Athese and I have agreed to a request trade-off, and she requested a one-shot in which Mikey and Splinter are captured and tortured by Shredder, which lots of fluff of course!

Remember to go visit Athese's profile and read her stories! They're amazing!

NOTE: There will probably be grammar mistakes which I will fix late.

Warning: Disturbing content in this fic.

Another blow to the face. More blood specks on the cold concrete floor.

Running down his face from his left eyebrow to the right corner of his mouth we're two ugly scars that continued to bleed heavily. He was in so much pain that his ears were ringing loudly and he could faintly hear his son calling out to him.

His heart dropped when he was once again reminded that Michelangelo was trapped in here with him, watching his father slowly being killed. He had only himself to blame for being so foolish and underestimating Oroku Saki. He prayed that the other boys had mananged to escape.

Someone grabbed his chin and forced him to look up. Saki's cold, bloodthirsty eyes bore into his. "You cannot endure this torture much longer, Yoshi," he hissed, painfully digging his fingers into Splinter's skin. "Soon you will either crack or die."

Mikey desperately tugged at his chains. "Leave him alone!" he yelled angrily. Like Splinter, he was chained up to the prison wall, his wrists bound in shackles. "Why can't you just leave him alone?! You seriously think killing your old friend will finally make you happy, you miserable ol' bucket-head?!"

Shredder let go of Splinter and stomped over to Mikey, who slightly pulled his head back into his shell. The Foot leader glared down at the Turtle and grabbed him by the rim of his plastron. "No. Both he and his children must pay for his sins." He sadistically pricked Mikey's cheek with his blades, drawing a bit of blood. "Only then will my soul finally find peace."

But Mikey just glared up at him defiantly and sneered. "You're so deranged, dude," he spat. "No wonder Tang Shen dumped you." He smirked when he saw Saki's blind eye twitch, knowing that he struck a nerve.

With an enraged yell, Shredder backhanded him across the jaw with so much force that he broke a tooth off, which Mikey spat out. "You will pay for your insolence, Turtle," he hissed. Then he smiled to himself under his mask as he suddenly got an idea on how to deal with the Turtle's disrespectful behavior. "Perhaps it would be best if we got rid of that impertinent tongue of yours," he growled as he painfully squeezed Mikey's cheeks, forcing him to open his mouth.

Splinter's ears perked up and his eyes widened in alarm, and his protective instincts kicked in as he pulled against his chains. "Saki, no!" he pleaded. "Leave him!"

Shredder ignored him and lifted his blades, all the while squeezing Mikey's cheeks even harder. The Turtle whimpered and watched in horror as the blades slowly got closer to his lips...

"SAKI!"

The sight of his child about to be tortured gave him enough strenght to break the chain that held back his right hand and they snapped in half. The sound of the chains scattering all over the floor, he whipped his head around and was astonished by what he was seeing.

Mikey's couldn't believe what he was seeing neither. It both amazed and terrified him to see his father display such inhuman strength.

Splinter struggled to break the other chain, but then Shredder stabbed him right through his shoulders and pinned him to the wall. He threw his head back and a screamed in pain, blood soaking his robe.

"SENSEI!" Mikey watched in horror as Shredder pulled the blades out of his father's body, and blood smeared on the wall as Splinter slowly slid down to the floor, hanging by his left arm.

But Splinter weakly lifted his head, his pointy ears trembling in pain. "S...Saki..." he rasped. "Don't...hurt my child. Do what...you want with me...but spare...my son."

Mikey started to sob, tears spilling down his now bruised cheeks. "N-No...Sensei..." he whispered.

Shredder seemed to consider this for a moment, looking down at the floor in thought. Then he once again grabbed Splinter's chin and snapped his head up. "Think carefully over your choice of words, Yoshi, for you may regret ever saying them."

Splinter only narrowed his eyes in defiance. "Need I repeat myself? Spare him...and do what you want with me."

Nothing pleased Saki more than to see his longtime rival submitting himself to his fate, and he made Splinter look directly at Mikey, whose breathing hitched the moment they locked eyes. "Very well. If you have anything to say to him, say it now."

Splinter swallowed as his eyes brimmed with tears as he stared at his son. This could very well be the last time he'd ever speak to his son again, so he had to choose the right words to say to him. But there were so many things to say in such a short amount of time. In the end, all he manage was a choked up whisper, "Be brave, Michelangelo."

Mikey didn't even have the opportunity to say something back, for as soon as Splinter whispered those three words, Shredder pinned him against the wall and proceeded to torture him. All Mikey could see was Shredder's back, but he could hear his Sensei grunting and groaning, then he began to choke. Whether he was choking on his own blood or Saki had his hands around his throat, Mikey didn't know, and he started to panic.

"STOP!" Mikey screamed, now pulling on his chains harder than ever. "STOP PLEASE!"

