{/Yeah, as if you needed it, MORE proof that I am an INCURABLE GEEK. Playing video games and watching remakes of old cartoon shows reminds you of what fun you used to have making up horrible little things to happen to your favorite characters, and this is no exception.
Many thanks to the brilliant KayceeRonin, whose purchase of the recently-released Turtles game (and four volumes of the cartoon series, two of which made up her belated birthday present from me :3) renewed my old love for the shelled ninjas. This story is a dedication to her. Here's your Leo angst, shweety. Now write Donny angst for me! XD
Sidenote: this story was not originally intended to be a multi-parter. No, not in the slightest. It was actually originally intended to be a single chaptered story, but it looks like it might be 4 chapters. Ah well. Que sera sera, right? ;/}
{={Eyes Wide Shut}=}
{{Part 1: Lamb to the Slaughter}}
It was like the calm after a storm. Despite the, as usual, exhasperating events of earlier that evening, the entire lair was silent. Well, for the moment, anyway.
"I swear to God, Mikey, if you don't shut your trap right now, I will personally shut it for ya!"
To the ruckus of the routine brotherly scuffle that followed, the 'eldest' brother gave a weary sigh, his thought process drifting to, /Thank all the powers that be for meditation./
"Will both of you two be quiet for five minutes? I'm still a little sore in the head, and if I am, I know Leo is for the beating he took."
The response to the more intelligent brother's comment was a snort from the usual antagonist. "Yeh, whateva, Donny... tell that to bright-eyes over there, and maybe I'll drop it."
To that, the youngest snarled, bristling obviously at the comment. "Hey, I'm not the one who started it!"
Which led to an entirely new argument.
If there had ever been a more unusual group of perfectly abnormal brothers with very normal tendancies, it would have been quite a stretch. In the streets above, in New York proper, no one suspected the existance of the mutated reptilian siblings - turtles, to be precise - that bickered much like any average teenagers in the sewers below.
Grumbling from his failed start at meditation, Leonardo let one eye slip open, glaring through his blue bandana at his brothers from across the room. His head was still throbbing, and for him, meditation was far better than any painkiller he could ever take. "Please... everyone... I just need some quiet right now."
Donatello was the first to back off, giving a nod as he spun on his heel to head towards his room, bandana trailing a brief flash of purple behind him as he walked. "I had some stuff I wanted to work on, anyway."
"Feh! Like I wanted to listen to Mikey's bitching anymore today anyway. I'm gonna meet up with Casey... play some video games or somethin'..."
Ever the hothead, Raphael wasted no time in pulling on a trenchcoat and a hat, making his way out of the lair at what could probably be considered break-neck speed. Soon after, despite a concerned glance at his brother, Michelangelo retreated to his own room. Leonardo, however, knew better than to think he was finally alone. He was most certainly not the only presence in his candlelit corner of the lounge room.
"My son." The calm, tired voice of his master and father cut through the quiet, soothing and yet a cause for some sort of concern. "You are troubled. Will you be all right?"
Like a boy trying to make amends for a grievous mistake, the leader lifted his eyes. "I'll be fine, sensei. I just need some time to recouperate after today."
There was a moment of silence before the rat placed an understanding hand on his son's shoulder. "Do not fret, Leonardo. They do not blame you for the attack. Meditate and relax. This time will be good for you."
The teen nodded in response before allowing his eyes to close again, his mind drifting into the recesses of meditation as Splinter retreated to his quarters. The boy needed time alone, and this was the best way to give it to him. Learning was a task that sometimes had to be tackled alone.
=====
Leonardo was uncertain how long it had been since he dozed off meditating, but from the silence that cut through the lair, everyone else was gone or asleep. He sighed, opening his eyes to look around. For some reason, nothing seemed right with him. A cold dread was growing in the pit of his stomach, gnawing away at his insides, and causing him to worry where he was supposed to be calming himself.
Cracks in the walls caught his attention more than they usually did... these over the entrance to Splinter's private chambers. They seemed deeper than when they had first inspected them. He would have to look at them later.
The opportunity to do just that would not come, however. As he stared with an expression of semi-dazed shock at the wall, pieces began to fall loose. Then, the entire wall caved in like a card house under its own weight.
For a moment, Leonardo could do nothing but stare. His eyes were wide and he was frozen in shock. Then, adrenaline kicked in and he lept to his feet, sprinting over to the collapsed structure. His entire world seemed to be falling in around him as he frantically dug at the rocks, calling for the help from his brothers that would not come.
He felt physically and mentally weak as he tried his damnedest to work through the rubble. Piece by piece, the crumbled wall gave way, but it was slow going. He could only hope that by the time he reached the bottom, his father would still be all right.
All hope for anything stopped as cold as his heart seemed to when a clawed hand became visible through the rocks, laying limp in the rubble. Almost like a frightened child, he reached out to touch the hand he knew all too well, and his insides turned when he found that hand had lost its familiar warmth.
"No..." he mumbled softly, shaking his head. Panic struck him once again and he dug at the rocks with renewed fervor, his jaw working without words when he found his master at last, unmoving and cold. "No... sensei... NO!" Dark eyes shot around the room for any sign of help. Where had everyone gone, now when he needed their help and support the most? "Michaelangelo?! Raphael! Donatello! Where the hell IS everyone?!"
Gently, he lifted Splinter from the rubble. The body that had taught him so well the ways of ninjitsu was completely limp in his grasp. Dead? No, he couldn't be dead! It couldn't be possible! They were prepared for anything... everything!
Weren't they?
His shoulders shook in a sob he could not repress, tears soaking the fabric of his bandana. This was not supposed to be happening. It couldn't be! As the chilling reality of his situation sank in, the only thing the broken leader could manage was a tortured scream of loss and despair.
In that single moment, Leonardo felt more alone than he ever had in his short fifteen years of life... a feeling that brought with it more dread than all the rest of the world's hatred combined.
=====
"Yo, Leo, snap out of it!"
The voice belonged to Raphael. Leonardo's eyes snapped open to meet his brother's head-on, framed by familiar red fabric. An uncharacteristic expression of worry rested on his face, and flanking him were his other siblings. Splinter stood nearby as well, concern obvious in his eyes if nowhere else. The wall over his chambers was still secure.
That had been a dream?!
Raphael's hands were firmly grasped on his shoulders, and it was only then that the leader realized he was still sitting in the lotus position, proving he had fallen asleep meditating. He was panting, still trying to pull himself out of the horrible place that dream had left him in. Raphael gave him another shake as Donatello knelt beside him. "Leo, it's us. Come on, it's okay, you're awake now."
Slowly, he calmed. With practiced skill, he slowed his breathing to normal, managing a feeble, "Guys...?"
He was shocked with how weak his voice sounded, hoarse and almost... timid? The others gave small smiles of relief, however, and Raphael let out what must've been a tense indrawn breath. "Geez, don't scare me like that, bro. You were screamin' like a lunatic when I came in, and from what I saw, Donny, Mikey, and Sensei were hard-pressed to be wakin' you up. I considered slappin' ya, but eh... they talked me out of it."
Michelangelo's brow was furrowed in his own childish concern and he cocked his head to one side. "You all right, bro...?"
"I'm fine," came the response after a few long moments. "It was just a bad dream... that's all."
The other three teens seemed quite relieved and satisfied with that answer, but Splinter was not convinced. He watched his sons' playful banter with each other, with Raphael putting Leonardo in a headlock, only resulting in nearly getting flung. Donatello ducked out of the way of the kicked Raphael, who tripped over Michelangelo, tumbling to the ground with an angry shout. It would have been a hilarious sight if his mind had not been racing. It was very unlike Leonardo to have nightmares for no reason... he had been the least susceptible to them when the four were young.
Sighing quietly, he shook his head. The four almost instantly froze in their mock-battle, looking up at their sensei with puzzled expressions. It was Michelangelo who spoke up first. "Sensei? You too?"
Leave it to Michelangelo to always be the one to lighten any sour mood with an innocent question. Splinter couldn't help but smile at the one he considered the youngest of the four boys, shaking his head. "A thought crossed my mind... it was nothing. It is late, my sons, you should retire... as should I. Leonardo, I would like to speak with you come morning."
Even though he knew he was not in trouble, he couldn't help but wince, almost in an automatic reaction. "Of course, sensei."
The quiet leader watched his brothers retreat to their rooms... all but one, that is. Michaelangelo remained in a kneel nearby, watching Leonardo with an expression far too serious for his light-hearted personality. Leonardo couldn't even ask what he wanted to before the younger of the pair questioned, "You're not really all right, are you? I can tell. What the hell shook you up so bad, Leo...?"
Leonardo refused to match eyes with his brother. For all of his childish puckishness, Michelangelo was most of the time almost instinctively astute to the mood-swings all of his brothers suffered, and at times like this, it was to Leonardo's disadvantage. He frowned, shaking his head. "Mikey, don't worry about it. I'm fine."
The other frowned even deeper. "No. You're not. I'm not that dense, bro... I've been around you for fifteen years, and I sure as hell know when you're down in the dumps."
