A/N: I hope your enjoying this little fic.
Raph groaned as he tried to open his eyes. He was surrounded in darkness and the air seemed heavy with dust. He coughed and tried to move only to find he couldn't. A soft hand landed on his arm. His first thought was that it was Cat then he remembered she wasn't anywhere near him when the cave decided it wanted to crush their skulls. "Amaya?"
"Yes, do not try to move. Your leg is pinned. It is likely broken." She pressed a hand to his chest.
He grunted. "It sure hurts like shell. But how do you know? I can't see nothin' in here."
"I have spent most of my life in darkness."
He frowned. He'd forgotten that when Leo had brought her back from Japan she had been blind. It seemed like such a long time ago now. "Are you alright?"
"Yes, thanks to you." He could hear the smile in her voice.
He coughed again. "Yeah, well, Leo'd kill me if somethin' happened to you."
She shifted so that his head could rest in her lap. "I imagine he is very worried about both of us right now."
Raph blushed. He and Amaya had never grown close. She was Leo's and so in some instinctive way he'd been keeping his distance. "You, maybe. Me, not so much." He paused, licking his lips nervously. "Uh, you think this is okay?"
Amaya gave a small laugh. "Leonardo knows that I am eternally his, just as you are Cat's. There is no harm in caring for one another. And yes, he worries for you too." She squeezed his arm warmly.
Despite the awkwardness of their situation, he found himself desiring the physical contact in the pitch dark. "Yeah, well, he's got a funny way of showin' it."
She sighed. "You speak of your patrol two nights ago? He was concerned for your safety as well as everyone else's."
Raph snorted. "He let that carjacker go! I could've caught him, but Leo wouldn't let me!"
"It was dawn."
"Yeah, but he was less than a block ahead of us."
"In the middle of a crowded street."
"And now he's out there loose to do it again! And he could really hurt someone next time!"
"You would have exposed yourself, your brothers and by default likely the rest of us." She squeezed his arm again. "You may very well have caught the criminal, but what then? Perhaps you do not worry about your own safety, but what of Cat? What of your brothers and the children? Are their lives so expendable?" He grunted and she continued. "What do you think that Cat would do were you captured? She would do anything to get you back, just as I would for Leonardo. Even if it meant risking my life."
"I could have stopped him without exposing us. One shuriken in a tire and it would have stopped him fast enough. But Leo wouldn't even give me a chance to explain."
She sighed once more. "I understand. You are nearly the same."
He twisted in her lap to glare at her in the darkness. "What!"
"You are both very zealous individuals. You both care for the outside world as well as your family. You would do anything to protect others from the harsher side of reality."
He snorted. "No, we're not the same. Leo always sees his choices as black or white. For me things have never been that simple."
"You see the world in shades of gray." He nodded and a small smile played across her lips. "You are your own worst enemies at times. Your self-reproach and deprecation can overwhelm you. But as I reminded Leonardo once, no one can ask more of you than to do your best." She fell silent as he turned his head away from her.
In the next chamber, Kaz's cry echoed off the walls. Kala pushed herself up and clutched the toddler to her chest. Beside her Sarah pushed herself to seated position as well. She touched a hand to her forehead. The cut wasn't deep but it bled some. She pulled Mira to her. "Are you okay, sweetheart?"
Mira clung to her mother. "Yes, I think so."
"Kala?" Sarah stretched out her hand in the blackness to find her. When she found her elbow, she hung to it. "Are you and Kaz alright?"
Kala's voice shook a little. "I think so. But it's so dark."
"Mira let me have your pack." Sarah took the youngster's bag which she hadn't taken off and dug through it. Mira's flashlight had been lost in the cave-in, so she found the next best thing. She struck the match and the chamber lit briefly. In that quick moment she was able to tell that the way they'd come was now completely blocked off and that Mira had no obvious injury. She dug through the bag again. "I'm sorry, but I'm afraid we're going to have to sacrifice your book."
Mira frowned. "But I haven't finished it yet." It was one on physics that April had gotten her recently.
Sarah pulled her t-shirt off and wrapped it around the end of the book. "We'll get you a new one, okay?"
Mira didn't like that much but she understood that they needed it worse right now as a torch. "Okay."
Sarah struck another match and lit the cottony material. It caught easily enough and soon they had a small fire. She stood, holding the light a little higher. She examined the entrance once more. "Well, we are definitely not going back the way we came."
Kala held Kaz tightly trying to get him to calm down. "Then how do we get out of here?"
Sarah looked at the small torch. The flames flicked deeper into the mountain. "We follow the fire."
"What do you mean?" Mira asked.
