The Darkness in Us All

A/N I do not own TMNT, but I am forever grateful for their existence.

Be forewarned this is not for the faint of heart. I have significant "issues" with how the whole Dark Raph thing played out in canon, and so I knew at some point I needed to address it in fanfic. Gwydion is responsible for inspiring this unique twist though and so this fic is dedicated to her. Buckle up kiddies this isn't going to be pretty.

"The – buzz – worms are ready Mazz-ter Zhredder."

The man behind the helm of steel nodded with his fingertips arched thoughtfully together, "Good. Tiger Claw."

"Yes Master?" The mutant feline knelt before The Shredder's throne.

"Take Bradford and Xever. When you return we shall put Stockman's creations to the test."

"As you command Master Shredder."

Without another word, the tiger stood and strode out of the hall, mutant dog and fish in his shadow.

"Raaaaaaaph, I'm bored."

Not even glancing away from his magazine, the addressed turtle questioned, "Weren't you supposed to go boarding with Mondo?"

"Yeah," Michelangelo threw himself forlornly across the couch at Raphael's feet, "But he bailed cuz he has the flu."

"Gecko's can get the flu?"

"I don't know!" Raphael rolled his eyes as his brother cried dramatically into the cushions, "Either way now I'm down a skate buddy, and Casey's got a game tonight!"

Raphael felt his shoulders tighten at his little brother's comment. He could get why Michelangelo did not immediately seek out one of his other brothers. Donatello was currently in his lab with April, shamelessly ogling her at every opportunity, and Leonardo was hardly the best of company these days. Since returning from the farm he had gotten more than a little obsessive. Whether it was over Karai or her ever-lovely adoptive father, the eldest turtle was more than a little neurotic when it came to even normal day-to-day activities, never mind training. Currently, Leonardo was out with Master Splinter perfecting some mystical technique or whatever, whoop-dee-doo for him.

Still, despite turning to the only other brother who was not entrapped in their own vortex of self, Michelangelo still obviously preferred the vigilante's company over Raphael's. Night after night Michelangelo would head out in the company of Jones, leaving Raphael behind. Occasionally he'd be invited, but Raphael was nobody's third wheel.

The worst part about it all was that Casey was supposed to be Raphael's best friend! They were the two brawling hotheads! They were the two argumentative teenagers! Yet, from the time they arrived at the farmhouse to the present, Raphael had known Casey and him were growing more and more apart. Despite their initial start, they actually had very little in common. It also didn't help when half the time Casey came over "to see Raph," it was actually an excuse to keep April from being exclusively in Donatello's care. It wasn't that he disliked Casey hanging with Michelangelo; he just hated feeling used. Admittedly, he would never say so aloud, but Raphael also felt a bit jealous, which was ultimately a result of loneliness.

Yet, instead of sorrow at his current situation, Raphael just plain-out felt pissed off. Thus why he snapped at the sad excuse of a turtle at his feet, "Well, what do you want me to do about it?"

Michelangelo froze from his moaning position before slowly prying himself up to look in his brother's direction quizzically while Raphael adamantly stared at his page making a poor show of reading it. After a moment, Michelangelo asked quietly, "Hey Raph?"

"What?" The elder responded flatly while still leaking out some venom.

"You want to go boarding with me?"

Despite his inner elation of Michelangelo finally noticing his existence after what felt like weeks of endless invisibility, Raphael ground out, "That desperate are you?"

He did not miss those blue eyes flinch and loathed himself for it. Raphael hated it almost as much as Michelangelo's bluntness, "Why would you think that?"

"Nothing," Raphael was quick to spit out. "Forget I said anything."

Making another attempt to feign interest in the page he had failed to turn for the last three minutes, Raphael was less than amused when said flimsy article was snatched from his grasp, "HEY!"

Up and growling in an instant, alas Raphael was a little bit too slow for this more serious and infinitely more annoying version of his baby brother, "Give it back, Mikey!"

"No way dude," Literally bouncing away from the elder's fists, Michelangelo blithely demanded his sibling's attention, "Not until you tell me what's going on."

"I swear Mikey I am going to hit you so hard…" Raphael jumped forward, an unfortunate hair's breadth short of the younger.

"You know, you really need to work on your diplomacy," Michelangelo teased as he used the pinball machine as a guard, "Or at least your aim."

The smaller turtle stuck out his tongue goading Raphael's temper to flare, "I'm serious Mikey. Give It Back."

