Mercy in the Darkness
by KC

Story collaborated with and based on art by crabapplered. Please go and see the original artwork here: h t t p / c r a b a p p l e r e d . l i v e j o u r n a l . c o m / 6 5 2 4 0 . h t m l

Pairing: Leo/Don, Mike/Raph Warnings: perhaps for eventual violence Disclaimer: Don't own. No money being made.
Other Info: this is the first part of an AU crabapplered and I are collaborating on. More parts will be added as the artwork is completed.

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In the slums of Edo, few lights burned in the doorways or on the streets. Light meant you might catch someone else's attention, and the dwellers knew it was better to remain invisible in a city that didn't want to see them. Among the nameless murmuring vermin that called the poorly made shanties their home, one shack had swallowed the handful of others around it, but no one cared if a few street rats were displaced to find new hovels. And if anyone noticed that this shack had no doors, then they kept their mouths shut.

The night still smelled of blood. No matter how far Leonardo travelled to and from the rat hole they called home, the copper scent lingered in the air, on his polished swords. After so many kills, he began to think that the blood stained even his breath.

He always beat the sun home, but tonight the sky looked light gray as the morning followed fast on his heels. His breath misted in the air and the sounds of people rising and shuffling in their homes made him rush through the last few alleys. His scarf trailed after him in the wind, flowing like its printed dragon.

His brother had shored up their home so that it could withstand both physical and spiritual attacks, and Leonardo counted on that strength when he leaped up to the roof. Although it looked as rickety as the surrounding shanties, it easily took his weight as he crept across the surface and opened the trap door, disappearing inside.

Landing in a crouch, he relaxed into a kneeling position and waited. Donatello had scolded him before about interrupting a chant before it was finished.

In the centre of their home, five candles, one for each element, burned along a rough circle of sketched symbols. Foreign words filled the darkness in Donatello's familiar voice, not the clear and precise tones of their own country, but the sing-song of the foreign bastards to the west. His brother's insatiable curiosity forced him to seek out strange teachers early on, mastering esoteric chants and spells that Leonardo never would have believed in if they hadn't occasionally saved his life.

The chant came to an end. Donatello exhaled once, then glanced over his shoulder. Candlelight played off the Tao tattoo on his face, the fire's glow turning the symbol black and orange, and the purple swirls looked like smoke half-concealing, half-revealing his brother's face.

"An easy night," Donatello said softly. "There was only the gaki in the shogun's well I had to deal with."

Leonardo frowned. It had been an easy night, and the way his brother always knew every detail before he even arrived unnerved him. But...

"I didn't see any gaki when I passed the well," he said.

Donatello smiled. "I know."

Knowing better than to argue, Leonardo drew the scroll tucked into his belt and handed it over. Donatello unrolled it on his lap and scanned the symbols that Leonardo didn't recognize.

While his brother read, Leonardo sighed and crept towards him, blowing out one of the candles and pushing it aside. Easy or not, tonight had been simply one stepping stone in their path towards vengeance, and he did not know how many more stones lay on that path. The endless days away from Raphael and Michelangelo, knowing that they struggled to defend their home from other ninja clans, made this self-imposed exile doubly hard. The dishonor staining his soul, and by association Donatello, threatened to crush him under its weight. His only respite...

Leonardo rose up on his knees beside Donatello, fingers tracing the I Ching written into his brother's skin. He knew his breath over Donatello's neck and his hands gliding up to remove the hat and mask captured the mystic's full attention, but Donatello only half-smiled and tilted his head.

"All that blood spilled," Donatello whispered as Leonardo slowly moved toward the sensitive spot where his skin touched his shell. "And this is our only lead now. A few sketchy commands and orders."

"You'll figure it out," Leonardo murmured. "Later. Put it away. Please."

Hesitating for just a moment, Donatello rolled the paper up again and set it aside. Leonardo would not ask again. He turned and found his elder brother only inches from his face, the night's frustration and empty rewards spurring on his need.

He'd chosen to walk this path with Leonardo, to keep him company and protect him in all ways. As he lay down, he ran his hand over the tattoo on his brother's arm. Guan Yin, the merciful goddess. He knew Leonardo put his faith in her, but this act, this mercy in the darkness, served the same purpose, driving out some of the demons in both their lives.

TBC...