"In order for a flame to burn it must have oxygen. There is apparently some air flow coming from that direction." She put a hand on the girl's shoulder. "You must stay close, Mira. If we're separated and there is another cave-in…"
Mira nodded. "Yes, ma'am."
"Let's go then. We don't have a whole lot of time before our torch runs out." Sarah headed for the back of the chamber and Kala rose to follow.
Outside, the three brothers were digging as furiously as they could. It was already nearing an hour since the rocks had sealed the entrance separating them from the others, and it didn't seem like they were making much progress.
Cat paused in her own digging to stare down at her scraped and bloodied hands. Beneath the dirt and blood, the little gold ring with its small emerald sparkled. Raph had given it to her on their first anniversary. She'd been thrilled that he'd just remembered the date. Tears stung her eyes as the memory seized her mind.
-Flashback-
Raph pulled the motorcycle to a stop along the river. The moon was full and it reflected off the quiet waters below. The city was sleeping now, most of its residence in bed for the night. But even now the heartbeat of downtown could still be felt in the air. They dismounted the bike and began to walk along the bank, just enjoying each other's presence. At last they stopped at an overlook.
Cat shivered a bit in the cool wind that swept up river from the ocean and he stepped behind her encompassing her in his warm embrace. "I'm not too good with words, darlin'." He brought the small box into her view. "But what I can tell you is that you make me happy in ways I never thought possible."
The gasp that left her when he opened the box made his heart thump loudly. She turned to face him, unshed tears glistening in the moonlight. "Oh, Raph."
He slipped the gold ring with the bright green stone onto her finger and she wrapped her arms around his neck, kissing him passionately. When she finally released him, he brushed a hand through her short blonde hair. "It reminded me of your eyes."
"I love you so much." She attacked his mouth with new vigor. The cool wind whipped around them, but it went unnoticed as her body was filled with fire. Love poured from every pore. She never wanted the moment to end – his warmth, strength, and love encompassing her so fully.
-End of Flashback-
Cat lifted her blurry gaze to stare at the rock wall in front of her. Now, he was trapped in a virtual tomb. With every minute that passed he was running out of oxygen. With every minute he came closer to death. Her legs buckled and she fell to her knees, her chest tightening painfully.
Leo glanced over his shoulder at her, but didn't stop digging. "Don't give up, Cat! They're alive! They're waiting on us! Right, Donnie?"
Donnie nodded, but didn't bother to look up from the spot he was working on. "Yeah, Sarah's just a little scared, but she seems okay. I'm sure everyone else is too." The cut that had formed on his brow earlier had disappeared in just a few minutes, which meant it had been shallow.
Beside him Mikey frowned. "There has got to be a faster way than this!"
"We don't have anything better, Mikey. Just keep digging." Leo urged.
Cat watched them for a moment, something new stirring inside her. We still have so much to share – so much to do. This can't happen, not now- not when I've just decided… No! I won't let you go without a fight! She rose to her feet and climbed back onto the wall and began to dig again with a new strength.
Sarah watched the flame of their makeshift torch and followed it down a winding passage to a small opening in a wall. It was a tunnel no more than two feet in diameter. "I guess we'll need to crawl through." She looked at her companions. They all seemed frightened. She set her jaw. She wouldn't die here and she certainly was not going to let her daughter die here either. "Let me check it out. Mira, stay with Aunt Kala."
The young girl looked like she might cry. "Mama?"
Sarah kissed her head. "I'll be right back, I promise."
Kala wrapped an arm around Mira, holding her close to her side. The two women exchanged a look before Sarah knelt to crawl through the tunnel. Luckily, due to her small stature, Sarah had no trouble navigating the small space. The ground was damp and slippery, but the tunnel seemed stable enough. As it came to an end she climbed out slowly into a new chamber. Dim light filtered from a shaft in the cave's ceiling. She let out a breath. "Thank goodness." She turned and crawled back the twenty feet or so to get the others.
Mira wrapped her arms around her waist. "Mama!"
Sarah hugged her daughter. "There's a chamber on the other side with an air shaft. We might be able to get out."
"Is the tunnel safe?" Kala asked, looking down at Kaz.
Sarah nodded. "Yes, but it is a little slippery, so be careful." She turned and led the way back down the tunnel. Mira followed on her heels. Kala put Kaz in front of her and urged him to follow, while she brought up the rear. They climbed out into the new chamber that was much smaller than the one they'd just left.
Kala looked up at the shaft. The hole was slanted into the wall at about a forty-five degree angle, which meant it would be climbable if they could get to it. "Now what? That's at least ten feet to even reach it. How do we get out?"
Sarah knelt beside Mira. "It's time to show us what you've learned, Mira." The turtle nodded, her eyes taking on a look of determination that so resembled her father's.
