A/N: This chapter is a sad one. :( I hope you enjoy it anyway! This one actually has the first time break. Leo and Don join in as well. In the beginning, I play Don, but as soon as Don decides to follow Raph to talk, AlexHamato takes him over. Leo is always played by her in this chapter.
"Time for the chopping block!" The old ghost says in her crinkled voice. She raises the hatchet and slams down on hi.
Mikey tries to avoid it, but finds he can't move. He cries out in pain as it slices into his shoulder. "Snotbuckets! Why the shoulder? Now both my arms hurt like a bitch!" Once again, he finds himself lightheaded. "Raph..." The ghost disappears as Mikey falls to his knees.
"Mikey!" Raph yells as runs over to his brother. He catches Mikey as his topples over. "Fuck, I gotta getcha outta here!" Mikey doesn't react. His body is completely limp in his arms. "No!" Raph tries tying up the new shoulder injury. "Yer not dying on me!" But Mikey's eyes don't open. His breathing becomes shallow. "Don't give up on me! Stay awake!" Raph tries slapping him, but it's no use. "Don't stop breathing, dammit!" Even CPR is useless. He holds his brother close against him as tears begin to form in his eyes. "You can't be dead..." He goes quiet, just holding his brother. His dead brother.
He retreats into his mind, away from the echo of blood still dripping to the ground. Away from the slowly growing pool of it as it soaks into his kneepads. Echos of Mikey's voice ring in the air as a ghost of a smile flickers in front of him. It was too much to escape from. "Mikey..."
Something tugs on his mask tails, but Raph doesn't pay it heed. He's too far in his grief that he's beginning to hear the irritated of his little brother. Something flicks his forehead. "Go away..."
A disembodied sigh echoes around him. "Not even a goodbye?"
"Mikey...? "Raph looks up at the body still in his grasp as a slim hope returns.
"Well, not really there." The voice is his brother's, but…something was off about it. "I told you that if I died that I would haunt your ass, remember? This Mrs. M is being a bitch though. Wants me to work for her. I think I'm going to kick her ass and just move on. I don't think that I can actually go anywhere else but here. Since it's so easy to attach too."
"No..." Raph says in disbelief.
A figure shimmers before him. "Damn, can't quite get it yet."
"Yer not dead..."
"Raph..." Mikey finally gets his ghost form to show. "Does the wispy glow make my butt look fat?"
Raph stares at the ghost of his brother.
"Is it too early to say to cheer up? I know I'm dead and stuff but... It's not really goodbye. I'll still watch you. You just won't see me. Like the ultimate ninja."
"Dammit, Mikey!" Raph's eyes burn with unshed tears.
Mikey gives him a sad look. "You still have the others. You can live for them now." He gives him a grin. "I'm cool chilling in the afterlife, kay?" The grin flickers a bit.
Raph turns away, sharply. He doesn't see the sad, teary look his brother gives him before Mikey flickers away. "Bastard..."
Another tug on his mask and Raph pulls away. "Stop that..."
He feels drips falling on the top of his head with a pathetic sniffing.
Raph winces. "Ugh..."
"It's n-not like I w-wanna go... But I'm dead, Raphie." A cold presence settles by him. "I don't want to say goodbye."
Raph breathes heavily in response.
"So... I'll just see you from wherever then and wait for your time, I guess. You can't do anything stupid like suicide. I wouldn't ever forgive you."
Raph gets up and walks away from the ghost.
"Raph..." Suddenly, warm arms surround him. "Take care, okay? I care about you too much to want to see you suffer."
"Yer not dead!" Raph roars, in complete denial to his senses.
Mikey's form flickers back, his expression sad. "Look at me. I can't stay here."
"Coward."
Mikey gives a weary sigh. "I'm sorry. I should have been stronger. I'm weak, and died for it. It's my fault."
"It's my fault!" Raph counters.
"You can't blame yourself, Raph. You tried your hardest. Some things you just can't control."
"No I shoulda tried harder. I coulda done more. I coulda stopped this. I shouldn'ta forced ya ta come."
Mikey's ghost cries a little, silently. "R-Raph..."
"This was a fuckin' bad idea!"
"We've all h-had them before though."
"Why'm'I always messin' up! And now… Fuck!"
Mikey tries to hold him, but can't and frowns.
"Dammit!" Raph finds a jagged piece of rock and rips his arm across it.
"Don't!" Mikey roars. "Please!" He starts to sob. "Please don't!"
Raph collapses, sobbing and clutching his now bleeding arm.
Mikey tries to hold him and sobs harder when he can't.
"No worries. I'll be there soon..." Raph whispers.
"No, I'm going to get you out of here." Mikey sobs. "You're gonna go home and live. You can't leave the others!"
Raph already feels lightheaded and falls forward, still sobbing.
"They need you, Raph!"
"No one needs me... I'm a fuck up."
"No you're not!" Mikey tries to put his hands over the wound to stop it from bleeding, but it doesn't help. "Raph... I'm going to try to save you now, okay? Just listen to me, you can't do this again. Promise? Please?"
"No." Raph says as his eyes fall closed.
Mikey starts closing his wounds, his ghost body starting to slip away.
"No! Stop!"
"You can't die." Mikey looks at him as parts of his face begin disappearing. "You promised me back there that you wouldn't."
"Didn't save you..."
"It's okay, Raph. I forgive you."
Raph's wounds are almost healed and most of Mikey's body is gone.
"Stop that!" Raph yells.
