Turtles still no mine. Thanks to Sapphire93, mav32, Kyaserin Marii, aronoiiel, Rose of Hope, BubblyShell22, BigfootSighted, Merdeka21, hmw95, and Lady-of-the-Rings for your reviews. Enjoy!
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Leo was in pain. His head hurt from screaming and sobbing, his shoulders hurt from the constant strain of supporting his weight, his wrists hurt from the continual rubbing of the shackles, his chest throbbed from the crack in his plastron, and his numerous bruises and scrapes hurt. But worst of all was the emotional agony he had felt ever since the man's last visit. That pain was unbearable.
Leo thought of his brothers, each of whom he would never see again. He thought of Mikey and his goofy personality. He thought of his jokes, his pranks, and his love for video games and comic books. His heart throbbed as he remembered Mikey's contagious laugh and saw his endearing grin. Of all his brothers, Mikey was the only one who could turn Leo into a pushover. He was his baby brother, the one who made a joke out of the worst situation and was optimistic even in the most dire of circumstances. And he would never see his innocent, naïve, goofy face again.
He thought of Donny, the brains of the turtles. He thought of his soft spoken nature, his love of electronics and "gadgets", and his resourcefulness. He remembered all the hours he spent in his lab, working on his latest invention. He remembered how Don was the only one who really understood him, his responsibility as the doctor of the family giving him a little insight into the stress of Leo's position as leader. He remembered how the two of them could always talk to each other, late into the night, about whatever was on their minds. And he would never have that again.
And he though about Raph. The hothead. The rebel. The one who knew how to push his buttons and enjoyed pushing them. And the one, as much as Leo hated to admit it, he had the most in common with. Leo never thought he would miss their constant arguments, Raph challenging his authority, or running away on his own whenever he felt like it. But Leo and Raph had always had a special bond, ever since they were little, and his brother's absence left a large void in his soul.
Leo jumped when the door slid open but quickly composed himself. He looked up as the man walked in, followed by a large, bulky ninja.
"Hello, turtle. Did you miss me?" he laughed cruelly at Leo's hate-filled face. "I won't keep you waiting so long next time." He motioned to the big ninja, who immediately stepped toward Leo and backhanded him across the face.
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Don watched in anger as the ninja hit Leo. It was bad enough that he was torturing him mentally, but now he was adding to his pain physically? Don felt unfamiliar anger surge through him. He glanced over at Raph, who had still not awakened. He looked back to Leo quickly, not wanting to watch but unable to keep his eyes away from the scene.
"I'm glad your brothers cannot see you now," the man taunted. "They would be ashamed—you're too weak to even defend yourself." He seemed to be ignoring the fact that Leo was chained to the wall. He motioned to the ninja again, and watched as he pounded a fist into Leo's chest. The turtle coughed and gasped as blood began to seep out of the crack. The ninja punched him again, elongating the crack and increasing the blood flow. He hit him one more time before stepping back and looking to his master.
Donny seethed as the ninja beat his helpless brother. He longed to leap through the mirror and kick that man's butt, but one more quick glance toward the motionless Raphael changed his mind. He instantly looked at Mikey when he heard a strangled sob coming from his direction.
The youngest turtle was obviously fighting tears as he watched his brother through the one-way mirror. His face reflected the look of horror Don was sure was present on his. He tried to reach out to comfort his brother but was stopped by the chains. Instead, he said with all the conviction he could muster, "He'll be okay, Mikey. Leo's strong, he'll get through this."
Mikey's head whirled around toward him, as if he had forgotten he was there. For a moment, he just stared. Then, finally, he said, "I hope you're right, Donny. But he's always had something, or rather someone, to fight for. I hope he doesn't give up." Donny's heart sank as the implications of Mikey's statement sank in.
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Raph awoke slowly, aching all over. He remembered everything clearly, up until the shocks had racked his body for the second time and darkness had overcome him. He groaned and checked to make sure Don and Mikey were still in the room with him.
Donny was watching him anxiously, obviously checking to make sure he was alright. Mikey was sleeping awkwardly, still hanging from the chains. "Are you okay, Raph?" Don whispered.
"Yeah," he grunted. "You guys?"
"We're okay. You scared us, bro. You've been out for hours. Mikey finally fell asleep, but I wanted to make sure you were alright." Raph noticed that Don was avoiding eye contact. A thought suddenly hit him.
"Leo! How's Leo?" He strained to see through the window. Donny didn't answer, but Raph hadn't really expected him to. Leo was still hanging from the chains, but he seemed to be conscious. There was a lot more blood covering his plastron, and a dark bruise was growing on the side of his face. But he was alive and awake.
Raph lay back as exhaustion caused his vision to darken slightly. He glanced at Donny, who was already asleep. Poor guy, he thought. It was probably all he could do to stay awake to wait for him. He closed his eyes and soon joined his brothers in slumber.
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Mikey's dreams were haunted by images of a bleeding Leo, screaming and crying out for his brothers. He was being attacked on all sides by invisible enemies, and the crack in his plastron was steadily growing until even his shell was cracked in half. But he didn't stop to fight off his attackers; he seemed to think only of finding his missing brothers. He called for them as he sobbed and screamed, searching the darkness for their bodies. Mikey tried to wake up but stood entranced by the scene. He was so helpless to do anything for his leader, his brother, his hero; the one person who was always there for him when he needed comfort. Mikey stirred in his sleep as he tried to help Leo.
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Wow, this is turning out to be more angsty than I had planned. I didn't have too much of a plan for this chapter when I started out, so I hope it wasn't too rambly and pointless. I'll try to update again soon.