After a few moments, Leonardo sighed, reaching foreward to give Michelangelo a light, playful punch on the shoulder, stoic expression broken by a half-hearted smile. "I'll be fine once I get this out of my system, I swear. It was just a nightmare... the lingering images are just messing with me, that's all."
Although he looked skeptical at first, Michaelangelo couldn't help but grin at the jab. He feinted a punch, then jumped to his feet. "Well, if you say so. But if you're lyin', I'll make you pay for it somehow." He hated being lied to. One of his quirks, but it was part of his almost too-trusting nature. "See ya in th' morning, bro."
Leonardo watched his brother's retreating shell for several moments before he sighed, unfolding himself from the lotus position as he stood. He felt Splinter looking at him, knowing deep down that he could not pull the wool over the rat's eyes. He never was able to, and that wasn't going to change now.
As he retreated into his room, he felt that same sick feeling in the pit of his stomach. It had been a dream, right? So now, he just had to forget about it.
=====
For nearly three nights straight, Leonardo had lost far too much sleep over the recurring nightmares that haunted his mind. His answers to Splinter's inquiries on the subject were vague, and the others had all noticed the subtle changes become more blatant as their fearless leader became sloppy and unfocused, unable to concentrate on even a simple kata, much less their usual training sessions.
The situation was frustrating Raphael (given, that was no difficult task, but still), and finally, he snapped, spinning and landing a sturdy kick to his eldest brother's chest. "Snap out of it, will ya?! You're half-awake, hardly concentrating... you're gonna get yourself hurt!"
Snapped back into awareness by the sudden force of Raphael's kick sending him hurtling backwards across the room, Leonardo gave his head a quick shake, hardly able to believe he'd let his guard down for that long. He stared up at Raphael for a moment before vaulting to his feet, scowling at his brother. "I think a simple, "Hey, Leo, you look tired," would suffice, Raph."
The hothead just growled. "You haven't been sleeping. I ain't exactly the best person to preach, but you should talk to Sensei about this."
"There's no need," Leonardo retorted. "I've just been--..."
"Having nightmares you can't understand and thinking we won't notice you slowly startin' to wear down! We ain't blind, bro. We can tell when somethin's wrong." If this kept up, the two were going to explode at each other again, and wisely, Donatello and Michelangelo backed off. Raphael was in his brother's face now, practically hissing as he spoke. "What if somethin' happens today, huh?! You'll fuck up, and all of us'll have to take the brunt. If you get killed, what do we do?! Might not seem like I care much, but I do just as much as the others. You're our brother, Leo. You're the one always tellin' us that bein' off-guard is one of a ninja's worst enemies. Talk about bein' a hypocrite!"
Something in the back of Leonardo's mind snapped. He was in no mood to deal with Raphael's angry berating, and he wasn't about to take it lying down. Frustrated, tired, and upset by the onslaught of nightmares he had experienced, he lashed out, clotheslining Raphael hard enough to send the other turtle crashing to the floor, sending a sharp throb of pain through his shell. The two regarded each other for a moment, neither willing to give or take any quarter.
Growling, Raphael pulled himself up into a kneel, hands going for his sai. "Okay. That's it. You wanna dance, then fine. I'll just prove you're in no condition to be doin' anything!"
He lunged without another word, his sharp weapons deflected by Leonardo's katana with a resounding clang of metal. With a slight hiss, he dropped, sweeping one leg out and catching his older brother by surprise. The sweep kick was successful, knocking Leonardo to his back, but he was only taken down briefly. Very nearly pushed past his limits by his brother's volatile nature, he was not willing to let him just push him around now. "I don't think you'll be proving anything at all, Raphael!"
With only slight exhertion, he shoved himself up off the ground in a vault kick that not only caught Raphael by surprise, but sent him flying back a few good feet. Leonardo landed standing, Raphael on his back, which simply but effectively switched their positions. Raphael growled again, lower, angrier. He flipped over, then flung himself at his brother with an angry shout, catching him around the middle and tackling him, one fist and sai raised for the strike...
"That is enough!" The fight abruptly stopped before it truly got out of hand, all eyes turning to the old rat that was making his way into the lounge/training room. "Miss O'Neil contacted you earlier today, did she not? Concerning problems near her antique shop. I will be accompanying you." He turned a knowing glance towards Leonardo. "You are to stay here and rest... that is my command, and you will obey it."
None of the others said anything, but Leonardo seemed somewhat put-out. He knew, deep down, that Raphael had been more than correct in his statements... that his tiredness could get in the way of his judgement and cause a serious problem. After a few moments, he gave a quiet sigh and nodded. "As you wish, sensei."
A few moments of pause went by as the others filtered out. Splinter cast one last look at the tired and broken form of his son, then sighed and followed as well.
Leonardo closed his eyes tightly as he attempted to force himself into meditation, but his mind was racing too fast to manage. The repetitive nature of these strange nightmares had to mean something.
Finally, he stood. If, in the end, there was a meaning to the madness he had recently experienced, there had to be a way to stop it. The way to stop it was to stop what seemed to be the inevitable... to save his master before the accident happened.
The day dragged on with still no sign of his siblings or father, so he wasted no time in trying to fix the cracks in the wall that spelled the impending doom of Splinter if he did not act.
It all happened quicker than the youth could react. The loud cracking of stone, and the sudden onslaught of pounding rock that at first stung worse than an assault of the Elite Foot, and then did nothing more than serve as a further assistant in the leader's descent into unconsciousness.
=====
Michelangelo was restless. The others were perfectly fine investigating the recent robberies as Splinter spoke to April to calm her down. Casey Jones was undoubtedly nearby, probably looking for trouble with Raphael, and Donatello was more than happy to mull for hours over what few clues they had found.
He, however, couldn't shake the feeling that something wasn't right. He didn't like the idea of leaving Leonardo alone, even though he was the only one that really could be trusted in such a situation. A hand connecting with the back of his head brought him back to his senses before he turned to find Raphael and Casey, who had him fixed with puzzled glances. "...What?"
"You're spacin' out," answered Casey flatly, folding his arms as one brow raised. "Somethin' got your goat?"
Raphael sighed. "Mikey, I'll cover for ya if y'wanna go back to the lair."
/I hate it when he does that! He's as bad as Leo sometimes./ Michelangelo sighed, shaking off the thought as he nodded. "Sorry... I just got this feeling that somethin' bad's gonna happen. I just don't know what."
The hothead nodded. He could be understanding sometimes... it was just difficult. He gave Michelangelo a slap on the shell to move him along. "Get goin', bozo. Don't wanna hafta stare at your ugly sulking mug any longer than I have to."
Michelangelo made a face at him, but wasted no time hustling to the nearest manhole to make his way back home.
=====
The lair was silent when Michelangelo returned. On a normal occasion, he would have assumed his brother was sleeping or meditating, but today, the silence was messing with his head in the worst of ways. "Leo...?" he called quietly. "Y'here?"
He was answered by the same silence. Even asleep or in a meditative trance, the ever-vigilant Leonardo should have heard the meek call. Panic struck him when he saw the rubble, and the flash of blue fabric that trailed from it. He saw one of his brother's hands, and his mind kicked into overdrive. "LEO!"
Instantly, the teen was at the rubble, trying his best to be careful as he dug away chunks of rock. He breathed a shaky sigh of relief when he found Leonardo under it all, badly injured but alive. As he was lifted from the wreckage, his eyes slid open only briefly as he looked up at his brother. "Mikey...?"
The youngest brother gave a weak smile, nodding quickly as he tried to fight off the sick feeling rising in his stomach at seeing his brother in such a poor state. "Yeah. It's me, Leo." He swallowed, noticing that it was extremely difficult for Leonardo to remain conscious. Even he, without a lick of medical know-how, could see that. "You hold on, Leo. I... I'll get Donny. He'll know what to do!"
Leonardo tried to say something, but he couldn't manage. His chest was throbbing, aching, reminding him of his near-fatal mistake. He couldn't even choke out a coherent sentence, let alone the few words it required to get across to his concerned sibling that everything was all right.
Before he could manage, he slumped into his brother's arms, unconsciousness threatening to swell once more. Terror gripped Michelangelo like a vice, threatening to rip through his psyche.
/Contact Donny./
That single thought rang through his mind over and over again. Near the point of full panic, he checked his belt repeatedly, trying to find his ShellCell, which seemed to have gone missing. He must've left it at April's place!
"Nono, Leo! Stay awake! Stay awake!" Michelangelo swallowed again as his pleas fell on deaf ears, now resisting the urge to shake his brother into awareness. "Leo...?"
His eyes shot around rapidly. He had to do something. Carefully, he lifted Leonardo, moving him to the couch. "Leo, c'mon, wake up..."
This wasn't good. Leonardo was unconscious, and he had no way of contacting the others. He closed his eyes tightly. He wasn't the strong one. He was just the kidder, the joker... the baby. He wasn't the one that could handle this sort of pressure. "You can't give up, bro... we still need you..."
Still no response. Michelangelo sighed, dropping to his knees next to the couch, staring quietly at his brother's inert form. He couldn't leave Leonardo's side, not for an instant. So how was he supposed to help him if he couldn't get to help?!