"No can do bro," A mischievous grin spread across freckled cheeks, "Catch me if you can!" before he bolted over the turnstiles.

A game. A freaking game. His feelings of hurt and loneliness that had been growing inside him for months, gradually gnawing at his guts, had instantly been thrown back into his face as one of Michelangelo's stupid games. Raphael lunged out into the subway tunnels on his brother's heels. That son of a Kraang had better say his prayers.

He almost had him. It had taken almost a dozen rooftops and several fire escapes, but Raphael finally had his chance. Michelangelo was fast, yes, but he was a sprinter. The youngest could outrun any of the brothers in five hundred meters or less, but once the miles started adding up, that was it. Michelangelo simply did not have the natural endurance Raphael did. Leonardo had been the same, but unlike the smallest turtle, the eldest had spent years improving his endurance. True, he could still not out sprint Michelangelo, but he was never far behind and could keep up the terrifying pace for ages. Raphael was no Leonardo, but thankfully, nor was Michelangelo.

Finally, in his exhaustion, Michelangelo tripped, and although he recovered his fumble quickly enough, it was the opportunity Raphael had been waiting for allowing him to full body tackle the smaller to the cement. With Michelangelo easily trapped under his weight, Raphael glared down at his panting younger brother, "You ready to meet your maker, Mikey?"

"Didn't we already meet him?" Blue eyes narrowed thoughtfully, "Or at least a sibling? Or a Kraang clone? I don't really know how it works with them…"

"Quit stalling for time!" Raphael hissed, "Give me one good reason why I shouldn't kick your butt into tomorrow?"

"Um… How about because Tiger Claw, Fish Face, and Rahzar are standing right behind you?"

"What?" At Michelangelo's widened eyes, Raphael spun around only to receive a swift kick in the gut from Tiger Claw.

"Good evening little ones," the mutant cat grinned as Raphael gasped for breath, "Bradford, Xever, take him."

Seeing Tiger Claw nod in the now-standing-Michelangelo's direction, Raphael snarled, "You wish stripy."

To Tiger Claw's surprise, Raphael managed to distract him long enough with a shuriken to get across the roof over to where Rahzar and Fish Face were outnumbering Michelangelo. Raphael managed to send a sharp kick into Rahzar's side and knew he had hit a kidney when the grotesque canine fell to his knees whimpering.

What he did not account for was Fish Face to suddenly abandon Michelangelo as his target. For if he had, Raphael would have seen those sharp teeth coming in his direction. Alas, he did not, and within seconds, the larger turtle followed Rahzar's suit as his shoulder began to burn furiously with Xever's toxin. With his plastron pressed to the cold concrete he mumbled, "Oh sewer apples..."

His vision was abruptly blurring, leaving his head foggy. Michelangelo cried, "RAPH!" but he was so disoriented he did not know which direction his brother's voice came. It did not matter; all became black and Raphael knew nothing more.

"Ugh…"

"Raph!"

Raphael was sure even his eyelids themselves hurt as he slowly peeled them up to look around, "What hit me?"

A quiet half-chuckle came from the darkness nearby, "More like what bit you. Fish Face got you pretty good there bro. You've been out of it for hours."

Finally Raphael's vision cleared enough to see the silhouette of his baby brother in the inky shadows of what had undoubtedly become their prison. Michelangelo was manacled to the floor and walls effectively preventing him from moving even an inch towards Raphael. The older turtle meanwhile had only been strapped down by his hands, but with the chains so tightly linked to the ground he barely had any more freedom that his sibling did. "We in Shredder's dungeon?"

"Where else?" Michelangelo laughed darkly, "The guy's not too original when it comes to this sort of thing."

"I doubt he cares Mikey," Raphael groaned into the cool cement in front of his face, "And neither should we. We need to find a way out."

"Good luck dude." The freckled turtle sighed, "It's not like I was having a siesta during your nap. I've tried every way I can think of, but there's no getting out of these chains."

At his brother's sour note, Raphael glared up, "What's your problem?"

"My problem is all I wanted was to go boarding tonight and instead I wound up incarcerated in some whack bag's glorified basement." Michelangelo huffed, "And for the record, I've been stuck standing like this for hours, and I can't feel my hands, assuming they're even still attached."

"They're still there." Raphael retorted dryly, "Now quit acting like a baby and help me think of something!"

