A/N: Well, gosh, you guys wanted another chapter, and here it is-totally late, but oh well! I am going to make this a multi-chapter fanfiction now, and I'm fairly pleased with the plot I wrote to go with this story. Thanks for sticking around, enjoy!

Inspired by the talented Johnny Cash and his rendition of the song "Hurt".

Disclaimer: I do not own the TMNT.

Leonardo winced as Don's hand brushed against the second degree burn on his right arm. The skin was blistered and a sickening violet red peppered with bright crimson spots and purple splotches. His calm gaze browsed over the brown flesh around the burn on his bicep. He winced again, biting back a hiss of pain.

Donatello frowned and his soft gaze rose to meet his elder brother's own. The irritation on his features was clear. He dropped his gaze back down to Leo's burn with a huff of breath that spoke tenfold of his frustration with Leo.

"Don't be such a baby. You got the wound, now stomach the treatment." He commented as he spread a medicinal salve over the burn.

Leonardo gritted his teeth and nodded, gripping the edge of the table he sat on with white knuckles. Don sat on his customary rolling chair, his gentle features scrunched in a mix of focus and irritation as he worked on his brother's bicep. Leo followed a fly with his eyes before dropping his gaze back to his wound as the fly became lost in the bright ceiling lights of Don's lab.

"I can't believe you did that, Leo." He said with a shake of his head as he began wrapping the wound. He dropped the roll of wrap on the table next to Leo as he finished. He sighed heavily and dropped his head into his hand. "Damn, what the hell were you thinking?" He muttered in frustration.
Leonardo's gaze turned away and he shrugged his shoulders. "I acted, Don. I made a split second decision and I did it because I'm the leader. Maybe it won't always end as successful as I'd like it to." He said, shifting his wounded arm. "But, everyone still gets the chance to come home alive."

Don raised his head, dropping both arms on the flat surface of the table. He stared ahead, not turning to Leo, instantly recognizing something in his brother's voice. "Even you?" He asked quietly.

.,.,.,.,.,.

Cold and bitter snow flew into his eyes, kicked up by his black clad opponent. He grunted in pain and frustration as he wiped at it with his forearm. He moved back uncertainly, shifting the snow under his feet, as he tried blinking away the substance in his eyes. His breaths came out in puffs of white vapor and icy snow was plastered across the front of his face over his eyes. He shook his head; his vision was blurred and filled with white. He lifted his katana solely on instinct. Another blade crashed into his, nearly ripping his katana out of his hand. Leo stumbled back, swinging his weapon wildly while trying to wipe the snow from his eyes.

"Leo!" Mikey's voice broke through the mixed sounds of clanging metal and cracking wood. The orange masked turtle stood surrounded by similarly clad opponents. He swung a nunchuck back and hurled it at the Foot ninja who stalked his blinded brother. The nunchuck connected with the back of the ninja's head before bouncing off in a comical fashion. The ninja's eyes rolled back as he toppled forward into Leo's extended arms. The blue masked terrapin blinked once and dropped the human, his vision finally having cleared up. He scooped up Mikey's thrown nunchuck and tossed it to its owner as he sprinted at the Foot ninjas crowding his brothers.

Mikey caught it deftly before swinging it into a head with a cracking sound. "Nice rebound!" He commented to himself with a grin.

Leonardo leapt into the fray, his blades crashing against Foot Clan blades. Hi mind disconnected from his body as he fell into the rhythm of the battle. His body moved and responded by instinct built on sixteen year's worth of ninja training. He batted aside the strike of a naginata with his katana blade. He spun around, sending a roundhouse kick into another ninja's face. His calm gaze turned to his brothers while his body fought on.
Michelangelo had dropped onto his shell and rolled back, rising into a handstand. He stuck his tongue out at the stunned ninjas before pushing off the ground and twisting in mid-air, flipping forward. His foot came down like a hammer on a single ninja's head. He used his momentum to leap up as the ninja fell forward. Mikey dropped, his foot slamming into the ninja's back. The ninja cried out and collapsed flat on his face. Mikey grinned wide and laughed.

"You might wanna see a chiropractor about that, dude. Your back is whack!"

Leo rolled forward and rose to his feet in a sidestep, avoiding several slashing katanas. He spun around and slapped the side of a ninja's head with the flat of his katana. The ninja stumbled back and hit the ground, rubbing his head with a groan. Leo turned to his more volatile brother.

