Secret in the Sewers

Chapter 12: Lost Concentration

Leo paced.

He paced.

He was still pacing.

Still pacing.

Aggravated pacing.

Scared pacing.

Impatient pacing.

Leo was pacing.

Leo growled and sat down next to the dojo doors with a huff.

Just as he sat down, the door swung open, smacking him in the back and making him fall over. Leo stood up and whirled around to look at Willow.

"What happened?" He asked, rushing over to her.

Willow rolled her eyes. "I don't even know."

"You were in there for twenty minutes, how do you not know?" Leo demanded.

Willow huffed. "Splinter made me do some weird meditation thing to remember what happened, but he kept smacking me with that stupid cane and saying I wasn't concentrating! But of course I couldn't concentrate, because he kept smacking me!"

Leo sighed. "So you don't know?"

Willow plopped down on the couch roughly, her crutches clattering to the ground noisily. "I still know just as much as you."

Leo sat next to her. "It could be worse."

"How could this possibly be any worse?" Willow scowled.

"We could have no leads. You could be dead. You're book could still be missing."

"It might as well be, considering Donnie won't give it back!" Willow exclaimed in frustration.

"He needs to make sure it doesn't have trackers or anything on it." Leo reminded her.

Willow rolled her eyes again. "If it had a tracker, we've already brought it to the lair."

"Well, duh!" Leo facepalmed. "We're protected down here! I meant in case you bring it out of the lair."

Willow breathed out and slouched back. "I just miss the way things used to be. I feel like my life is... gone."

Leo nodded sympathetically. "I'm sorry."

Willow closed her eyes. "I feel like a total loser too."

"You're not." Leo assured her.

"You fight ninjas, aliens, and who knows what else. I just write a newspaper. I feel like you should be the one pouring out your soul to me, not the other way around." Willow told him.

Leo quieted for a moment. "I try not to focus on my problems."

Willow sat up and looked at him. "Why not? Don't you want to fix them?"

Leo scoffed. "Fix them? Some things simply can't be changed. My family will never truly be safe. Shredder will never stop hunting us. The Kraang will never stop trying to take over New York. Karai will never realize Splinter is her father. You will never be able to walk again. Mikey will never have a normal childhood. Raph will never get over his anger issues. Donnie will never stop having his heart broken. And I will never be the leader I'm supposed to be."

Willow blinked at him in surprise for a moment before reaching over and putting her hand on his shoulder.

"Leo... I never realized you-"

Leo stood up, avoiding eye contact. "You have your own problems to worry about, Willow. I should go."

Willow stumbled to her feet as Leo walked away. "Leo, wait."