Just then a faint booming sound went off outside and the ground shook. Shredder immediately stopped torturing Splinter and whipped his head toward the direction of the sound, his eyes wide. He then flung something bloody across the room and ran to the prison door, slamming it behind him as he walked out. Being in a very dark room with no windows, Mikey couldn't see what Shredder had just tossed away, and he really didn't want to know, but Splinter was sitting with his back against the wall, slumped over and his chin drenched in blood. He was so still that he seemed lifeless.

"S...Sensei...?" Mikey whispered shakily to him. No response. "Papa...?" he was now squeaking pitifully. Splinter didn't respond to him. "Papa, please don't be dead...!"

He could hear somebody barging into the main hall of the Foot headquarters, along with the sound of swords clanging and punches being delivered, but all he cared about right now was the unresponsive, possibly dead mutant rat who sat directly across from him. Then the prison doors banged open as his brothers came rushing in, covered in bruises, scratches, and even blood.

Leo's blue eyes widened in horror when he saw the terrible shape Splinter was in. "SENSEI!" he screamed as he rushed to Splinter's side, freeing his left hand and checking him over. Donnie's face blanched and joined Leo while Raph wasted no time in freeing Mikey by slicing the chains in half with his twin sai.

"Mikey, are you okay?" Raph asked, gently rubbing his thumbs over the cuts on his brother's freckled cheeks.

Mikey shook his head and weakly slapped Raph's hands away. "I'm fine. Forget about me," he sobbed quietly. "Go help Master Splinter."

"Donnie and Leo are helping him, Mikey," Raph softly said as he soothingly rubbed his brother's left arm. "Lemme help you now."

Leo quickly ripped off a piece of Splinter's sleeve to wipe the blood that continued to flow down the rat's chin in streams. "Why is he bleeding so much?!" he yelled to Donnie.

The genius Turtle shoved his brother aside and examined the inside of Splinter's mouth, very gently and carefully lifting his chin and lowering his jaw. What he saw made his stomach churn and he couldn't hold back a loud gasp.

"What?!" a panicked Leo demanded. "What's wrong with him?!"

But Donnie didn't answer his question and instead flung Splinter's right arm over his shoulder. "Leo, help me!" he barked. "We need to get him to the lair now!"

Mikey spent the rest of the night on the couch, hugging a pillow close and praying with all his heart that Master Splinter would make it. Raph sat next to him and rubbed his shell the entire time, stopping only to grab a couple of drinks.

At one point, Mikey looked up from his pillow and over at Raph with wet, red eyes. "What happened to the Shredder?" he croaked.

"We took care of him," Raph immediately said with no emotion in his voice, though there was a fire in his eyes that burned at the mention of that name.

Although the answer was a little vague, it was enough for Mikey and he nodded before he buried his face into the pillow again. It was a little comforting to know that they would never have to face Shredder ever again, but it still wouldn't hurt any less if they lost their father.

After hours of waiting and praying, Donnie and Leo finally stepped out of the lab. Both looked utterly exhausted and the white tape on their hands and fingers were now soaked in blood. Their father's blood.

Without saying a word, the two headed straight for the kitchen and to the sink, where they proceeded to wash their hands. Raph and Mikey anxiously waited for the news of Splinter's condition. Donnie was the first to finish and walk over to the couch.

He sighed softly and rubbed his temples as he stood in front of his brothers, and that was enough to push Raph over the edge and he brought his fist down on the cushion of the couch. "Quit stalling, Donnie!" he yelled. "How is he?!"

"He'll live," Donnie quietly said, but there was a very grim look on his face.

Mikey bit down on his lower lip so hard that he started to bleed. There was obviously something that their brother wasn't telling them.

"If he's gonna be okay," Raph leaned forward, gripping the edge of the cushion, "then why are you acting so gloomy like he's dying or something?"

"I said he'll live. But I didn't say that he'll be okay. He's far from okay."

Raph blinked, not sure how to take those news. "Wh-What do you mean, Donnie?"

"He'll never talk again," Leo said as he stepped into the living room and stood next to Donnie. His midnight blue eyes were dull, tired, and sad. "Shredder cut most of his tongue off."

Mikey dropped the pillow in horror and shock.

His tongue.

That monster cut off his father's tongue.

All because he couldn't hold his own.

"...n-no," he whispered. "That's not...no..."

Raph was also in denial, and he was about to blow from all the rage building up in him. "You're lying," he growled. "This is some kind of sick joke."

Donnie somberly shook his head. "If only it were. Aside from assisting him in eating, we're all going to have to learn sign language so that we'll be able to communicate with him now that he's lost his ability to talk."

"Donnie's right," Leo said with a nod. "I know this is hard to believe, surreal even. But it's time to repay him for all those years of taking care of us by taking care of him. He's going to need a lot of attention from now on, and if that means learning sign language, then so be it."

Raph sighed heavily and nodded. "Yeah, okay," he mumbled. "I just...can't believe this is really happening."