Raphael smirked darkly as the pommel of his sai struck a ninja's solar plexus. The ninja doubled over and Raph drove his knee into the ninja's face. The human's head whipped back and Raph grabbed the front of his shirt in a fist. He grinned and threw the ninja into one of his comrades, sending them both tumbling to the ground. He turned around with an evil grin plastered on his features. Another ninja ran at him. Raph grabbed the man by the face and shoved him back, onto the ground before driving the heel of his foot into the ninja's gut. The man groaned and clutched his abdomen as Raphael lifted his foot and took a step back. He grinned at another ninja and he unsheathed his sais with a spin as he moved onto his next target.

Leo leapt into a split kick, striking out two ninjas before dropping into a crouch and sweep kicking another. He rose to his feet, surveying the rooftop. Most, if not all, of the Foot ninjas were down and out. Leo spotted four still standing. His brothers would take them down in seconds. Raph was already in striking distance with one, Mikey was taunting another, and Donatello was contending with two. Leonardo slid his katanas into the sheaths on his shell. He crossed his arms in front of his plastron and watched his most intuitive brother.

Donatello spun his bo staff with the fluidity of a master. Over his head. To his left. To his right. The two remaining ninjas in front of him watched warily. Don smirked and spun around them in a complete three-sixty before slamming his bo staff in the backs of their knees. The ninjas gave a startled shout and fell on their faces. Don spun his bo staff over his head as he prepared to deliver the finishing blow.

Leo stiffened as he caught a far off flash of silver from a building over a hundred meters away. "Guys! Get to cover!" He ordered in a startled shout. He was already moving as the words left his mouth. He noted Raph grabbing Mikey and ducking behind a tool shed. Him and Don were out in the open. Easy targets to be caught in the cross hairs of an enemy marksman.

Time slowed to a creep. Don froze mid-swing and his eyes darted to Leo's. Donatello spotted the unmasked fear in Leo's eyes and whirled around to face the danger his brother had seen. Leonardo reached out, grabbing Don by the shoulder and shoving him towards the edge of the roof. Don spun around in panic, his gentle eyes were wild with fear and knowledge of the precarious situation. Leo's anxious gaze met his for that one split second.

Crack!

Donatello gasped and his eyes went wide as a piercing pain radiated through his body. A pink mist sprayed across Leo's plastron and face. A shard of metal grazed the underside of his arm, cutting through muscle and drawing a thin line of blood.

Time sped up again. Leo wrapped his arms around his brother as they went over the edge of the rooftop. Wind whipped at them as they fell and Leo pulled his limp brother close to his body and righted himself. He bent his knees and his legs struck the metal rungs of a fire escape and he let out a pained gasp as a popping sound emitted from his right leg. He pushed off and flipped, landing on a dumpster on his side, the back of his right elbow cracking against the metal side. He bit his lip but refused to release his grip on his brother. He glanced down, feeling something warm and wet on his body. He quickly sat up and moved Don onto his shell. Blood, thick and crimson, had pooled over his plastron. Leo tore off his mask and pressed it to Donatello's chest, trying to stifle the flow of blood.

"Raphael! Michelangelo!" He called out to his brothers as his chest heaved with exertion and panic.

Don's hand feebly reached for Leo and smeared his own blood over Leo's face. He whimpered in pain and Leo grabbed Don's hand, moving it to his now crimson mask. "Don, press down. Focus." Leo ordered sharply. Don watched him with a tired gaze and nodded as he did as he was told. Leo moved off of his brother and slid to the ground, nearly falling over as he put weight on his right leg. He grimaced and braced himself on the dumpster.

"Is he gonna be alright?" Mikey asked as dropped to the ground next to Leo.

"Does he fucking look okay, Mikey?! He got shot!" Raphael snarled as he dropped onto the dumpster, moving to Don's side. Mikey shook his head and turned to his eldest brother. "Leo, what do we do?"

Leo closed his eyes, trying to ignore the pain in his leg. "Get him to the lair. That's all we can do from here. I need you to clear the manhole cover and get to the lair. We need the equipment ready to treat him."

Mikey nodded and disappeared swiftly.

"What?! Who's gonna help me carry Don?! You can't even walk!" Raph shouted in immediate disagreement.

"We don't have a choice, Raph. You sitting there and arguing while Don is dying isn't helping." Leo bit off sharply.

He stood up precariously but managed to moved to Raph's side despite his obvious pain. Raph bit back a retort as he realized the truth of Leo's words. Leo nodded to Raph and the red masked terrapin hesitated for a moment before helping him move their grievously wounded brother.

