Hi again :)

So this chapter should explain a couple of the questions that appeared in the comments. But thanks so much for said comments and constructive criticism.

fearlessleader72- Just wait, I haven't quite finished with that yet

This is a filler chapter more than anything, and I suspect the next one will be as well :L But it'll be worth it I reckon. Enjoy!

Chapter 10- Death Rising

Raph burst back into the room at full belt, skidding over to where Mike was supporting Don's limp body. The genius himself was completely out of it, though his face was set in a frown.

"What da shell?"

"He just collapsed, dude!" Mike said, clearly spooked.

Raph began to inspect his brother. Thanks to his immediately younger brother, he had been versed in some semblance of first aid, so he knew a number of things.

Behind him, Usagi and Genn could do nothing but watch as the two turtles surrounded their brother. They had no idea what was wrong and no idea how it would be solved.

"He's alrigh'," Raph deduced after a few moments of thick silence full of unadultered fear.

"Bro, that isn't alright!" Mike exclaimed. "It was like his brain was removed by zombies!"

In response to this, the older turtle smacked him upside the head.

"He's in a trance ya bonehead. If he were properly outta it, he wouldn't 'ave that look on 'is face. I think someone's tryin' ta talk ta him."

"Are you sure, Raphael-san?" Usagi queried, moving closer to the brothers.

"I seen it before. Me and Fearless got lost in da sewers one time. Made me jump outta ma shell when he went out like a light. Course, when he woke up, he told me tha' Masta Splinter was comin'."

"He can do this at such a long distance? In another dimension?"

"He once managed to contact Donnie when he was taken by the Triceratons," Mike added. "I guess it's possible. So, Sensei might be able to tell him where they are."

The purple banded turtle looked around, trying to figure out he had come to this empty white space. One moment, he had been speaking to Mikey and then he had blacked out only to awaken in this place. There was nothing around him to indicate where he was.

"Mikey?" he called. "You there? Raph?"

His voice echoed around him and he was most disconcerted when he received no reply. So wherever he was, his brothers were nowhere near.

"Oh shell, I'm in trouble now."

"My son."

Don nearly had a heart attack right then and there, and spun around to find his father standing right behind him.

"Master Splinter? Where are we?"

"We are in your mind, Donatello. I cannot be long. Such a link is difficult to maintain and I fear that our captors will sense something if I am not careful. Are you and your brothers alright?"

"We're fine, Sensei."

"You are with Usagi." It was not a question.

"Hai, Sensei, and I do not regret coming to him. He had a right to know what was has happened, especially since Leo was taken. He thinks he might be able to focus on where Leo is once we get back to our Earth."

"I was not criticising my son. I gathered that you would have taken that course of action. I am just afraid that we are all running out of time."

"What's happened?"

For a moment, the elderly rat struggled with his words, clearly trying to find the right ones. "Leonardo was… attacked. It is the creature that your brother supposedly defeated in order to save Miss. Angel's brother. It forced him to relive every painful emotion he has ever felt. Though he tried to fight… he was overcome and now lies in what I think is a coma, for he will not stir at all. I have attempted to reach him through meditation, but something blocks my efforts."

"It… It made you watch, didn't it?"

Splinter only nodded. "We have done your brother terrible wrongs over the years, my son; myself more than anyone else. He reached the stage where he believed that he could not ask for physical contact because he believed that to do so would be a failure to his training and keeping you three safe."

"What?! That's… Sensei, why… how could he ever think that?"

"I do not know, Donatello. I did not see everything, but I saw enough to know that Leonardo did not try to have an individual self."

"Until he fell in love with Usagi," Don finished, his eyes covered with a three-fingered palm. "I was beginning to think about that as well. He's always only ever copied our hobbies and only ever really came out of his shell when he was leading us." He moved his hand away and stared back at his sensei. "Do you have any idea where you are?"

"None whatsoever, though I know we are underground. There are also many people here, Donatello. But, my son, if you believe that Usagi can use his bond with Leonardo to find us then you must hurry. Tomorrow they plan to use Leonardo for a ritual called Dēaþ Ǣrist, which will allow-"

He shot awake, gasping for breath as his vision swam. Don could just about make out blurs of green filling his vision, with one stripe of red and another of orange thrown into the mix. The turtle managed a lopsided smile when he remembered that they were his brothers. The buzzing noise that had been occupying his hearing gradually die down, allowing him to catch them speaking worriedly to him.

"Don? Ya okay, bro? Can ya say anythin'?" Raph's gruff voice.

"Shell, dude, you had us jumping up the bit! I thought you'd gone all Keanu Reeves on us!" Mikey's frenzied chatter, quickly followed by a moan as he was once again smacked up the head.

