Disclaimer: I do not own TMNT and that's that!
AN: I know nothing of color-coded heart pictures! Mwahaha! Oh well it's a story so deal with it.
Mikey stared at the television longingly from where he lay in his bed. It had been a week since Don's diagnosis and since then sensei had been commanding that Mikey stayed in bed. Don had told Splinter but no one had told Raph. They were wondering what he would say to Mikey. Probably something along the lines of, Your just a liability! No one needs you! Yeah, well, your better off not coming on the missions! All that Leo had told him was that when Raph kicked him into the wall he had made Mikey hurt his leg. Mikey gasped and put a hand on his chest when pain shot through it. The sudden bursts of pain were getting to be regular. However, they had been more frequent lately and more painful. Mikey grimaced and got up out of his bed and made his way quietly to the open door. He looked both ways and found the coast clear and he grinned and jumped off the balcony to the second floor and their rooms and landed gracefully on the floor and ran to the kitchen. Although he dearly wanted to watch TV he couldn't since Don, Leo, and sensei would get mad at him. Once in the kitchen he ignored the bursts of pain and looked for something to eat. After searching the cupboards he found a bag of cookies and walked out humming quietly to himself. He turned the corner to the stairs and found his red banded brother there blocking the way with a smirk plastered on his face. Michelangelo chocked and when he coughed the pain doubled.
"Your leg looked ok to me when ya jumped," Raph said noticing the pained look on Mikey's face. "What's really wrong with ya?"
"Raph? Who are you talking to?" Don said leaning out of his downstairs lab while pushing up the mask he was wearing and looked worriedly at Mikey when he saw him. "Mike? What are you doing out of bed?"
Mikey sat down hard and bit into another cookie.
"Eating bro! Some hurt people need to eat ya know. All you guys have been doing is starvin' me!" Mikey gave Don a weak glare and tried to make the pain that coursed through his body go away.
"Hurt my foot!" Raph muttered fingering his sais and wondering how he could get his younger brothers to fess up on why Mikey had been missing out on training and going topside. Suddenly he grinned and pulled out his sais. "How bout this Mikey? You fight me and no matter who wins you get to get back up to your room."
Mikey didn't care to hide his grimace of pain as he pulled out his nunchakus. Maybe if Raph saw him in pain he would go easy on him. No such luck. After a couple of blocked punches and kicks Mikey's vision began to swim and he fell back a couple steps. Mikey could here Raphael's what the as he slipped into darkness the pain finally becoming too much.
As Mikey slowly came back into consciousness he found Splinter's hand was on his head moving every now and then nervously. Mikey opened his eyes up as much as they would go and rolled his eyes at Leo who smiled at him. He groaned as pain shot through his chest and gasped a little as his breathing became painful as well.
"Michelangelo, my son, do not move that much. It will only make the pain much worse," Splinter said stroking his son's forehead.
"Will someone please tell me what's wrong with Mikey?" Raphael's gruff voice sounded from the doorway.
"Its his heart Raph," Don said quietly from his computer. "Ever since you broke his arm its been bothering him. I don't think that it had anything to do with that though."
"Shredder," Leo muttered to himself and then looked at Mikey's slightly trembling form on the bed. "He shot Mike and then left letting us go remember?"
"Yo, Mikey look out!" Don yelled as the turtle in question stopped to look at a picture. At the last minute he dodged a ninja spike and came over to the others.
"That's weird. I knew that the Shredder was a shredder but a picture of shredded meat? That's weird," Mikey shook his head and ran faster to keep up with his elder brothers. "I mean its just so, whoa!" Mikey stopped talking and stared in amazement at the tunnels in front of them. They were at least three times larger than the ones under NYC.
"All right, Raph take Mikey and I'll take Don," Leo said walking down the left tunnel. "Holler if you need us."
"All right Mikey lets go," Raph muttered not to pleased with babysitting his youngest brother.
Mikey nodded knowing not to crack one of his lame jokes at this point in the game.
"Hey," Mikey said after a couple minutes in silence. "Is it just me or is this to easy?"
Raph was about to snap at Mikey when he heard a sharp snap and saw Mikey's pained expression as he went down clutching his leg.
"Mike!" he yelled and quickly followed the foot ninja that had shot Mikey. "Get Don and Leo!"
"Raph!" Mikey called and then fumbled for the shell cell. "Leo! Don! Someone answer," Mikey had never felt this scared. There was a weird pain in his leg and not matter what the blood flowed freely.
"Mikey?" Don's voice sounded worried on the other side. "What's wrong did you find the foot?"
"No they found us," Mikey said unable to mask his relief. "One of them had a gun and…"
"Mikey? Did you or Raph get shot?" Leo interrupted this time and Mikey rolled his eyes.
"I took a shot in the leg. Nothing big though. I just can't get the blood flow to stop," Mikey sighed in relief as he heard Raph running back to him.
"We'll be over in a second. Hang on," Don switched off his shell cell and followed Leo back down their tunnel.
"Mikey!" Raph was doing very well in keeping the concern not showing but Mikey could read his brothers like a book.
"Hey Raph did ya catch that guy?" Mikey asked as Raphael picked his younger brother up.
"Yah he was easy enough to take down. Geez Mikey you're light. You need to eat more," however Michelangelo had passed out in his brother's arms his head tucked in and resting on his brother's chest, just as he had ten years before.
It was two days after that that Raphael broke Mikey's arm and the period of confusion began.
Raphael grimly jumped from building to building before landing in Central Park. He walked over to the big oak in the center of the park and jumped up the branches to the spot that the four brothers had climbed to ten years before. He sat down on the sturdy branch and stared at the carving in front of him. All four had carved their names and ages into the soft bark.
Mikey 4 Leo 6Donnie 5
Raph 5
We are those who live in dark,
Yet we yearn for light.
Those who exist in shadow,
Yet those who fear the day.
We have chosen our path.
Our way is ninja.
Raphael looked at the dashes on the branch above him. It counted the times near death.
Leo 1Raph 3
Donnie 0
Mikey 6
Raphael stood up and grimly added a notch to Mikey's count and then scratched his name out. Wordlessly he slipped into the night to the pier. Mikey's favorite place. He did not notice the shadow following him. He did not notice the mask bands flying in the breeze. He did not notice his concerned brother following him. His mind was set on what he was going to do.
AN: I like this chapter a lot better! Yay! One person liked my story! I now know where this story is headed and it will be roughly 20 chapters! I actually have a goal! Yes! This will be the story I finish!