. If you don't mind me asking, what has kept you going?"

"Hope I guess. Hope that my brothers will come...my real brothers. Hope that someone will get the symbiote vocie out of my head..hope that everything will work out."

"Hope that the Council won't destroy entire dimensions?" Robin asked from his cell. Of course Boy Wonder was being tortured as well... it didn't help it was Batman who was doing most of it.

"Those who allow themselves to hope, are the strongest. In the darkness times, hope is something you give yourself. That is the meaning of inner strength."

"Don't you feel overwhelmed by the fact that you have to give yourself hope everyday? Eventually it's tiring. So not feeling the aster right now." Robin said.

"Hope stays with those who needs her, even if you feel abandoned. You rarely need to look around for her. The strongest can find her within." Donnie smiled.

"You remind me of my Father, Master Splinter." Iroh chuckled.

"I would be honored to meet him one day Donatello. He sounds very wise."

"He is." Donatello did his best to listen to what Iroh had said. It helped that he was right there to remind him. When he needed hope, when he thought about joining fake Leo, Donatello looked past the annoying symbiote voice and focused on his hope. Seeing April again. Building stuff with Sam and Hank. Fighting crime with his real brothers again.

It was nice to imagine.