"Last time I checked, Mikey, this wasn't the Matrix," Don groaned as his vision focused, earning a sigh of relief.

"What is this Matrix you speak of?" Gennosuke's voice asked from somewhere on the other side of the room. "Is it edible?"

"Nah, it's a film," Mike explained.

"A box that shows moving pictures," Usagi clarified when his comrade continued to look confused. "Are you alright, Donatello-san?"

"Yeah… just… Guys, I just spoke to Master Splinter."

"He okay?" Raph demanded. "What about Leo?"

"Sensei's fine, but Leo… We were right. It's the creature from the Volpehart mansion. It possessed all those people and they've all been torturing Leo."

Usagi let an uncharacteristic hiss, his features twisting into a loom of fury and pain. "Coward. If I have the chance to face this thing, I will not be holding back."

"Do not go rushing into things, Usagu," Genn cautioned.

"Yeah, that's my job," Raph said, pointing a finger at himself.

"I think Sensei had to let go of the connection because he was cut off, but he told me that… Leo's mind has been shut off and she plans to use him for something in a week. I think he said it was called Dēaþ Ǣrist. At least, I think that's what he said… only I have no idea what that is." He turned to the rabbit samurai, who shook his head to indicate that he did not know either. Genn on the other hand, had gone into a brooding silence that quickly caught all of their attentions.

"My friend?" Usagi queried. "Have you heard of this?"

The rhino did not answer for another minute or so, too deep in thought to confirm anything. "I'm afraid I have. My sensei once told me about this. It is an ancient ritual that the dark mages could use to resurrect the dead. The name itself is in an old language and… I believe he said that it means 'Death Rising'. I did not think that it would have been heard of in your dimension.

"He told me of a time when he once saw it performed, or at least someone tried to complete the ritual but was stopped before it could be completed. He and his brother were asked to deal with an old neko witch who had been terrorising a region far away from here. When they arrived, she had been trying to use 'Death Rising' to return someone from the dead- they believed it was a child she had lost, driving her mad. However, to do so, she had kidnapped another young child from his home and had forced his mind to empty by forcing him through painful hallucinations that she could conjure- the pain he had been forced through made his mind retreat into itself to hide. She was halfway through the ritual when they arrived and the boy's soul had been drained before they were able to stop her. What she nor my master had counted on was the neko boy returning with… unnatural talents. This 'Death Rising' will return a soul and create a new body for it, but it manipulates it. The witch's son recognised her, but killed her. My master told me that he had laughed. His brother died destroying the child, and my sensei received several scars. The child could still succumb to wounds and they had no choice but to end him."

"According to another mage nearby, 'Death Rising' should never have been devised. Anyone with the talent is warned not to even attempt it otherwise they could let loose some very nasty stuff."

"So you're saying…" Don trailed off, his olive-toned skin paling considerably.

"The creature will drain Leonardo's soul and return with more power than what you encountered last time," Usagi finished, he himself appearing ill. He did not want to think of his lover being used as a sacrifice, the turtle he loved vanishing from existence in every aspect but memory.

"Shell, dude, no!" Mike exclaimed. "My bro's soul is not demon kibble. This is sounding too much like the mondo-creepy Shredder we dealt with when he turned New York into creep central."

"Might not be able ta stop this thing if we don't find 'im, Mike," Raph argued, dejectedly. "Don, did Mastah Splinter say anythin' 'bout where they were?"

"All he knows is that they're underground. And that we only have until tomorrow."

"If that is the case," Usagi said, "then we must leave as soon as possible."

"We may have a problem though. Sensei made out that we'd probably be outnumbered."

"Say what?" Raph snarled.

"There are more people affected by this than we thought, Raph. It's not just the ones that took Leo and Sensei away from us. They can all probably do what that woman did to us. We'd have no chance."

"So yer saying we need help?"

"Unfortunately."

"Karai?" Mikey suggested. "She's not exactly wanting to pin our shells to her wall anymore."

"The Foot have basically vanished, Mike. Once we defeated Khan that was the end of it. And I don't think even Chaplin would be able to build something to help us in one day."

"What about Bishop?" This time it was Raph. "I know we ain't always been the best of buddies, but he wouldn't want ta let the world go ta shell- he 'elped us with the Tengu Shredder."

"Definitely not, Raph. As much as it would be good to have that extra firepower, Bishop would do anything to stop this. And that might even mean killing Leo."

"That's a big no then."

"Couldn't you ask your Lord friend?" Mike asked Usagi. "You always said you two were cool."

"Knucklehead means you're good friends," Raph clarified at Usagi's nonplussed expression. "He's got a point though."

"I would have no qualms with asking Lord Noriyuki for aid, but that is not what worries me."

"What then?" That was Don this time.

