The Light's Edge by The Creepy-Psycho-Loner
Disclaimer: All characters, places, etc. are not owned by me. I simply do the plot.
AN: I haven't been hit with a plot bunny this hard in foreeevvveerr. Thank you to everyone who reads my stories, you give me nothing but inspiration. I poured my heart and soul into this piece and hope you enjoy it as much as I do.
For the three days now, Mikey has been waking up with a deep sorrow in his heart. It felt as if something must have been missing but Mikey didn't know what. At first, Donatello suggested maybe he had a bad case of indigestion, albeit he was offering it as a joke. Mikey's once vivid dreams are no more. Raph and Donnie noticed the uncharacteristic taciturn in their brother's behavior but Mikey insisted that even he didn't know what was going on. Usually he got these sad pangs from being in the dojo; that's what led them all to deduce that Mikey probably just missed Splinter, who would be returning in a few days. So in the meantime, Mikey would have to just distract himself, keep him preoccupied.
In his heart, however, Mikey knew that it wasn't the case. Splinter always took these week long trips and never had he once gone through a depression because of it. There was a void inside of him, one he never felt before. A love that was missing from within and he couldn't fill it with anything else. That hole in his heart was reserved for one person, or thing. When he, Raph, and Donnie went to do daily practice, it never seemed to be right. Not when they ate dinner together, if they ever ate at all. Raph was usually gone and Donnie always had better things to do elsewhere. Mikey cried himself to sleep on the third night.
"I don't get it," Mikey said, not with his usual gusto, but a somber undertone. Someone mysterious looked at him… who was he again? He was a turtle like him! With a blue mask. He sat next to Mikey and placed a comforting arm around him.
"What's wrong, buddy?" he said. Mikey leaned into the touch and sighed.
"Why don't Raph and Donnie ever just… I don't know… be here?"
The blue turtle smiled at him and gave him a light kiss on the forehead. "I ask myself that same question every day since we all became so different than each other. I guess we all outgrew each other. But I hope my little Mikey never outgrows old man Le-
Mikey awoke with the sound of his alarm clock. Was… that a dream, or a memory? It seemed too real to be made up. For some unexplained reason, Le from his dreams had a new name, Leonardo. It would fit the renaissance theme of the family and even despite that, the name rolled off the tongue like Mikey had said it millions of times before. Leonardo might have only been a mirage. For now, Mikey would shake it off as a freaky coincidence.
When he went downstairs, he wasn't surprised to see the living room so lifeless. He made a quick beeline into the kitchen to make his scrambled egg breakfast for one. When he finished cooking, he brought his plate to the living room to eat. He turned on the TV and a show, Space Heroes' theme song played. Mikey knew the lyrics, even though he's sure he'd never seen this show before. A thought made his mind race;
Leonardo loved this show.
For the first time in a few days, Mikey made dinner for three. Raph was tired, and it wasn't like anyone was brave enough to tell him what he was doing was kind of idiotic, since his family needs him at home. Leonardo would. Oh, and poor Donnie could almost look emaciated the way his shoulders stuck out. Who would be there to tell him to get some sleep? Leonardo. Mikey didn't even feel like being happy anymore. Most hours of the day, his brothers could find him staring blankly at the wall. Leonardo, would you help me, too?
"Duh of course, aren't you my brother, too?" Leonardo said, his face shining brighter than the sun. Mikey beamed at him too of course. They were sitting under that pear tree at Casey's Grandma's Farmhouse looking at the sky and talking about life.
"Well yeah but I thought you were too old to play with action figures?"
Leonardo chortled. "I didn't know I had gray hairs already."
"Well you do!" was the yell that interrupted one of the many memories Mikey had of his new brother, Leonardo. Mikey exited his room and walked downstairs to see his two brothers on either side of the room. Both whom were equally tired, with big ugly bags under their eyes.
"Forget you Donnie, fa'real. You act like ya know ev'rything but you don't!" Raph yelled, his arms flailing in the air for emphasis. "I'm tha one out here ev'ry day riskin' my life to keep bread on this table and what do I get? Some naggin' from you, saying what I'm doing is wrong!"
"Because I'm right! You're barely here, and you keep acting like nothing bad at home is going on. Mikey hasn't eaten in 2 days, Raphael. He stares at the wall all day long, and I think he might have schizophrenia because he just sits there and smiles like it's talking to him or something!"
"Mikey's always been crazy!"
"Schizophrenia doesn't mean crazy! Don't call my brother crazy!"
"Well some brother you are 'cause sittin' in the lab all day really makes all that mucha difference, huh?"
Donnie grew silent, and sad. "I don't know what I'm doing…"
Raph had no sympathies as he scoffed. "Right."
"Neither one of you know anything!" Mikey yelled. The two looked at him with wide eyes, as if they didn't see him standing there listening to them. "If he was here, maybe my life would be better! But he isn't so I have nothing," Mikey sobbed wetly, which threw everything off kilter. Donnie panicked and ran to his brother, bringing Mikey close to his chest as Mikey's heart began to break, the same way it did nearly 5 days ago. "Do you know what it feels like to have your heart ripped from your chest? It HURTS. Because I miss him!"
