Disclaimer: Don't own them.
Author's note: This is written in a first person point of view. I just wanted to use one of my favorite quotes from a book I'd read. Still, hope you guys enjoy this short story. It's an explanation of the reference in chapter 7 of "The Girl With Two Faces."
"Stay close, guys! We're almost there!"
"Leo, they're gaining on us!" Mikey cries, trying not to trip. At the speed we're running, it's nearly impossible.
"We can't outrun them!" Raph adds, ducking a shuriken that goes flying past his head.
I let out a swear under my breath - a foul word Master Splinter definitely would have made me do one hundred flips for, had he heard it. "All right, new plan. Don, you and Mikey head back to the Lair with the tech. Raph and I will head to the Dragon Gate and-"
"No way!" Donnie interrupts, his arms full of the heavy Kraang devices. "We're not leaving you two to face all of them!"
"Then what do you suggest?" I ask heatedly, taking a right turn, my brothers following. Behind us, the army of Foot Soldiers is gaining. "We're running out of time, Don!"
"I'll stash it and we'll come back for it later!" the genius says as we approach the Dragon Gate.
I don't get the chance to reply, because a kunai catches me right in the back of my left calf and sends me to my knees. I swear again, yank out the throwing knife and hurry to my feet, trying to ignore the burning pain in my leg. But too late. The Foot have caught up to me.
"Leo!" Mikey screams. The only way back to me is across the ropes, but they barely made it across once carrying all that Kraang stuff. There's no way that they could do it again. I'm on my own.
"Go!" I yell, bringing out my twin katana. "Head to the Lair!"
"You're not facing them by yourself!"
"I'm not giving you that choice!" With a look of grim determination, I slice through the lantern ropes that connect the Dragon Gate and the rooftop that I'm currently on.
"No!" The harsh cry is torn from all three of my brothers' throats. With a roar of rage, Raph hurls himself across the large gap.
Ordinarily, none of us would be able to make it over without falling to the street below, but the hothead is fueled by rage alone. He clears the edge with feet to spare, hitting the rooftop and coming up in a battle stance.
"Raph-" I begin.
"Stuff it!" The red-banded turtle cuts me off. "Not in the mood for all that 'sacrifice' crap. You're not gonna do this by yourself, bro. Suck it up and deal!"
Giving a slightly rueful grin, I get into my own stance, moving back-to-back with my immediate younger brother. "Just like old times," I murmur.
"Just like old times," Raph echoes with a grin of his own. There's a dangerous gleam in his eyes.
With a yell, we charge at the waiting hordes of Foot Soldiers.
~TMNT~TMNT~TMNT~
The battle isn't going well.
That much is obvious. Even with Raph's help, we're on the losing side. But then again, I had known that I was going to be on the losing side. After all, I was just supposed to be the distraction for Donnie and Mikey to get back to the Lair safely. Speaking of which...
My phone buzzes with an incoming text, and I rest briefly as I read it.
On our way back. Hold tight.
My jaw tightens. Hurry up, I reply. Running out of time.
As I behead another Foot 'bot, I glance over at Raph, who seems to have gone into his 'battle daze.' "Raph!" I shout. "On your six!"
Without a response, my hotheaded brother spins around and jabs his sai into the torso of a robot, yanking them out again in a shower of sparks. "Thanks!" Raph calls back, snarling at another oncoming wave.
No matter how many enemies we take down, more take their place. And I'm getting tired. Bone tired. Taking a deep breath, I jump into yet another group of robots.
Then Raph lets out a blood-chilling scream of pain. I turn, eyes wide, just in time to see him go down under a mass of Foot 'bots.
"No!" I scream. I rush over, defeating enemies as I go. Soon enough, I've cleared the area around Raph.
Raph, whose chest is soaked in bright red blood. Raph, who is bleeding heavily from a gaping wound between his left shoulder and plastron.
The hothead coughs, and blood bubbles over his lips. "H-Hey, Fearless. Didn't s-see the stupid heap of junk."