Michelangelo was silent for several terse seconds before blurting out again, "I'm just saying if you had just gone boarding with me in the first place we wouldn't even be in this mess!"

"Come again?" The supine turtle growled, "How is this suddenly my fault?"

"I don't know!" The orange-clad turtle cried despondently, "But Don and Leo are always blaming you so why can't I?"

"Right because I'm the "impulsive one" who gets everyone else into trouble." Raphael snapped, "Not Leo who created a freaking gigantic Shredder mutant that destroyed nearly half the city. Definitely never Donnie who has been apparently collecting "souvenirs" from all the psychos we've ever fought because stockpiling mutagenic shit would never end up coming back to haunt us!"

"He's no worse than Casey!"

"That's because Casey's a dipshit!" Raphael exclaimed, "Everyone knows he's an idiot, but Leo and Don know better! Yet they never seem to get their mistakes to penetrate those thick skulls of theirs!"

"Oh like you're one to talk!" Michelangelo countered, "You're no ray of sunshine you know. Besides you and Casey are like the same person!"

"Are you blind!?" Raphael hissed, "You and Donnie hang out with the guy way more than I do. It's been months since Casey actively sought out my company, and do you want to know why? Because we are NOT that similar! But hey, maybe if you quit acting like a total moron 24/7 you maybe would have picked up on that tiny little detail!"

Michelangelo's bright blue eyes welled from where he leant on the unforgiving concrete before he turned away abruptly to try and hide his distress from his older brother. Seeing the younger's reaction, Raphael felt his gut twist in shame and remorse, "Mikey…"

"No!" The freckled turtle gulped not-so-subtly from his position, "You're right. I do act like an idiot most of the time, but did you ever think that maybe it's because our lives suck so much?"

"They don't-"

"Don't deny it Raph!" Michelangelo interrupted, "Get real for a sec, bro. We're mutant turtles who have to hide from society and of the miniscule population that does know of our existence, ninety-nine percent of them want us either killed, enslaved, dissected, or tortured! Then those who don't immediately try to kill us end up as either mutant snakes or bizarre half-Kraang offspring! I mean April's cool and all, but personally I'm a little scared that one of these days she's really going to call it quits on us. And I wouldn't blame her! You gotta admit she's given up an awful lot to be friends with four reptilian weirdos who are the reason behind most of her near-death experiences!"

Breathing in and out harshly between his tears, Michelangelo studied the floor in dismay allowing for Raphael a moment to cut in, "Right. I get it. Life stinks. Being a mutant turtle stinks. I wish I could do something to make it better Mikey, but I can't. But you know instead of pretending none of these problems exist by covering them up with over-the-top stupidity you could try talking to us. I mean…" Suddenly he found the damp dungeon air completely desiccated, "I mean I'm always game if you need to unload…"

Green eyes determinedly began boring holes into the floor silently hoping he could burrow deep enough to escape the awkwardness clinging to the air around them. "Raph?"

Michelangelo's tone was surprisingly shy but still rippled from the flow of his tears. Raphael could only grunt eloquently in response, "What?"

"Is that what you were trying to say earlier? That…" Michelangelo's chains clinked as he fidgeted in uncharacteristic nervousness, "That you miss me?"

"I don't miss you. I live with you." Raphael instantly flinched as his brother sunk all too close to the mark.

"Heh. Except we haven't had a chance to talk like this in ages." Michelangelo's pure and clear laughter sounded misplaced in their dismal surroundings, "Who would have thought Shredder would have been the one to get us to talk."

"Yeah…" Raphael snorted, "Go figure."

A massive weight slowly began to lift from Raphael's chest despite their current physical predicament. Michelangelo was right. It had been far too long since the brothers had sat and talked. Truly talked. It made everything seem lighter somehow. "You know, I missed you too."

Raphael despite himself laughed into the concrete, "Alright. Alright. I get it. We both need to talk more. Let's cut the sap before I end up glued to the floor."

"Fine. No more mushy stuff. Seriously though," Michelangelo rattled his chains as he strained to get a better look around, "How are we going to get out of here?"

"Well it's your lucky day, Michelangelo." Both turtles abruptly looked up as the jail cell's door swung open, blinding them both with the light from the hallway beyond. Still even without their sight, Rahzar's voice was unmistakable, "Because you've been voted in as the first guinea pig."

When the skeletal hound strode forward, Raphael strained on his chains, "Where the hell are you taking him?"

