Author's Note:Holy plot bunnies, Batman! Another one shot?! o.o I'm on a role so far! XD I understand that we haven't even entered October yet, but this little idea has been buzzing around in my head for about a week or so. I guess it's just my excitement for Halloween coming up. XD Guess who's gonna be a butt-kicking Ninja Turtle this year! THIS GAL! XD

I'm trying this new thing where I write stuff that's a little bit out of my comfort zone. I'm not used to writing stuff that's dark and serious, but I have to say, I'm having a lot of fun dipping my toes in this new found oasis of suspense and angst. :D I'll make up for it though, since my next chapter to my story, "The Waiting Ones" is supposed to be nothing but goofiness. :3

Alright! Now before I get on with the chapter, I'd like to give a quick warning. Although this story is about the adorably cute turtle tots, it's rated T for a reason. I couldn't get past Raphael not saying at least a few swear words, but they're pretty mild. I've heard ten year old's scream out worst language than the occasional 'ass' and 'bastard' which is actually very, very sad. :P Also, there's teeny tiny mentions of adult content, but I don't want to voice what it is because that'll give away the little twist. It's pretty subtle in my opinion, so you readers shouldn't be too worried. :)

Whelp, I think that's it. Enjoy the fic!

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles

"Even Superheroes Need Saving"

Leonardo tugged on the many fibers sprouting from the edges of his scarf, leaning back and letting out an impatient groan; trick-or-treat bag in hand. "Mikey, will you hurry up? It's getting darker by the minute and Master Splinter doesn't want us out for too long."

"At this rate there ain't gonna be any good candy left, so move your shell and let's go!" Raphael barked, pushing himself off from leaning against the hallway wall, his small hands clenched into tight fists as he shot daggers at the closed door that lead to their bedroom.

It had been a solid twenty-two minutes from what Don had calculated earlier since Mikey had locked himself in their room, putting the 'finishing touches' on his Halloween costume – a project he had kept under wraps for the past couple of days. It took much begging and pleading – as well as promises to throw in a few added chores around the lair – but Master Splinter was finally allowing the four to go venturing off into the streets by themselves, figuring that ten years old was the rightful age to where the boys didn't need a chaperon. It was their very first Halloween where they had the freedom to do whatever they wanted and Michelangelo was taking advantage of the situation by making himself a costume – one that he had spent nearly two hours past bedtime piecing together until it was absolutely perfect.

"You dudes are gonna love this, just you wait!" Michelangelo chirruped from behind the closed door, making Donatello role his eyes exasperatedly.

"We've been waiting, Mikey."

"Yeah, and I'm about ready to leave your ass here and go off trick-or-treatin' on my own." Raphael gruffed, his arms crossed over his plastron while he gripped his trick-or-treat bag intolerantly.

"Master Splinter told us we need to stay together no matter what," Leo pointed out, shooting Raph a light glare before turning his attention back to the closed door. "So either hurry up or ditch the costume, Mikey. We're supposed to be back half an hour before bedtime."

"Alright, alright!" Michelangelo cried, the sound of scuffling and rustling echoing from behind the door. "Ladies, gentleman, and ninja turtles everywhere, I, Hamato Michelangelo am proud to introduce to you all the greatest, toughest, most awesomely butt-kicking superhero in all of New York…"

He swung the door open, taking a giant leap out of the room while standing heroically in front of his brothers, a flash of red fabric swaying behind him. Hands on hips, Mikey flashed his brothers a lopsided smile, his mask-covered eyes narrowing into animatedly determined slits as he belted out straight from his lungs with childlike glee, "Turtle Titan!"

If there were crickets living within the sewer, the boys were sure they would've heard them by now as they stared blankly at their youngest brother's costume, their eye ridges raised rather perplexingly. While they didn't have access to very many things, most of their belongings were scavenged from dumpster diving and collecting items that had washed up in the sewers during rainy days. The red fabric Mikey had used as his cape and cowl were the remnants of a thin, tattered bed sheet while the emblem holding together the neckline of the cape was a clear, plastic lid with the letters 'TT' marked over it in black sharpie marker. The tan gloves he wore were stained black at the fingertips and the worn out, old hiking boots he had on his feet were about two sizes too big, coated in dried mud at the soles, and both missing their laces. All in all, it was a rather strange getup, but Leo, Raph, and Donnie had to admit that it was a pretty creative costume – one that they could tell their little brother was proud of, judging from the broad grin splayed across his face.