"Shh," I order quietly. "Save your breath. Donnie's coming. He can-"
Raph shakes his head, wincing at the pull of his injury. "I'm n-no doctor, Leo...but I know that this c-can't be fixed."
I can't help but know that he's right, but I still shake my head in denial. "Raph-"
"We h-had a good run, didn't we?"
Tears prick at the back of my eyes and I blink them away. "Yeah," I whisper. "We did."
"S-Sorry I failed you," the red-masked turtle rasps.
"You didn't, Raph. You didn't. You never failed us."
A pained smile appears on Raph's face. "G-Good to hear."
A gasp from behind me lets me know that Donnie and Mikey have arrived. Donnie elbows his way past me. But when he sees Raph, he can't stop the fear from flooding his expression.
"Raph," he whispers. "You idiot."
"Good to s-see you t-too," Raph replies, shutting his eyes tight against the pain.
"Dude...why aren't they attacking?" Mikey asks.
With a pang, I realize that my spastic brother is right. The Foot robots have ceased in their attack, and merely stand watching us.
"They're gloating," I hiss. Anger floods my system and I grab my katana, but Raph's grip on my wrist prevents any more movement.
"L-Leo," the red-clad turtle says. "Don't." He coughs again, and fresh blood flows from his wound. "I-I'm done for, a-anyway."
"Don't say that!" Mikey cries. "You can't give up!"
"The blood isn't stopping," Donnie announces grimly, pressing on Raph's wound with all the force he dares.
Raph's breath hitches, growing shallower. "T-Tell Sensei that I-I'm sorry. Let h-him know that I...that I l-love him." He grips Leo's arm tighter. "Leo...don't...don't blame y-yourself. It was m-my choice. Prom...promise me."
"I promise," I whisper, the tears finally flowing down my cheeks. "I promise."
A peaceful look takes over Raph's face and the hothead takes one more breath, then his chest grows still. "No," Donnie murmurs. "No. No, no, no!"
Mikey starts weeping, huge sobs that make his whole body shake. Then with a roar like a an approaching freight train, the rest of the Foot army moves towards the three of us.
Donnie and Mikey bring out their weapons, still in shock, but I stay kneeling next to Raph's body.
A tiny shred of thought appears in my mind. And the more I dwell on it, the bigger it grows. Splinter might have forbidden me to do it, but it's the only shot we have at getting our brother back. To be honest, I haven't tried it since I was kidnapped, but it honestly can't hurt. Right?
Taking a deep breath, I focus my mind and spirit, then lay two hands on Raph's plastron. "Rin. Pyo. Toh. Sha. Kai. Jin. Retsu. Zai. Zen." As I repeat the mantra over and over, I can feel myself growing weaker.
But is it my imagination, or is Raph's chest beginning to move ever so slightly? Gritting my teeth against the ache in my mind, I keep going. "Rin. Pyo. Toh. Sha. Kai. Jin. Retsu. Zai. Zen. Rin! Pyo! Toh! Sha! Kai! Jin! Retsu! Zai! Zen!"
Summoning the last bit of strength that I have, I force it into Raph's body. "RIN! PYO! TOH! SHHHHAAAAHHHH!" The last word is torn from the my mouth in a yell. With a soft gasp, I collapse on the ground next to my brother. Blackness marks the edges of my vision, and there is a feeling like a hot knife in the center of my forehead.
Vaguely, I'm aware of Donnie and Mikey calling my name. Then I'm aware of nothing at all.
~TMNT~TMNT~TMNT~
When I wake up - at least, I think I'm awake - it's completely dark. Not dark as in, "only a little bit of light." No. Dark as in no light at all.
*And then someone flips a switch and the weightlessness, the darkness, is gone. I want to ask to wait, because I'm not ready yet, but I don't have a chance. There is no gentle pulling. No coaxing. No choice. I'm wrenched out. Yanked, as if my head is being snapped back.