Rahzar gave the turtle on the ground a swift kick to the bridge of his shell, "Don't worry. Once Xever's poison has fully worked its way out of your system you'll get your turn." He then turned and unhooked Michelangelo from the wall while still keeping the smaller turtle's hands and feet bound together, "But someone has to go first and it's going to be him."

"NO!" Raphael shrieked as Michelangelo struggled to get away from his captor, but was instead rewarded with a punch to his head, effectively stunning the reptile enough so that Rahzar could effortlessly carry his charge out. Meanwhile, Raphael was pulling so hard at his chains that he could feel his circulation cutting off, but despite his will to be free, it was for nothing. All too soon, the large metal door slammed into his face leaving Raphael once more alone in the darkness.

He didn't know how long it was. It had to have been several hours at least. He continually sunk in and out of consciousness – still trying to work Xever's venom from his system – but in between his voice never ceased crying for his brother. Now his throat was raw and it was beginning to get difficult to muster any real volume, and yet he could not stop until his brother was safely back at his side.

When that door flew open, it took Raphael several seconds to determine if he was dreaming. Michelangelo was simply staring at him, eerily illuminated by the hallway's light. Raphael croaked out, "Mikey?"

His brother did not respond. Instead, he swiftly moved forward with a key and unlocked Raphael's chains. Once Raphael was standing, Michelangelo handed his brother his trademark sai before whisking back into the light, "Come."

Raphael was a little perturbed by his brother's abruptness and lack of – well anything, but he would not waste time questioning it now. Instead, he pelted after his sibling, trusting in Michelangelo's apparent confidence in where they were heading. However, minutes later, Raphael felt his unease begin to grow. He did not know Shredder's stronghold well, but he knew enough of it by now to know they were not heading to the building's perimeter – and their freedom. No, they were in fact doing the opposite and quickly plunging into the building's depths. His stomach rolling in apprehension, Raphael snagged Michelangelo's wrist effectively halting him, "Mikey, I don't think this is the way out."

Blank blue eyes blinked up at him, "Come."

His skin crawled under his brother's unnatural gaze, "Mikey, what's wrong with you?"

Suddenly Michelangelo wrenched his wrist free from Raphael's grasp and sprinted off continuing into what Raphael now was sure was the wrong way, "Mikey! Stop!"

Michelangelo did not stop. His pace remained ever steady despite Raphael's calls. He only paused briefly once he reached the end of the corridor, "Come." Before he disappearing around the bend.

Raphael knew this had to be a trap, but the pieces didn't seem to quite fit. If it was a trap why had Michelangelo given him back his sai? Besides, Shredder had already had him trapped. How much more trapped could a turtle get? Still, it didn't matter. Whatever reservations Raphael had could wait. Until he had Michelangelo somewhere safe, he could not leave his baby brother's side.

Running down the hall, Raphael secretly prayed that Michelangelo was leading him to some kind of shortcut or something, but he knew that was probably not the case. When he rounded the corner, his suspicions were confirmed. He had entered a giant battle arena, surrounded by stone flaming torches, and in the center of the ring with his hands firmly placed in bladed gauntlets, was Michelangelo.

"Mikey?" Raphael tentatively entered the arena, the stone unnervingly smooth beneath his calloused toes.

Michelangelo did not respond, instead a low cocky chuckle came from the side, "He no longer responds to that name. Do you Yokai?"

"Yes, turtle, my name was given to me by my Master. I shall cherish it always."

Raphael felt his spine stiffen, "Master?! What the hell are you talking about Mikey?!"

For the first time Michelangelo showed a flicker of emotion, but it was not one Raphael had hoped for. Instead it was a spark of anger that clouded his blue eyes, "My name is Yokai. I serve Master Shredder."

"What…" Raphael found himself spluttering in shock before turning his raging emerald gaze in the Shredder's direction. His enemy in sight, he streaked across the arena, sai drawn, "What did you do to him, you psycho?"

Yet, before he was even half-way to the sinister human, Raphael found his blades clashing with Michelangelo's gauntlets. No longer were the freckled turtle's eyes blue. Instead they had turned milky white hidden behind his third eyelid, "Those who insult my Master will have their tongues cut out."