"Mikey, do you understand what we just told you?" Leo softly asked, touching his youngest brother's shoulder.

Hot tears were now spilling down Mikey's cheeks, and he slowly nodded. "Y-Yeah," he sniffled. "Can...can we see him now?"

"He's sleeping right now," Donnie said. "But you can go see him. Just be very quiet."

...

Both Mikey and Raph stepped into the lab, and sleeping peacefully in a hospital bed was their father and Sensei. A large breathing tube had been shoved down his throat, helping him to breathe. In the place where his tongue used to be was a white medical cloth, and both corners of his mouth had ugly lacerations which were stitched up.

It was just too much for Mikey and he made a beeline for the door, but Raph caught him by the arm.

"Mikey, where are you going?" Raph whispered.

Mikey painfully shut his eyes and shook his head. "I can't be here," he whimpered. "I just can't."

Raph gently squeezed his arm and gave it a slight tug toward the bed. "Come on, Mikey. Don't be like this. Splinter needs you. Be brave."

Be brave, Michelangelo.

Taking a deep, shaky breath, Mikey turned around and slowly approached Splinter. He got down on his knees and took his father's hands, tenderly kissing them. "I'm so sorry, Papa," he softly said as he nuzzled Splinter's hands. "I'm so, so sorry."

Hearing that broken voice and those apologetic words coming out of his brother's mouth tugged at Raph's heart and he stood behind Mikey, soothingly rubbing his shell. "It wasn't your fault."

Mikey shook his head. "It was."

"Mikey-"

"I'm the one who should've had his tongue cut off, but Master Splinter took it for me."

"What do you mean?"

"You're always saying that I should learn when to shut up. I said something to Shredder that really ticked him off, and he was gonna punish me. But then Sensei volunteered to take the punishment for me."

Raph was absolutely shocked and heartbroken by Mikey's confession. "Oh, Little Brother..."

"Do you hate me now?" Mikey glanced up at Raph over his shoulder with puffy red eyes.

"No," Raph shook his head and gave Mikey a sad smile. "Of course not. You weren't the one who cut his tongue off. Shredder was a sadistic S.O.B, as you already know. He would've tortured you even if you didn't say anything. And Splinter took it because that's what fathers do: they protect their sons, even give their lives for them. He did it because he loves you."

Mikey sniffled and nuzzled his father's hands again. "I still feel so ashamed."

"Well, don't. You should be honored to have a Dad who loves you that much. Some people aren't as lucky as you are. Now come on, no more tears. You really want Splinter waking up to your snot-covered face?"

Mikey chuckled weakly and dried his tears with the back of his hand. "You got a point, bro."

Instead of playing video games or reading comic books with Ice Cream Kitty, Mikey spent most of his time learning sign language. It was hard and a little frustrating at times, as it is for any language, but he learned thirteen signs within a week.

Once he had awakened and was feeling better enough, Splinter practiced signing, too, though he learned much quicker than the Turtles did, which was convenient. Nendless to say, it had become much more difficult for him to eat, but he was thankful that he was still able to drink his favorite herbal tea.

He never failed to notice the guilt that was written all over Mikey's face when he was around. The young Turtle tried to hide his emotions with a forced smile, but of course, Splinter saw right through that, and it broke his heart to see his normally happy son so full of remorse.

A few months after that fateful event, Splinter was mediating in the dojo when he picked up the sound of footsteps going down the hall. He immediately recognized them belonging to Mikey and tapped loudly on the floor with his staff.

Mikey stopped dead in his tracks the moment he heard that tapping sound. He gulped and sucked in a deep breath before he opened the dojo door and stepped in. He knelt in front of his Sensei but refused to look up and cast his eyes down at the floor.

A gentle hand lifted his chin and Splinter's kind brown eyes looked straight into his. Then he signed, Please do not be sad. It breaks my heart to see you sad.

Mikey sighed and nodded. "I know. I'm sorry, Sensei. It's just...I shouldn't have pushed Shredder like that."

Splinter shook his head. You said nothing that was not true. Saki could not face the truth about himself and took his anger out on us. You are a bigger man than he ever was. And I am proud to be your father.

Mikey felt a twinge of pride at the praise he just received from his father and he smiled a little. "Thank you, Sensei." But then he frowned. "You still can't talk, though."

Splinter patted Mikey's shoulder. I can still talk. Just not with words. It is a change we must all face, but we will face it together as a family. And look. He pointed to the corners of his mouth, which were scarred from Shredder's torture. He lifted them into a smile. My smile is even bigger now.

Indeed, the scars made it look like Splinter was smiling even wider, and Mikey couldn't hold back the laughter despite himself. That was certainly one way of looking at it. Even he could learn a thing or two about optimism from Master Splinter.

"Yeah," Mikey giggled. "You've got the biggest smile of all, Sensei."