*Flash Back*
"Today I will be giving you your, Ninja Names," Splinter announced as he knelt down facing his sons placing four ninja eye masks on his lap.
"But don't we already have names?" Mikey asked.
"Yes and no." Splinter answered his youngest son with a proud smile. "You have your given names, these are your ninja names. Unlike your given names, your Ninja Names must be held closest to your heart, for they represent your truest self. These names must remain known only to a trusted few and never openly used, for if an enemy knows of your ninja name they will have something that binds you to them.
"But Sensei," Leo pointed out. "We aren't ninja yet, we haven't gone through our trial?"
"You haven't yet, but you will soon..." Splinter said proudly. "Perhaps sooner than you think."
"Oooo Oooo, tell is about your ninja trial Sensei," Mikey suggested as he nearly bounced up and down on from where he knelt on the floor.
"That is a story for another day, my son." Splinter said calmly. "Now then, Leonardo, you are the eldest and devote yourself not only in dedication to our noble art but also this family. So I give you this blue mask, its color symbolizes trust, loyalty, wisdom, and confidence. From now on, your ninja name will be Seiji."
Leonardo gracefully accepted his mask and put it on.
"Raphael," Splinter continued. "Your anger is one constant issue you must face in your lifetime. If properly channeled it can be used to help defend and protect those around you. But if used improperly, it will produce a weapon that is far too powerful to control. So I give you this red mask, its color symbolizes strength, power, determination, and courage. From now on, your ninja name will be Ryusuke.
Raphael eagerly put on his new mask, smirking at his other brother.
"Donatello." Splinter said "You carry elements of the two brothers who have come before you. In many ways the fighting style is in compliment with them, however, you also have skills and talents that are yours alone. Because of this, I will give you this purple mask, its color symbolizes wisdom, dignity, creativity, and independence. From now on, your ninja name will be Shion.
Donatello grinned proudly as he accepted his new mask. He didn't put it on right away, he looked at the mask as though examining it.
"But Sensei…" Donnie answered. "This isn't purple, it's violet."
"What are you talking about?" Raph asked, "Purple and Violet are the same color."
"Not so, Raphael" Splinter answered. "True purple is equal parts Blue and Red, violet is where one of the two colors is more dominant than the other. Thank you for pointing that out, Donatello, you are quite right."
Donnie said nothing to clarify which color was most dominant in the fabrics color shade as he put on the mask. Leonardo, in turn, smiled at his second brother approvingly.
"Lastly Michelangelo," Splinter said as he held up a final mask that was orange in color. "You have a vivid imagination, but also a caring heart that strives to see and bring out the good in others, even when others don't see it for themselves. For this I give you this orange mask, its color symbolizes enthusiasm, happiness, determination, and encouragement. From now on your ninja name will be Asahiko."
*End Flashback*
He felt Donnie become rigid, instinctively he loosened the hold he held on his brother allowing him to bring one hand up to cover his mouth. Donatello moved to the side before he pitched forward issuing a small puddle of bile and mucus onto the flagstone floor along with a large worm. Leo at once reached out one leg so that his foot crushed the vial grub with a disgusting yet satisfying 'squish'.
Leo shuddered at the feel of the creatures innards staining the bindings on his feet, but he would deal with that later. For now, he had to focus on his brother and getting the both them out of there.
"Donnie?" He asked placing a gentle hand on his brother's shoulder. Donnie coughed and spit out any more gunk his body was ejecting before he looked up, his brown eyes meeting Leo's concerned blue ones.
"Se…iji" Donnie softly said, his voice a distorted croak. Leo at once gathered his brother into his arms cradling his head close to his chest.
"Don't talk now," Leo advised. "You just rest," Donnie responded by nodding his head but then his eyes caught sight of the blade sticking out of Leo's shoulder. He remembered stabbing his brother with it as his eyes widened in horror. He then looked at his hands as though expecting to see his brother's blood on them.
Leo had noticed that the small emotional change in his brother's body language and understood. The injured limb was already starting to feel useless, but he was still able to have some movement in it for the time being. Slowly and painfully he placed his hand in both of Donnie's.
"It wasn't you," Leo said soothingly as he brought his forehead to his brothers. "It wasn't you..."
Donnie seemed to accept Leo's placating gesture for the time being as he drew strength from his brother presence. Every so often a small shiver would pass through his frame. Leo smiled softly and affectionately nuzzled his forehead against his younger brothers as a form of comfort.
