Hello everybody! This is the epilogue of my story. It's the ending of the ending. Ironic, right? Sadly, I started school already, so if you're counting on me to write another story on fanfiction, then it might not be until the weekend hits, or later on. :'( But, I'm going to end my summer with a bang! And, I'm going to thank each and every one of you at my ending comments, so read 'em! Read on, my friends!

Nothing.

Nothing is what Leo could be described as doing. He wouldn't eat, wouldn't talk, wouldn't do anything. All he did was isolate himself in his room, locking the door, so no one could get at him.

When Splinter brought him back home with his brothers, Donnie went straight to work.

He stitched up all of his eldest brother's cut wounds, and bandaged his head, for he received a minor concussion. Donnie remembered how the Shredder threw Leo into the ground...he felt so bad for him.

Donnie knew that the severity of Leo's gash on his arm, made by the Shredder, was enough for it to leave a scar that ran all the way down from his left shoulder to his wrist. Poor Donnie could do nothing about Leo's shell. It was severely cracked, and this was the one thing that Donnie didn't know how to fix.

Leo was going to live with that scar and a cracked shell for the rest of his life.

But, after Donnie was all done, Leo asked just once to be taken to his room. Donnie lifted Leo up, and brought him up the stairs. When Donnie placed his older brother down on his bed, Leo said to leave. Donnie was smart enough not to argue. He thought that giving Leo some space would be good for him.

Leo never said anything to them, since...

It has been exactly two weeks since the Shredder was killed and Leo was rescued.

Even though his brothers confirmed to him that the Shredder was dead, not using his name, poor Leo still wouldn't do anything.

Every once and a while, he would accept small meals, made and given to him by Mikey, but that was it. His brothers and father almost never saw him, and each time they did, he seemed be be growing thinner and darker, like the light was being slowly sucked out of him.

But the only time they saw Leo was when he would make his way down to the dojo. He would pull out his katanas and hold them in his hands. He stared at them, deeply, like he was searching for something.

He saw his own reflection in the blades of his weapons, and seemed to be troubled by something, though his family never knew what. Then, with a grunt, Leo would put his katanas away and head back to his room. Sometimes, when he stared, a look of pure terror would sweep across his face, and then dwindle down back to calm.

Leo was looking for an answer. He didn't know how he was going to find them by looking at his weapons, but he looked anyways. Sometimes, he remembered the Shredder and the pain he caused him. He was so afraid that he would suddenly jump out of his katana and kill him, but realized, quickly after, that it was all a memory.

But Leo seemed to never let go of the past.

His brothers had tried to get to him, countless times. Raph, especially. But every time, they had failed.

Leo wouldn't let anyone in...not even his father. He was bottling up all of these thoughts and emotions he had, because he simply didn't know what to do with them. He never wanted to bother his family with them, and thought that they didn't want to know.

But, the truth is, that they did want to know. They were worried for him and were afraid of what was going to become of him. The turtles were afraid they were going to lose their brother, and the rat was afraid he would lose his son...

Leo felt himself dwindling away. He felt empty, and left with nothing but fear. It clouded his mind, day and night. He couldn't seem to get away from it, no matter how hard he tried.

He rarely got any sleep, for he was afraid that the Shredder would come back and kill him if he did. And when Leo did manage to close his eyes, he would have nightmares of the Shredder running after him, a blade in hand, stabbing him. Leo would feel the pain, like it was real, and then would sit bolt upright, screaming in his bed.

"No! No! No!" he would scream. "Don't hurt me! Please!"

Every time his brothers heard this, and every time his brothers tried to comfort him.

Raph was always the first one to get to Leo's room. Most of the time he lay awake in his bed, waiting for Leo to wake up from his nightmare, and then he would bolt to his brother's room at the first sign of screaming.

This was also very hard for Mikey.

He was the youngest of the four, and when he would have nightmares, he would go to Leo. But, now that Leo needed him instead, Mikey had no one to go to. He tried Donnie one night, but then turned around, for he didn't want to disturb him.

He always felt bad for waking Leo up when he had a nightmare, but he knew Leo was the only one who wouldn't get mad at him for doing so. He has been going to him for years, and Leo just got used to it.

But now, Leo needed Mikey...but he was afraid that he couldn't be there for him. Leo has always been there for Mikey. It's hard trying to be there for someone else when you're so used to that someone being there for you.