=====
Splinter's ear twitched. No one noticed the movement, but somehow, he knew something was wrong. The rat abruptly climbed to his feet, startling April, who had entered the room with a kettle of hot water for tea.
"Master Splinter?" she questioned curiously. "Is something wrong?"
The rat shook his head as he walked towards the door. "One of my sons is in grave danger. I must return."
April blinked, then paled. "You mean Leo, don't you? Is he hurt...?!"
"I believe he may be, Miss O'Neil. Help me to find the rest of my sons. We must return to the lair immediately."
=====
It didn't surprise the others at all to find Michelangelo still knelt next to the couch where his brother lay, looking as if he would jump clean out of his shell at the slightest movement the other made. He looked unbelievably tired when he glanced up at his siblings, friends, and sensei, climbing to his feet someone slowly.
"Guys, I'm so glad you're back! Leo, he..."
Donatello and Splinter didn't say a word as the others erupted into a slew of questions. The prior moved to the side of his brothers, kneeling next to Leonardo as he assessed the injuries with a keen, trained eye. As Splinter quieted Raphael, Casey, and April to give Michelangelo time to gather his thoughts, Donatello kept mumbling on about what he could see, and finally, he gave a frustrated sigh, standing up next to the dazed and confused Michelangelo. "Mikey," he stated lowly, his sudden words startling everyone into looking at him, "do you know anything about what happened here?"
Michelangelo shook his head, watching his brother with a guarded expression. "I came in and he was already like that, honest... in the rubble over by that wall" He pointed, then shuddered, almost sheepishly looking towards Donatello. "You told me that you're supposed to keep people with head injuries awake, and I tried, but..."
"You did what you could, Michelangelo." Splinter moved foreward between the two, resting one clawed hand on Leonardo's forehead. "There is nothing more you could have done. We all must wait now... and hope for the best."
There was a moment of silence before Raphael spoke, his gaze fixed on Donatello. "There's somethin' you can do for 'im, right Donny?" He swallowed a feeling of dread. "I mean, he..."
Donatello glanced at his hotheaded brother before his eyes shifted to Leonardo's inert form. "...Well, from what I can tell, none of the damage is permanent, but he suffered a pretty nasty blow to the head. There's some scratches on his shell, but nothing that'll really hurt him in the long run... I think he's got a broken arm... but to be honest, I can't tell until he wakes up."
"You mean, if he wakes up." All eyes were on Raphael again. He was fuming, although whether it was at his own self or what had happened was questionable. "And he'd damn well better. I told him he was gonna get hurt..." He shouted, throwing one of his sai across the room, landing it deep in the practice dummy there. Then, he sank to his knees, growling quietly to himself. "Damnit, I hate being right..."
April and Casey had been relatively quiet for the most part until April sighed, hugging herself and rubbing her upper arms slightly with her hands. "Is there anything I can do?"
"We'll need some sort of smelling salts, if you can get your hands on them, April," Donatello responded. "Raph's right. It's going to be hard for Leo to wake up on his own with the knock to the head he took. We have to find some way to wake him up, though, or... he might..."
Raphael was on his feet in an instant, fury evident in his face and speech. "He ain't gonna kick it, Donny!" He clenched his fists as he stalked over to retrieve his thrown sai and give the practice dummy quite a beating, speaking as he did, trying to force back his own concern. "He's the one always tellin' us to be strong. To pull through, no matta' what. Well, that's what he's gonna do. You know he will. If he doesn't... if he dies... I will personally kick his ass!"
=====
It was Raphael himself who volunteered to stay with his brother that night, watching to make certain his condition didn't change, or to contact Donatello if he awoke. Michelangelo had joked, in an attempt to lighten the mood, that he was just doing it to berate Leonardo when he awoke, which nearly earned him a solid right-hook to the jaw.
Once the others had retreated to their own rooms for the night, Raphael let out a sigh and settled himself on the floor next to his brother, for a moment just watching him. Then, he frowned. "Well... don't this look familiar? Ya got this bad habit of gettin' yourself whaled on, bro. And rocks this time? You're slippin'."
After a few more moments, he smirked, chuckling. "Hell, I ain't much better, I guess. All's different is our approach. I go lookin' for trouble. It just sorta happens to you."
The silence fell again, and after a while, Raphael groaned, slapping a hand to his forehead. "Great, I'm talking to myself. I sound like a god-damned lunatic." He glared at Leonardo, grumbling out. "Some fearless leader you are. Aren't you s'posed to prevent things like this from happening?" He sighed again. "Though... I guess one of us shoulda stayed here, to make sure nothin' happened. But Sensei trusts you, so we should too, right?" A slight smile crossed his face once more. "Good thing none'a the guys are here ta hear this. I'd never hear the end of it."
"I mean, y'know... you and me, we fight a lot... but that don't mean I don't worry about ya none. You're still my brother, and that means somethin'. Don't know what, but it's somethin'." A grin. "You won't remember a damn word I'm saying, so I guess it's best ta get it off my chest now." He let a few seconds of silence pass as he drew one knee up to his chest. "Remember how I yelled at ya, last time y'got yourself hammered? I didn't... really mean it, y'know? Mikey's right, we need ya around here. Without you, we wouldn't know up from down."
Quietly, Raphael folded his arms on his knee, chin resting on his forearm. "I probably really woulda hurt ya before... I could tell you were tired. I just lost my temper, s'all." His brow went up. "I do that a lot... but you know that already."
The silence fell once more, and finally, Raphael stormed to his feet. "God damnit! You're just...! Why won't you wake up, Leo?! You did before! You came home! Are you being stubborn or stupid, huh?! You... you..."
"Telling your brother you are concerned for his wellbeing is perhaps a better course of action than yelling at him, my son."
Raphael spun instantly to face his master, rubbing furiously at his eyes with the back of his hand. "Master Splinter! I... uh..."
The rat shook his head. "There is no need to hide your thoughts from me, my son. I can see it in your eyes." Slowly, he walked over to stand by Raphael at the side of the couch, kneeling. "Before, it was your brother's fear keeping his spirit at bay. Now, it is weariness. He was tired, emotionally and physically. His body is fatigued, and his soul is weary."
The hotheaded teen frowned, reaching over to lightly grab hold of his brother's shoulder. "Those nightmares'a his can'ta been normal, Sensei. Leo never had nightmares when we were kids. Why would he start now?"
"That is hard to say, Raphael. Perhaps a warning has come to him in a way he does not understand." Standing, the master began to take his leave. "Give him time, my son. He will pull through."
As the rodent left, Raphael sighed and returned to his bedside vigil. "Come on, Leo... things're gonna be fine..."
=====
"Raph...?"
Awareness slowly returned to Raphael at the sound of the weak, but all-too-familiar, voice. Sleep still numbed most of his body, but there was no mistaking who spoke, and instantly, his head shot up. "Leo!"
The leader gave a weak smile. "Don't look so surprised. I wasn't dead."
"You had us scared t'death!" Raphael retorted in frustration. "Damn, Leo, what the hell were you thinkin'?!"
After a moment's thought, Leonardo gave a quiet sigh. "Those nightmares..."
Raphael frowned and shook his head, sitting Indian-style on the floor as he regarded his brother. "What the hell were those nightmares about, anyway? T'scare you so bad?"
"It kept repeating itself was the problem... and the images just wouldn't leave my head. A wall collapsed, and Master Splinter..."
The severity of the dreams his brother had been suffering struck Raphael like a blow to the head, and his eyes widened. He understood why that must've scared him... anything happening to their father and master was one of all of their fears. "...No wonder y'didn't wanna talk ta Master Splinter about it..."
Leonardo stared at his brother for a moment. "You understand?"
"Hell yes." The younger folded his arms. "That'd be pretty awkward."
The older pondered this for a moment, then nodded. "That's true." A pause. "Where is everyone?"
"Master Splinter's still meditating, and Casey took April home. Donny had some things he wanted to get from April's and 'e took Mikey with 'im... we left a lot of stuff behind when we came runnin' here last night. Sensei seemed to know you were in trouble." He grinned, wickedly and yet with great jest. "Just like you to be the one, though."
Leonardo just rolled his eyes. "Very funny, Raph."
=====
"Here, Mikey, take this. This should be everything." The intellectual brother wiped the back of his hand across his forehead, letting out a short sigh. "I still find it so strange, though..."
Michelangelo blinked, glancing over at Donatello with an expression of curiosity. "What's strange?"
The other shook his head a little, reaching down to pick up his bag. "The fact that we didn't find one single clue about those attacks around here. It's almost like it was a ploy to draw us out..."
Instantly, the youngest sibling was ready for anything, fists clenched, even around the things he carried. The result was Donatello tensing as well, listening as Michelangelo spoke, "You think it might've been...?"
"...Doubtful."
Both relaxed. "Oh..."
Things in that alley were far from quiet, however. As they were preparing to leave, a noise caught Michelangelo's attention from the shadows. His eyes shot in that direction, but before he could alert his sibling, something cold and hard cracked across the side of his head and face. Donatello spun, dropping his bag. "Mikey--OOF!"
