Pain seized him, making every muscle shake in agony. Leo's eyes widened and gasped as his body froze mid leap and fell short of the next roof. The concrete alleyway rushed to meet his face and it was all he could do to curl into the fetal position, placing his head between his plastron and knees. A grunt escaped from his lips as Leo collided with the cement. He reached for his eyes rubbing and massaging them as he panicked. NO! Damnit, this can't happen now! Not today! Leonardo screamed silently as a marching band pounded on his eyeballs and temples.

The old turtle gritted his teeth and started crawling forward out of the passage, concentrating only on putting one arm ahead of the other and what lay back at his current home. Minutes ticked by as Leo army crawled back towards his shelter, trying his best to go as fast as possible and to stick to the shadows.

Leonardo hissed in pain and dropped down, his arms giving out and his plastron hitting the torn up pavement hard. Shredded, sapphire eyes stared at distorted, blurry shadows as the once proud ninja panted for breath. The hot fire was coursing through every nerve, destroying the blind turtle from the inside out. Years ago, the day Leo lost his sight, he was injected with a poison that would rear its head every so often, rendering Leo weak and useless.

The trench coat clad mutant nearly moaned with relief when he felt a familiar, bent mailbox that stuck out of the ground in front of an abandoned apartment building. He blindly reached out and grasped the iron stake and heaved himself up and leaned heavily on it. Leo took shaking steps down a flight of broken stairs and felt the wall as he looked for a unhinged door. Leonardo staggered inside and took a few shaky steps before collapsing on a thin, worn mattress.

Leo tore his sunglasses off and pulled half of his body off the bedding, frantically searching for something. Blind pupils exploded as the turtle shoved a sharp needle into his arm and injected the contents into his carcass, giving a soundless moan as the heroin coursed through his body. It felt like every nerve in his body, even the ones that shouldn't have any feeling, were erupting into unimaginable pleasure. Better than any sex or emotion.

His body arched as much as it could with a shell, reacting to the drug. Leo panted as the dope raced up and down every limb. It felt so good. Hours ticked by and the sunset cast dying rays through the open door onto his ragged body. Leo closed his scarred eyelids and basked in the semi-warm rays and the afterglow of the drug.

A shadow cast over him, leaving parts of his body cold. "Ngh!" Leo grunted in protest as he was awoken from his dozing.

"Dammit Leo, what the hell?" A low, gruff voice whispered.

Mikey...

Heavy footsteps came closer to him and a cold finger brushed his cheek as the shadow became shorter. A copper scented breath warmed his face as Leo inhaled in the faint smell of blood and morning breath. He felt rough hands slightly tug at his coat and heard a gasp as a freezing hand held up his right arm and turned it slightly.

"Oh god."

His arm was dropped suddenly and Michelangelo's silhouette grew taller. "I'll be back soon, Leo."

Leo heard his little brother walk away and counted the seconds until the shadow returned. One, two, three...

When did Mikey change?...twenty six, twenty seven, twenty eight...when did we all change?

Forty five, forty six- I guess after Donnie left. After he left, we tried to stay together, but we couldn't...why?

The ninja blew out a puff of air and sighed. Maybe it was because he couldn't keep us in line with his words- seventy one, seventy two- he was the only one who could get me and Raph to calm down. Without Don to calm us down... eighty.

Minutes passed and then hours and Leo's mind grew fuzzy with sleep deprivation. Where the sun once warmed him, the moon cast a cruel, cold light on him and a bitter breeze ruffled the black overcoat and blew on his scarred face. Leonardo forced himself to stay awake, half hoping for and half doubting his little brother's promised return. The shenobi sighed as he moved to get up, wincing at the sound of his bones creaking. He should have known better than to believe Mikey. The one armed turtle cared much more about the Resistance than his brothers, the only reason why Michelangelo probably came was to see why Leo didn't show up to the meeting that April had scheduled and re-scheduled time and time again to make sure he'd be there.

Leo groaned as he shakily stood and took an unsteady step towards the door, reaching for the ductape that held it shut during the night. He tore a strip off and tried to push the door shut, only to find resistance. Leonardo was pushed slightly and took a few steps backwards. He reached for his lone katana and brandished it in front of him and growled, ignoring the weakness he felt in his limbs and joints.

"Put it back, Leo. I'm not here to fight."

Mikey's voice came from the smudged figure in front of him. Leo squinted, knowing it wouldn't do anything, trying to make the blur focus in. A hand rested on his shoulder, steering him back towards the pallet. Leonardo let himself be pushed down to a laying position on the threadbare mattress. He felt a blanket being draped over him and then Mike somehow lifting his head up and shoving a thin pillow under it. The blind turtle felt a one armed, heartfelt hug.

"Try ta lay off the drugs, Leo," Michelangelo whispered in his persistent Californian accent, jaded by life.

"Thanks, Mikey," Leonardo croaked and returned the hug. He felt Mike freeze in the unexpected grasp and felt himself being brushed off. Leo heard his brother walk away with purposefully audible footsteps. As the eldest turtle fell asleep he missed two precious, whispered words.

"Goodnight, aniki."

TBC