Donnie kept saying that these nightmares will eventually wear off, but he had a feeling they wouldn't. He was concerned for Leo, and didn't want him to go through anymore of this.

He thought he could help his eldest brother get back to normal. He tried everything to get Leo back, but no amount of medicine would work. Yes, Donnie was the smart one...but there was no knowledge he had that could help Leo.

Every once and a while, Leo would have these nightmares, and it would take a solid hour before his brothers got him to calm down.

In the beginning, Leo didn't have as many nightmares, which relieved the turtles. But, over time, they became more frequent, and after the first week that Leo was back, he had them almost every night.

One time, Leo's door was locked, and Raph had to break open the door to get inside. After that, Leo agreed, by nodding his head, to never keep his door locked during the night. His brothers were worried that they might not have been able to get to him...

But it wasn't just the nightmares that troubled them. It was Leo's lack of talking, eating, and pretty much everything that troubled them.

One night, around midnight, Raph and Donnie were talking. They were the only two that were up, for Mikey and Splinter went to bed. And Leo...how would they know? He was either sleeping or lying awake, in his room.

"I'm worried for him, Donnie," Raph said, as he sat down on the couch in the main room.

"Me too, bro," Donnie replied, taking a seat next to him.

"What are we gonna do?" Raph asked. "Leo. He's not getting betta. We've all tried to get to him, but he won't say nothin'."

There was a short pause.

"I'm starting to think that maybe the Shredder went too far," Raph finally said. "I neva wanted to believe it, but I think he broke Leo. I neva thought that Fearless could break, but..." he trailed off, but then continued.

"He did, Donnie. Leo goes into a mad crying fit just by hearing the Shredder's name! I mean, it doesn't look like Leo's ever gonna want to do anything again. What will happen when he starts training again? Huh? He's probably gonna freak out with all of the weapons there. You've seen him! He picks up his katanas like they're poisoned! Shell, who knows if he's ever even gonna fight again, after what happened."

"You don't know that, Raph," Donnie tried to explain. "This could be temporary, you know? The effects should wear off, and Leo will be fine in a couple of days. He might even be able to fight!" he finished, trying to hide the truth from Raph.

"Donnie," Raph started. "I know that's not true. Just tell me, bro...Is he ever gonna get better?"

Donnie faltered. He knew he wasn't fooling Raph. Shell, Mikey might have even saw past his pitiful lie.

"Truth is, Raph," Donnie said. "I don't know if Leo's ever going to get better. I've tried everything on him! Nothing worked, Raph..."

Donnie was hopeless. He felt like giving up. He didn't know how much longer Leo could live like this, and didn't know how much longer they all could sit and watch.

There was a long pause, this time.

"No," Raph said suddenly, causing Donnie to jump a little. "It's not over. Shell, he's gonna come back to us. I know it, bro. Trust me when I say this, Donnie. I ain't giving up on Leo, and he sure as shell won't give up on us."

"Raph-" Donnie tried to say, but was cut off.

"Donnie," Raph cut in. "Leo is the oldest, the strongest, and the bravest. He's not gonna willingly give up, when he's come this far. Leo's fearless, Donnie. He's our Fearless leader. He's not gonna be like this for the rest of his life. I'll make sure it won't happen to him. Trust me."

Donnie stared deeply into his older brother's eyes. He saw a brother who loved and would do anything for his family. He saw a brother who was always there for them when they needed him. He saw a brother that was full of hope. Raph wasn't going to give up without a fight. Donnie knew that Raph was as serious as ever, and meant what he said. He wasn't giving up, and Donnie wasn't either.

Donnie couldn't help but smile when Raph said this. He was hopeful again. He was hopeful for his family, especially Leo. Him and Raph were going to do everything they could to bring Leo back, and they would not stop until they did.

"Alright, Raph," Donnie agreed. "But how are we going to do it?"

Raph was in thought for a moment, and then said, "We'll find a way, little bro. I mean, we could try talking to him again. Maybe Leo will finally let us in."

"Raph," Donnie said. "Leo pushed us away before, so what makes you think he'll talk now?" he finished, as doubt clouded his face once again.

"Well," Raph started. "The truth is, that I'm not sure if he will. But, I'm hoping that one day, somethin' inside of Leo will push him back up on his feet. Maybe one day, he'll get better by himself, and talk to us then."

Donnie wasn't really comforted by his brother's words, but said, "Fine. We'll give him some more time, but if he gets worse, then I'm not sure what to do..."