Something hit his gut, hard enough to render him seeing stars, winding him and preventing him from getting up. His eyes were wide and he watched in silent horror as he tried as hard as he could to regain his composure as something unseen and deadly whaled on his younger brother. /Oh god no... Foot Tech Ninjas!/
Michelangelo tried to make heads or tails of the situation as weapons and limbs struck him repeatedly, one continually ramming his shell against the brick wall behind him, causing a stabbing pain every time he struck. His vision was growing blurry, and he reached for his nunchaku, desperately trying to free himself from his tormentors before they could unleash this horrible punishment on his brother as well. He knew as well as Donatello that it was the Foot Tech Ninjas, cloaked and hidden from their vision. /Dirty fighting!/ he hissed mentally as a fist he could not see slammed across his face. /And I can't get away!/
There had to be at least five to hold Michelangelo without him getting free. That was Donatello's only thought. How else could they manage? Michelangelo was by no means the strongest - if anything, he was the furthest from it, but he was most certainly the fastest. Normally, he could have flipped away from the onslaught, but only if there had been three attackers... and if their place of combat had not been a dank alley.
Finally, Donatello pulled himself together, reaching for his bo staff. Remembering his training, especially after Leonardo had insisted they all grow more wary of these soldiers, he closed his eyes tight and just concentrated, as hard as he could.
Then, he flung himself into battle, not once opening his eyes. His bo staff flew like it had a mind of its own, always missing Michelangelo, but finding its mark in the cloaking devices of the dreaded Foot Tech.
Soon, seven soldiers had made themselves visible and Donatello opened his eyes. Michelangelo was unmoving on the ground, and the sight of the damage done to him infuriated the normally peaceful brother. "You'll pay for hurting my brother!"
Once again, he let himself go, attacking with all the speed and fury of a well-trained ninja... in the battle for family, for vengence, and for honor. At long last, the Foot Tech retreated, and Donatello rushed to his brother's side, weakly murmuring, "Mikey...?"
When the other did not respond, panic ripped through Donatello's mind. He didn't want to risk moving him very far, so he went for the next best place...
ShellCell in hand, he steadied his voice just enough to stammer out. "April? It's Don. I have a problem..."
=====
April was in some amount of shock as she looked at the damage Michelangelo had taken. While his injuries externally were not as severe as Leonardo's had been after his encounter with Shredder's elite ninja, she could see by the scrapes and cracks that marred his shell that he was far from "fine" internally. "Donny, is he going to be okay?"
"...I don't know. I'm trying to get ahold of Raphael right now... to have him tell Master Splinter. But he doesn't seem to be responding."
"That's 'cause he's right behind ya, Donny."
Donatello spun. The doorway was wide open, and the turtle in question stood there. A somewhat battered Leonardo was braced at his shoulder, and Splinter followed behind him. Leonardo stared for a moment at Michelangelo's form before he looked towards April and Donatello. "What happened to him...?"
"Foot Tech Ninjas," was Donatello's quiet response. "They came at us out of nowhere... knocked the wind out of me, and then proceeded to beat the unholy hell out of Mikey..."
Splinter frowned, glancing at Leonardo, who appeared to be in a state of confused shock. "It would appear we have found the true nature behind your mysterious nightmares, my son."
In response, the eldest just nodded dumbly, trying to make heads or tails of this situation. His youngest brother was hurt. He had foolishly given in to the fears of his own mind, and now, Michelangelo was unconscious and his life was at risk, even in his wounded state. "Sensei... I want..."
The rat said nothing. He just nodded, helping his eldest son to kneel next to the couch where Michelangelo lay. "I think it is best if we left you with your brother for a while, Leonardo."
Donatello and Raphael were reluctant to leave their brothers, but they did as they were instructed. Shortly after, April followed the three into the kitchen, leaving Leonardo alone with his thoughts.
"...I'm really sorry about this, Mikey..." Leonardo barely even murmured the words he spoke. "I wasn't thinking. Because of that, you could have died. You're still in danger, really. I'm supposed to protect all of you, and I only ended up not heeding my dream's secondary meaning... my need to pay attention to my surroundings. I was not attentive in the nightmare, and because of that, Master Splinter..." He sighed. "The message of the dream should have been clear to me. That I had to remain attentive to protect my family as a whole."
His fists clenched where he had them resting in his lap, but his words stopped at the sound of a voice from the doorway behind him. "It ain't your fault, y'know, Leo..."
Leonardo's form tensed instantly, and his voice held a warning tone. "I'm not in the mood, Raphael."
"God, how many times am I gonna hafta hear you say that in my life? No, 'Nice to see you too, bro'?"
"If you have anything to say, at least wait until Mikey's awake."
At that, Raphael's eyes narrowed, and he stalked over to stand over Leonardo with an expression that read of his temper, and barely restraining it. "What? You think all I came in here for was to yell atcha? Or to yell at Mikey?" He growled. "Well, I got news for ya, Leo. As much as I get pissy with you or pick on Mikey, you're still my brothers, a'ight? I don't like this any more than you do."
The two were silent for a moment as Raphael sat. Finally, Leonardo glanced towards his more volatile brother, muttering, "You're being strangely complacent. Who are you and what did you do with Raphael?"
"I'm allowed to worry 'bout you guys too," Raphael retorted indignantly. "B'sides... it's my job to pick on Mikey. I'll be damned if anyone hurts 'im and I don't kick their asses."
Leonardo couldn't help but laugh at Raphael's quirk. For all the torment he put their baby brother through, he was viciously protective, and if anyone so much as looked at Michelangelo cross-eyed, they had to answer to him. After a moment, the leader found his voice again. "I'm sure Mike will be fine. He's..."
"A frickin' stubborn bastard, when it comes down to it. Mikey's got the strength to pull through this. Don't worry about it, Leo." He stood, reaching down just briefly to put his hand on his brother's shoulder. "Don't let it get ya down... okay? You'll start actin' like me, and I think there's only room for one wiseass bastard in the group. I'd hafta fight ya for that title."
=====
The days passed slowly, and for almost two weeks, Michelangelo did not move. He murmured in his unconscious state, occasionally shifting, but never waking. Leonardo was moving his arm better, the fracture from before having been thankfully far less severe than Donatello had originally surmised.
It was as he sat at another of his silent vigils that Master Splinter came up beside him again. "Here, my son... this tea will soothe your nerves."
Leonardo looked up, then gave somewhat of a tired smile as he accepted the cup from his mentor. "Thank you, Master Splinter."
The rat nodded as he knelt beside his son, a keen spark in his eyes as he watched him drink the offered tea. In his tired state, his guard was down so greatly that he did not even notice the herbs his sensei had added to the mixture, intended to slip him into a deep rest.
"How are you feeling?" he questioned as Leonardo lowered the cup, his ears flicking foreward in waiting.
For a moment, Leonardo wasn't sure how to answer. His eyelids felt suddenly very heavy and his whole body seemed to suddenly be demanding he sleep... right then and there. "I feel... sleepy. Really sleepy."
He weaved once, then started to tip. Splinter was a split second quicker, both catching the cup and his son in one deft movement, just in time for Raphael to wander in. The red-clad brother blinked, tilting his head to one time. "Whassamatter with 'im, sensei? Did he faint?"
"He was in need of sleep, and that I have given to him," was the master's vague reply. "I cannot carry him alone. Please take your brother someplace he can rest, Raphael."
Raphael watched quietly, then nodded as he knelt to pick up his brother. "Not a problem, sensei. Leo needed the rest... this'll be good for 'im."
Splinter just nodded as he watched the pair. While close in age, the two could not be more different, and despite it, he was amazed at how dedicated and loyal Raphael was when it came down to the wire.
Once the two were out of sight, Splinter turned his attention back to Michelangelo. "You will pull through, my son..." he sighed quietly. "Be strong."
=====
"Hm... I see... their leader is asleep again." Dark eyes travelled over the screen in front of him. For the briefest of moments, he cursed this strange spiderdroid body he had, but as there was little he could do to change his fate now, he lived with it. "Good. I can turn the machine up to full power, then."
Dr. Baxter Stockman was a genius, but power mad and dangerous. Or he had been, before the Shredder had rendered him helpless, a veritable 'head in a tin can', as Stockman himself liked to growl when the 'master' was not looking.
The discussion over the machine had been brief, and with Hun as opposed to the Shredder himself. The oversized muscle could not possibly comprehend the complexity of the special device. All he could decide from hearing the description of the thing was that it would be the Turtles' undoing, and that was what news he took back to the Shredder.
The device Baxter Stockman had created was far more than a simple machine. It was a special weapon, meant to alter the brainwaves in a sleeping subject, causing nightmares and - if pumped to full power - fully controlled sleepwalking. Stockman had every intention of using it to cause a ruckus amongst the Turtles, turning their trusted leader against them, killing them with their own.
A grin crossed his face as one of the mechanical limbs of his new body clicked a switch, and a few guages showed what he wanted to see.
