A/N: Sorry if the last chapter seemed tossed around. Elaboration isn't one of my strong points. My hands can type faster than my brain can think sometimes. I guess I'm not the kind of writer who likes to spend a lot of time with detail. *goes into deep thought* Maybe I should improve on that.

Enough of my useless rambling. On to chapter seven.

Italics: memories/dreams


He had been in his brother's lab countless times before. Why was it so difficult now?

Raphael rubbed his hands to stop them from shaking, but his efforts were in vain. They shook even more. He had never been one to show nervousness openly before.

"Raph?"

Raphael turned around to see Michelangelo standing behind him.

"The...you-know...don't start tonight, do they?" he asked.

"I'm afraid so, Mike," Raphael answered.

"Your arm's not that bad," Michelangelo said.

"Mikey, I can barely move it."

Michelangelo whimpered. Raphael cringed.

"Oh. Mikey, don't do that. I know I hate it when you make that sound."

"And you know I hate it when one of you is hurt."

"You got a better idea?" Raphael asked.

"No. But, I'm sure there is," Michelangelo put in, crossing his arms.

"I agree. But, right now, there is no better idea," Raphael told his baby brother.

He sighed. "The only thing we can do is go along with it and hope for the best."

Raphael slipped out his sais, walked over to Michelangelo and held them out.

"Raph, you never part with your sais."

"Take care of them for me. I won't be needin' them for a while."

Michelangelo took the blades. Raphael smiled and headed into Donatello's lab.

Donatello looked up when the door opened. Raphael walked in and closed the door again. He began slipping off his wrist band and elbow pad.

"I'm sorry I have to do this to you, Raph," Donatello apologized.

"There's nothing else that can be done, brainiach," Raphael grunted.

He set his gear on a chair and lay down on the table Donatello used for emergency operations. He was all too familiar with this table. He had been on it more times than his entire family, plus Casey and April, put together.

Donatello walked up, holding a mask and an I.V. Raphael looked away as his brother set up the equipment. He felt a small sting as the small needle pierced his skin. The mask was slipped over his mouth and nose. A sweet smelling vapor filled the mask. Almost instantly, Raphael began to feel his eyes grow heavy.

"See you in a few hours, Raph," Donatello's distant voice said.

"Earth to Raphie."

Raphael blinked back to reality. He was standing in an elevator with Michelangelo and Karai.

"Dude, you completely zoned out," Michelangelo whispered.

Raphael rubbed his eyes. When had he zoned out?

"We are here," Karai announced.

The elevator came to a stop and the doors opened. The three ninjas walked out of the elevator and down a short hallway. Karai opened the first (and only) door they came to. Raphael and Michelangelo found themselves looking into what looked like a hospital operation room.

"Either Leo and Don were forced into this, or the world has finally come to an end," Raphael thought.


"A doctor?"

"Would probably pass out the second he saw us."

"Operation?"

"I've been doing that for a week now and it's doing nothing."

Leonardo thought deeper as he continued pacing Donatello's room. He was sure he was digging a small trench in the floor, but he didn't care.

"Medication?" he asked.

Donatello gave him a tired and "you've-got-to-be-kidding-me" look.

"Medication? For what? A virus we don't understand. How are we supposed to give our brother medicine for something we don't know?" he asked.

"I'm running out of ideas here, Don. I'm saying the first thing that comes to mind," Leonardo explained.

Donatello turned in his computer chair. It slowly spun around. They had been at this for hours and still nothing.

"There has to be something we've over looked," Leonardo said.

Donatello closed his eyes. The symbol of the Foot flashed in his mind's eye.

"There's always...him," the inventor replied.

"No. I down right refuse!" Leonardo answered forcefully.

Donatello opened his eyes. He lifted his head and looked at his eldest brother with a tired and worn gaze.

"What other choices do we have?" he whispered.

"He would just as soon kill us than help us," Leonardo hissed.

Donatello gave his brother a sad smile.

"It's ironic, isn't it? The person who has caused us so much grief is our only chance at saving Raph. I hate irony," he said.

"I'll talk to Master Splinter and see what he thinks we should do," Leonardo explained. "If he comes up with the same conclusion then it's settled."

Donatello nodded his agreement. They had gotten into too much trouble over the years because they didn't inform Splinter before hand.

"Get some rest, Don. You're about to fall off the chair."

Donatello scoffed.

"I've fallen asleep at my computer loads of times, Leo. It wouldn't be the first or the last."

Leonardo smiled. He opened the door and walked out of the room, closing the door quietly behind him. Donatello laid his head on the back of the chair and closed his eyes. Within seconds he was asleep.

"Donny. Donny. Wake up, Don."

Donatello moaned. He slapped the hand that grasped his shoulder away.

"Donny, wake up. Raph and Mike are here."

Donatello slowly woke up. He wasn't in his room sitting at the computer, but in Saki's chamber. Leonardo shook his brother again.

"Come on, Don," he urged.

Donatello begrudgingly pushed himself out of the chair and followed Leonardo out of the room.


Michelangelo paced outside the lab door. Karai had taken Raphael inside a few minutes ago.

"Mikey!"

Michelangelo glanced up the hall and saw Leonardo and Donatello ran towards him. The youngest turned his back to them and continued his pacing.

"Mikey, we can explain," Leonardo began.

"Don't waste your breath, Leo, Karai already explained everything to me and Raph on the way here," Michelangelo said.

"We had no other choice. Even Master Splinter agreed this was the only option," Donatello reasoned.

"So, you sold our brother to the devil," Michelangelo said, turning to face his older siblings.

"We sold Raph to no one," Leonardo replied.

"Is there a problem?"

Leonardo and Donatello swung around. Saki walked up to them. The Turtles fell silent.

"Doctor Chaplin has informed me that your brother is doing well. The virus has been cured and he will be back to his old self in no time," Saki explained.

Michelangelo frowned. Saki had that look. The look that said he was up to no good, the look that said he was lying through his teeth.

"Is something wrong, Michelangelo?" the Foot leader asked.

"No," Michelangelo answered shortly.

Leonardo and Donatello looked from their brother to each other.

"Well, if you will excuse me, I have other business to attend to," Saki excused himself.

He walked away.

"I'll never trust that guy," Michelangelo spat.

"Mike, he very well just saved Raph's life," Donatello said.

"How do we know that?" Michelangelo asked. "Don't tell me you're just going to hand over your trust to Shredder that quickly."

"Of course not, we're just stating a fact," Leonardo replied. "At least give him a bit of gratitude."

"The gratitude I'll give him is the size of a dust particle," Michelangelo said, crossing his arms.

"Fair enough."

Michelangelo turned around.

"Raphie!"

"Hey, bro, how are you feeling?" Leonardo asked.

"Like my old self. Whatever Chaplin did it worked like a charm," Raphael commented.

"Great. Let's get out of here and go home," Leonardo told his brothers.

Without any delay, the Turtles made their way out of Foot Tower and raced across the rooftops. They headed down the first manhole they came across and headed back to the lair.


What do you think?