Raphael opened his eyes but closed them again when the bright light burned them.
'Ugh, my head. What happened?' He thought. Raph opened his eyes but kept at a squint.
His emerald eyes slowly opened more as they adjusted to the light, but when he saw what was in front of him, it made him want to shut them again. Raphael tensed as a deep, throaty chuckle echoed across the stone room.
"Hello, Raphael."
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The blue and purple clad brothers whipped their heads round to the small voice. Behind the ventilation shaft was a small green arm sticking out with a lot of blood dripping along it.
They knew it was Mikey. How could it not be?
Feeling their big-brother instincts take over, they rushed over to him but stopped dead as soon as they saw the orange clad turtle. Mikey was laying their motionless with blood slowly oozing from his arm, neck and head. His breathing was weak and pain was contorted on his face. Leo felt like he was about to be sick and covered his mouth with his hands as tears spilled from his eyes. He had told Mikey and Raph to go to the surface, it was all his fault. He could've taken the surface and none of this would've happened. He had failed two of his little brothers. No, he wasn't fit to call them brothers, they deserved better than him. Leo turned his head away in shame as Donnie was already beside Mikey.
"Come on little bro, wake up for me." Donnie pleaded as he attempted to wrap a bandage around Mikey's arm. "Just open your eyes, make a sound, anything Mikey!"
Donnie started to panic as nothing was happening until a small groan snapped him out of it.
"D-Donnie?" Mikey barely gasped out. His half-closed baby blue eyes were staring at his immediate older brother as he tried to put a small smile on his face.
"Oh thank god," Donnie muttered as he breathed a sigh of relief. "Yeah, it's me Mikey. Listen, can you try and stay awake for me? I need to get you back to the lair."
Mikey closed his eyes and opened them again in acknowledgement, when suddenly a thought made his eyes shoot wide open.
"Where's Raph?!"
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Raph growled as he was face to face with the Shredder. He wanted to know what was going on, where he was, were his brothers okay?
"I wouldn't do that if I were you. After all I am the one in power, and you are but a lowly animal locked away like you should be." Shredder hissed as he brought his face close to the cell bars.
Raph glared at him with pure hatred then glanced around. He was right, he was locked in the cell that his sister was once in when they rescued her.
"Where are my brothers?" Raph growled again.
You could see the smirk in Shredder's eyes as he turned away from the red banded turtle and headed for the door.
"I heard your little brother was on death's door and your other brothers are there with him." He stopped and looked over at Raph. "It would be a shame if something were to happen to them."
He laughed as he saw the young turtle's face twist from slight relief to pure horror.
"Don't you dare touch them!" Raph shouted at him before he left.
"Oh don't worry," He stepped out the door. "I'll give them a night or two to say goodbye to your repulsive rat master." With that he strode away leaving a horrified Raphael.
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Leo couldn't even look at his little brother let alone tell him about Raph. So, he continued to stay silent and let Donnie do all the talking. Donnie caught on to this and gave a frustrated sigh. Leo's the eldest, he should be telling Mikey.
"Raph got taken by the foot." Donnie plainly stated as he continued to try and stop Mikey's bleeding.
"Thought so." Mikey mumbled as his eyes started fluttering.
"Wait, wha- no! Mikey you gotta stay awake." Donnie sounded extremely panicked, which alerted Leo.
"T-tired, bro." Mikey whispered as he closed his eyes. He fell limp in Donnie's hold.
"Ah!" Donnie exclaimed. "Leo, we need to get him back to the lair. Leo?"
Leo was frozen in shock, just like Raph once was when Mikey was knocked out by snakeweed.
"For crying out loud. Leo!" Donnie shouted snapping Leo out of his thoughts. "Mikey needs you right now, so stop thinking this is all your fault because it's not. Get it together."
Leo shook his head and nodded. Donnie was right, his little brother needed him right now. He couldn't stand there and gawp. Leo grabbed Mikey's legs and Donnie supported his torso, and they started their very careful journey back home.
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Raphael silently sat against his cell door waiting for something to happen. He'd cried so much his eyes were now dry. He didn't cry for himself, no he didn't give a shit he got captured, but for his brothers. They were all in danger and one was practically on death's door.
Raph shuffled himself again, at least he could try and get comfortable in this godforsaken hell hole. He eventually gave up and frustratedly slammed his head back on the wall with a grunt. He closed his eyes, when suddenly he heard a soft whispering. Raph kept his eyes closed and attempted to focus on the voices. He had never heard the voices before so he assumed they were foot ninjas. From his sharp senses, he deducted they were just outside the room.
"I heard that the Shredder has prepared many torture rooms for the freaks." One of them said.
"Yeah, I helped with the first one, I think that's the purple turtle's one." The other one replied.
Raph gasped. They had their own torture rooms?! He tried to focus more but the voices were getting weaker. He managed to hear one last word before the foot swept away. Raph couldn't believe they were going to do that to his second youngest brother. The thought of that made him punch the walls around him. He fell to his knees and let out an anguished cry as he thought about the last word he heard.
Whips.
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Leonardo and Donatello reached the lair without injuring their baby brother any further. Their hearts were beating for what could happen to not only him but their hothead as well.
"Sensei! Help!" Leo screamed as they reached the entrance.
"My son?" Came the rushed reply as Master Splinter poked his head out of the entrance.
"Sensei, please get my lab cleared! I need to help Mikey!" Donnie shouted as he took Mikey from Leo and made his way into the lab with Master Splinter hot on his heels.