The machine's power climbed to full, indicating a fully controlled sleepwalking state... now, he only had one dilemma to hash out.
Which of his family to go after first.
==To Be Continued==
Many thanks to the brilliant KayceeRonin, whose purchase of the recently-released Turtles game (and four volumes of the cartoon series, two of which made up her belated birthday present from me :3) renewed my old love for the shelled ninjas. This story is a dedication to her. Here's your Leo angst, shweety. Now write Donny angst for me! XD
Sidenote: this story was not originally intended to be a multi-parter. No, not in the slightest. It was actually originally intended to be a single chaptered story, but it looks like it might be 4 chapters. Ah well. Que sera sera, right? ;/}
{={Eyes Wide Shut}=}
{{Part 1: Lamb to the Slaughter}}
It was like the calm after a storm. Despite the, as usual, exhasperating events of earlier that evening, the entire lair was silent. Well, for the moment, anyway.
"I swear to God, Mikey, if you don't shut your trap right now, I will personally shut it for ya!"
To the ruckus of the routine brotherly scuffle that followed, the 'eldest' brother gave a weary sigh, his thought process drifting to, /Thank all the powers that be for meditation./
"Will both of you two be quiet for five minutes? I'm still a little sore in the head, and if I am, I know Leo is for the beating he took."
The response to the more intelligent brother's comment was a snort from the usual antagonist. "Yeh, whateva, Donny... tell that to bright-eyes over there, and maybe I'll drop it."
To that, the youngest snarled, bristling obviously at the comment. "Hey, I'm not the one who started it!"
Which led to an entirely new argument.
If there had ever been a more unusual group of perfectly abnormal brothers with very normal tendancies, it would have been quite a stretch. In the streets above, in New York proper, no one suspected the existance of the mutated reptilian siblings - turtles, to be precise - that bickered much like any average teenagers in the sewers below.
Grumbling from his failed start at meditation, Leonardo let one eye slip open, glaring through his blue bandana at his brothers from across the room. His head was still throbbing, and for him, meditation was far better than any painkiller he could ever take. "Please... everyone... I just need some quiet right now."
Donatello was the first to back off, giving a nod as he spun on his heel to head towards his room, bandana trailing a brief flash of purple behind him as he walked. "I had some stuff I wanted to work on, anyway."
"Feh! Like I wanted to listen to Mikey's bitching anymore today anyway. I'm gonna meet up with Casey... play some video games or somethin'..."
Ever the hothead, Raphael wasted no time in pulling on a trenchcoat and a hat, making his way out of the lair at what could probably be considered break-neck speed. Soon after, despite a concerned glance at his brother, Michelangelo retreated to his own room. Leonardo, however, knew better than to think he was finally alone. He was most certainly not the only presence in his candlelit corner of the lounge room.
"My son." The calm, tired voice of his master and father cut through the quiet, soothing and yet a cause for some sort of concern. "You are troubled. Will you be all right?"
Like a boy trying to make amends for a grievous mistake, the leader lifted his eyes. "I'll be fine, sensei. I just need some time to recouperate after today."
There was a moment of silence before the rat placed an understanding hand on his son's shoulder. "Do not fret, Leonardo. They do not blame you for the attack. Meditate and relax. This time will be good for you."
The teen nodded in response before allowing his eyes to close again, his mind drifting into the recesses of meditation as Splinter retreated to his quarters. The boy needed time alone, and this was the best way to give it to him. Learning was a task that sometimes had to be tackled alone.
=====
Leonardo was uncertain how long it had been since he dozed off meditating, but from the silence that cut through the lair, everyone else was gone or asleep. He sighed, opening his eyes to look around. For some reason, nothing seemed right with him. A cold dread was growing in the pit of his stomach, gnawing away at his insides, and causing him to worry where he was supposed to be calming himself.
Cracks in the walls caught his attention more than they usually did... these over the entrance to Splinter's private chambers. They seemed deeper than when they had first inspected them. He would have to look at them later.
The opportunity to do just that would not come, however. As he stared with an expression of semi-dazed shock at the wall, pieces began to fall loose. Then, the entire wall caved in like a card house under its own weight.
For a moment, Leonardo could do nothing but stare. His eyes were wide and he was frozen in shock. Then, adrenaline kicked in and he lept to his feet, sprinting over to the collapsed structure. His entire world seemed to be falling in around him as he frantically dug at the rocks, calling for the help from his brothers that would not come.
He felt physically and mentally weak as he tried his damnedest to work through the rubble. Piece by piece, the crumbled wall gave way, but it was slow going. He could only hope that by the time he reached the bottom, his father would still be all right.
All hope for anything stopped as cold as his heart seemed to when a clawed hand became visible through the rocks, laying limp in the rubble. Almost like a frightened child, he reached out to touch the hand he knew all too well, and his insides turned when he found that hand had lost its familiar warmth.
"No..." he mumbled softly, shaking his head. Panic struck him once again and he dug at the rocks with renewed fervor, his jaw working without words when he found his master at last, unmoving and cold. "No... sensei... NO!" Dark eyes shot around the room for any sign of help. Where had everyone gone, now when he needed their help and support the most? "Michaelangelo?! Raphael! Donatello! Where the hell IS everyone?!"
Gently, he lifted Splinter from the rubble. The body that had taught him so well the ways of ninjitsu was completely limp in his grasp. Dead? No, he couldn't be dead! It couldn't be possible! They were prepared for anything... everything!
Weren't they?
His shoulders shook in a sob he could not repress, tears soaking the fabric of his bandana. This was not supposed to be happening. It couldn't be! As the chilling reality of his situation sank in, the only thing the broken leader could manage was a tortured scream of loss and despair.
In that single moment, Leonardo felt more alone than he ever had in his short fifteen years of life... a feeling that brought with it more dread than all the rest of the world's hatred combined.
=====
"Yo, Leo, snap out of it!"
The voice belonged to Raphael. Leonardo's eyes snapped open to meet his brother's head-on, framed by familiar red fabric. An uncharacteristic expression of worry rested on his face, and flanking him were his other siblings. Splinter stood nearby as well, concern obvious in his eyes if nowhere else. The wall over his chambers was still secure.
That had been a dream?!
Raphael's hands were firmly grasped on his shoulders, and it was only then that the leader realized he was still sitting in the lotus position, proving he had fallen asleep meditating. He was panting, still trying to pull himself out of the horrible place that dream had left him in. Raphael gave him another shake as Donatello knelt beside him. "Leo, it's us. Come on, it's okay, you're awake now."
Slowly, he calmed. With practiced skill, he slowed his breathing to normal, managing a feeble, "Guys...?"
He was shocked with how weak his voice sounded, hoarse and almost... timid? The others gave small smiles of relief, however, and Raphael let out what must've been a tense indrawn breath. "Geez, don't scare me like that, bro. You were screamin' like a lunatic when I came in, and from what I saw, Donny, Mikey, and Sensei were hard-pressed to be wakin' you up. I considered slappin' ya, but eh... they talked me out of it."
Michelangelo's brow was furrowed in his own childish concern and he cocked his head to one side. "You all right, bro...?"
"I'm fine," came the response after a few long moments. "It was just a bad dream... that's all."
The other three teens seemed quite relieved and satisfied with that answer, but Splinter was not convinced. He watched his sons' playful banter with each other, with Raphael putting Leonardo in a headlock, only resulting in nearly getting flung. Donatello ducked out of the way of the kicked Raphael, who tripped over Michelangelo, tumbling to the ground with an angry shout. It would have been a hilarious sight if his mind had not been racing. It was very unlike Leonardo to have nightmares for no reason... he had been the least susceptible to them when the four were young.
Sighing quietly, he shook his head. The four almost instantly froze in their mock-battle, looking up at their sensei with puzzled expressions. It was Michelangelo who spoke up first. "Sensei? You too?"
Leave it to Michelangelo to always be the one to lighten any sour mood with an innocent question. Splinter couldn't help but smile at the one he considered the youngest of the four boys, shaking his head. "A thought crossed my mind... it was nothing. It is late, my sons, you should retire... as should I. Leonardo, I would like to speak with you come morning."
Even though he knew he was not in trouble, he couldn't help but wince, almost in an automatic reaction. "Of course, sensei."
The quiet leader watched his brothers retreat to their rooms... all but one, that is. Michaelangelo remained in a kneel nearby, watching Leonardo with an expression far too serious for his light-hearted personality. Leonardo couldn't even ask what he wanted to before the younger of the pair questioned, "You're not really all right, are you? I can tell. What the hell shook you up so bad, Leo...?"
Leonardo refused to match eyes with his brother. For all of his childish puckishness, Michelangelo was most of the time almost instinctively astute to the mood-swings all of his brothers suffered, and at times like this, it was to Leonardo's disadvantage. He frowned, shaking his head. "Mikey, don't worry about it. I'm fine."
The other frowned even deeper. "No. You're not. I'm not that dense, bro... I've been around you for fifteen years, and I sure as hell know when you're down in the dumps."