A shock of cold horror rippled through Raphael's ribs. Michelangelo's voice held no anger. No sorrow. No fear. No joy. All it held was cool calculated detachment. His facial expression said otherwise, but from his voice it was as though another entity entirely had taken residence in his brother's body. Struggling against the surprising strength behind Michelangelo's blow, Raphael cried out, "Mikey, snap out of it! It's me! Your brother, Raphael! Don't you remember me?"

"I have no brothers." Michelangelo responded with lukewarm indifference, "I was created for the sole purpose of serving my Master, The Shredder."

"What?! That's crazy!" Yet, as Raphael dodged another blow given by his brother's sinister doppelgänger, it was becoming more and more clear that Michelangelo was beyond hearing his sibling's words. It was also becoming sickeningly obvious that despite the younger's goofball tendencies, in this state Michelangelo retained an uncanny level of skill in combat in which Raphael was ill-equipped to deal with, for although most of the venom had been worked out of his system, Raphael could feel his muscles' fatigue. His limbs painfully resisted movement, yearning to drag as though coated in molasses.

Meanwhile, The Shredder had smugly retreated to the arena's exterior and was sickeningly pleased with the combating reptiles before him. Seeing that pompous sneer on that scum's face only made Raphael clenched his teeth harder as his arms trembled under a particularly intense blow thrown by his brother. Sensing the larger turtle falter, Michelangelo blithely took advantage of the situation. Smoothly jumping back, he left Raphael wobbling with the sudden absence of weight. In this moment of unsteadiness, the smaller used his ample agility to spring forward again. With his altered centre of gravity, Raphael found himself unable to take all of Michelangelo's weight forcing him to briefly stumble before crashing to the ground. Even with his protective carapace, the larger turtle still felt himself winded as the younger fell with him.

The next second, Raphael's bright green irises contracted sharply as bladed gauntlet on Michelangelo's left arm came shooting towards his face. If not for his reflexes honed from years of practice, Raphael knew he would not have made it. Michelangelo's blow held no hesitation. It clearly had every intention of being fatal.

Still, Raphael was hardly unscathed as he instinctively hissed from the trio of deep searing gashes now marring the right side of his face and partially blinding his eye. Yet, he was nowhere near being out of the woods as Michelangelo's right gauntlet tried to do with the left could not. Managing to regain at least some of his wits, the larger turtle withdrew his head into his shell while simultaneously using what little time he had bought to dig out one of Donatello's custom smoke bombs. Having next to nothing to go by with his head in his shell, Raphael relied on the shifting of Michelangelo's weight and the memory of where his face had been only an instant before as his guide. Yet, by some miracle after hearing the bomb detonate, Raphael's ears were met by Michelangelo's spluttering as the smaller turtle tried to clear his vision and the purple powder from his mouth and nose.

With Michelangelo temporarily disabled, Raphael was given the opportunity to throw his brother off and scramble to his feet. It was now or never. He knew in his current state there was no way he could win. It would also be impossible for him to escape The Shredder's clutches with Michelangelo at his side. As long as his brother remained under Saki's control, Michelangelo was a serious threat. It made his mouth tacky with grim frustration and his eyes sting from more than just the oozing lacerations on his right eyelid, but Raphael had no choice. If he wanted to remain alive, he would have to flee now and abandon Michelangelo. The only remote consolation was that by doing so Raphael could recruit Leonardo and Donatello, hopefully gaining the reinforcements necessary to reclaim their brother both physically and mentally.

Assuming they had any hope of figuring out what was brainwashing Michelangelo in the first place.

Gnawing the soft tissue on the inside of his cheek, Raphael set his sights on the doorway from which they had originally entered. The freckled turtle was still rubbing frantically at now blood-shot eyes and that was all the distraction Raphael needed to bolt. He ignored Shredder's screeches, "Yokai! After him!" Instead he used every ounce of his remaining energy to run as far as he could from the nightmare, which stood in the middle of that sinister arena in the place of his brother.

It was sheer luck that he caught sight of a somewhat familiar-looking hallway in his flight and as he instantaneously made the decision to duck down it, he was relieved to realize it was indeed a place he had been before. It was many months previous, but Raphael clearly remembered the day when he assisted Leonardo in rescuing Karai from her prison. This recollection included the memory of the exact location of the hidden aqueduct in which Leonardo and he had used in the first place to infiltrate the Shredder's fortress undetected. Apparently, the Tin Can of Terror was still unaware of this particular flaw in his security, for said water-filled chamber still remained unblocked and it was without hesitation that Raphael plunged into its cold and murky depths as he swam for his life.