"Pathetic…"
The single uttered word caused Leo to open his eyes revealing a raging storm within their blue depths; the soft smile replacing itself with an angered scowl.
"Will you never be satisfied in your desires to destroy my family?" Leo demanded coldly.
"I will never be satisfied until the entire Hamato blood line is cleansed from this earth!" Shredder roared.
"The entire Hamato blood-line includes Karai..." Leo growled. "Would you slay her too?"
"Karai is my daughter!" Snarled the Shredder "I raised her! I trained her!"
"And that's the only kindness you may have done for her," Leo said again as he returned his attention to his resting brother. "Her whole life you have lied to her, trained her to be a weapon for your own ends. You made her believe your delusions about the death of her mother when Tang Shen was slain and all the torment that you claim vengeance against was caused by your own hand. That's why you used the mind worms on her! That's why she isn't here, isn't it? You don't want her to know the truth; you want her to be nothing more than your obedient puppet!"
"Enough of this!" Shredder said as he stood and he drew his blades. "Your lives will end here and now!" There was a sudden roar coming from the entryway to the chamber before Leatherhead burst in.
"This is for Michelangelo," Leatherhead growled as snapped at the Shredder. Slash also entered the room with a loud war cry of "For Raphael!"
Splinter appeared by his elder son's side.
"Sensei!" Leo said with elation.
"Get Donatello, out of here. I will handle the Shredder." Splinter answered before he joined the fray. Leo didn't object as he carefully pulled Donnie to his feet; supporting him on his good shoulder the two of them started to stumble out of the room. Behind them, Leatherhead was facing off against Rahzar and Fishface while Slash faced off against Bebop and Rocksteady. Bebop was quickly overpowered leaving the two larger mutants to duke it out.
Donnie and Leo were almost at the door when Tigerclaw appeared in front of them, his ice gun drawn.
"Where do you think you are going, Little Ones?!" The large cat snarled.
Donnie looked up and shook his head at the mutant tiger pleadingly. Tigerclaw eyed the two of them, he could incapacitate the two of them easily even without the ice gun. Though he had made it clear that he intended no further mercy for them, the way the purple-masked one looked at him gave him pause. Donatello was in no condition to defend himself and would go down rather easily. Leonardo still had some strength left to put up a fight to defend himself and his brother, but given his condition, he would still be defeated easily.
In his line of work, Tigerclaw had never questioned the morals and motives of his clients when hired to hunt down a target either for capture or a kill. It was all just a job, a task, it was not his place to know the reasons behind it. Yet, he couldn't deny the Shredder's motives or interests were questionable if not flawed, but the Shredder was also his employer and he wanted to see the deaths of the Turtles before him and anyone else associated with them. Still…the gap tooth turtle had spoken to him and treated him as though he was a person. That was not something the mutant tiger had experienced during the decades following his mutation at the hands of the Kraang. But there was no way the Shredder would allow him to just let the two of them walk out of the building alive. His thoughts were so conflicted he didn't notice Slash before the larger mutant had slammed his mace into him sending him into a wall.
"Here, let me carry him," Slash said as he hung up his mace onto his belt. Leo at once pulled Donnie protectively towards him, he acknowledged and respected the larger turtle as an ally, albeit grudgingly. But that didn't mean he had forgiven nor forgotten what Slash had done to his younger brothers. How he had dragged his second brother away and brutally injured him before leaving him for dead. Donatello calmly placed a hand his brother's arm, he said nothing but he did offer Leo a look that said they didn't have time to debate the issue. Reluctantly Leo allowed Slash to gather Donatello into his arms and carry him like a small child to where the party wagon waited outside. Leo remained close beside Slash making sure the larger Turtle didn't suddenly cause Donnie any further harm. However, there were other things Leo wished he could spare his brother from…such as the sight of Mikey.
When they reached to the van, Donnie almost tumbled out of Slash's arms as he tried to get his only little brother. Mikey lay sleeping with his head cradled on April's lap. Most of the damage had been bandaged, but that didn't make things less horrifying.
Raph wrapped a comforting hand around his immediate younger brother's shoulders as Donnie started to have an emotional breakdown. Leo eyed the entrance to the Shredder's Lair. He was itching to go back inside to assist Splinter; Slash also felt the same way about Leatherhead. They, fortunately, didn't have long to wait as Splinter and Leatherhead came racing out of the building and leaped into the back of the van. Slash climbed in as well slamming the sliding door closed, which Casey took as a cue to floor the gas pedal and get them out of there.