"When Leonardo was here last time," Genn stated, "some, including a couple of Lord Noriyuki's counsellors, were a bit… Well, let's just say they weren't very happy that a ninja had been the one to finish off Hebi. They've tried convincing Lord Noriyuki that he is a demon not to be trusted, especially since nobody else knows where he came from. There's also what happened with Lord Isamu."

"Who?"

"Another lord in the region," Usagi continued. "Leonardo and what he accomplished naturally intrigued him. He was most displeased to find that he had slipped through his grasp, which is one of the reasons why he and I left for your world as quickly as possible."

"So ya sayin' that some crack-pot lord is afta my big bro?"

"Yes, though he does not know where Leonardo comes from."

"What's this got ta do with what's happenin' now?"

"If word reached Isamu of what was going on, he might try and interfere, so that Leonardo would feel indebted to him. Isamu would try to take advantage of him and swear him into his service."

"Leo never mentioned this," Don said.

"He would not have wanted to worry you. Unfortunately your sensei is correct in thinking that he could be threatened by people from this world. I was just hoping that, if ever the time came, I would be able to prevent anything from happening."

Don immediately saw what Usagi was thinking. "This isn't your fault Usagi. Leo did the right thing saving you and all those people from Hebi. It's who he is- he'd do everything in his power to keep people safe. And this current problem we're in isn't from your world, so that argument is void."

"Damn fool always tryin' ta preserve life."

"That is not what I would call a foolish trait, Raphael-san."

"Nah, but he does it wit' no thought fer 'imself. Ya should 'ave seen him when we thought the Shredder had been blown sky high- Leo wanted to go out an' stop the fightin', let alone no one knew 'im and would probably freak seein' 'im."

"Yeah, but ya know he lives and breathes the ninja stealth stuff," Mikey chipped in.

"That isn't the point," Don interrupted, turning back to the ronin. "What I'm trying to say is that you are not at fault, Usagi. You made a choice that you thought would be the lesser of two evils. You can't be blamed for giving up your happiness to save our family."

"It is my fault, Donatello, for not fighting harder for your brother. I left him in pain and it has been used against him in the most dishonourable way."

"There's more to that and you know it."

"Indeed, but I cannot help but feel responsible."

"If anything, we're all responsible for what's happened to Leo. I'm not excusing anyone, but we've all had our reasons- good and bad."

At this, Raph twitched where he was still sat next to his younger brother. Though they had all had their parts to play in Leo's life, from the tone of his voice, the red banded turtle could tell that Don still didn't forgive him for his behaviour over the last couple of months. Not that he was expecting it.

"So what are we gonna do now? Can't exactly sit here on our shells and no nowt."

"I think… it would be best to ask Lord Noriyuki for aid, despite these concerns," Usagi surmised. "He might be able to allow a few warriors to aid us."

"Then I suppose we need to get back to our world after that," Don finished.

"Of course you may ask for our aid, Usagi," Lord Noriyuki exclaimed, smiling down sadly at his friend, who was kneeling before the young lord. The turtles and Genn were standing off to the side, and couldn't help but notice the glares they were receiving from some of Lord Noriyuki's aids.

"I do not ask for much, only a number of men who would be willing to help us in our search."

At this, the canine councillor, Takumi, moved forwards, his face set in a dark expression. "My Lord, I must protest. You would be sending our men out into the unknown, and have them face an unknown creature, one who believed to be dead, all for the sake of finding a ninja, who nobody knows anything about."

"Everyone is entitled to discretion," Usagi argued, turning to the aid. "And as a ninja, Leonardo is not used to being exposed on a very large scale."

"Then why on earth draw all that attention to himself by destroying the snake in the first place? Forgive me for saying, Usagi, but I do not think any of us should be having qualms that this thing is enacting revenge for its death on one person when it could choose any other."

"Ya wouldn't be sayin' that if it were yer own brother," Raph spat, gripping his sai, but was restrained by both Mike and Don.

"I have never understood your comradeship with the kame, Usagi," Takumi continued as if the turtle had not said anything. "It endangers not only yourself, but those around you, including Lord Noriyuki. I'm sure that I speak for a number of us when I say that we find the kame's intentions questionable. What could he have to gain from killing Hebi? And how do we know that he is not in league with this creature, hoping to spread its evil to our world? After all, ninja are known for their dishonourable ways, so it raises the question of the Aooni, and indeed his family, being trustworthy."

"Leonardo would never do something as dishonourable as joining such a dark being."

"And you know this how?"

"I know Leonardo as well as I know myself, Takumi-san. I can speak with confidence when I say that he would rather forfeit his life than aid those who would do others harm."

Takumi merely looked sceptical, snorting as Usagi finished his sentence. "The way you go about it, Usagi-san, it is almost as if you are making a confession of love."