It was only once he was in the depths of the sewers that he allowed himself a moment's respite, but he could only stand to lean against the dank brick for a few seconds before the overwhelming reality of his current situation – and his abandonment of Michelangelo – struck him to his core. As the roaring of panic threatened to completely flood his system, he clenched the sides of his head in pure anguish. It was only after he released a blood-curdling scream that he took off once more into the depths of the sewers towards their home.

"Yokai."

The blank-eyed turtle knelt obediently before the armoured man, "Yes Master?"

"You are to seek out and destroy the turtles."

"Yes Master."

The mutant reptile stood and turned to leave when The Shredder addressed him once more, "And Yokai," the turtle froze mid-stride, "Feel free to administer this if you should feel you could use some company."

He took the small canister and responded without hesitation, "Yes Master."

Raphael practically collapsed the moment he broke through the threshold of the Lair. With the loud crash of his bulk hitting the concrete, Leonardo and Donatello came running, "Raphael! Where have you been?!"

Only one weary green eye could meet Leonardo's demanding blue. His other eye had long lost its ability to see with the crusting of blood and tears, "Leo – I – we – Mikey, he's…"

"He's what? Where is he Raph? What happened to you? We've been trying to get a hold of you for hours!"

Clenching his fists against the floor he growled out, "He's with Shredder."

"Shredder?" Donatello couldn't hide his concern, "And you just left him there?!"

"I didn't leave him by choice Donnie!" Raphael glared up at his tallest brother, "He couldn't – wouldn't come with me."

"What do you mean he wouldn't come?" Master Splinter had now appeared at his distressed sons' sides.

"He… Shredder's done something to him. It's like he's been brainwashed. He doesn't know who I am. He says The Shredder is his "Master" now."

The three exchanged worried glances among each other before Donatello delivered a questioning stare to Raphael, "And where were you when this was happening?"

"I was stuck in a jail cell!" Raphael was back on his feet meeting his brother's glare, "Do you think I would have let them just take him if I had any say in it?"

"No, of course not!" Donatello defended, "I never said that!"

"You were implying it!" Raphael snapped back, "You always are blaming me when shit hits the fan!"

"I do not!"

"Yes you-"

"Enough!" Splinter cracked his cane on the floor sharply, "Raphael, your brother is merely concerned for his brother's wellbeing, do not let his words spoken out of worry anger you."

"You think I'm not concerned!" Raphael nearly yelled back, "I just had to fight my own brother for my life!" He pointed emphatically to his wounded eye, "If I had been a little slower I would be dead right now!"

Harsh silence met their ears for several moments before Splinter cleared his throat, "Donatello, see to Raphael's eye. Leonardo, come with me. We must meditate on how we approach this matter."

"Meditate?!" Raphael bristled as he shoved off Donatello's hands, "Sensei, we don't have time for that! We need to go out there and get him back!"

"Silence Raphael!" Master Slinter turned grave brown eyes in his pupil's direction, "I have every intention of finding and reclaiming your brother – my son – but I will not do so with a heart full of anger. It will only lead to rash thoughts and impulsive actions, which could cost us all dearly."

"But Sensei!" The injured turtle was not done, "Wouldn't it make more sense to make a plan with all of us together than sitting in there alone before sending Leo out with the rest of us left to follow blindly?"

"We have been through this time and again Raphael. I need not explain myself to you." Splinter turned away clearly indicating the conversation was over. "Donatello, see to your brother."

A lone green eye widened in shock before looking down in sorrow. Donatello did not miss a beat, "Come on Raph. Let's get you fixed up."

Several stitches later and a hearty volume of bandages had Raphael's injured eye and surrounding flesh securely covered. As Donatello packed up his first aid kit, Raphael slid from his chair, grabbing his sai on the way. "Don't do it Raph."

Raphael paused, his back to his brother, "I have to go find him, Don."

The taller turtle sighed in frustration, "Haven't you already done enough damage for today?"

As his siblings words sliced through his ears, Raphael clenched his fists before striding out, "Goodbye Don."