After a few moments, Leonardo sighed, reaching foreward to give Michelangelo a light, playful punch on the shoulder, stoic expression broken by a half-hearted smile. "I'll be fine once I get this out of my system, I swear. It was just a nightmare... the lingering images are just messing with me, that's all."
Although he looked skeptical at first, Michaelangelo couldn't help but grin at the jab. He feinted a punch, then jumped to his feet. "Well, if you say so. But if you're lyin', I'll make you pay for it somehow." He hated being lied to. One of his quirks, but it was part of his almost too-trusting nature. "See ya in th' morning, bro."
Leonardo watched his brother's retreating shell for several moments before he sighed, unfolding himself from the lotus position as he stood. He felt Splinter looking at him, knowing deep down that he could not pull the wool over the rat's eyes. He never was able to, and that wasn't going to change now.
As he retreated into his room, he felt that same sick feeling in the pit of his stomach. It had been a dream, right? So now, he just had to forget about it.
=====
For nearly three nights straight, Leonardo had lost far too much sleep over the recurring nightmares that haunted his mind. His answers to Splinter's inquiries on the subject were vague, and the others had all noticed the subtle changes become more blatant as their fearless leader became sloppy and unfocused, unable to concentrate on even a simple kata, much less their usual training sessions.
The situation was frustrating Raphael (given, that was no difficult task, but still), and finally, he snapped, spinning and landing a sturdy kick to his eldest brother's chest. "Snap out of it, will ya?! You're half-awake, hardly concentrating... you're gonna get yourself hurt!"
Snapped back into awareness by the sudden force of Raphael's kick sending him hurtling backwards across the room, Leonardo gave his head a quick shake, hardly able to believe he'd let his guard down for that long. He stared up at Raphael for a moment before vaulting to his feet, scowling at his brother. "I think a simple, "Hey, Leo, you look tired," would suffice, Raph."
The hothead just growled. "You haven't been sleeping. I ain't exactly the best person to preach, but you should talk to Sensei about this."
"There's no need," Leonardo retorted. "I've just been--..."
"Having nightmares you can't understand and thinking we won't notice you slowly startin' to wear down! We ain't blind, bro. We can tell when somethin's wrong." If this kept up, the two were going to explode at each other again, and wisely, Donatello and Michelangelo backed off. Raphael was in his brother's face now, practically hissing as he spoke. "What if somethin' happens today, huh?! You'll fuck up, and all of us'll have to take the brunt. If you get killed, what do we do?! Might not seem like I care much, but I do just as much as the others. You're our brother, Leo. You're the one always tellin' us that bein' off-guard is one of a ninja's worst enemies. Talk about bein' a hypocrite!"
Something in the back of Leonardo's mind snapped. He was in no mood to deal with Raphael's angry berating, and he wasn't about to take it lying down. Frustrated, tired, and upset by the onslaught of nightmares he had experienced, he lashed out, clotheslining Raphael hard enough to send the other turtle crashing to the floor, sending a sharp throb of pain through his shell. The two regarded each other for a moment, neither willing to give or take any quarter.
Growling, Raphael pulled himself up into a kneel, hands going for his sai. "Okay. That's it. You wanna dance, then fine. I'll just prove you're in no condition to be doin' anything!"
He lunged without another word, his sharp weapons deflected by Leonardo's katana with a resounding clang of metal. With a slight hiss, he dropped, sweeping one leg out and catching his older brother by surprise. The sweep kick was successful, knocking Leonardo to his back, but he was only taken down briefly. Very nearly pushed past his limits by his brother's volatile nature, he was not willing to let him just push him around now. "I don't think you'll be proving anything at all, Raphael!"
With only slight exhertion, he shoved himself up off the ground in a vault kick that not only caught Raphael by surprise, but sent him flying back a few good feet. Leonardo landed standing, Raphael on his back, which simply but effectively switched their positions. Raphael growled again, lower, angrier. He flipped over, then flung himself at his brother with an angry shout, catching him around the middle and tackling him, one fist and sai raised for the strike...
"That is enough!" The fight abruptly stopped before it truly got out of hand, all eyes turning to the old rat that was making his way into the lounge/training room. "Miss O'Neil contacted you earlier today, did she not? Concerning problems near her antique shop. I will be accompanying you." He turned a knowing glance towards Leonardo. "You are to stay here and rest... that is my command, and you will obey it."
None of the others said anything, but Leonardo seemed somewhat put-out. He knew, deep down, that Raphael had been more than correct in his statements... that his tiredness could get in the way of his judgement and cause a serious problem. After a few moments, he gave a quiet sigh and nodded. "As you wish, sensei."
A few moments of pause went by as the others filtered out. Splinter cast one last look at the tired and broken form of his son, then sighed and followed as well.
Leonardo closed his eyes tightly as he attempted to force himself into meditation, but his mind was racing too fast to manage. The repetitive nature of these strange nightmares had to mean something.
Finally, he stood. If, in the end, there was a meaning to the madness he had recently experienced, there had to be a way to stop it. The way to stop it was to stop what seemed to be the inevitable... to save his master before the accident happened.
The day dragged on with still no sign of his siblings or father, so he wasted no time in trying to fix the cracks in the wall that spelled the impending doom of Splinter if he did not act.
It all happened quicker than the youth could react. The loud cracking of stone, and the sudden onslaught of pounding rock that at first stung worse than an assault of the Elite Foot, and then did nothing more than serve as a further assistant in the leader's descent into unconsciousness.
=====
Michelangelo was restless. The others were perfectly fine investigating the recent robberies as Splinter spoke to April to calm her down. Casey Jones was undoubtedly nearby, probably looking for trouble with Raphael, and Donatello was more than happy to mull for hours over what few clues they had found.
He, however, couldn't shake the feeling that something wasn't right. He didn't like the idea of leaving Leonardo alone, even though he was the only one that really could be trusted in such a situation. A hand connecting with the back of his head brought him back to his senses before he turned to find Raphael and Casey, who had him fixed with puzzled glances. "...What?"
"You're spacin' out," answered Casey flatly, folding his arms as one brow raised. "Somethin' got your goat?"
Raphael sighed. "Mikey, I'll cover for ya if y'wanna go back to the lair."
/I hate it when he does that! He's as bad as Leo sometimes./ Michelangelo sighed, shaking off the thought as he nodded. "Sorry... I just got this feeling that somethin' bad's gonna happen. I just don't know what."
The hothead nodded. He could be understanding sometimes... it was just difficult. He gave Michelangelo a slap on the shell to move him along. "Get goin', bozo. Don't wanna hafta stare at your ugly sulking mug any longer than I have to."
Michelangelo made a face at him, but wasted no time hustling to the nearest manhole to make his way back home.
=====
The lair was silent when Michelangelo returned. On a normal occasion, he would have assumed his brother was sleeping or meditating, but today, the silence was messing with his head in the worst of ways. "Leo...?" he called quietly. "Y'here?"
He was answered by the same silence. Even asleep or in a meditative trance, the ever-vigilant Leonardo should have heard the meek call. Panic struck him when he saw the rubble, and the flash of blue fabric that trailed from it. He saw one of his brother's hands, and his mind kicked into overdrive. "LEO!"
Instantly, the teen was at the rubble, trying his best to be careful as he dug away chunks of rock. He breathed a shaky sigh of relief when he found Leonardo under it all, badly injured but alive. As he was lifted from the wreckage, his eyes slid open only briefly as he looked up at his brother. "Mikey...?"
The youngest brother gave a weak smile, nodding quickly as he tried to fight off the sick feeling rising in his stomach at seeing his brother in such a poor state. "Yeah. It's me, Leo." He swallowed, noticing that it was extremely difficult for Leonardo to remain conscious. Even he, without a lick of medical know-how, could see that. "You hold on, Leo. I... I'll get Donny. He'll know what to do!"
Leonardo tried to say something, but he couldn't manage. His chest was throbbing, aching, reminding him of his near-fatal mistake. He couldn't even choke out a coherent sentence, let alone the few words it required to get across to his concerned sibling that everything was all right.
Before he could manage, he slumped into his brother's arms, unconsciousness threatening to swell once more. Terror gripped Michelangelo like a vice, threatening to rip through his psyche.
/Contact Donny./
That single thought rang through his mind over and over again. Near the point of full panic, he checked his belt repeatedly, trying to find his ShellCell, which seemed to have gone missing. He must've left it at April's place!
"Nono, Leo! Stay awake! Stay awake!" Michelangelo swallowed again as his pleas fell on deaf ears, now resisting the urge to shake his brother into awareness. "Leo...?"
His eyes shot around rapidly. He had to do something. Carefully, he lifted Leonardo, moving him to the couch. "Leo, c'mon, wake up..."
This wasn't good. Leonardo was unconscious, and he had no way of contacting the others. He closed his eyes tightly. He wasn't the strong one. He was just the kidder, the joker... the baby. He wasn't the one that could handle this sort of pressure. "You can't give up, bro... we still need you..."
Still no response. Michelangelo sighed, dropping to his knees next to the couch, staring quietly at his brother's inert form. He couldn't leave Leonardo's side, not for an instant. So how was he supposed to help him if he couldn't get to help?!