Mikey gives him a small smile. "Love you." The wounds heal and he disappears, his soul used up to save his brother. The haunted house clears around them.
Raph doesn't and will not move from his spot.
Several hours later the Battleshell pulls up. "Yes Don, I told you that they were around here. No, I didn't check there yet. Well, go check it!" Leo talks into his shellcell. "I know that you're far away, I'm just here for a quick look. Call me if you find them. Bye." He steps out of the van. "Raph! Mikey!"
Raph hears his brother's voice but ignores him.
Leo comes inside the now not haunted house and sees Raph with Mikey's body in front of him. He freezes. Neither one are moving. He moves towards Mikey's body, his body numb as he drops to his knees, staring at it. Both of his brothers are covered in blood. Leo shakes Raph desperately, hoping he was still alive. After a minute, Raph just groans. Leo almost sobs with relief and pulls him up to hold him.
Raph immediately tries to push away until he's let go. He returns to his limp, unthinking posture. Leo gives him a sad look before he goes to close Mikey's eyes. His own almost as blank. Leonardo's voice chokes as he sings a broken Sakura song, picking up the body and cradling it. When the song is finished he reaches for his phone, his hand shaking as he calls up Don.
Donatello answers his cell. "Did you find them yet?"
Leo just chokes on his words.
"Leo? What's wrong? I'm heading to your location."
Leo just nods, forgetting that he's on the phone.
"Leo?"
"Y-yeah..."
"I'll just talk to you when I arrive." Don sighs before hanging up.
Donatello arrives about five minutes later to see the bloody seen. "...What happened...?"
Leo just holds Mikey, unable to answer.
"Are they both...?"
Leo shakes head. "M-Mikey..."
"Oh... What's wrong with Raph, then?"
"Hurt..."
Donny goes over to check Raph, then, only to be swatted away.
Leo gives Don a pleading look, then looks down at Mikey, holding him tighter.
Don grumbles at Raph's behavior and goes to Leo and Mikey. He takes a breath, already knowing for a fact with all the blood around him. "There's nothing I can do here, really... I can't fix it..."
Leo nods. "G-Gone. Body is cold." He takes a shuddering breath. "Too late."
Donny touches a hand to Mikey's arm. "How did this happen...?"
"D-Don't know." Leo's voice is raspy, breaking up.
"Raph would know..."
Mikey's head lolls back limply, eyes closed. Leo gathers Mikey up closer to his chest, cradling him.
Raph can't stand it anymore and looks away.
Leo stares at Mikey, lost.
Raph shuffles over to the exit, stumbling to his feet in the process.
Leo picks Mikey up, carrying him so that he can follow Raph.
Donny happened to be looking toward Raph at the time. "Raph?"
Leo walks past Raph to go put Mikey in the Battle Shell.
Raph ignores them and walks his own path, ignoring the Battleshell.
Donny gives the Battle shell with Leo and Mikey a sad look and follows Raph.
Raph walks until he reaches a small pond. He stares into the water and notices the blood covering him. He freaks out a bit and tries to wash it off. He doesn't notice as Don comes up behind him and watches him. Raph presses his fingers against the deep graze on his shoulder.
"Who did this?" Don asks him.
Raph ignores him as he presses harder for the pain.
Don grabs his wrist and twists it behind his back. "Don't do that."
"Get offa me!" Raph's voice is a little raspy from crying so hard before.
Don still holds him down, his own voice breaking. "Do you think he would want that? Want to see you hurt yourself just because he died!? At least respect his memory of you, you selfish bastard!"
"It was my fault!"
Don's tears begin to flow. "You can't blame yourself for his death! I don't know what happened, but it's not your fault."
"I made him come wit' me!"
"He always wanted to be with you! You can't control that!"
"None a' this woulda happened if he didn't come!"
"He wouldn't have let you go alone, Raph. You know how he is... was..."
Raph turns away so Don can't see his tears.
Don chokes, closing his eyes before he drops to his knees beside him, tears going unstopped.
Raph glances back at him.
"Damn it." Don sobs and pounds the ground. "Damn it... Why him..."
"It shoulda been me."
Don shakes his head. "Don't say that. You think I want to hear that? One brother's death is bad enough. Don't say that yours is any better."
"Then he wouldn't have to be gone!"
Don looks at him sadly. "He'd just be in your place right now, if it was the other way around."
"I should be dead too..." He touches the now scarred arm.
Donny reaches to hold him, burying his head into his neck. "Don't say that." He slaps the back of Raph's head. "We need you alive, stupid. So don't you go dying on me."
"So I can try doin' this again?!" Raph shows him the arm.
Don touches it. "It's warm. Did he..?"
"It was bleedin' all ova tha place jus' a few moments ago..."
Don gives a deep, thoughtful look.
"I'm such an idiot!"
Donatello frowns, before reaching to feel the scar again, his eyes widening.
Raph collapses to his knees.
"Energy cannot be lost, it can only be transferred. Donny shakes his head, tears forming again.
"I should have protected him betta..."
Donny holds Raph again. "We all should have."
"I was right there though..."
Don rubs the back of his shell soothingly. "It's still the past. You can't dwell in it. Only learn from it."
"I took this fer him," Raph says as he touches his shoulder, "but it wasn't enough. It's neva enough."
Don grabs his arm again to touch the scar. "He gave you something, Raph."
"I didn't want it."
"Mikey never was one to listen." His breath hitches when he talks in past tense.
A/N: There is still one last chapter of this. Hold on for that one!
