Lost
Plot: Their oldest brother disappeared three years ago soon after their father's departure from this earth,soon enough they find him with no memories of his past, but having many of the same enemies.
Prologue:
Worried was an understatement compared to the feeling Donatello had for his brother and family. Since the second his father had become ill, his brother was already going through the steps of grieving, almost like preparing himself before hand so the blow wouldn't strike as hard. Day in and day out Leonardo shifted through the steps, it always started with denial, the one that scared Don the most, in the whole time had known his brother he had never seen him laugh this much. Making a joke about everything with that horrifyingly fake smile, always wanting to play games and laugh that heart breaking laugh pretending things were ok and nothing at all was wrong, even Mike didn't go that far to laugh at nothing.
Once Don had walked into the kitchen to find him laughing about how Red Barron was a pizza and a real person, at that point Mike stopped laughing with him and started leaving the room every time he started up his denial faze again. Then anger would always come up next when his smile that tried to tell himself everything was ok disappeared. Don noted Ralph adored this faze, it must have brought back fond child hood memories of them fighting over everything and Don didn't pretend not to notice that Ralph was always in this stage in comparison to Mike being in denial and him being in acceptance, it had never been a surprise to him, he didn't want it to happen, no, but his father was old and his sickness made him suffer, it was for the best, no matter how much the rest of them were falling to pieces over it.
But even Ralph had his limits, no matter how many fond memories linked him and Leo to fighting to tell each other they love each other, even he sometimes couldn't bear to fight back with his brother when he was yelling about how the toaster was 5 inch away from the exact position he had left it in that morning, Ralph probably almost felt it was his job to break things when they got into fights and didn't know what to do when his brother would smash something and storm out of the room. But as unbearable as the first steps were, nothing would compare to depression. When Don saw him just wandering around like a zombie void of all emotions, he just wished he would go back to breaking things or laughing at nothing and he just hated to see what his idea of bargaining or acceptance would be, but not surprisingly he always agreed with Raph when he said that Leo was more of a threat to them then he would ever be to himself and as if always on cue they would hear the shattering of something and their brother's irritated growl.
It was in the depression stage that Donatello found his brother in one fine morning, two months after the announcement of the disease and it was sure to be the day they had all been dreading, or at least Leo must have felt it was as he stepped out of the door of his father's room and had been strolling around the room pointlessly since then his face pale and blank, a sigh escaping his mouth every two seconds.
"So Leo what did Splinter say?" Don asked concernedly staring into his brother's paling face, sitting on the couch next to his other two brothers.
"Yeah…" Leo said with no hints of emotion, not seeming to hear what his brother said, his other brothers shrugging to Don's confused look.
"Don't bother…anythin ya say he'll just direct back with 'Yeah' 'Sure' or my personal favorite,' Whatever'…and to think when Splinter dies he'll be leading us! Or maybe he'll start hearing voices at that point and slaughter us…or maybe the foot will kill us of before he gets the chance then he'll get to kill innocent bystanders…" Raph grumbled, Mike snickering beside him.
"Shut up Raph! Splinter's not going to die!" Leo yelled the words sinking in all at once making the fake smile appear, "Every thing's going to be fine! Fine! Fine! Fine! I know! Let's play space invaders! Hahahahahaha…" it sounded more like he was about to cry then he was laughing making Mike sink into his seat in a terrified way and Raph's eyes flash I told you…, but Don wasn't about to watch his family fall apart, Leo needed to get out before he lost his last nerve and proved Raph right. Thinking quickly he grabbed his older brother's pale arm leading him to the door his brothers' not far behind.
"Leo…I think you need to get out for a little while…" he said softly his brothers nodding agreeably Leo all the while shaking his head.
"But what if Splinter needs something…" he said in his gentle void of emotions voice, Don instantly wanted to kick himself, he had no idea what to say, he only knew his brother needed to get a hold of himself and fresh air away from here was the only way he possibly could.
"But Leo…" Raph quickly countered thinking fast, "He needs tea! We're out! You need to go out and buy him some and I won't take no for an answer…" he added quickly as Leo opened his mouth, then without hesitation practically threw his older brother out the door throwing a trench coat and hat to him, shutting the door in his face.
"Ok…hopefully he'll pull himself together and come back accepting that our father's old!" Don said with a sigh of relief relaxing on the couch.
