A/N Holy Guacamole! The response to the last chapter was overwhelmingly awesome! I was completely blown away by the feedback, you have no idea how happy you guys make me! Thank you so much! I'm so sorry to take so long to update, especially after such a nasty cliffhanger. Real life has kept me busy and has left me exhausted both physically and mentally so I had a difficult time finding the time and energy to write this chapter. Hopefully now that things are starting to settle down I'll be able to go back to more frequent updates. Honestly I don't know what I was thinking when I decided to try and update once every day or two, I only found myself in over my head. I don't think I'll be able to keep up that momentum anymore, but I'll try to keep them coming as fast as I can.

Well, without further ado, here's the next chapter! Enjoy!

Chapter Six

At first Leo was reluctant to go into the dojo at the sound of Raph's cry for help, telling himself that he and Mikey could deal with their own problems. The two fought—OK so Mikey felt Raph's wrath—all too often lately and he was tired of intervening. But that thought immediately left him when it finally registered in his mind that something was seriously wrong and not just because it was normally Mikey who would call for help.

He never heard such a sound from Raph before, and it took a moment for him to recognise the sound as one of despair. As the realization hit him he started for the dojo, just as Raph cried out again. He burst through the door and stopped dead in his tracks at the sight.

Leo didn't know what he had expected to find, but he never in a million years would've thought that he would ever see the sight that was before him. For a second he froze, trying to process the sight of his brothers on the floor. Raph on his knees, Mikey lying in his lap. It was so far from what he expected that he couldn't make sense of it all at once and instead took in the details as separate pieces of a puzzle.

Raph looked up at him, his eyes full of tears as he cradled Mikey in his lap. Leo couldn't remember the last time he saw Raph cry, if ever, and yet his green eyes were extra bright as they met Leo's, and Leo was taken aback by the pure agony in them as he let his tears fall to leave wet trails down his face. And Mikey…Mikey was far too still in his arms, and far too pale. Mikey was never still.

Leo's eyes caught the sight of crimson, and a flash of silver and he could've sworn that Raph's sai was sticking out of Mikey's chest, but that…that was impossible, it had to be an optical illusion or something…or they teamed up to play the cruelest prank ever. That had to be it. It was all a prank.

But it couldn't be a prank…there was no way Raph was ever a good enough actor to display such raw despair in his eyes, and Mikey was never able to contain his laughter for long… But if it wasn't a prank then…

"What happened?" Leo asked, his throat suddenly dry as the katanas he still had in his hands dropped to the floor with a clang. His knees felt weak and the room was spinning.

"Leo," he breathed, his voice steady but raw with emotion, "I… it was an accident I…I didn't…d-didn't mean it…I-I didn't realize he was there…I…god I am so sorry!"

Leo stumbled back a step as he watched Raph choke out a sob, pulling Mikey's limp body closer to him. He barely recognized the sound of his own voice as he took another step back and called for Donnie and Master Splinter.

He breathed heavily as his mind caught up with his sight and the puzzle pieces fit together. Accident or not, it didn't make a difference. It didn't change the fact that Raph did this. The evidence was crystal clear. Mikey was unconscious, hurt, possibly dead or dying…No, no he's going to be OK…he's not dead, he's not! He's going to be OK… and Raph did this to him with his own weapon.

"What the hell's the matter with you!" he screamed as he lunged towards his brothers, sliding down beside them and reaching for Mikey's prone body, taking him from Raph's arms as though to protect him from further harm. To protect him from Raph.

Raph didn't put up a fight, he surrendered Mikey to Leo without question and once Mikey was safe in Leo's arms, Leo lashed out at Raph who scooted away from them weakly, pulling his knees to his chest as he stared at his hands, still in a state of shock as he allowed his tears to freely fall.

"I didn't mean it!" he sobbed, "It was a-an accident! Oh god I'm so s-sorry!"

Leo didn't listen, he didn't care what Raph had to say. Nothing Raph could say or do would possibly make it any better. He focused all his attention on Mikey and called for Donnie and Sensei once again. Placing shaky fingers on Mikey's neck he felt that there was a pulse, but it was fast and weak. He pulled Mikey closer to him, his head and limbs lolled with the movement like a ragdoll's and Leo realized that he wasn't breathing.

"Mikey!" Leo shook him, mirroring the motion Raph made just moments before Leo came in. There was no response.

At that moment Donnie came in and froze. Leo looked up at him and watched his brown eyes dart back and forth from Leo, to Mikey, to the sai in his chest, he let out a soft gasp and his eyes darted sharply towards Raph. Raph buried his face in his hands and Donnie looked back at Mikey, his expression hard to read yet full of emotion. He stood there for what felt like a long time but was in reality only a second before he turned and rushed out the door again, brushing past Master Splinter as he came to see what was going on.

Master Splinter didn't even look Raph's way, he just rushed to Michelangelo's side, resting one hand on his son's cheek, and another on his chest, his fingers brushing against the sai. His eyes met Leo's and the look in his Sensei's eyes nearly broke him. Splinter bowed his head and then slowly turned his head in Raph's direction. Leo watched Raph meet his master's gaze and then quickly look away, dropping his head to his knees as he choked out another apology.

