Kame

AU fanfiction. This means that the turtles have been placed in a unique world of my imagination and I do not have to stick to cannon. I am saying that to the readers that don't like this type of story.

I own nothing.

Chapter Four

The first day that I had acquired Kame from his previous master, the turtle slept for a full day and night. The healer woke panicked that he had slept so long, but we all assured him that his body obviously needed the rest. However, I quickly realized that Kame took his duties very seriously and had a guilt-complex a mile long.

"Prince Raphael, what if your brother had another seizure?" the healer demanded as he examined my calm, grinning Mikey, "Your Majesty, I can't be lying about like a slug when Prince Michelangelo's health is at stake."

"I didn't have a seizure because your shields were still keeping me safe," Mikey chirped as Kame placed another mint leaf in his mouth, "I like these, Kame. Mint is yummy and I always get really hungry later. Here!"

Kame smiled as he allowed Mikey to place a mint leaf in his own mouth. Donnie and I smirked at one another as we knew what our baby brother was trying to do. Mikey was young, but very intuitive and knew that Kame's weight was not healthy.

"Kame, I appreciate your concern, but if ya're not well rested then ya might make mistakes in treatin' my brother," I explained as the healer frowned up at me darkly.

Oops! Wrong wording.

"Never! Not when it comes to the Little One," Kame denied, "I gave you my word so I'll be damned if I allow myself to make a mistake in your little brother's care. Prince Michelangelo is going to get better."

"Well spoken, Child," Master Splinter soothed as Kame blinked at him, "But I want you to get stronger as well. Please see to your own health needs as well as my youngest son's. Do you understand why we are concerned, Kame?"

"Because the treatment of the youngest Prince is so important," Kame answered before looking confused as we all shook our heads, "I do not understand, my Lord."

"Kame, we are concerned because you are our friend now," Donnie explained as the healer listened, "We want both Mikey and you to get stronger. Kame you were not treated appropriately for years and when we bathed, Raph and I both saw this on your person. We are worried about you."

"I am strong," Kame urged as he again blinked at us, "I can handle my duties."

I hid a smirk when Kame grunted as Mikey launched himself into the turtle's lap from his wheeled chair.

"I know Kame's strong," Mikey giggled as he held the healer's face in each of his hands, "But I want you to gain weight too. You will get better like me, right, Kame? We'll get better together! Right? Right?"

"Right," Kame agreed as Mikey cuddled up under his chin as the healer hugged our youngest close, "We'll get better together, Little One."

The problem was that Kame had lived on such little food for so long that his system rejected eating too much in a day. Kame's healing was going to take longer than I had originally thought it would take. I cursed Hun every time I witnessed the ribs poking through Kame's plastron as he dressed.

"Time," I sighed as I watched over the healer one evening, "Ya just need time, Kame. Ya'll be at a normal weight if I have ta feed ya myself."

Days passed and Kame grew less skittish as his personality came forth a little more each day. Thanks to proper care and riding in the carriage, his leg was beginning to heal and his limp was becoming less and less prominent. All Kame's focus was centered around my baby brother and Mikey basked in the attention as our new friend continued to tease out some of the reasons for the youngest Prince's illness. I was especially intrigued when Kame began to ask Master Splinter all types of questions about our baby brother's diet.

"Kame, why ya askin' about what Mikey eats?" I inquired as I noticed the healer looking thoughtful into the campfire after my baby brother had been placed in his futon for the night due to a headache that occurred after we had eaten dinner, "Have ya figured out somethin'?"

"I am wondering if some of your brother's weakness is due to food allergies," Kame admitted as Donnie and I sat up straighter, "My shields are keeping his empathic abilities from getting overrun and the teas and mint are improving his appetite. Strength will come with time, but the moments of weakness and the headaches have me concerned. Hmm."

"So what are you thinking?" Donnie asked as Kame reached over and began to study Mikey's dinner plate which had too much left on it for my tastes.

"Food allergies are like ingesting a poison into the body," Kame explained as I hissed at the thought of something poisoning my baby brother, "Not the rice. Eats that every day with no problems. Hmm."

It was fascinating to watch as Kame pulled apart everything left on Mikey's plate as he almost seemed to be talking softly with himself.