"Or at least a more stable way of grieving," Mike acclaimed popping his back, "He always starts out so happy when we start to wrestle then soon enough he's pissed that I can't do something right."
"Leo stable? You're kidding right?" Raph growled sinking into the couch making them all actually laugh for the first time in awhile, but stopping short at their father's weakened call for his sons. A worried look etching across their faces as quaking slightly they walked toward the door.
"My sons," he called weakly yet with happiness in his voice, "Wait...where is Leonardo?"
"He's just getting more tea.." Raph said honestly not mentioning that they practically threw him out, "He'll be back soon…"
With a weary smile he said softly, "I do not have 'soon' as you say…"
All their hearts acted as one for this last moment regretting that they picked now for Leo to go get a hold of himself, but possibly this was for the best seeing the way he had been acting lately.
"I have talked with Leonardo already through, he promised to keep the family together as I have always, I just ask of you that you don't fight every second of the day when I pass on," his eyes were sternly on Raphael who simply nodded in understanding, holding tears back trying to keep up his strong persona. Don was already trying to comfort an already crying Mike.
"Do not cry Michelangelo, my spirit will always be with you my sons," they all nearly broke into tears at that," And I love you…"
"We love you too splinter…" Don said instantly being the most composed of the three, "And so does Leo…he just needs to be alone before he snaps…I hope you will understand…"
"Yes I know Donatello…I hope that when he gets back you stop him from doing anything stupid or rash…" Don simply nodded; silence filled the room as everything went cold. The silence could have lasted forever if wasn't for the ringing of Don's shell phone.
"Hello Leo…" he said softly.
"What kind of Tea?" his emotionless voice replied.
"It doesn't matter anymore Leo, it just doesn't matter…" his shaking voice said simply hanging up the phone and finally letting tears fall looking to their master's limp body lying on the bed.
…
Donny almost felt like Leo as he stared at the clock as it ticked by slowly, Mike was crying softly next to him and Raph was stalking around the room like a lunatic ready to dice them into pieces. It felt as if death's shadow hadn't left yet, it was still there making their blood run cold and making them all act as if they were strangers, too far off into their own minds to remember they were brothers.
"Where is he?" Raph yelled making Mike jump and Donny come back to the land of the living eyes shooting towards their brother, his finger stuck on the clock.
"Who?" they both stammered making Raph more furious.
"The Easter bunny! Who the hell do you think? Leo! Forget him already?" Donny remained quiet not wanting to spark the flame, that was Leo's job any way.
Quickly Don yanked out his shell phone dialing his brother, after the first couple of tries of dial tone Raph was getting irritable. Growling he quickly snatched the phone, dial tone went off yet again and again as he did it again and again and again until finally a screeching noise came from the phone followed by a monotone woman stating over and over, "I'm sorry the number you are trying to reach is unavailable….please hang up and try again.."
Without saying anything Raph dropped the phone and ran out the door his brothers following his suit.
…
As soon as they were out on the roof tops they could almost tell something was wrong, it was all silent, too silent. As they neared the convenient store Leo most likely went to, disaster began to unfold, starting with the shattered shell phone on the edge of the building's roof. Blood droplets, dried now scattered across the roof. Quickly Raph ran to the edge of the roof to find a big blood stain splatted across the ground below, without even thinking he ran off the roof following the blood trail through the swerving back alley his heart beating faster as he came to a halt at the ally's end to find one of Leo's shattered katanas. Raph fell to his knees shaking grabbing the hilt, his mind going blank.
Don put his hand on his shoulder to calm him only to be thrown against a wall, "This is your fault!"
"You're the one who threw him out!" Don shot back trying to push his brother off him who clung to him tighter ready to kill, tears finally running down his face. After a long moment of silence, he shot his fist across Don's face knocking him to the ground, his fingers tightening around the hilt crying harder now, Mike not knowing what to do. Sirens flaring in the back ground, making him uneasy.
"Not here guys! We have to go!" Mike begged coming between his brothers who looked like they were about to start Mortal Combat.
"Leo," Raph began, but Mike stopped him hearing the sirens getting louder.
"Bro we'll find him…but right now we need to get outta here!" Mike said sternly not ready to give in, finally making Raph nod his head in approval, disappearing to the top of the building the hilt still tightly in his hand.
-tbc