*I'm in the light now and everything is pain. There are too many sensations at once. Every nerve ending is on fire, like the shock of being born. And then there are flashes of everything. Color, voices, machines, harsh words. The pain doesn't flash. The pain is constant, steady, never-ending. It's the only thing I know. I don't want to be awake anymore.
I want to scream, to yell, to weep. Waves of pure agony roll over me, starting from my head and traveling down to my feet. I can't move, can't do anything except lie there. Opening my eyes only results in searing light blinding me, and the pain intensifies.
"-ow long is he gonna be like that?"
"I don't know, Mike."
"But he should've woken up by now, right? It's been four days, and-"
"I don't know, Mike."
"But-"
"I. Don't. Know!"
"...what about Raph?"
Raph? That's right. I tried to heal him after... Holy Kraang. Is he okay? A weak moan escapes my mouth, and footsteps sound close by. "Leo?" a small voice asks. Hesitant. Hopeful.
Mikey. Come on, body. Move!
But it hurts too badly to even twitch a muscle. More footsteps, then: "Leo...hang on, bro." There's a prick in my left elbow. Sweet, cool relief flows outward from that spot, dulling the burning pain. And I discover that it isn't so hard to open my eyes after all.
Mikey's face lights up like a Christmas tree. "Dude! You're awake!"
"R-Raph," I croak, my throat and mouth dry. Donnie presses a cold glass of water to my lips, and I take a sip. I've never tasted anything so good. But I have to know. "Where's Raph?"
My genius brother sighs. "He's fine. You...you did good, Leo. He's okay."
"Where?" I press, fully aware that he's avoiding the question. I try to sit up, but Donnie pushes me back.
"Leo-"
"Where, Donnie?"
Finally, he gives in. "He's in his room. He wouldn't stop coming in here to check on you, so Master Splinter made him stay there."
"I want to see him."
"You're not ready-"
My hand grips his forearm. "Please, Donnie," I beg, my voice cracking. "I-I have to see him. I have to."
"Okay," he murmurs. "Mikey?"
"On it," my youngest brother says, heading out of the lab.
I shift positions, trying to make myself more comfortable. "Four days?" I ask.
Donnie nods grimly. "We weren't sure you were going to make it. What happened?"
"I don't know," I lie, avoiding his gaze. I know he knows I'm not telling the truth, but I can't tell them. Not yet.
After a minute of silence, Don speaks again. "All right," he replies, his tone chock-full of disbelief and suspicion. But before he can say anything else, I hear feet pounding the floor.
"Leo!"
My heart floods with warmth and relief as my immediate younger brother comes into view. "Hey, Raph."
"Let's give them some space, Mike," Donnie says. Mikey nods and they leave the room. As soon as they're gone, Raph's whole body stiffens with anger.
"You idiot!" he seethes, green eyes snapping with fire. He lands a punch on my shoulder, and I wince. "What did I say? Don't you ever sacrifice yourself for me!"
"You got it," I reply.
Raph's face softens. "And thanks," he says quietly.
"That's what brothers are for." The simple statement makes Raph grin. Then I hear something from outside the lab. Raph's eyes narrowing tells me that he hears it too.
"Did he tell you what happened?" Mikey asks.
"No...He's hiding something."
"Do you think...does he not trust us anymore?" The question sends a knife through my heart.
"What? Of course he trusts us. Why would you think that-"
"I just...wouldn't he tell us, if he trusts us?"
"...I don't know."
I don't need to look at Raph to know he's watching my reaction. A sigh escapes my mouth and I haul myself to my feet, ignoring the dizziness that sweeps over me. I make my way to the door of the lab.
When Donnie sees me, his eyes widen. "Leo, what are you doing up?"
"Get Sensei," I say, sounding stronger than I feel. "It's time I told you guys what happened to me in Firion Wolfe's labs."
The End
Author's Note: I know, I know. I left you all on a massive cliffhanger. But if you want to find out what happened to Leo, you'll have to wait and read the other short story I'm working on, "Light in the Darkness." Hope you all enjoyed this short story; I just wanted you to know what they kept referencing in chapter 7.
Until next time, guys...COWABUNGA!