They ignored Don's whimper of pain. The purple masked turtle was cradled between Raph and Leo. His lidded gaze glanced Leo over. Don stared at his eldest brother weakly. He noted the small hints in Leo's body language that betrayed his brother's fear, worry, and pain. Don licked his lips tiredly and pressed the mask down on his wound. His older brother looked much younger without a mask. He looked vulnerable. Leo's eyes glanced down at Don.

Don stared. His brother's eyes were filled with guilt.

...

Don blinked and groaned as he came to. He dragged his arm over his eyes, blocking out blinding light.

"Donnie! You're finally awake!" Mikey cried happily. Don winced and turned his head in the direction Mikey's voice had come from. His younger brother sat on a stool next to the bed he laid on.

"About damn time, too." Raph muttered, leaning against the wall behind Mikey. Raph pointed at Don then. "Don't you fucking hesitate like that again. You got real fucking lucky." He shook his head and dropped his hand to his side. "Leo nearly broke his leg saving you and he still helped drag your ass here. You owe him a big fucking 'thank you.'" Raph snapped quietly. Don looked away and nodded. "Sorry." He said weakly.

"Shutup, I'm glad you're alright." Raph said in a softer tone as he moved next to Mikey. The youngest turtle smiled at Raph and turned back to Don.
The purple masked brother glanced around the infirmary and frowned before turning back to them. "Where is Leo?"

Raph and Mikey exchanged glances. "He's with Splinter." Mikey supplied.

...

"Your brother was gravely injured. Where were you when you should have ensured his safety?" Master Splinter asked in a stiff tone, his tail flicking irritably. The candles in the dark room flickered unsteadily, casting shadows over the master's features. Leo knelt in front of Splinter, his right leg throbbed horribly but he had not wanted his father to see the injury and have more cause to be upset. He didn't meet Master Splinter's gaze.

"I was watching, but how could I have known there would be a sniper? I can't be," Leonardo began quietly.

"You are the leader. There is no excuse!" Splinter interrupted sharply. Leo shrank where he knelt, his hands tightened into fists as the throbbing in his leg grew worse.

"Everything that goes right or wrong is your responsibility. You are accountable for all failures and successes. You were watching while your brothers fought. You were watching while Donatello was shot. This falls on you."

Splinter adjusted his sleeves before continuing, allowing his words to sink in. "This must not occur again. Do not think that your injury has gone unnoticed, Leonardo. Have Raphael help you treat it."

Leo's mouth twitched and he bowed. "Yes, Sensei."

.,.,.,.,.,.,.

Don glanced at Leo, noting his older brother's silence. Leo had only been sixteen when Don had been shot. Sixteen. Donatello couldn't fathom it sometimes.

Why should anyone be forced to face something like that at sixteen?

He had only been a teenager, a kid. They'd all been forced to grow up too fast, shaped by rigorous training and threat of death. Leo had never been a kid, not comparable to Don or Mikey or Raph. Being a kid would have meant he was inexperienced and imperfect. That just wasn't enough in a world where mistakes meant death.

Without a perfect leader, they would have perished.

Don kept these thoughts to himself as he watched his brother contemplate the question. Don pitied Leo then. He felt for his brother. Leo led a lonesome existence in comparison to his brothers. Don was stirred out of his contemplation as Leo slid off the table and stood up.

"Even me." He said as he rotated his shoulders. He placed a hand on his wrapped wound and glanced at Don.

The purple masked turtle could almost see the sixteen-year-old Leonardo staring back at him. He sat there, stock still for a long moment as Leo spoke again.

"I made the right call, Donatello." He said in a voice that brokered no argument or further discussion. He moved past Don to leave.

The younger turtle blinked at his abrupt exit and turned to regard the retreating figure just as Leo disappeared out the door. "You don't have to do this all the time, Leo." He said softly in the silence of his lab as the pressing reality of his brother's situation finally settled in his mind. Don leaned back in his chair and cradled his chin in thought. He remembered Raph approaching him about Leo earlier, and he remembered doing nothing about it. Raph was on to something, Don was just appalled that he hadn't noticed it before his red masked brother had.

"I'm a horrible brother, aren't I?" He asked the computer sitting on a desk next to him as he glanced at its screen. The power button only winked in response.

...