"Ah!" Kame exclaimed a few minutes later, "The tofu! My Lord, you bought tofu from the village we passed through this morning, didn't you?"

Master Splinter sat up straighter and nodded.

"Yes. I usually buy fresh tofu for my sons whenever we reach a village during our times traveling. Why?" Sensei asked as Kame looked triumphant, "Child?"

"Soy," Kame breathed, "Soy allergies are pretty common in young children, but Mikey's allergy must be pretty strong. He was fine until he ate the tofu which is…."

"Soy curd!" Father gasped, "I've been poisoning my son!"

"Not at all," Kame assured, "You were giving the young Prince something that is usually very healthy, but for Prince Michelangelo, his system cannot digest it. I have to make a cleansing tea."

Kame quickly mixed a new batch of his medicinal plants and made the tea before hurrying into the tent. We all followed and watched as the healer woke Mikey. My little brother looked pained as he opened his eyes groggily, but he drank the tea without question and snuggled against Kame as he fell back to sleep.

"Father, no more tofu," I ordered as Sensei nodded emphatically, "I don't want there ta be any chance of Mikey gettin' soy again."

"There are many dishes that contain soy," Donnie sighed as Kame nodded, "Raph, we are going to have to eliminate all soy in our diet as well. You know how Mikey likes to nibble off our plates and we can take no chances. The palace cooks are not going to be happy. You know what a battle-ax the head chef is."

"I'll deal with that since I am in charge of your brother's health," Kame whispered as he settled Mikey back in his futon, "I'm going to have to rethink the diet I'm placing your brother on, but soy can be substituted with other alternatives."

Mikey didn't fuss too much about giving up tofu and anything with soy in it. The youngest admitted that not getting the painful headaches was worth not getting to eat soy. I thanked the Gods for bringing Kame into our life. Donnie and I rather enjoyed the healers company and found that Kame soaked up knowledge like a sponge, but his whole person still stayed centered around getting Mikey well again.

"Don't expect a miracle overnight," Kame had warned Donnie and I, "Your brother has been weakened over a long period of time. It will take him time to heal fully, but he will heal. Be patient."

However, Kame was not aware of what a change I was seeing in Mikey. The light in my baby brother's eyes was back now that the healer was shielding him from the pain around him. Again, I thanked the gods several times a day for bringing Kame into my brother's life. I was surprised one morning to discover Mikey and Kame missing from camp and was about to bolt after Kame's trail when I saw him coming from the woods with my baby brother strapped to his shell in a type of sling that supported Mikey comfortably like he was getting a piggy-back ride. It was kind of adorable.

"Raphie," Mikey chirped as he looked over the healer's shoulder happily, "Kame took me to gather more herbs and I saw a doe with her fawn and the fawn was so cute and Kame's really strong because he carried me the whole way and said his leg didn't bother him once."

"I'm not that strong since you weigh too little, my Prince," Kame denied as I blinked in amusement, "I'll be glad when you get too heavy because that will mean that you are getting to a more healthy weight."

"Then ya can be all roly-poly again, Squirt," I joked as my baby brother stuck his tongue out at me.

"I will not," Mikey denied grinning, "I'll be all sleek and a stealthy, warrior ninja. You wait and see!"

"I'll enjoy seein' that," I admitted as Kame nodded at me.

Mikey bounced and I helped Kame ease my baby brother back into his wheeled chair.

"Looks like ya had fun," I grinned out as Mikey nodded eagerly, "Why don't ya go wake up Donnie? Ya know how he loves your special wake-up calls."

Mikey beamed and wheeled himself into the tent as I regarded Kame.

"I haven't seen him this happy and carefree in a long time," I remarked as the healer began to organize the herbs he had gathered, "That was nice of ya ta take him with ya like that. That thin' ya made is ingenious, Kame. Wish I had known about somethin' like that early so that I could have been usin' it ta carry my brother around instead of him usin' that damn chair."

"I used to carry my youngest brother in a sling like that before I lost him," Kame sighed out sadly, "He was just an infant when the slavers took me, but I'm glad I remembered how to construct the sling since the fresh air did the Prince such good."