Even with the heavy layer of gauze over his face, the cold stung his aching eye. Donatello had neither confirmed nor denied if he would ever regain sight in it. Only time would tell. Raphael refused to let his mind linger too long over it. He had more important concerns. One in particular was the small freckled turtle who casually sat on the edge of the roof across the alley from where Raphael currently stood. Torn between relief and alarm at seeing the reptile so soon upon exiting the Lair, Raphael gasped under his breath, "Mikey…"

"Hello Raphael." Michelangelo did not look in his brother's direction. Instead, he nonchalantly examined one of the blades on his left gauntlet, "I see you've covered up my handiwork. Pity, I thought you would like it. Red has always been your colour."

Feeling his mouth dry, Raphael lunged himself across the precipice to land on the same ground as the other. "So has being able to see out of both my eyes. I guess we both lose."

"Hardly." Michelangelo did not move from his spot, "The fact that you came out alone is more than victory enough for me."

"Why?" Subtly, the elder turtle crouched into ready position pulling out his blades, "You that eager to take the other eye?"

"Don't misjudge me dear brother." Finally, frigid azure eyes turned up to zero in on the lone green, "I have a proposition for you."

"Excuse me?" Raphael sneered, "The only thing you could offer me is giving me my brother back."

"Ah," A grin, eerily similar to one his little brother had borne not so long ago appeared, "What if I offer you just that? The chance for you to have your brother back?"

Raphael frowned. It was way too good to be true, "What's the catch?"

"Oh, no catch. You and I can be brothers again. Just like we were in our cell earlier."

His brow furrowed farther, "I thought you could remember nothing from before?"

Michelangelo shrugged, "Maybe I picked up a few things between now and then."

"I'm not stupid Mikey." The older responded flatly, "I can tell you still have whatever it is Shredder did to you going on."

"Astute observation," The unnerving smile remained fixed in place, "Dear brother."

"Right…" Raphael gestured vaguely in the younger's direction, "So why are you wasting my time with this whole, "I can give you your brother back deal" when we both know you can't?"

"Because I know who you are, Raphael." Michelangelo's voice was smooth as silk, "I know your strength, I know the depth of love and compassion you have for your family. That no matter how tough things may be, you are still there for us. That is why you're here now. Your loyalty to Michelangelo brought you here."

He felt a chill run through his spine, "Why are you telling me this?"

"Because I also know how they treat you. I heard what they said to you in the Lair."

"You were back in the Lair?!" Raphael stepped back in near panic, "You remember where it is?"

"Like I said, "I've picked up a few things between now and then."" Freckles sharpened as he smiled coyly, "But what I do know without a doubt is how they misjudge you. Don't you see Raphael? They forever doom you to the fate of an outsider."

"You-You're lying!" Raphael's knuckles whitened as his grip tightened on his sai.

"Before you left Donatello even said, "Haven't you done enough damage for today?" A little harsh considering you weren't the one sitting on your lazy butt all day while drooling over some human girl."

"It's not like that!" Raphael spat, "Donnie loves April!"

"Hmm." Michelangelo tapped a finger of his unarmed right hand to his cheek, "Yet supposedly he loves you too…"

"You don't know anything of love! All you know is that evil obsessive hate Shredder's somehow filled your mind with!"

"Call it what you will." He shrugged, "But I still see you for who you are – what you are – and I still reach out and ask you to be my brother once more."

"You're nuts." Raphael shook his head, "Straight-A cuckoo. Your mind is totally fried if you think I would ever join The Shredder. I would never do it." His eye darkened, "Even if it meant getting my brother back."

"But why Raphael?" Suddenly Michelangelo was standing inches from him, "The Shredder has no feud with you, only Yoshi. You and your brothers were pulled into Yoshi's fight, but it need not be your battle. You owe him nothing."

He shouted from both anger and shock at his brother's sudden proximity, "How could you call raising us, "nothing!?""

"A minor sentimentality, I can assure you. It is nothing more than a ploy to maintain your loyalty." Suddenly gauntlets rattled to the ground as Michelangelo wrapped his brother in a hug, "I love you, Raphael. You need not submit yourself to this pain any longer."

"I will never renounce my father, Hamato Yoshi." Raphael spat with venom as he shoved the turtle's arms off of him.

"Oh Raphael," Michelangelo sighed before lifting his head to reveal white-lidded eyes, "You do not have a choice."

It was then Raphael felt the sharp bite under the bridge of his shell. Screaming, as he felt the thing crawling on his scales, the turtle frantically tried to dig it out, but his hard bridge blocked his large fingers. He fell to the ground writhing in panic and agony as it burrowed into his flesh. Then suddenly all pain was gone and for a moment, Raphael believed he would be okay. All that ended when a flash of blinding light took over his vision. Then all he knew was darkness, and his Master, The Shredder.