=====
Splinter's ear twitched. No one noticed the movement, but somehow, he knew something was wrong. The rat abruptly climbed to his feet, startling April, who had entered the room with a kettle of hot water for tea.
"Master Splinter?" she questioned curiously. "Is something wrong?"
The rat shook his head as he walked towards the door. "One of my sons is in grave danger. I must return."
April blinked, then paled. "You mean Leo, don't you? Is he hurt...?!"
"I believe he may be, Miss O'Neil. Help me to find the rest of my sons. We must return to the lair immediately."
=====
It didn't surprise the others at all to find Michelangelo still knelt next to the couch where his brother lay, looking as if he would jump clean out of his shell at the slightest movement the other made. He looked unbelievably tired when he glanced up at his siblings, friends, and sensei, climbing to his feet someone slowly.
"Guys, I'm so glad you're back! Leo, he..."
Donatello and Splinter didn't say a word as the others erupted into a slew of questions. The prior moved to the side of his brothers, kneeling next to Leonardo as he assessed the injuries with a keen, trained eye. As Splinter quieted Raphael, Casey, and April to give Michelangelo time to gather his thoughts, Donatello kept mumbling on about what he could see, and finally, he gave a frustrated sigh, standing up next to the dazed and confused Michelangelo. "Mikey," he stated lowly, his sudden words startling everyone into looking at him, "do you know anything about what happened here?"
Michelangelo shook his head, watching his brother with a guarded expression. "I came in and he was already like that, honest... in the rubble over by that wall" He pointed, then shuddered, almost sheepishly looking towards Donatello. "You told me that you're supposed to keep people with head injuries awake, and I tried, but..."
"You did what you could, Michelangelo." Splinter moved foreward between the two, resting one clawed hand on Leonardo's forehead. "There is nothing more you could have done. We all must wait now... and hope for the best."
There was a moment of silence before Raphael spoke, his gaze fixed on Donatello. "There's somethin' you can do for 'im, right Donny?" He swallowed a feeling of dread. "I mean, he..."
Donatello glanced at his hotheaded brother before his eyes shifted to Leonardo's inert form. "...Well, from what I can tell, none of the damage is permanent, but he suffered a pretty nasty blow to the head. There's some scratches on his shell, but nothing that'll really hurt him in the long run... I think he's got a broken arm... but to be honest, I can't tell until he wakes up."
"You mean, if he wakes up." All eyes were on Raphael again. He was fuming, although whether it was at his own self or what had happened was questionable. "And he'd damn well better. I told him he was gonna get hurt..." He shouted, throwing one of his sai across the room, landing it deep in the practice dummy there. Then, he sank to his knees, growling quietly to himself. "Damnit, I hate being right..."
April and Casey had been relatively quiet for the most part until April sighed, hugging herself and rubbing her upper arms slightly with her hands. "Is there anything I can do?"
"We'll need some sort of smelling salts, if you can get your hands on them, April," Donatello responded. "Raph's right. It's going to be hard for Leo to wake up on his own with the knock to the head he took. We have to find some way to wake him up, though, or... he might..."
Raphael was on his feet in an instant, fury evident in his face and speech. "He ain't gonna kick it, Donny!" He clenched his fists as he stalked over to retrieve his thrown sai and give the practice dummy quite a beating, speaking as he did, trying to force back his own concern. "He's the one always tellin' us to be strong. To pull through, no matta' what. Well, that's what he's gonna do. You know he will. If he doesn't... if he dies... I will personally kick his ass!"
=====
It was Raphael himself who volunteered to stay with his brother that night, watching to make certain his condition didn't change, or to contact Donatello if he awoke. Michelangelo had joked, in an attempt to lighten the mood, that he was just doing it to berate Leonardo when he awoke, which nearly earned him a solid right-hook to the jaw.
Once the others had retreated to their own rooms for the night, Raphael let out a sigh and settled himself on the floor next to his brother, for a moment just watching him. Then, he frowned. "Well... don't this look familiar? Ya got this bad habit of gettin' yourself whaled on, bro. And rocks this time? You're slippin'."
After a few more moments, he smirked, chuckling. "Hell, I ain't much better, I guess. All's different is our approach. I go lookin' for trouble. It just sorta happens to you."
The silence fell again, and after a while, Raphael groaned, slapping a hand to his forehead. "Great, I'm talking to myself. I sound like a god-damned lunatic." He glared at Leonardo, grumbling out. "Some fearless leader you are. Aren't you s'posed to prevent things like this from happening?" He sighed again. "Though... I guess one of us shoulda stayed here, to make sure nothin' happened. But Sensei trusts you, so we should too, right?" A slight smile crossed his face once more. "Good thing none'a the guys are here ta hear this. I'd never hear the end of it."
"I mean, y'know... you and me, we fight a lot... but that don't mean I don't worry about ya none. You're still my brother, and that means somethin'. Don't know what, but it's somethin'." A grin. "You won't remember a damn word I'm saying, so I guess it's best ta get it off my chest now." He let a few seconds of silence pass as he drew one knee up to his chest. "Remember how I yelled at ya, last time y'got yourself hammered? I didn't... really mean it, y'know? Mikey's right, we need ya around here. Without you, we wouldn't know up from down."
Quietly, Raphael folded his arms on his knee, chin resting on his forearm. "I probably really woulda hurt ya before... I could tell you were tired. I just lost my temper, s'all." His brow went up. "I do that a lot... but you know that already."
The silence fell once more, and finally, Raphael stormed to his feet. "God damnit! You're just...! Why won't you wake up, Leo?! You did before! You came home! Are you being stubborn or stupid, huh?! You... you..."
"Telling your brother you are concerned for his wellbeing is perhaps a better course of action than yelling at him, my son."
Raphael spun instantly to face his master, rubbing furiously at his eyes with the back of his hand. "Master Splinter! I... uh..."
The rat shook his head. "There is no need to hide your thoughts from me, my son. I can see it in your eyes." Slowly, he walked over to stand by Raphael at the side of the couch, kneeling. "Before, it was your brother's fear keeping his spirit at bay. Now, it is weariness. He was tired, emotionally and physically. His body is fatigued, and his soul is weary."
The hotheaded teen frowned, reaching over to lightly grab hold of his brother's shoulder. "Those nightmares'a his can'ta been normal, Sensei. Leo never had nightmares when we were kids. Why would he start now?"
"That is hard to say, Raphael. Perhaps a warning has come to him in a way he does not understand." Standing, the master began to take his leave. "Give him time, my son. He will pull through."
As the rodent left, Raphael sighed and returned to his bedside vigil. "Come on, Leo... things're gonna be fine..."
=====
"Raph...?"
Awareness slowly returned to Raphael at the sound of the weak, but all-too-familiar, voice. Sleep still numbed most of his body, but there was no mistaking who spoke, and instantly, his head shot up. "Leo!"
The leader gave a weak smile. "Don't look so surprised. I wasn't dead."
"You had us scared t'death!" Raphael retorted in frustration. "Damn, Leo, what the hell were you thinkin'?!"
After a moment's thought, Leonardo gave a quiet sigh. "Those nightmares..."
Raphael frowned and shook his head, sitting Indian-style on the floor as he regarded his brother. "What the hell were those nightmares about, anyway? T'scare you so bad?"
"It kept repeating itself was the problem... and the images just wouldn't leave my head. A wall collapsed, and Master Splinter..."
The severity of the dreams his brother had been suffering struck Raphael like a blow to the head, and his eyes widened. He understood why that must've scared him... anything happening to their father and master was one of all of their fears. "...No wonder y'didn't wanna talk ta Master Splinter about it..."
Leonardo stared at his brother for a moment. "You understand?"
"Hell yes." The younger folded his arms. "That'd be pretty awkward."
The older pondered this for a moment, then nodded. "That's true." A pause. "Where is everyone?"
"Master Splinter's still meditating, and Casey took April home. Donny had some things he wanted to get from April's and 'e took Mikey with 'im... we left a lot of stuff behind when we came runnin' here last night. Sensei seemed to know you were in trouble." He grinned, wickedly and yet with great jest. "Just like you to be the one, though."
Leonardo just rolled his eyes. "Very funny, Raph."
=====
"Here, Mikey, take this. This should be everything." The intellectual brother wiped the back of his hand across his forehead, letting out a short sigh. "I still find it so strange, though..."
Michelangelo blinked, glancing over at Donatello with an expression of curiosity. "What's strange?"
The other shook his head a little, reaching down to pick up his bag. "The fact that we didn't find one single clue about those attacks around here. It's almost like it was a ploy to draw us out..."
Instantly, the youngest sibling was ready for anything, fists clenched, even around the things he carried. The result was Donatello tensing as well, listening as Michelangelo spoke, "You think it might've been...?"
"...Doubtful."
Both relaxed. "Oh..."
Things in that alley were far from quiet, however. As they were preparing to leave, a noise caught Michelangelo's attention from the shadows. His eyes shot in that direction, but before he could alert his sibling, something cold and hard cracked across the side of his head and face. Donatello spun, dropping his bag. "Mikey--OOF!"