Leo watched as they left his sight; he couldn't move. He stared at the lab's slightly open door before he felt his knees buckle and he collapsed to the ground. He sat for a moment. Just a moment. Staring straight at his smart brother's lab. A single tear streamed from his sapphire pool and down his emerald cheek. And he just sat there.
The young turtle, on his knees, staring.
Thinking.
Unable to do anything else.
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Unable to do anything else.
Raphael just sat there. The young turtle, on his knees, staring.
Thinking.
A single tear streamed from his emerald pool and down his chartreuse cheek.
His thoughts started to get to him as he suddenly lashed out to his left; hitting the pale wall in anger.
No, rage. Pure unfiltered rage.
He thought about what had happened; his little brother, left on deaths door. He thought about what is happening; himself in an isolated cell, his brothers elsewhere. And he thought about what could happen; his brothers, joining him in his hellhole.
The hothead's fist sprung to the side once more, creating a mild dust from the old concrete. He was meant to be the protector, always there for his family even if he was a grumpy turtle most of the time. But he failed.
Raphael. The might. The protector. The strongest: emotionally and physically.
The failure.
Raphael couldn't cry anymore. He was drained and dehydrated, all he could do was think about his brothers. He didn't care for his own survival, he just wanted to make sure his brothers were safe.
But they weren't.
He had no idea what happened to Mikey. Did Leo and Donnie find him? Not to mention Shredder is after them.
The wall was struck again, adding to the small dust pile on the floor.
Yet as if he hit a button, the door to the prison swung open, revealing a rather smug, a rather fishy, Xever.
"Ah yes, my favourite tortuga." He hissed as if he was a snake. "Locked in here alone, heh?"
Raphael growled; he'd had enough of this. "Fuck off, sushi boy"
"Aw that is no way to talk to me," Xever teased. "Especially as I am the one feeding you." He reached to his left and revealed a small bowl of rice and a plastic cup of water.
Raphael eyed the fish creeping towards his door. Within the short time it took him to reach it, the red clad turtle thought of many scenarios. He could reach out and grab Xever forcing him a headlock. He could politely ask about his brothers. He could stay silent. Raph thought of every possibility, but before he could decide, Fishface had left the food by his cell and was back in the doorway.
However, Xever didn't look the same. There was a shadow of guilt in his eyes. Raphael, who had already grabbed the rice, stared at him questioningly.
The fish cleared his throat. "I despise you turtles. And I cannot wait to see you in pain." Raphael scoffed and turned away, but Xever spoke again with more confidence. "But that pain should've waited until you are all here, not for it to happen on a rooftop with an unfair advantage."
Raphael whipped his head to Xever, he was talking about Mikey!
"I do not believe, or have, any honor. But the young one shouldn't suffer until he is here." Fishface turned and looked over his shoulder. "It has happened now, but the least I can say now is that he is with your other stupid brothers and it seems they went to get help."
With that, Xever slammed the door and left. Raphael couldn't believe it, Leo and Donnie had got his baby brother and they were somewhat safe. He felt himself relax despise his situation. He felt like could eat his rice in a fairly peaceful manner now.
Except the cockroach that he just picked up with his chopsticks.
Raphael, was no longer at peace, and the cockroach was now resting in pieces.
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After a few hours, a pacing Leonardo was met by a tired looking Donatello and a composed Sensei, who has his hand upon the latter's shoulder.
"Rest my son," His strong accent: a soothing melody to both turtles. "You have done well, I am very proud of you."
Donatello raised his glance to his father and with a small smile, he nodded and turned to walk to Leo. But as he got closer, he noticed a very familiar look on his eldest brother's face. Donatello tried to scowl but his facial muscles had lost all strength.
"Leo, I know that face. It is not your fault. Everything's going to be fine, Raphael is fighter and Mikey definitely takes that from him, you should get some rest too." Donnie placed his hand on Leo's shoulder but noticed his was staring in the lab's direction.
"Leo." Blue eyes snapped to meet copper ones. "He's stable and recovering. Come on, we can't plan, patrol, or help anything if we're tired."
Donnie started to walk to his room, but was suddenly stopped by a firm hand on his shoulder. A sheepish Leo was shuffling his feet, something he does when there's something partially embarrassing on his mind.
"Um, Don? You think I could stay with you tonight? Just in case, you know?" Leo's face scrunched as he instantly regretted it, but Donnie knew his brother and knew if anything happened to himself, Leo wouldn't be able to continue on, so Donnie simple smiled and nodded. Leo felt relived as he went to grab blankets and pillows to sleep on his younger brother's floor.
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Later in the night, or day for underground turtles, there was a small whimper from the Labatory. A shift in loose bedsheets, a crack of stiff joints, a creak from the metal frame he lay upon. But the most noticeable sound was the gentle "Raph" that echoed in the vast, isolated space.
Michelangelo's eyes snapped open. He was in the lab. His brothers had found him! How many brothers though? Was a certain red banded turtle still away from home?
The thought made his stomach turn, or was that the lack of pizza? Either way, the optimistic turtle felt uneasy and could only imaging what was in store for him and his family.
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I AM SO SORRY. I've been meaning to update for ages but a lot happened, school work caught up to me and I got a boyfriend (who is no longer hence why I have time) but ive really missed writing and I much prefer writing on the computer. SO whenever I am on my laptop I'm going to add a little bit of a chapter each time and hopefully that will build.
I AM STILL WRITING AND NOT INACTIVE, just be patient. I'm still so sorry, but thankyou for sticking with me.