Michelangelo couldn't wait to see how much candy his costume was going to get him tonight!

(-)

"Trick or treat!" Michelangelo chorused over his brothers, holding out his trick-or-treat bag, which was filling up rather quickly with various selections of candy. An elderly woman looked down at the four brothers affectionately, her hand placed on her cheek while her eyes flicked onto each turtle.

"Well aren't you four simply adorable," she gushed. "And look, you four are all matching. Four cute little froggies."

"We ain't frogs, we're turtles." Raphael pointed out with a sneer, giving his bag a little shake to indicate that the old woman was taking too long to fill it up with candy.

"I'm a superhero turtle. The Turtle Titan!" Mikey piped up, shooting his fist in the air while the old woman let out an amused chuckle, taking a handful of candy and dumping it in his bag while offering him a wink.

"Enjoy, Mr. Turtle Titan. Make sure to protect all the trick-or-treaters from any spooky ghosts or bad guys walking around."

"I will! Thanks, lady!" Mikey smiled brightly, tearing down the steps of the old woman's stoop before leaping off the last step and giggling with excitement before facing his brothers. "See! I told ya everyone would like my costume. Look at all the candy I've been getting!"

"I still think you look like the homeless version of Little Red Ridin' Hood." Raph grinned, slinging his bag of candy over his shoulder while they walked down the sidewalk side by side.

Michelangelo replied to his hotheaded brother's remark with a 'humph', lifting up his cape to prevent himself from stepping over it with his over-sized boots. "You're just jealous 'cuz you didn't make yourself a super cool costume. So put that in your pipe and smoke it, Frog Boy."

"You wanna act tough, Turtle Twit? You still wet the bed from time to time and need a night light in order to fall asleep. What kind of superhero is that?" Raph growled, only to be shushed by Leonardo, who had put himself between his two arguing brothers – arms spread out to separate the two.

"That's enough. We're supposed to be having fun tonight, remember?" He offered them both a smile, lowering his arms as he looked up at Don, who was walking a little farther up ahead. "Which neighborhood are we hitting up next, Donnie?"

"Well, according to my map, the next neighborhood coming up is the one Master Splinter would never let us go to. Because of the giant crowds of people roaming around," he explained, looking down at the colorful map he drew with his Crayola set during breakfast.

"You mean the neighborhood that goes all out decorating their houses?" Leo asked rather curiously.

"The one where guys in scary masks chase around all the trick-or-treaters with chainsaws?" Raphael cried enthusiastically, his eyes wide with excitement as he saw children and teenagers already begin to crowd over to the aforementioned neighborhood.

Michelangelo cringed at his brother's words, gulping nervously as he took a frightful step back. "C-Chainsaws?"

"Big, loud, real live chainsaws! Like Leatherface in 'Texas Chainsaw Massacre'." Raph grinned mischievously, towering over his youngest brother with his arms up and his fingers wiggling in a creepy-crawling motion, making Mikey squirm and clutch his trick-or-treat bag in fear.

Leo placed a hand on Raph's shoulder and scooted him back, shooting him a small warning glare in a silent plea to quit scaring Michelangelo. The hothead replied with a grunt, folding his arms over his plastron while Leo looked down at his youngest brother and smiled. "Don't worry, Mikey. Neither of us are separating from each other even for a second, so if any maniac guys running around with chainsaws come after you, we'll be there to hold them off. Right guys?"

"Right." Don nodded, rolling up his colored map while Raphael's lips tugged into a frustrated sneer before he let out a sigh.

"Yeah, whatever. Can we just go so I can get some more candy before we start headin' back? I wanna see these guys scare the crap outta all the trick-or-treaters too while we're at it."

Michelangelo couldn't help but gulp, treading closely behind his brothers while holding his trick-or-treat bag close to his plastron – fear flickering wildly in his baby blue eyes. Leo noticed this as he glanced behind his shoulder, slowly reaching out with a genuine smile and offering Mikey his hand to hold on to. Returning the favor, Mikey flashed his big brother a thankful smile, grabbing on and curling his fingers around Leo's hand, noticing the gentle squeeze Leonardo offered as they turned the corner.