Kala watched her with curiosity. "What do you have in mind?"
Sarah stood. "Do you think you can hold my weight?"
Kala gave her a skeptical look. "…Yes."
"Do you think you can hold Mira's too?"
Kala frowned. "Maybe, but not for long."
"It wouldn't be for long. I'll stand on your shoulders and then Mira will climb up and out." Sarah squeezed Mira's shoulder. "Once you're out, you'll need to find your father and bring him back for us. Do you think you can do that?"
Fear flickered across the girl's face for an instant but was quickly replaced by determination again. "Yes, I can do it." She looked back the way they came. "Daddy's scared. They're all scared."
Sarah sighed as she knelt back down, laying aside what was left of the torch. She pulled her daughter into a tight embrace. "I know, that's why we must be brave for them. We must be strong. You can do this, sweetheart. I know you can."
Amaya tilted her head as she listened. "I can hear them digging." She coughed. The air was much thinner than it had been a mere half an hour earlier.
She felt Raph's head turn slightly in her lap. "Maybe you're right."
She blinked. She could see the indecisiveness and the pain in his soul. "About what?"
"I don't think about the others as much as I should. But when I'm out there fightin' the lowlifes all I can think about is makin' sure they never do whatever they're up to again." He sighed. "Cat understands that. We ain't like Don and Sarah or Mike and Kala or even you and Leo….Sometimes, I wish we were, but we're not and that's just how things are."
Amaya frowned. So, that was the problem. He thought he was more expendable than the rest, because he wouldn't be leaving behind a child. "You assume too much, Raphael, about Leonardo and I as well as yourself and Cat."
He sighed, his hand coming up to cover the one she rested on his arm. "I appreciate you sayin' that but you don't understand."
The sound of rocks falling stopped Amaya's response in her throat. They both waited breathlessly, wondering if the ceiling was going to collapse again. When more rocks began to fall, Raph twisted pulling Amaya down to cover her head. A moment later he released her as light danced across the chamber. Leo, Don, Mikey and Cat's voices followed.
"We're here, guys!" Raph called and then began to cough. Within moments the hole grew large enough for them to get through. Cat was the first to climb inside. She scrambled down the rocks on the inside and to his side. Her whole body shook as she wrapped her arms around him as tightly as she could, lifting his upper body off the ground.
"I was so scared." She sobbed.
"It's okay." He soothed, holding her just as tightly.
The other three had made their way inside. "Amaya!" Leo pulled her to her feet, running his hands across her body in search of injuries as he crushed her against him, kissing her hair. He ran his thumb gently across the scratch on her cheek.
"Saiai." Tears sparkled in her eyes as she clutched at him.
Mikey and Donnie were in panic mode. There was no sign of their families. Donnie turned to Raph. "Where's everyone else? Where's Sarah?"
Amaya gestured to the back of the cave. "They went through there just before the ceiling collapsed."
Donnie's eyes grew round. "What!"
"No, no, no!" Mikey pounded against the rock wall. There was at least another twenty feet separating them from their loved ones.
Leo's eyes landed on the large boulder that had Raph's leg pinned. "Mikey, this isn't the time to panic. We have to get Raph's leg out from under that rock."
Donnie eyed the large stone then glanced at his brother. "How does it feel?"
"How do you think it feels! It hurts like a giant boulder's sittin' on it!" Raph snapped.
Donnie frowned. "Then it's going to hurt a whole lot more when we move it."
"Can you two pull him out once we shift it off him?" Leo asked. The two women nodded and each wrapped an arm under one of Raph's.
The three brothers braced themselves against the rock. "Ready?" Don asked.
"Just get it over with." Raph grumbled.
"On the count of three, guys." Leo said. "One. Two. Three!" Together they lifted the boulder just enough for Cat and Amaya to pull Raph out. Raph roared in pain and jerked involuntarily, making the girls fall on their bottoms. The rock crashed back to the ground and Raph sucked in deep lungfuls of air while Cat attempted to comfort him.
Donnie frowned at Raph's leg. "It's definitely broken, bro. You're not going anywhere on it for a while."
"Can you set it here?" Leo asked.
Don probed the wound gingerly and Raph hissed in pain, clutching at Cat's arm. Donnie shook his head. "No, I'll need to x-ray it. There's more than one break. Could you splint it for him, Leo?"
The eldest brother nodded as Donnie stood and walked to the wall of rock where Mikey had returned. He put a hand on his shoulder. They exchanged a sympathetic look. "I'm scared too, Mike." He examined the bond for a moment. "But Sarah isn't. She seems more nervous than scared. I'd say that's a good sign. We'll find a way to get them out."
A/N: Don't forget to leave some reviews! There's only one chapter left on this little one.