Leonardo paused outside the door to Don's lab, sensing a pair of eyes on him. He glanced aside and met Raphael's calm gaze watching him from the entrance to the dojo. The red masked turtle leaned against the wall, watching Leo from the shadows. Leo broke off the stare and headed into his own room, closing the door behind himself with a soft click. He strode to his bed and sank into it with a sigh, sitting on the edge. He grimaced and touched the wrapped wound. It hurt more than he had let on. He heaved a heavy sigh and relaxed his worn body, forcing the pain to the back of his mind and leaving it an old familiar sting.

He unslung his katanas from his shell and set them on the bed next to him. Leo winced and bit back a yelp as stabs of pain shot through his burn wound. He shivered and shook his head. He still had to speak with Splinter; he couldn't afford to get too comfortable. He glanced at the clock on his nightstand.

One-thirty.

In the morning.

Leo loosened his mask and it fell to the base of his neck. It was best to just wait until morning, before training, to talk with Splinter. He began untying his belt when he heard a knock at his door. He frowned and stood up, tying his belt back on. He moved to open the door only for Michelangelo to slip in quietly, closing the door behind himself. He leaned against the door, staring at the floor for a moment.

Leonardo watched cautiously and worriedly. He started forward only to fall back a step as Mikey's arms suddenly enveloped his middle. His arms slowly wrapped around his younger brother and he sighed lowly as he held Mikey close.

"I'm sorry. You could've really been hurt. I should've been paying attention." Mikey said into Leo's chest. His elder brother turned them around and sat Mikey down on his bed. He knelt on one knee, coming eye to eye with his brother. Leo smiled softly. "Mikey, it's not your fault, alright? We can't control our enemies, and what am I supposed to do if you'd been hurt? Hm? Where would that infectious smile go?" Leo asked with a gentle tone.

Mikey shrugged noncommittally and Leo shifted slightly. "Mikey," He began.

"No, Leo. I saw how much taking that blast hurt. If you'd been just a little slower, it would have hit you in the face. I should've been the one to get hit."

Leonardo raised a brow. "So we'll be living by 'what ifs' and 'maybes', Michelangelo?"

Mikey quickly shook his head. "No, but," He began again.

"Look, regardless of where it could have hit me, we both know one thing. You know what that is?" Leo asked.

Mikey frowned. "What?"

"I don't go down easily." Leo said confidently, smiling at his younger brother.

Mikey nodded once, as if that were an actual fact, and bowed his head low. He couldn't count how many times his older brother had been seriously injured and still managed to pull through and kick butt. In Mikey's eyes, Leo was on another level. Leo was invincible, but seeing him in pain was a blow that shook the bars of his reality. He wasn't ready to face his brother's mortality.

Leo waited patiently, watching his brother. He knew Mikey needed reassurance.

Mikey finally spoke again. "You won't leave us, right?" He asked softly. Leo placed a hand on his brother's knee.

"Never." Leo assured. "I couldn't last a moment without your playful antics, or Don's obsession with blowing things up in his lab, or Raph's tough-macho attitude."

Mikey glanced up at him, smiling weakly. "Yeah?"

"Totally." Leo chuckled, patting Mikey's knee lightly as he stood up. Mikey stood up as well and hugged his brother. Leo bit back a hiss of pain as Mikey brushed against the wound on his arm. Mikey pulled away and yawned, stretching his arms as he did so.

Leo chuckled again. "Get some sleep, Michelangelo, we've got early training tomorrow."

Mikey seemed to suddenly deflate at that. "What? Come on, Leo! We just had a serious bro-bonding moment there!" He groaned as he shuffled past his brother, opening the door. "You should, like, totally reflect on our moment during your meditation and just skip out on the training." He called out as he headed out the door to his own room.

Leo raised a brow and shook his head before closing the door. He untied his belt and slipped off his gear, folding everything and setting it on his nightstand in a neat stack. He removed the mask from his neck and slipped it on the hook next to his bed. He grabbed his katanas and propped them up against his nightstand, keeping them close should danger come knocking during his nocturnal slumber. He lifted the covers of his bed and eased himself into a lying position on his uninjured side. He pulled the sheets over his body and closed his eyes with a sigh.

...

Raphael stared at Leo's closed door. He hadn't moved since Leo had gone to bed. He spun a single sai in one hand, mulling something over in his head as he stared hard at the door. He stopped spinning it, catching it with an exaggerated motion, and shoved it back into his belt. He scowled and turned around, heading inside the dojo.

A/N: I know it's been awhile, but I've been busy with several hundred things in my personal life. Ugh. It hasn't been very spectacular. Well, please leave a review to get me all hyped up over writing the next chapter. Ciao.