To say that they were awestruck would've been an understatement as the turtles' mouths instantly dropped to the floor, their eyes wide at the swarming sea of curb-to-curb people, all strewn across the streets in various costumes ranging from different age groups. It was a breathtaking sight as they saw a range of Batmans and Supermans, witches and zombies, and even vampires and werewolves. Heck, there were even a couple of kids dressed as ninjas, making the four brothers' eyes widen impressively as they treaded through the crowded streets, making sure to hold on to each other's hands in case of knocking into someone and getting cut off from the group – drowning in the ever long sea of mayhem and monsters.

Michelangelo's head flicked back and forth rather nervously, making sure to keep an eye out for any Leatherface impersonators as well as craning his ears for any sounds of the roars and rattles of chainsaws.

"This is so cool!" Raph crowed, nearly stepping over Donnie's feet as he quickly tried to push the line forward, his head whipping in different directions as he tried to drink in the sights that surrounded him all at once. They were slipping into a dense fog, one that was caused by the remnants of a smoke machine and the sound of roaring thunder and maniacal laughter could be heard coming from a house nearby where a line was beginning to form up as people were ushered inside by the aid of a man dressed as Freddy Krueger.

A sign painted in dripping, bloody red paint displayed on Freddy Krueger's lawn spelled out: Beware the House of Horrors! Enter … If You Dare!

"We are so checkin' that out!" Raph cried, tugging his brother's forward until Leonardo stood his ground, causing Raph to hinder back and shoot his older brother a pissed off glare.

"We're not going in there, Raph. It's too scary for Mikey," Leo pointed out, gesturing to his cowering brother, who stood closely behind him while he peaked over Leo's shoulder, his baby blue eyes awash with apprehension and fear.

Raphael couldn't help but growl as he stomped his foot and shot daggers at Leonardo. "This blows! The one night we actually get to do whatever we want without Master Splinter breathing down out shells and we can't 'cuz Mikey's too much a little baby to walk inside a little haunted house."

"Raph, leave him alone," Donnie ordered, stepping next to Leo to act as a barrier in order to protect Mikey, who just stood behind and frowned at his hotheaded brother's words, a pang of guilt stabbing him through his chest.

"Yeah, we didn't come here just for you. We came here to get more candy and that's exactly what we're going to—"

"—N-no, Raph's right," Mikey piped up, watching as both Leo and Don turned around and stared down at their baby brother with curious eye ridges raised rather questioningly. Wetting his lips, Michelangelo straightened himself up, a determined frown tugging at his lips as he clenched his glove-covered hands and took one step forward. "Master Splinter never let us go down this street and now that he's not with us, we need to take advantage of this op—oppro—opportunity," he emphasized the word, speaking slowly to make sure it had come out right. "Otherwise, we may never get a chance like this again."

"Mikey, you don't have to do this just to prove to us you're not scared." Leo placed a comforting hand on his brother's shoulder, who in return brushed him off and offered him a wicked smirk.

"Scared? Ha! The Turtle Titan ain't scared of nothing!"

(-)

What in the shell did I get myself into?

Michelangelo could feel the tension pulling at his shoulders as he squeezed the life out of Leo's hand, making the blue-banded turtle wince at the cut in circulation. He glanced over his shoulder to make sure Mikey was alright, but the second he had turned around, Michelangelo immediately wiped his face from any signs of fear, flashing his brother a determined grin while offering him a rightful thumbs up.

Leo frowned at his brother's gesture, but before he could turn around and tap on Raph and Don's shoulders to inform them that they weren't going through with this after all, they were quickly ushered inside Freddy Kreuger's home, slipping past the tattered curtains hung over the entrance as darkness swallowed them whole and they slipped deep into the belly of the beast.

Cowering in fear, Mikey immediately pressed himself against Leo's shell, trailing closely behind his brother while never letting go of his hand as their eyes quickly began to adjust to the fading darkness. They followed the glowing strips of tape stuck to the floor beneath them as they moved past the living room, where the faint glow of the TV illuminated the shadowy darkness.

Static crackled and emanated from the television screen and as they walked on by, Michelangelo began to notice a small child with long, wispy hair emerging from behind the couch – her ruler straight, midnight locks shadowing over her face as she stared at the brother's with one soulless eye that poked visibly from behind her long strands.

"Turn back while you still can. Or else they're gonna get you," she sang in a haunting, childlike melody, making Michelangelo yelp with fear before he quickly pushed his brother's forward; his face buried against Leonardo's hard shell.