There was very little talking in the crowded space as they raced away into the night. The only sounds in the van itself were Pigeon Pete happily chewing on a ciabatta roll, Mikey's soft snores, and Donnie hyperventilating breaths while Raph was softly muttering to him in order to coach him through his anxiousness.
Rockwell had moved behind Leonardo and was examining the knife in his shoulder before he carefully eased the blade out. Splinter watched with some concern, Raphael and Leonardo's injuries appeared to be minimal but that knife in his elder son's shoulder could still be worse than it looked. He also wanted to examine Donatello's injuries as well, but that would wait until he calmed down or until they found a place to stop the van.
"Alright, there doesn't seem to be too much damage," Rockwell stated as he started to bind the injury. "The limb should remain elevated as the muscle heals. You are fortunate though if the person who stabbed you had aimed the blade half a centimeter to the right he would have hit an artery and things would be much more serious.
"No…" Leo's eyes looked pained as he eyed focused on Donatello who was clinging to Raphael like a lifeline. "He knew where he was aiming the blade." Rockwell's gaze followed Leonardo's gaze as the gears in his head clicked into place.
"So…Donatello was subjected to one of those mind control worms." He said as though the thought brought up a bad memory. Leo didn't say anything further about it but nodded his head in confirmation. He had other things he needed to focus on right now.
They needed a place where they could have the time and peace of mind to fully recover. The lair while they did habitually keep it clean…or at least the common areas were kept as clean as clean could get in the sewers; we're not the most sanitary of places. And while they did have Donnie's security and cloaking systems to protect them from intruders and ward off the occasional homeless person from coming across their lair, they couldn't return there. The Shredder would be out in force to look for them soon enough and that added stress would make the healing process less effective. Fortunately, there was a place they could go, just two hours outside the city. Casey turned into an alley and into one of the false garage doors, Donnie had installed in one of the abandoned buildings around town. This gave the group a small chance to breathe and regroup for a moment.
"April…" Leo said. "I think we may need to be taken to the farmhouse."
"I was thinking that myself," April agreed. "It would certainly be a place to hide out until things die down."
"The Shredder will likely be keeping tabs on you and Casey." Leo continued. "If it's okay with you, maybe you can drive us just outside the city and we'll take things from there. The less you know the better."
"And here I was hoping for a vacation," Casey said adding a bite of humor.
"No chance," April said. "I'm not just going to stand by and wait for you guys to return!"
"But what about your father?" Leo asks.
"You guys are family to me too," April said firmly. "I'll work things out with my father, but I feel I should be with you."
"Geez Don," Raph said as Donnie continued to shake in his arms. The purple-masked turtle's irises were just dark pinpricks in a large pool of white. "This is the worst panic attack you've had ever, what in the world was done to you?" Splinter carefully moving through the crowded space until he was next to his second and third sons. Reaching out he placed a firm but gentle hand on Donnie's shoulder. Donnie jumped at the unexpected touch and struggled to get out of the arms restraining him. Sighing through his nose Splinter pinched a small pressure point at the base of Donatello's neck causing his panicked to limply fall into a deep sleep. The elder rat hated having to do such actions to one of his own sons, but he felt he had no choice.
"That should calm him down, for now." Splinter answered as he gently stroked his son's shell. Raph nodded as he continued to hold Don in his arms. He was aware of some of what had happened to Donnie from what he had heard Leo tell Michelangelo. But he wanted to wait until Slash and the other mutanimals were out of the van he could allow Donnie's body to stretch out.
"We will watch over things here," Slash stated as the four mutants left the van.
"We'll relay any updates through April," Rockwell added before the four mutants left was closed.
"Alright, next stop is the O'Neil Farmhouse, Northampton."
"No, we should stay here for tonight," Splinter answered. "It is late and daylight will be here in a matter of hours, and there are injuries still left to tend to. April I suggest that you call your father now and inform him that you are with friends."
April obediently extracted herself out from under Michelangelo's sleeping form and left the van to call her father. While she was gone Raph carefully rolled his immediate younger brother over so that he lay upon his shell. Splinter's and Raph's eyes both widened in horror at what they saw.
"My poor son…" Splinter whispered under his breath as his eyes slowly traveled over every injury on his intelligent son's form.