After that everything was a blur. Leo's mind brought him back to the last few days. Mikey's pranks, Raph's anger. It had escalated to the point that Raph was spitting death threats…but Leo never dreamed that Raph would actually dare to…to…go through with it. He still didn't believe it. Deep down he knew, he knew that Raph would never... And yet…and yet…the evidence, the incriminating sai sticking out of his little brother's chest told a different story.

It's your funeral…

Leo cringed at the memory of the last words he had spoken to Mikey. Spoken without care or concern. He shouldn't have let him go. He should have stepped in as his big brother and leader and forbidden him from going into the dojo to confront Raph in the first place.

He was vaguely aware of Donnie returning with medical supplies and he let Donnie take Mikey from him. He was too numb, too shocked, too stricken with disbelief to register much as his mind still tried to make sense of the unfathomable reality that was unfolding before his eyes.

He heard Raph crying out his meaningless apologies, he watched Donnie and Master Splinter crowd around Mikey, partially blocking him from view. He heard Donnie talking to Splinter as they worked on saving their little brother, but his mind was in a fog and he didn't catch what they were communicating to each other. Only some of his genius brother's words registered, and they were enough to shake him to the core. Words like collapsed lung, not breathing and finally cardiac arrest.

"Leo!" Donnie called, jolting him from his shell-shocked daze, "Get the door! We need to get him to the lab NOW!"

Without hesitation Leo did as he was told, opening the door and stepping aside to let them through. They moved just as quickly and they ran past him, cradling Mikey between them. Leo wanted to follow more than anything, wanting to stay by Mikey's side, but he knew that he needed to stay out of their way and let them work. Instead he stood by the door and turned towards Raph, narrowing his eyes as he was suddenly filled with a feeling he had never felt towards one of his brothers before.

Raph had scrambled to his feet, looking lost and helpless and overwhelmed with guilt and anguish. It was very un-Raphlike, and to see him in such a state was jarring. Under any other circumstances, Leo's instincts would've been to comfort him, but something dark and twisted snapped inside him and Leo was seeing red.

Leo waited by the door for Raph to come to him. He was clearly wanting to be with Mikey just as much as Leo did and as soon as Raph was within arm's reach he lunged and shoved his brother hard, sending him flying back. Raph landed hard on his shell and slid a few feet until he crashed into the wall with a hard thud. Raph grunted upon impact, rubbing the back of his head before looking up at Leo who stalked towards him, his face cold and unforgiving as he reached for his dropped katanas and approached.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" Leo spat pointing the tip of one of his katanas at Raph, not to be threatening, but as a warning for Raph to stay back, "What were you thinking?"

Once again Raph made no attempt to get up from the floor or fight back, he just looked up at Leo, tears in his eyes and replied, "I…I wasn't thinking! I was so focused and…and I didn't even know Mikey was standing there until it was too late! I swear."

"You know what? Save it. I don't care," Leo hissed venomously. He was not in the mood for apologies or excuses.

Raph started to get up but Leo thrust his katana in his direction, blocking him.

"Where do you think you're going?"

"Mikey…I have to see him!"

A wave of grief washed over Leo and he turned his head in the direction of the lab. No, Donnie's going to save him…he'll be all right… Donnie was a genius, he could do anything. If anyone could save Mikey now, it was him. But…he was an engineer not a doctor. There was a lot he knew, and in the past proved to be qualified and capable of taking care of injuries but even Donnie had his limits and Mikey wasn't breathing…

Leo turned away and swallowed back a sob. He quickly swiped away the moisture building up in his eyes and he took a deep breath. He had to be strong, for Mikey. He needed to believe that Mikey would pull through.

He twirled around to face Raphael, "You stay the hell away from him."

"Please Leo."

Raph's voice was quiet and raw with hurt. His green eyes shone as he pleadingly looked up at him, baring a soul wracked with guilt and grief.

But Leo refused to see it. All he could see in his mind's eye was Mikey as he lay dying, struck down by Raph's hand. He heard the idle death threats Raph had thrown at Mikey the last few days, angered by the pranks their little brother pulled and he remembered how much effort he took such a short while ago to physically stop Raph from beating the crap out of their brother, who was only trying to cheer everyone up in his own way. "Do you know he came in here to try and fix things between you guys?" Leo asked, clenching his swords in a white-knuckled grip, "He said he didn't want to go to bed knowing that you hated him. He went in here to make things right."

He watched Raph process what he said and he trembled as he shook his head, "Oh god…I…I'm so sorry."

"So you keep saying," Leo retorted coldly. "Man, I can't…I can't even stand to look at you right now."

With that Leo turned and walked away, leaving Raph alone to wallow in his guilt.

A/N So it wasn't exactly the epic confrontation I planned for, but all in all I think it turned out OK.

Please let me know what you think!