They weaved their way through the small hallway, the short journey feeling like they had been wandering around aimlessly for hours to Michelangelo as he jumped and shivered at the horrific sounds of panicked screams as well as the clamorous, frantic banging coming from behind the closed doors they passed by. Before they managed to reach the end of the hall, the creaking sound of a door opening to their far left could be heard and before Michelangelo even had time to shut his eyes, a flash of pale white charged from the room, causing the brothers to scream and run away from the snarling woman coated in stains of smeared blood, all decorated in the form of hand prints that strew all across her tattered and torn insane asylum uniform.

"You'll never get out of here! You'll never escape this house of horrors!" The woman screamed, cackling maniacally from the end of the hall as the brothers finally reached the entrance toward the kitchen, their breaths coming out in frantic puffs until they noticed the lights were starting to flicker in this particular room.

Feeling as though his heart were going to burst from his chest, Michelangelo stood behind his three older brothers, whimpering frightfully until he noticed the lights were starting to give out, blinking frenetically until darkness draped over the kitchen like a burlap sack, causing the orange-banded turtle's eyes to wash over with terrified tears. The sound of heavy footsteps could be heard echoing throughout the kitchen and before any of the boys had time for their eyes to adjust to the darkness, the lights immediately flickered back on, revealing a tall, brawny man cloaked in black with a rusty chainsaw held in both hands.

"Guess who's coming to dinner, kids!" The chainsaw man roared, ripping back the starter rope as the sound of revving roars screamed throughout the kitchen, drowning out the cries of terror ripping Michelangelo's throat raw.

Before he even had time to think, the young Turtle Titan made a mad dash out the back door, tearing through the backyard and slipping past the forming crowds that had just escaped from the House of Horrors, all chatting idly as if they hadn't just walked through the gates of Satan's lair. He ran – ran as far away as he could from that dreaded house, his eyes shut tight as fresh hot tears began to stream down his face; his heart racing wildly inside his chest until he connected with a solid figure standing in his wake.

Too stunned to brace for impact, Michelangelo fell backwards and landed on his shell with a thud, a rush of pain shooting up his spine as he whimpered almost pathetically, prying open his tear-soaked eyes. Although his vision was blurry, he could still make out the dark figure standing before him – a rather frantic-looking man with thick, horn-rimmed glasses and a messy haircut; strands of muddy brown wisps stretching out in different directions. In his hand was a large rainbow lollipop that appeared to still have the wrapper around it, leaving it completely untouched. As he bent down in a low crouching position, the man reached over and offered to help Mikey up, his lips curled into a nervous smile that revealed a row of yellow-stained teeth. He laughed rather anxiously as he tilted his head to the side and frowned, eyebrows shot up with heightened curiosity.

"W-Whatcha doing out here all by yourself, little fella?" He giggled, making Michelangelo raise a perplexing eye ridge as he wiped away at any loose tears that were escaping his eyes.

"I … M-My brothers wanted to go inside this spooky haunted house a-and I didn't wanna seem like a big fat baby, so I went inside with 'em. T-There were all these creepy people j-jumping out and—and scaring us and then we saw this big scary guy with a chainsaw and I thought he was g-gonna chop us up and eat us for dinner!"

The man's eyes widened a fraction of an inch as he brought up a hand to cover his mouth in obvious fear. "T-That sounds really scary."

"It was!" Mikey cried, glancing back at the sea of people, realizing that he couldn't see his brothers amongst the forming crowds. "Oh man, Leo's gonna kill me for running off like I did. I better go find them before—"

"—W-Wait!" The man shouted, reaching out and grabbing forcefully at Michelangelo's wrist, catching the orange-banded turtle off guard. He looked up at the man with frightful, blue eyes, noticing the almost hesitant smile splayed across his pale face before he crouched down once more so that he was at eye-level with the young turtle. "W-What's your name, little fella?"

He hesitated for a moment, his eyes flickering over the man's anxious, honey-hazel eyes. "Michelangelo." He stated slowly before the man perked up and shook Mikey's hand with both of his own hands.

"Michelangelo! What a cute name for such a cute little boy." He smiled, still holding on to Michelangelo's hand even after he was done shaking them. "M-My name's Arty. Can you say it with me? Art-y."

"A-Art-y." Mikey repeated with bewilderment, tugging his hand back while Arty offered him an innocent smile.

"Do you want to come to my house, Michelangelo? I've got lots of candy and we can call your brothers on my phone so they know where to come look for you." Arty beamed, reaching for Mikey's hand once again, giving it a small, enthusiastic tug while his yellow-stained teeth gleamed in the pale moonlight. "Come on! I've got board games and Playstation. Do you like 'Super Smash Brothers'?"