Donnie began to whisper soothingly sweet nothings in Mikey's ear."I'm so sorry Mikey… I'm so sorry… shhh… its okay…"
Raph stood there, uncomfortable but didn't want to leave. Instead he walked next to his brothers and began to rub Mikey's back. "Who's him?"
Mikey didn't miss a beat. "Leo." When Mikey looked up, he could see the confusion in both brothers' faces. "Our brother."
"We don't have a brother named Leo."
Mikey's eyes grew sad but perked upon a thought. "I can tell you everything about him, if you want!"
For the next day after that, Donnie had been suggesting that maybe Mikey created "Leo" because he felt abandoned by the family. Splinter would be home tomorrow, much to the family's relief. Mikey definitely didn't leave his room after that. The looks his brothers gave him really scared Mikey. Was he really sick like Donnie said? Those dreams were memories in disguise, right? Mikey pulled the covers tighter over his head, in embarrassment. It made sense what Donnie said, though. If they had a brother named Leonardo, then wouldn't there be evidence of him? There was no weapons, no bandana, no room…
No room?
Mikey jumped out of his bed at ran down the hall of their lair to the room hidden in the corner. He opened it to see a bed, and a dresser with a mirror. A tall bookshelf stood behind a simple desk and lamp.
"I've always wondered why you like having the creepy room in the corner," Mikey said one day, hanging out in his eldest brother's room.
"If something were to happen, I would be in the stealthiest position. No one would see me coming until it's too late," Leo responded, eyes never leaving his book.
"Wow I never thought about it like that."
They were all in a room. Scratch that, Leo was nowhere to be found. Mikey tried to get up but the straps on his chair held him down. In the background he heard talking.
"Don't worry; this amnesia serum will only wipe their minds of the blue turtle for a week, just like Bishop asked."
"By then it would be too late… Isn't Bishop doing the operation on the seventh day? I almost feel sorry for them, to lose a brother before they even knew he was their brother..."
"Yeah I know what you mean… but we have a job to fulfill. Give them the doses so we can get out of here."
He watched as three people held up needles, one for each of his brothers. He tried to struggle but it was fruitless. The last thing he remembers is a deep pain in his head before he overcame to darkness.
Mikey yelled for his brothers and surprisingly, both showed up. They hesitated while looking around.
"Whose room is…?"
"It's Leo's. And I know where he is."
Raph gave Mikey a painful look, like he couldn't wrap his brain around this new piece of evidence. Donnie lost his mind already. Was this real? Was Leo actually… real?
"Well," Raph began, voice uncertain. Raph was never uncertain. But suddenly his eyes shone with an unwavering determination. "What're we waitin' for? Let's get 'im back."
Mikey beamed at his hot headed brother and looked to Donnie, eyes pleading. Donnie chuckled before ruffling Mikey's head. "Mikey, my brain hurts too much right now to protest anyway."
They were in the air ducts, looking through each crate below when they saw him. He wasn't tied up or anything but he was skinny and tired. Donnie signaled for them to do their plan. It was to get in, grab Leo, and leave without any confrontation. They attached the rope to Donnie, who weighed less than them, and lowered him into the room. Once he landed, Donnie crept up to Leo who woke up on guard immediately but eased up when he saw who it was.
"Donnie?" He questioned unbelievably. "But I... I thought… They told me they wiped your memories."
Donnie gave him a polite smile. "They did, but apparently they didn't wipe Mikey's good enough."
Leo smiled and held Donnie in an embrace and Donnie didn't question it. They fit too perfectly together for Donnie to question the authenticity of whether or not this turtle was indeed the Leo in Mikey's dreams. Raph and Mikey pulled the rope, ascending the brothers just in time because two scientists came in not even ten seconds after.
The alarms would sound, alerting the escape of their captive turtle, but all that wouldn't matter because they would be long gone.
They didn't have time to say anything while escaping. They were running too swiftly, to get to their lair of safety. As soon as they got to the lair, Mikey enveloped Leo in the biggest hug he could muster. Leo hugged just a back with the same amount of fierceness and love. "Leo," Mikey screamed and sobbed. That was all he had to say, though, because Leo understood everything.
"I love you."
The next day or two is when Raph and Donnie got their memories back. Donnie stopped going in his lab altogether to spend more time with his family, and Raph? The thought of leaving his brothers was too preposterous. Home was where all of them resided, and Mikey's heart was full once more.
"Ok Mikey, We'll Humor you. Tell us about "Leo"."
"Well, he has deep brown eyes, just like tea. And it's really cool, y'know, since he loves tea. He also likes to read, and I think he has a book collection. His favorite genre is Old Timey Japan. He likes this show called Space Heroes, and is totally a Captain Ryan fan boy! He is the oldest of all of us, and that makes Raph mad sometimes, especially since he's leader and Raph doesn't like to listen to rules. We can tease him sometimes and call him Splinter Jr. or Fearless Leader. He's really badass, and strong, and he loves us more than anything in this world. That's Leonardo Hamato."