Back with a new story, and already attempting to write angst. What has gotten into me…Anywho, hope you all enjoy. I'm not sure if Mikey is totally in character, because first person POV is kinda hard. Tell me what you think! Thank you!

Crack.

The distinct sound of a bone breaking was all I could hear at that moment. And logically, I assumed it came from my own body. The Foot ninja we had been fighting for the past half-hour were getting restless; already, their numbers were dwindling, and in their desperation they decided to gang up on a single turtle. Namely, me. They must've recognized my awesome skills, right? At any rate, I was cornered, the Foot was cheating as usual, and my nun chucks, my babies, had been thrown to the floor of the rooftop. And then of course, one of the ninjas just had to pick them up.

Before I could defend myself, my own nun chucks crashed brutally into my head. Pain exploded behind my eyes, but I fought to keep my rigid stance. I couldn't even think straight. It barely registered that the ninja was aiming for me again. I flinched reflexively.

That was when I heard it. And I expected pain to come but all I could feel was a sort of numbness. My eyes snapped open and my brother's shell blocked my vision. Donnie's shell. In an instant I knew what had happed—Don had protected me and got injured for it.

Though it might have only been because of the blow to the head I had just received, the world spun crazily around me. Sure, we had seen each other get hurt all the time, from fights like these to skateboarding accidents, you name it. I still had a few scars from protecting my brothers, too.

But this night was different somehow. Something foreign, something…dark took over my body. I could hear voices around me, but didn't listen to them.

I snapped.

Crying out angrily, I sucker-punched the closest Foot ninja I could catch. My fist found his nose, and it broke upon impact. The next victim got a powerful kick to the stomach and he bowled into a couple more Foot. They collapsed in a heap several feet away. The ninja who stole my nun chucks was next and went down with a punch to the throat. I didn't bother to pick up my weapons. The fight continued for a few more minutes as I pummeled my way through the crowd of ninjas. Blood sprayed onto my face and hands, but I didn't care.

I felt a hand on my shoulder and twisted wildly, ready to knock out my new opponent. To my surprise, my raised hand was stopped.

"That's enough, Mikey."

I looked up in shock. It was Leo who had caught my fist. I gasped in sudden realization, whipping my head to where I last saw Don. He was kneeling on the ground, with Raph right beside him.

I turned back to Leo. "Is he—"

"—He's fine, it's just a broken wrist," Leo interrupted. He gave a small smile.

I put a trembling hand to my head and breathed out heavily. "Good…that's good." Now relaxed, I looked around the rooftop. Foot ninja were sprawled everywhere, all unconscious.

I felt Leo put a hand on my shoulder again. "Are you okay?" His voice was firm, expecting a serious answer.

I nodded. "Yeah. I just…got really mad."

"And I won't blame you for it," Leo said. He looked to where our brothers were and I did the same. We watched silently as Raph helped Don up.

As we all made our way back to the lair, I couldn't help but feel ashamed. "I'm really sorry, Donnie," I said again.

"I said it's okay," Don answered for probably the millionth time. "I'll be healed in no time."

I shook my head sullenly. "I know…" I whispered under my breath. I squeezed the shaking hands by my side harder.

When we finally made it to the lair, Don was swiftly escorted into his lab by Leo and Raph. I stood outside, knowing I wouldn't be of much help anyway. My hands would not cease their tremble no matter how much I wanted them to. And I made the mistake of looking at them. Their torn and bloody state triggered that same dark emotion I had felt earlier. That ruthless, wicked sensation bubbled up inside of me. I felt sick.

Raph suddenly exited the lab, closed the door, and came up next to me, frowning. "So what the shell happened to ya?"

I ignored his question and started walking to the bathroom. Raph fell into step behind my unsteady strides, past the kitchen and down the hall. I hastily flicked the bathroom light on with my arm as Raph leaned against the sink. I knelt before the toilet, lifted the seat, and threw up.

Raph was silent as I practically heaved out my guts, but as soon as I started coughing, he handed me a cup with water. I took it and washed the taste out gratefully.

As soon as I was done, I wiped my mouth and silently pushed Raph away from the sink and washed my bloodied hands. They were still shaking, and no matter how hard I scrubbed, no matter how clean my hands looked—they still continued to disturb me. I took no notice of the impatient grunt that came from behind.

"They're clean already, shell-head."

I had already stopped rubbing my hands by then and just held them over the running water. I still couldn't believe what I had just done. The fury that raided my body, the blows that destroyed my enemies, their skin, their blood…and the evidence was on my hands. I could still feel it.

Suddenly, a hand shot out and roughly pulled my hands away from the running water. I gasped in surprise and twisted my head to look up at Raph's scowling face.

"Mikey, what is wrong with ya?" he raged, his loud voice echoing throughout the small bathroom.

I winced at the sound but said nothing, deciding to stare at the water that dripped from my wet hands to the floor. I felt my anxiety spiraling out of control, and yet as much as I wanted to run out of there, my feet felt like they were cemented to the ground. And my hands continued to shake. I took them back from Raph with a strong jerk and held them to my chest, as if it would somehow stop their tremble.

"Mike, bro, answer me or somethin'."

Raph's voice sounded strained, and I could tell he was trying to be gentle—which, let's face it, was not an easy task for my hot-headed brother. But the only strength I was finally able to summon was used to run out of there as fast as I could, leaving behind an angry and confused Raph. I rushed straight to my room and jumped onto my bed, hoping that its soft, familiar comfort would ease my high-strung nerves. I prayed that my brothers would leave me alone for the rest of the night, especially Donnie. I don't think that I'd be able to control that scary, sick feeling if I saw him right now. I hid myself under the covers and let out a shaky breath. My hands had ceased their tremor, but that repulsive feeling, that vile sensation was still there. With a chocked sob, I started to cry in sickening self-pity. I don't remember when I fell asleep, but I know I had cried a long time before I did.