It was dull waiting for the crying reptile to finally succumb to the worm. Yokai could not deny the small trill of excitement he felt when the turtle abruptly froze. The worm had at last taken hold, which meant it was only a matter of time until their mission was complete. A few minutes later, the larger and more muscular turtle stood. His emerald eye no longer had that sheen of fire Yokai had found so intriguing. No matter, he knew from their fight and the briefing his Master had given him that this Raphael was more than an adequate accomplice in his mission. When the green eye met his white, the smaller grinned, "Come brother, we must pay the rest of our family a visit."

Yokai was proud as he and his brother returned to The Shredder's stronghold. He had done exactly as his Master had requested. He had found an acceptable comrade in arms while dispatching the others. Proof of their success hung at their sides in two burlap sacks. Raphael carried the heads of Leonardo and Donatello, but Yokai claimed the honour of carrying the crown of Hamato Yoshi.

Donatello had been the first and easiest to go. He had been still awake working away on some tedium in a room he had dubbed, "The Lab." It had been his very exhaustion which had been his undoing. He had not seen Raphael coming nor had he seen him as his head fell to the floor. Yokai remembered the moment fondly. It was proof he had chosen well.

Leonardo had been next. Yokai slit his throat from the comfort of his bed. He regretted he could not play with his prey first, but he knew it was too dangerous to alert the rat of their presence. Yoshi's skills were far too formidable to be taken lightly. Assassination via surprise was their only hope.

Here, Yokai's reasoning to choose Raphael was apparent. Yoshi had been asleep on his futon. Of course it had been no surprise when the rat awoke the instant Raphael pulled back the screen door. From there, all it took was a simple declaration of his bringing an intact Michelangelo back that had Yoshi up and embracing his target. That moment of distraction was all Raphael needed to stab his sai into his former Master's throat. Yokai used his own blade to slice off the head. Quick and clean. His Master Shredder would be very proud indeed.

Upon entering the hall of their Master, the two turtles bowed low before Yokai gestured for Raphael to dump the contents of his sack onto the floor, "The heads of Leonardo and Donatello, My Lord."

The Shredder nodded behind tented fingers, "And Yoshi?"

Yokai stepped forward and knelt, presenting his cargo to the ninja master, "Right here."

The Shredder bellowed in victorious laughter as he pulled the head up, the fur matted with blood, "At last, Hamato Yoshi and his foolish turtles are no more!"

Yokai bowed once more under The Shredder's joy, "I exist only to serve you, my lord."

"Indeed." Yoshi's head was unceremoniously dropped back into the blood-soaked bag before he casually tossed it aside, "You have done well Yokai, both in your primary mission and in your recruitment of Raphael."

An empty green eye gazed in Shredder's direction while Yokai returned, "Thank-you My Lord. You honour me with your praise."

"Yes, the worms have worked magnificently, but if I am to truly claim victory I must eliminate every member of the Hamato clan. Otherwise, that accursed line will live on."

Yokai remained perfectly still, "Of course, my lord."

"Tell me this, Yokai." Shredder's voice was sharp as a blade, "Who are the remaining members of this clan?"

"The turtles Michelangelo and Raphael." Yokai stated simply.

"Exactly." Suddenly Saki addressed an observer in the corner, "Stockman!"

"Yee-zz Mazz-ter?" The mutant humanoid fly buzzed forward.

"Your worms have clearly demonstrated their value. Retrieve the two we have loaned the turtles so that we can use them for future projects. But first," He turned back to the reptiles' direction, "Yokai, arrange the heads so that they are facing you and Raphael."

Yokai did not hesitate to do as he was instructed.

"Good." Shredder stood and handed each a knife, "These are for seppuku. You will need them." The man straightened, "Now kneel before your trophies and bask in them as my associate removes his hardware."

Both turtles knelt as The Shredder strode down the hall. Stockman only had to hold out a hand and buzz, "Wormzz to me!"

Instantly, the two turtles began to gag before each vomited a hideously large invertebrate. Stockman snatched them both from midair before flitting after his Master. Opening the door at the end of the hall, Shredder called, "Enjoy the view from hell, turtles."

Michelangelo and Raphael both simultaneously awoke to knives in their hands and horror at their knees.