"Mikey," I said as Kame looked up at me, "He likes his family and friends ta call him Mikey. I wish to be called Raphael or Raph and Donatello…."

"Can answer for himself, thank you very much and thank you for the morning tackle that I received from Mikey, your Royal Meanness," my brother called from behind me and I turned to grin at him as he nodded at Kame, "Please, call me Donnie. Kame, what is your real name?"

Kame halted his movements as he looked up at my brother in confusion before he turned thoughtful. Donnie and I were beginning to understand some of our new friend's looks the longer we traveled together.

"I…my name is Kame," the healer stated as he returned to his work.

"That is just another name for our people. We might as well call ya 'Terrapin' or 'Turtle,'" I snapped irritably, "That is not your real name, Friend. What is tha name your parents gave ta ya?"

A lot of slaves were given new names by their masters, but I had never met a slave that had been called something as repulsive as what Kame had been dubbed with.

"Prince…" Kame began before swallowing when I shook my finger at him, "Raphael, I lost my name to the fever that nearly took my life at four. I do not remember my or my babies' names. Forgive me. I have often wracked my mind trying to remember, but…it is lost to me. I'm sorry."

"Nothin' ta forgive," I denied as Donnie looked confused.

Kame excused himself to do some healer thing of his and my brother turned to me and tapped his foot.

"Explain," Donnie snapped.

"Explain, what?" I asked as I stood and stretched.

"Babies?" Donnie continued as I startled, "Fever? What history do you know of Kame's that you haven't shared? There is no way that Kame could have fathered any children. He is too young. Spill, Raphael."

Sighing, I shared the bit of Kame's story that I knew as Donnie stiffened in horror.

"Gods be merciful," Donnie choked as he looked close to tears, "It's a wonder he survived with the guilt he has harbored over losing his baby brothers. Poor, Kame. I-I can't imagine if I lost you or…or Mikey."

"Ya ain't goin' ta lose us, Donnie," I assured as my brother trembled for a moment, "We got Kame now, Brother. Mikey's goin' ta get better."

"You always know me so well," Donnie sighed as he calmed, "We've got to find out what Kame's real name is."

"I'm hopin' that I can get more information from Kame so I can get tha Daimyo ta help us find where he came from, I admitted as Donnie nodded, "Maybe we can find his name that way. Our tutors said that there weren't a lot of female healers in our clan a few years back so we should be able ta discover who his mother was and from there, tha records of her children."

"It might even put Kame's mind to rest to know the names of his baby brothers," Donnie added, "We can set up a shrine for his little ones. I always wished that we had been able to do that for our mother and father, whoever they were."

"Good idea," I agreed, "We cannot reach tha City of Light fast enough. I am lookin' forward ta seein' tha Daimyo."

Donnie and I made a pact that day to help Kame just as he was helping with our baby brother. We made a mistake in not being more aware of what was going on around us since there were some that resented that Kame was our new traveling companion. We were a full day's journey away from the City of Light and we had stopped for the moment since my little brother had been suffering nausea from the uneven grounds. Mikey was happily sitting to my side on our picnic blanket while Kame had retreated into the forest alone to gather more medicinal plants.

"I can't wait to see Ojiichan," Mikey chirped as he sipped at the tea Kame had made him to clear up his upset stomach.

"Mikey, you know that Father only wants you to call Lord Daimyo 'Ojiichan' when we are in private," Donnie laughed as our baby brother bounced as he handed me his empty teacup, "You are wild today."

"I'm happy," Mikey giggled, "My tummy doesn't hurt anymore and the sun is bright and pretty. We're almost home!"

"I'll be glad ta be home too," I agreed as Donnie smiled softly, "I don't really like tha northern palace as much as our true home."

We all chatted contentedly when Mikey sat up straighter with a gasp and began to scream as if in agony. Donnie and I panicked as his screams turned into a full-blown seizure while he gasped Kame's name again and again between his convulsions on the blanket. Father had run over to try and help, but this attack seemed different to all of us.

"Gods," I gasped as reality crashed over me, "Mikey's feelin' Kame's pain! Father watch over him! Donnie, with me!"

To be continued…