Originally, this chapter was meant to go in my Brotherly Blunder collection, but I never really found a good moment to put it in! So here it is!


Brotherly Blunders Outtake 1:

Poisoned

I smiled with satisfaction as my katanas sliced down one Foot bot after the next. This was getting to be just too easy.

"NO!" Someone yelled, breaking my focus. I turned my head, and the next thing I knew, my immediate younger brother was shoving me backwards. I landed unceremoniously on my backside, my head hitting the wall. I groaned at the throbbing pain following the impact, but pushed myself to my feet. I'd have Donnie look over my injuries later. First and foremost, what the shell was Raphael thinking?!

Then, a metallic glint on a rooftop directly opposite Raph caught my eye. The hothead was standing exactly where I had been, that is, before he pushed me out of the way. I narrowed my eyes and focused on the metallic object. …Holy shit!

"Fall back!" I yelled to my brothers. Raphael didn't respond. "Raph!" I yelled as I ran to his side, fearing that he'd taken a shot for me. He turned towards me and there were no wounds. I let out a sigh of relief, and motioned him to follow. Raph nodded and ran after me.

Mikey and Donnie joined us and I threw down a smoke bomb to cover our escape into the sewers.

Raphael's POV

I'm still not sure what happened back there. I think I froze up 'cause of the shock, but I still can't believe I didn't get shot. I mean, honestly, what was the guy waiting for? He could have killed me, or Leo, or any of us! It's just a damn good thing I noticed him. I scratched an itching area on my shoulder half-mindedly. We're on our way back to the lair now, so at least we don't have to worry about snipers down here. My fingers brushed against something ominous, sending a small prick of pain through my collar bone area. I hissed, brushing my fingers over it again, trying to get a better feel for what it was. As I did so, I closed my eyes, trying to picture what I was feeling in my head. I slowed down a little, pulling back. "Leo." I called.

My older brother turned to me, and dropped back by my side as we continued to run back to the lair. "Raph, about earlier…thanks."

"Yur welcome." I grunted.

He nodded, and was about to go back up to the head of the group, but I reached out and held him back. Leonardo raised an eye-ridge, "What's up?"

"You know that sniper?"

He gave me a hard stare. "Yeah."

"Well, I don't think he was using bullets." I stated, yanking the object out of my chest and laying it flat on palm so my brother could see it.

Leo's face went from forest green to pale greenish-white. "Oh crap." He said. I could tell that he was just barely keeping it together. "Donnie!"

We slowed to a stop and Don and Mikey were by our side in moments. "What's up?" The brainiac asked.

"Raph's been shot."

Don's face filled with alarm as he examined me frantically.

"Not by a bullet Don. By this." I held the tiny dart out to him. The brainiac's hand reached out to touch it, but I caught his wrist. "Careful. It's probably poisoned."

"Where did it hit you?" he asked, looking for the puncture wound.

I pointed to the area just above my plastron and below my neck. Leonardo had a very solemn expression on his face. I knew what that look meant. If it had been a bullet, I would have died saving Leo's life.

"We have to get back to the lair. I won't be able to make an antidote without my equipment. Besides I have to analyze the poison to figure out what we're dealing with."

We rushed back into the lair with a great commotion. Don immediately dragged Raphael into the lab, Michelangelo following them silently, with a worried expression on his face. I watched them go, and made eye contact with Raph. He nodded in understanding.

Then I headed straight for the dojo. Master Splinter opened the doors just as I was about to enter, startling me.

"Leonardo, is everything alright? I heard a commotion."

I frowned and shook my head before explaining to Sensei what had occurred. We both entered the lab quietly.

My eyes immediately rested on Raph and Donnie. The latter was currently examining something under a microscope while the former lay face up on the lab table.

"Well Donatello?" Sensei prompted.

After a few moments of silence, Don's face darkened. He glared into the microscope. The anger melted into an expression of shock and terror. "Oh no."

"Donnie?" I asked, trying to elicit some sort of explanation.

He turned to us. Then he turned to Raphael. He took a few steps over to the table, then he bent down so that he was level with Raph's gaze. "Raphael, the dart…it wasn't poisoned, per say. It was filled with a deadly virus. I—I…" Donnie deflated, and put his hand over Raph's firmly.

Raph's expression was plain. But there was grave understanding in his eyes. "There's no cure, is there Donnie?"

Don's eyes teared up and he started to shake. "It's possible that you might survive, but the likelihood of an anyone under the age of thirty-five surviving this strain is..."

I stared. The meaning of the unspoken reply left me reeling. No. No, it couldn't mean…Raph was gonna die. No… Tears began to fill my own eyes.

Raph closed his eyes and let out a long, slow breath. He grabbed Donatello's hand and sat up, pulling his immediate younger brother into a tight hug.

"NO!" The sudden exclamation made all of us jump. I stared. Michelangelo's cheeks were wet with tears as he shook his head in denial. "No, it can't be true! There has to be something…"

"Michelangelo…" Splinter said softly, trying to soothe the youngest.

"No. I won't let you die! You can't! It's not fair!" He exclaimed.

I watched as Raph stood and slowly approached Michelangelo, pulling the littlest of the four of us into his arms with such tenderness that I was momentarily stunned. Raph held Mikey close as the youngest wept against his shell.

Tears began to form in my own eyes. My fault. This is all my fault. My precious younger brother is dying because of me!

I could no longer hold back the sobs. I could feel their eyes on me, but I refused to meet their gaze. Suddenly, strong arms wrapped around my middle. I didn't have to look to know whose arms they were.

"Sh." He murmured. "It's not your fault, Leo."

"It's all my fault." I argued. "You're going to die because of me!"

"I chose to, big brother."

I shook my head. No. He was my younger brother I was supposed to protect him, not the other way around.

"We all protect each other. Either way, the result would have been the same. I thought it was a shotgun, it turned out to be a dart-gun. Well it turns out they'll both yield the same results. One of us was going to die, brother. I sure as shell wasn't gonna let it be you."

"How can you be so calm about this?" I asked, my heart literally breaking at the thought of losing my hotheaded little brother.

He smiled. "It isn't easy. But I love you guys. I always will. You're safe now, and that's all that matters. The rest is just circumstantial. We still have a little time, big brother. I won't give up easily." He pulled me into another hug and whispered. "And I know I'm not alone."

"And you won't be. I'll stay by you…till the end."

"Make that a promise?" He asked, his voice sounding incredibly small and scared.

"I promise."


That was almost a day and a half ago. Raph's condition had worsened. He was sickly and weak. He'd lost the strength to stand and was confined to bed. His fever was outrageously high for a reptile and he was slowly fading. I have stayed by his side every waking moment. It hurts to see him this way, but I promised. I promised him I wouldn't leave him alone, and I will keep that promise, no matter what.


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