"Don't worry, Donnie," Raph said. "Just hope and wait, bro. Hope and wait."

-TMNT-TMNT-TMNT-TMNT-TMNT-TMNT-TMNT-TMNT-TMNT-TMNT-TMNT-TMNT-TMNT-TMNT-TMNT-TMNT-TMNT-TMNT-TMNT-TMNT-

The two turtles made Mikey and Splinter aware of what they were planning to do.

Mikey had doubts at first, saying that waiting would just hurt Leo more, but then eventually gave in. Splinter, on the other hand, thought it was wise of his son, Raphael, to think in the way he did.

Hope was their ultimate motivation, right now. They had no other plan but to hope and wait for Leo to get better. They did everything they could, but Leo still wouldn't come back, so they let him heal himself.

Raph, especially, felt selfish for letting Leo try to heal on his own, thinking how he needed his family to help him. But, he thought afterwards, that his plan has a chance, and Leo might find the will to come back.

Yes, Leo has been in difficult fights before...but this one was going to be the hardest one he has ever faced.

He was fighting against himself.

Part of him said to give up and let the past haunt him, while another part said to get back up and return to his family. It was like the angel-devil situation, where they sat on his shoulders, telling him what to do. Leo was too busy listening to his head, when he should have been listening to his heart. The devil side seemed to be winning, for a long while.

He felt himself being dragged underneath his past, each day. He thought it was over. He'd have no one to go to. If the Shredder could hurt him this much, then there was surely other things that could hurt worse, right?

Pain had no limit.

He would face worse, during the later years in his life, and how would he deal with that? He barely dealt with it this time, so what makes him think he could deal with it next time, considering the consequences to be worse?

In life, it's so much easier just giving up. Giving up on yourself and your life. You could just throw in the towel at any moment. No more pain. No more suffering. You could just give up on it all.

Leo could run away. Where? It didn't matter. He'd be on his own, and could give up, knowing that his family wasn't there for him to hurt. He'd be on his own, forever. He wouldn't be distracted by life's troubles, and wouldn't have to care for the world anymore. He could just stop.

His father would have one less mouth to feed. It would save him the time and energy. And his brothers probably would be happier without him. Leo wouldn't be there to boss them around or make them train. Raph would finally get what he wanted, too. To be leader of the team.

Everyone would be happy...

Everyone except Leo.

Leo realized that he actually wanted to be his normal self again. He wanted to be with his father and his brothers. But, something inside of him kept pulling in the other direction. It would be hard, trying to go back to the life he once had. It would take time, lots of time. And, Leo didn't know if he could pull it together for that long.

He was afraid that the memories of what happened would hurt him, until he could take it no longer.

He didn't want to remember...but remembering was apart of healing. He would have to re-call these painful events if he truly wanted to get rid of them. He would have to re-live them again, but only for a short time, for if he accepted that it actually happened, he would get better. He would then start to feel better about himself and eventually lead back to his old life.

But, he had to open up to his family. Keeping emotions inside about everything that happened was not healthy for Leo. He would keep them in, until they all came crashing down on him, making him remember all at once. He would never learn to forget...so that is why he must say something now.

Like I said, giving up is easy. You could give up on yourself anytime, and anywhere. But coming back from something like Leo went through, takes true strength. It's hard, coming back, but it's also worth it.

Leo made the decision to open up to his family. He would tell them what he felt, and even though he had to re-live those events to talk, he knew it was worth the hurt.

Leo was going to get his life back.

A couple days, after thinking about all of this, Leo made his way down to the main room.

When he arrived, no one was in sight.

It was a relief to Leo, but it also made him a little more anxious. He didn't really want to talk to them, but he knew if he didn't, then he'd have to live with this by himself. And he knew it wasn't right to do that to himself. Besides, his brothers and father all said that they would listen to him, before, even though Leo refused. But he didn't want to refuse this time.

Leo made his way over to the dojo, for he knew they would be in there. And he was right. His brothers were training with their Sensei, but they seemed out of it, like something was missing.

Leo then stepped into the dojo, and closed his eyes.

He felt the urge to talk to his immediate younger brother, Raph. Talking to Splinter would be wiser, but Leo felt as though he needed Raph. He had to tell him these things. Maybe it was because Leo knew they had an uncomfortable past together, but it was something else. Leo noticed how he was the first one to come into his room when he had a nightmare. He noticed how he was always there for his brothers, during this time. He noticed how Raph never gave up on trying to talk to him when Leo came down.