Complete and utter silence followed this. All three turtles and Genn had stiffened, unable to do anything apart from wait for the bombshell to explode. Tomoe Ame actually reached for her daitō, anticipating what would happen if Usagi admitted to this. Meanwhile, Takumi and the other aids were apparently waiting for the samurai to profusely deny this, their airs soon melting away to reveal looks of dawning astonishment… and possibly horror.

Now blatantly ignoring Takumi, Usagi once again face Lord Noriyuki. "I will not deny it, my lord. I love Leonardo as the other half of my soul. He went to Hebi's fortress to save me as well as any survivors he could find. He had never had any intention of killing the snake, but he intervened before I could be executed in chains. I realise that you could hardly send men with us on our venture under the pretence of a lover's quest, but I can assure you that, if this creature is not stopped, then it will use Leonardo to unleash something terrible in their dimension. Unless this can be stopped, then it will return and it will also carry unnatural powers that would make it far more dangerous and far more difficult to end. It may even be able to come here and wreak havoc across the multi-verse as it goes. So yes, I wish to save the life of the one I love, but I also want to preserve the lives of the thousands that this creature would slaughter upon his return."

Everyone present was apparently so shocked that they did not have the presence of mind to be able to say anything. Takumi himself was staring at the ronin with a mixture of fear and uncertainty.

Noriyuki finally broke the silence. "Despite Takumi's objections-" Here, he shot a penetrating glare at the canine. "- I take no issue with rescuing Leonardo. I owe him my life and the lives of the people who were held in Hebi's fortress. He does not deserve to be abandoned by those who could help him when he risked himself to aid total strangers. And this matter of the multi-verse being in danger needs to be avoided at all costs, especially if he would be able to send our worlds into chaos. I will grant you the use of a number of men, Usagi, as I believe you will need whatever help necessary against this foe."

Genn was standing guard over the Hamato brothers. Usagi had gone to the forge to remake his daitō and wakizashi, leaving the rhino to prevent anyone from seeking out the turtles out of intrigue or fury for one of their own causing such disruption despite the turtle being the one to defeat the blight of their world. Tomoe Ame had gone with Usagi.

"Why does Usagi need a bodyguard?" Mike eventually said to Genn, clearly becoming bored, though he wouldn't dare pull any pranks in the current situation. "The dude can take care of himself, so why did Ame go with him?"

"Because, right now, he is probably hated by a great many people in this place, possibly more than you lot."

"Come again?" Raph queried from his place by the window, his sai twirling in his hands.

"He just told the entire court that he's in love with Leo," Don explained, stopping in his pacing. "Our bro may have saved a lot of people here, but people still hate ninja. A ronin is already an outcast in most societies, but to declare your feelings for someone considered untrustworthy will turn the tolerance into hate."

"Donatello is correct. Many here have always tried to stop Lord Noriyuki for being friends with the likes of me and Usagi. He would never want to stop knowing us, but many of his councillors might use this as a way to persuade Noriyuki that they would stop supporting him if he continues to keep Usagi as a trusted friend."

"Surely he wouldn't do that, dude," Mike said, raising an eye-ridge.

"No he won't, but it won't stop them from trying. But then some might want to hurt Usagi for starting something with a ninja. You too might be in trouble here as no one has ever seen you before. Takumi has also been known to be brutal sometimes. He would not care for the consequences as long as any ninja threat was taken care of."

"Ya lot really don't like ninja, do ya," Raph grumbled.

"In this world, they are seen as scum… Uh, apologies. I shouldn't have said it like that, but unfortunately it's the truth. For someone like Usagi to be with one will mean less people will trust him."

"An' he'd still be with our big bro?"

"As I'm sure it's already been said, I do not care," a new voice came from the door. The group turned to the door to find Usagi standing there, his new weapons in hand. "I would continue to carry on as I was, even if I was shunned in every society. As long as I had your brother, I would be content. I have never cared for the opinions that strangers have for me, especially if they mean to question the decisions I make for myself. Are you all prepared to leave?"

"As we'll ever be," Don answered. "How many men is Noriyuki sending with us?"

"Around thirty. I honestly believe that we have to rely on ninja cunning for the most part until we at least find Leonardo and Splinter-san. The men all volunteered- I think they were amongst those Leonardo free from Hebi's fortress as they were rather eager to help the one they call Ao Kyūseishu. Now let us go and save your brother. I do not think any of us wish to waste another moment."

Well Usagi's kinda thrown himself into the deep end there.

I hope you guys enjoyed it- I'll post next Sunday.

And anyone who guesses the language 'Dēaþ Ǣrist' is in will get a virtual cookie :) As always, I really appreciate comments and constructive criticism, but please don't flame me.

MerlinStar x