So Good To Be Bad [Donatello]

Chapter 37

Michelangelo went to the only individual that seemed logical at the moment. The only one who didn't know what Leonardo and Donatello discussed a few minutes ago. Raphael became a bit annoyed when the orange turtle swung up to the small weight lifting gym he'd set up. He came up here for some peace and quiet to focus on his workout. Only that feeling disappeared the more Michelangelo rambled on about what he just witnessed.

"I didn't believe it, but then Donnie showed him it could really work," the youngest said. "It was the coolest thing I've ever seen. It gave me... hope."

Raphael rested the weights he bench-pressed back on the arms above the bench.

"Maybe we don't have to be stuck down here forever, you know."

"So Leo told Donnie to keep it a secret," Raphael confirmed. "From us?"

"Uh..."

It was then Michelangelo realized that he hadn't thought this all the way through. This had been a terrible idea to tell the hotheaded brother about the issue. He should have searched for Splinter instead.

"No. Hold on."

The red turtle stood from the bench with a huff. "Who does he think he is?"

He landed heavily from the jump down to the floor from the top cylinder. He stalked towards the dais; sights set on Leonardo doing precision training alone. Michelangelo tripped over his own feet to try and catch up. The youngest did manage to latch onto Raphael's shell in an attempt at slowing him down. But there was no change in his decision to confront their unsuspecting leader.

"No, wait," Michelangelo begged. "Hey look, if you tell Leo that I told you that Donnie told him–"

The red turtle shoved his brother away by the face to the ground to stop his antics, "We'll never finish our hip-hop Christmas album!" This wasn't going to end well. The orange turtle rushed off to the other side of the lair in a panic.

Leonardo landed perfectly on the dais after a set of highly complicated movements. He prepared to go through another combo when a voice interrupted,

"Pop quiz!"

The blue turtle paused to look down at Raphael. The red turtle managed to calm himself enough to confront his brother with questions first. Rather than start shouting off the bat.

"What are the three most important traits of the ninja?"

The eldest smirked, for he knew the answers by heart. "Speed," Leonardo said. The katanas were sliced through the air to mimic the word. "Stealth. And–"

The red turtle stepped up onto the dais so they were face to face. With no room to move, Leonardo paused again to look at him in a questioning manner.

"And honor," Raphael finished for him. "Where's the honor in keeping secrets from your brothers?" The look he gave their leader made him instantly aware of what the mutant referred to.

"I don't know what you're talking about." Leonardo turned away in the hope to ignore his presence. But Raphael never backed down easily from anything.

"So now you're adding lying to the list."

"If you're referring to what Donnie told me about the purple ooze it's called 'compartmentalization of information'." The swords were sheathed, no longer in the mood to continue the training.

"If there's even a chance that ooze can make us human–"

Leonardo turned to face his brother with narrowed brows. "We're turtles, whether you like it or not."