"I-I … I gotta go find my brothers. I-I'm sure they're not too far from here."

"Oh, but it'll be much faster if we went to my house and gave them a call. I don't live very far from here. I'll even let you have a lick of my lollipop." He growled, making Michelangelo tug forcefully at his hand, his heart slamming powerfully inside his chest until he noticed Arty was now looming over him.

Paralyzed with fear, Mikey could feel himself being hoisted up by Arty's strong arms, shoving the young Turtle Titan into a nearby alleyway – the icy concrete tearing at his skin. With his eyes shot open, Michelangelo immediately began to backpedal in a terrified crabwalk, watching as Arty stepped closer and closer toward him – the gleam of his horn-rimmed glasses shining over his empty, soulless eyes. He couldn't move—couldn't breathe as he watched Arty reach down for the fly of his loose-fitted jeans, pulling the zipper down; the noise echoing harshly against Michelangelo's eardrums.

"T-This won't hurt a bit, Michelangelo. I prom—argh!"

"Stay away from my brother you freak!" Raphael roared, bashing a large piece of plywood right against Arty's ribcage, making the creep topple over as he moaned in pain.

Michelangelo's eyes widened with astonishment as Leo and Don raced to his side, helping him to his feet while they looked back at Raphael. The hotheaded turtle – who was fuming with enraged snarls – dropped the piece of plywood and quickly delivered a kick straight into Arty's stomach, making the man hiss and groan as the pain travelled up his stomach; knocking the wind out of him. Not really all that satisfied, Raphael looked down at the pathetic excuse for a man and grinned wickedly, pulling his leg back before letting it sail straight into Arty's crotch, making his eyes grow wide as he turned over and released his dinner on the dirt-covered concrete.

"Don't you ever touch my little brother again. Go it, you sick bastard!"

Michelangelo could feel his eyes brimming with fresh tears as he raced out of the alleyway with his brothers glued to his sides, dashing quickly until they were mixed in with the crowd of people; his shoulders relaxing in a sigh of relief. The orange-banded turtle looked up at his brothers, feeling Leo's hand wander over him to make sure there were no cuts or bruises grazing over his skin, his dark brown eyes awash with panicked fear.

"You're not hurt, are you? That man, he didn't touch you, did he?"

"N-No. He didn't," Mikey whimpered as Raph pushed past Leo and gave his youngest brother's shoulder a light tap with his fist.

"Don't you ever run off like that again, ya hear me? Didn't Leo tell ya we need to stick together no matter what?"

"I—I was s-scared. The guy with the chainsaw … a-and I…."

Raphael could feel his shoulders relaxing, a small frown tugging at his lips before he reached out and pulled Mikey into a tight hug, feeling a splash of wetness sprinkle against his shoulder while both Leo and Don joined in.

"I'm sorry, Mikey. I shouldn't have made fun of ya for bein' scared about goin' into that haunted house. I was bein' a jerk and I … I'm so, so sorry."

"We all are," Leo piped up, squeezing his baby brother close while Don opened his mouth to speak.

"Don't ever scare us like that again, Mikey. Promise?"

"Y-Yeah, I promise," he whimpered, nuzzling against Raphael's plastron as he allowed the tears to continue streaming down his face. "T-Thank you…."

I had to end it on a touching note, because poor Mikey almost got raped! Dx I just wanna scoop him up and huggle him myself. The poor turtle! TwT

For anyone who's a tad on the confused side, I mention Playstation because this takes place when the turtles are mere tots, so I'm guessing the time period is somewhere within the late 90s, I guess. I'm sorry if I'm not going by accuracy, because I'm sure pedophiles are supposed to stay within the confines of their house during Halloween, but I guess you can think this is before Arty got charged with such an offense. I hope I made him creepy enough for you readers. I'm a baby and scare easily just like Mikey, so sorry if Arty didn't give off the creepy pedophile vibe. He sure scared the heck outta me though. Heheh.

Alright! Y'all know what to do! Leave your thoughts, comments, concerns, quibbles, queries, and anything else I might have missed by clicking the review button right at the bottom. I love hearing your guys' input - even if it's bad - because any kind of advice helps me grow and blossom into a better writer. :D Hope you liked this one shot folks and always:

DFTBA!

(Don't Forget To Be Awesome!)