Something hit his gut, hard enough to render him seeing stars, winding him and preventing him from getting up. His eyes were wide and he watched in silent horror as he tried as hard as he could to regain his composure as something unseen and deadly whaled on his younger brother. /Oh god no... Foot Tech Ninjas!/
Michelangelo tried to make heads or tails of the situation as weapons and limbs struck him repeatedly, one continually ramming his shell against the brick wall behind him, causing a stabbing pain every time he struck. His vision was growing blurry, and he reached for his nunchaku, desperately trying to free himself from his tormentors before they could unleash this horrible punishment on his brother as well. He knew as well as Donatello that it was the Foot Tech Ninjas, cloaked and hidden from their vision. /Dirty fighting!/ he hissed mentally as a fist he could not see slammed across his face. /And I can't get away!/
There had to be at least five to hold Michelangelo without him getting free. That was Donatello's only thought. How else could they manage? Michelangelo was by no means the strongest - if anything, he was the furthest from it, but he was most certainly the fastest. Normally, he could have flipped away from the onslaught, but only if there had been three attackers... and if their place of combat had not been a dank alley.
Finally, Donatello pulled himself together, reaching for his bo staff. Remembering his training, especially after Leonardo had insisted they all grow more wary of these soldiers, he closed his eyes tight and just concentrated, as hard as he could.
Then, he flung himself into battle, not once opening his eyes. His bo staff flew like it had a mind of its own, always missing Michelangelo, but finding its mark in the cloaking devices of the dreaded Foot Tech.
Soon, seven soldiers had made themselves visible and Donatello opened his eyes. Michelangelo was unmoving on the ground, and the sight of the damage done to him infuriated the normally peaceful brother. "You'll pay for hurting my brother!"
Once again, he let himself go, attacking with all the speed and fury of a well-trained ninja... in the battle for family, for vengence, and for honor. At long last, the Foot Tech retreated, and Donatello rushed to his brother's side, weakly murmuring, "Mikey...?"
When the other did not respond, panic ripped through Donatello's mind. He didn't want to risk moving him very far, so he went for the next best place...
ShellCell in hand, he steadied his voice just enough to stammer out. "April? It's Don. I have a problem..."
=====
April was in some amount of shock as she looked at the damage Michelangelo had taken. While his injuries externally were not as severe as Leonardo's had been after his encounter with Shredder's elite ninja, she could see by the scrapes and cracks that marred his shell that he was far from "fine" internally. "Donny, is he going to be okay?"
"...I don't know. I'm trying to get ahold of Raphael right now... to have him tell Master Splinter. But he doesn't seem to be responding."
"That's 'cause he's right behind ya, Donny."
Donatello spun. The doorway was wide open, and the turtle in question stood there. A somewhat battered Leonardo was braced at his shoulder, and Splinter followed behind him. Leonardo stared for a moment at Michelangelo's form before he looked towards April and Donatello. "What happened to him...?"
"Foot Tech Ninjas," was Donatello's quiet response. "They came at us out of nowhere... knocked the wind out of me, and then proceeded to beat the unholy hell out of Mikey..."
Splinter frowned, glancing at Leonardo, who appeared to be in a state of confused shock. "It would appear we have found the true nature behind your mysterious nightmares, my son."
In response, the eldest just nodded dumbly, trying to make heads or tails of this situation. His youngest brother was hurt. He had foolishly given in to the fears of his own mind, and now, Michelangelo was unconscious and his life was at risk, even in his wounded state. "Sensei... I want..."
The rat said nothing. He just nodded, helping his eldest son to kneel next to the couch where Michelangelo lay. "I think it is best if we left you with your brother for a while, Leonardo."
Donatello and Raphael were reluctant to leave their brothers, but they did as they were instructed. Shortly after, April followed the three into the kitchen, leaving Leonardo alone with his thoughts.
"...I'm really sorry about this, Mikey..." Leonardo barely even murmured the words he spoke. "I wasn't thinking. Because of that, you could have died. You're still in danger, really. I'm supposed to protect all of you, and I only ended up not heeding my dream's secondary meaning... my need to pay attention to my surroundings. I was not attentive in the nightmare, and because of that, Master Splinter..." He sighed. "The message of the dream should have been clear to me. That I had to remain attentive to protect my family as a whole."
His fists clenched where he had them resting in his lap, but his words stopped at the sound of a voice from the doorway behind him. "It ain't your fault, y'know, Leo..."
Leonardo's form tensed instantly, and his voice held a warning tone. "I'm not in the mood, Raphael."
"God, how many times am I gonna hafta hear you say that in my life? No, 'Nice to see you too, bro'?"
"If you have anything to say, at least wait until Mikey's awake."
At that, Raphael's eyes narrowed, and he stalked over to stand over Leonardo with an expression that read of his temper, and barely restraining it. "What? You think all I came in here for was to yell atcha? Or to yell at Mikey?" He growled. "Well, I got news for ya, Leo. As much as I get pissy with you or pick on Mikey, you're still my brothers, a'ight? I don't like this any more than you do."
The two were silent for a moment as Raphael sat. Finally, Leonardo glanced towards his more volatile brother, muttering, "You're being strangely complacent. Who are you and what did you do with Raphael?"
"I'm allowed to worry 'bout you guys too," Raphael retorted indignantly. "B'sides... it's my job to pick on Mikey. I'll be damned if anyone hurts 'im and I don't kick their asses."
Leonardo couldn't help but laugh at Raphael's quirk. For all the torment he put their baby brother through, he was viciously protective, and if anyone so much as looked at Michelangelo cross-eyed, they had to answer to him. After a moment, the leader found his voice again. "I'm sure Mike will be fine. He's..."
"A frickin' stubborn bastard, when it comes down to it. Mikey's got the strength to pull through this. Don't worry about it, Leo." He stood, reaching down just briefly to put his hand on his brother's shoulder. "Don't let it get ya down... okay? You'll start actin' like me, and I think there's only room for one wiseass bastard in the group. I'd hafta fight ya for that title."
=====
The days passed slowly, and for almost two weeks, Michelangelo did not move. He murmured in his unconscious state, occasionally shifting, but never waking. Leonardo was moving his arm better, the fracture from before having been thankfully far less severe than Donatello had originally surmised.
It was as he sat at another of his silent vigils that Master Splinter came up beside him again. "Here, my son... this tea will soothe your nerves."
Leonardo looked up, then gave somewhat of a tired smile as he accepted the cup from his mentor. "Thank you, Master Splinter."
The rat nodded as he knelt beside his son, a keen spark in his eyes as he watched him drink the offered tea. In his tired state, his guard was down so greatly that he did not even notice the herbs his sensei had added to the mixture, intended to slip him into a deep rest.
"How are you feeling?" he questioned as Leonardo lowered the cup, his ears flicking foreward in waiting.
For a moment, Leonardo wasn't sure how to answer. His eyelids felt suddenly very heavy and his whole body seemed to suddenly be demanding he sleep... right then and there. "I feel... sleepy. Really sleepy."
He weaved once, then started to tip. Splinter was a split second quicker, both catching the cup and his son in one deft movement, just in time for Raphael to wander in. The red-clad brother blinked, tilting his head to one time. "Whassamatter with 'im, sensei? Did he faint?"
"He was in need of sleep, and that I have given to him," was the master's vague reply. "I cannot carry him alone. Please take your brother someplace he can rest, Raphael."
Raphael watched quietly, then nodded as he knelt to pick up his brother. "Not a problem, sensei. Leo needed the rest... this'll be good for 'im."
Splinter just nodded as he watched the pair. While close in age, the two could not be more different, and despite it, he was amazed at how dedicated and loyal Raphael was when it came down to the wire.
Once the two were out of sight, Splinter turned his attention back to Michelangelo. "You will pull through, my son..." he sighed quietly. "Be strong."
=====
"Hm... I see... their leader is asleep again." Dark eyes travelled over the screen in front of him. For the briefest of moments, he cursed this strange spiderdroid body he had, but as there was little he could do to change his fate now, he lived with it. "Good. I can turn the machine up to full power, then."
Dr. Baxter Stockman was a genius, but power mad and dangerous. Or he had been, before the Shredder had rendered him helpless, a veritable 'head in a tin can', as Stockman himself liked to growl when the 'master' was not looking.
The discussion over the machine had been brief, and with Hun as opposed to the Shredder himself. The oversized muscle could not possibly comprehend the complexity of the special device. All he could decide from hearing the description of the thing was that it would be the Turtles' undoing, and that was what news he took back to the Shredder.
The device Baxter Stockman had created was far more than a simple machine. It was a special weapon, meant to alter the brainwaves in a sleeping subject, causing nightmares and - if pumped to full power - fully controlled sleepwalking. Stockman had every intention of using it to cause a ruckus amongst the Turtles, turning their trusted leader against them, killing them with their own.
A grin crossed his face as one of the mechanical limbs of his new body clicked a switch, and a few guages showed what he wanted to see.
The machine's power climbed to full, indicating a fully controlled sleepwalking state... now, he only had one dilemma to hash out.
Which of his family to go after first.
==To Be Continued==