Chapter 7: Sworn Protectors
A/N: Sorry for the long wait! I wanted to focus on someone other than just Raph this time!
I OWN NOTHING! Enjoy!
Special thanks to iliketordles
"Stoppit, Leo! I don't need ya to hold my hand all the time!"
"I'm just doing it to keep you safe! Sensei says to always stick together."
"Just leggo! I'll stay next to ya if you're that much of a scaredy-cat!"
Raphael tugged his hand out of Leonardo's as he stomped on ahead of them, his nose in the air and his stride purpoesful, or as purposeful as a five and a half year old mutant turtle could be as the four of them trekked through the tunnels.
Leo sighed, shaking his head as he gently pulled little Mikey closer to his side.
It was only eariler this morning that their father and teacher, Master Splinter, had allowed the four young mutant turtles (after much begging and puppy eyes that is) to let them explore the sewers all by themselves, without him guiding them this time. It was a risky thing to do, especially since they were only five or so years old, but Splinter trusted that they would stay together, and not wander too far into the sewers.
Or to be accurate, he trusted Leonardo.
Even at this young age, Leo proved to be far more mature and responsible than his younger brothers, though Donnie was a very close second, even though he was the second youngest.
Splinter had faith that Leo would maintain and watch over his brothers as they went exploring.
Just as long as he didn't overdo it.
As soon as the four young turtle brothers went through the turnstiles of the lair, Leo had ordered them all to hold hands to stay together, to which Mikey and Donnie quickly complied, but Raph shoved off with a growl. He didn't want to be treated like a baby by Leo! He was big enough to walk without holding anyone's hand!
The four of them had never gone very far in the sewers before, at least not without Splinter, so it was all a very new and quite exciting experience. However, a certain red clad turtle wasn't having as much fun as Donnie and Mikey were.
Only because Leo was in charge.
"Okay everyone, this floor is very slippery because we're close to the sewer water, so we gotta be careful, okay?" Leo cautioned in a big brother fashion, eyeing the strong current of sewage water that flowed next to them with wary eyes. That water looked very deep and cold; the last thing any of them wanted to do was fall in...and not come out again.
None of them could swim just yet...
Mikey and Donnie nodded eagerly in understanding. "Okay Leo!" they chimed in unison. Mikey then made a show of actually staring at the floor as he took careful steps.
Donnie began to giggle. "Mikey, why're you bein' so silly?!" he laughed, putting a hand over his mouth to stifle the giggles, but to no avail.
Mikey looked up at Leo and Donnie and beamed, his freckled cheeks blushing. "'Cus Leo says so!" Mikey smiled, running over to Leo and hugging him around the waist.
Leo's breath left him in a rush as Mikey squeezed him, but he immediatley returned the hug, nuzzling Mikey's cheek against his own. "Thanks Mikey," he said, and he felt Mikey bob his head up and down in his chest.
He also heard Raph sigh longsufferingly, but he chose to ignore it.
Donnie watched them for a moment, but then something caught his eye farther down the tunnel. He turned around to find a large, furry creature chewing on something that he realized was a human shoe. He gasped in wonder as he slowly drew closer to the creature, kneeling infront of it as it stared up at him with large beady eyes.
He smiled, revealing the gap between his teeth. "Hey guys! Look at this!" he called over his shoulder, carefully scooping up the creature in his three fingered hands. His brothers quickly came over as he opened his hands, revealing the critter.
They let out a chorus of gasps. "It's Daddy! He turned tiny!" Mikey cried, pointing at the little rat held in Donnie's hands.
Donnie laughed and shook his head, "No, no, no Mikey! This is what rats are supposed to look like. See?" He handed the rat over to Mikey, setting in his hands as Mikey's baby blue eyes widened in wonder.
"Oooohh," he cooed, and without warning, he began to rub the little rat all over his freackled face, "he's so fuzzy, just like daddy!" he giggled, even as the rat squeaked in protest.
Raph rolled his eyes and Leo shook his head. "Mikey? Do you even know that thing's been?" Raph deadpanned.
Mikey turned, looking blankly up at Raph. "We live in the sewers too, what's it matter?"
Leo and Raph froze.
Good point.
Leo decided to amuse himself with whatever he could find on the floor or on the walls as his little brother continued to play with the mini rodent, be it an empty can, or a pebble or -
He heard a scream and a splash.
His heart nearly stopped beating.
Leo, Mikey and Raph spun around to find that Donnie had fallen into the stream, and was being carried off by the strong current.
"LEO! RAPHIE! MIKEY! HELP ME!" he screamed.
Mikey's eyes widened as he stood frozen with fear, the rat slipping out of his grasp, forgotten, as it scrambled away from the mutant child.
Then without missing a beat, the three of them were instantly moving, sprinting after their brother down the sewer path as they cried out to him, shouting at him to grab onto something, but there was nothing...
"DONNIE! WE'RE COMING! HOLD ON!" Raph screeched, "YOU'LL BE OKAY!"
Donnie tried to keep his head above the water, tried not to swallow any of the filthy water, but eventually, his head went under, his hands flailing as he struggled to resurface, but now he didn't know which was up and which way was down. Everything was a muffled mess of the sounds of water, shouting, screaming, and the fowl taste of dirty water, before everything began to go dark.
The last thing Donnie saw before he blacked out was something plunging into the waters, and a bright tint of orange.