Leo then realized that Raph actually cared for him.

So, Leo opened his eyes, seeing them still training, and said, "Raph, can we talk?"

Leo was surprised at how dry his voice sounded, but he still could talk.

Everyone immediately stopped what they were doing, and turned their heads in Leo's direction.

There, in the entrance to the dojo, was Leo asking for Raph to talk. Raph was a little taken aback, like everyone else, but quickly nodded and said, "Ya, Leo. Of course," and followed him upstairs into his eldest brother's room.

When they left, Donnie, Mikey, and Splinter were all speechless.

Then after a short while, Mikey asked, "Had it worked?"

"Wow," Donnie said. "Leo came through." And that was all he could say.

"Leonardo fought hard," Splinter said. "It must be very difficult for him to open up like this. Let's give them some time. Continue training."

But, Splinter couldn't hide the small amount of joy that escaped from his voice. Leonardo was coming back.

-TMNT-TMNT-TMNT-TMNT-TMNT-TMNT-TMNT-TMNT-TMNT-TMNT-TMNT-TMNT-TMNT-TMNT-TMNT-TMNT-TMNT-TMNT-TMNT-TMNT-

Raph followed his older brother in his room.

Leo immediately sat down on his bed, and looked up at the other turtle. Leo was nervous and scared to tell Raph what he was thinking. He didn't know how he'd react, and so Leo couldn't help but shed a few tears.

Then, poor Leo silently sobbed. He broke down and fell to the floor. He didn't expect to find himself being embraced in a hug, though. Raph sat down next to Leo and hugged him. He hugged him until the crying stopped, and Leo forced himself to look back up at Raph.

"I- I'm sorry.." Leo trailed off.

"Leo," Raph said. "It's okay, bro. It's okay."

Raph felt as though he should be here with Leo. He wanted too, even. Raph had to be the bigger person in this and help Leo through whatever he was going to say. He had to be a brother.

"Are you okay?" Raph asked.

Leo nodded, slightly.

Raph then looked at Leo for a second, taking in his sad and scared form.

Raph then said, in the most comforting voice he could make, "Tell me when you're ready, bro."

Just then, Leo spilled everything. He talked about his feelings and emotions about the whole ordeal, not leaving out a single detail. He said how the Shredder affected him. How the evil warrior shattered his body and mind, taking all light out of him. How he went through so much pain, trying not to show it, but did anyways. How he felt when he gave the Shredder their family's location. How he wanted to die. How he tried looking for answers through his katanas. How he thought the Shredder would come back and kill him. How his nightmares caused him physical and emotional pain. How he was scared and how he'd almost given up.

How he gained hope and made the courageous decision to tell Raph about all of this.

When Leo was done, Raph saw tears streaming down his brother's face. It must have been hard, opening up and explaining what he felt. Raph was honestly shocked when he heard all of this. He never knew that Leo suffered so much...

Raph then gave Leo another hug, longer this time, and said, tears also streaming down his face, "You're the bravest turtle I know. Nobody would open up that much to someone. Nobody but you, Leo. Nobody but you."

That was all he could say.

Over the years, Leo learned how to live again.

He played with his brothers and respected his father more. He trained more frequently, and stopped any evil that threatened their family. He wasn't scared of his past, anymore. Leo just focused on the future. The future with his family. Sometimes, Leo stopped and took a good, long look at his brothers. He would take them in, enjoying just being in the same place as them, and went right back to what they were doing.

Sitting down on the floor, embracing Raph in a hug, tears running along their faces, Leo realized that he had saved himself.

All was well after that.

All was well.

Well, everyone, that was officially the end of my first ever fanfiction story! :'( But, before I go and try and write another one, if I can, I want to thank each and every one of you. I first want to thank all of my followers and the people who made my story a favorite of theirs! Before I thank all of my reviewers, I want to say that you all brought me to tears of joy when I read what you all thought of my writing! I never thought that anyone would really take the time to read my writing, so I thank you all. Don't let anybody tell you that you can't write, because you can! You all believed in me, so I believe in you. Thanks!

Thank you to the people who reviewed:

Savita, my best friend!

Athese

Fzy

LeonardoTheLeader

LeoIchibanTurtle03

TMNT short stories

jshelton010

ForThoseWhoLikeToMoveItMoveIt

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SafirDrage

Insanity21

Donnie Heart

Thanks again, I love you all, and continue to write and read! :)