"...onnie..."
"...Mikey!"
"...Donnie..."
"DONNIE, MIKEY WAKE UP!"
Donatello spat out water as he gasped for breath, holding his throat as he spluttered. He felt someone rub and pat his shell as they helped him into a sitting position. Worried hands then pulled him into a hard chest, and wrapped around his quivering shoulders in a warm yet tight embrace.
"Y-you're okay Donnie, y-you're gonna be okay!" Raph trembled, tears pouring down his face as he held Donnie in his arms.
As the coughing finally subsided, Donnie blinked up at Raph in confusion, shivering from the cold. "...Raphie...what happened?" he quivered.
Before Raph could answer, muffled sobbing could be heard beside them, and they turned to find Leo holding Mikey's trembling and wet body close to him as the two of them sobbed into each other, with Leo saying over and over again for Mikey never to scare him like that ever again.
Donnie's eyes filled with tears also as the reality of what had almost happened suddenly hit him. He was chasing after a little bug near the edge of the water, and he had slipped in.
Mikey had dived in to save him, and he had almost drowned too.
Donnie gently released himself from Raph's arms as he crawled on his hands and knees over to Mikey and Leo. Mikey looked up from Leo's chest, and stared at Donnie with terrified, tear filled baby blue eyes. Mikey was still so scared, and he had almost died, all because he had to dive in and save him...and none of them could even swim.
Donnie held out his trembling arms to Mikey, his lower lip quivering as the tears dripped down his face. "...M-Mikey...I-I'm s-so sorry," he stuttered, "T-thank you s-so much...I -"
Before Donnie could evenfinish, Mikey had launched himself into Donnie's arms, hugging him tight enough to make him burst as he began to sob once again. "N-no! I d-didn't want y-y-you to die, Donnie! I-I love you Donnie! I love you, I love you, I love you!"
Donnie finally released the tears as held Mikey back with all the force he could muster. "I love you too, Mikey!" he sobbed. Soon, Leo and Raph joined them, hugging them close as they all began to sob into each other.
Splinter came out of the kitchen later that afternoon to the sound of his sons finally returning from their trip through the tunnels. He let out a heavy sigh of relief as he went out to greet them at last, praying that they were unharmed.
His fears were finally put to rest when they walked through the turnstiles of the lai, all of them holding hands, just as they were when they left...and Splinter noticed that they were also quite damp.
He creased a confused furry brow as he approached them and knelt down to their level. "My sons, are you alright?" he asked.
The four little boys all shared a look. Then they looked back up to their father and grinned.
"We had a blast, Sensei!" Donatello cried.
"Yeah, we saw awesome stuff down there!" Raphael cheered, bringing his hand in the air even though he still had not let go of Donnie's hand.
"Yeah, we saw a minni daddy too!" Michelangelo giggled.
"And we stayed together, Sensei!" Leonardo proclaimed, his grip tightening on Michelangelo's little hand.
Splinter couldn't fight the smile that tugged at his lips. "I see," he said, "I am pleased to know that none of you misbehaved or got hurt...but why are you so wet?"
The boys continued to grin up at him, but Splinter noticed the subtle way Leo and Raph squeezed Donnie and Mikey's hand tighter, almost protectivley. "A pipe fell down and got water all over us!" Leo giggled, "It was pretty funny, but we think we need a bath nowm Sensei!"
Splinter took one whiff of them, and he held back the urge to hold his nose in disgust. "Ai ya! Indeed you do, my sons...and then I suggest you have a nap; you all must be very tired."
"Hai Sensei!" they chimed together, and they hurried to the bathroom for their bath. And they still hadn't let go of each other's hands.
"...Donnie? Are you awake?"
Donnie let out a tired yawn as he sat up in his bed, rubbing his eyes with the back of his hand as he looked up. He and Mikey shared one bunk bed, whilst on the other side of the room, Leo and Raph shared another.
Mikey's big baby blue eyes stared down at Donnie with innocent worry as Donnie sat up fully. "What is it, Mikey?" he asked.
Mikey climbed down the ladder attatched to their bed and sat down on Donnie's lap. His blue eyes looked down for a moment, and then filled with tears as he looked back up at his older brother. "I'm...i'm still scared, Donnie," he whimpered, "I thought you were gonna die today, b-but I jumped in, a-and then I almost died, a-and then Leo and Raph got scared..."
Donnie silenced him as he thew his arms around him and held him close. "I know, Mikey...I'm scared too. It was all my fault. I shouldn't have done that...but...you saved me, Mikey. Thank you.." he whispered.
Mikey nuzzled his face into the crook of Donnie's neck. "It's 'cus I love you...we all love you Don..."
"That's right, Donnie."
Mikey and Don turned to find Leo and Raph both staring at them, their eyes filled with a determination never seen before in ones so young. "We're gonna keep you both safe," Raph said, climbing out of the bottom bunk of his bed as he padded over to Mikey and Donnie, climbing into their beds. "We promise."
Leo followed shortly after Raph, Climbing onto the bed and wrapping his arms around all three of them, or as much as he could with his little arms, and they all clung onto each other, none of them ever daring to let go.
By the next morning, Splinter was suprised to find all four of his boys snoozing on one another with faces of pure content, and he couldn't help but smile.
Maybe training could wait a little while longer...
