A/N: THIS IS A WARNING! PLEASE READ! I put my all into this chapter, so it may be a little...gruesome? At least compared to what I normally write...*cringes*...so I'm only saying this once. Those with weak stomachs, turn away now. Those who had a hard time with Chapter One "Just A Nightmare", turn away now. This scene is practically that but...different. If you choose to read, you'll see. But really, don't if you're uncomfortable.
Secondly thank you guys so much for the reviews! 114 on 10 chapters? That is friggin' amazing! You guys have made me so happy :D And you'll like me happy ;) I post chapters when I'm happy.
That reminds me. I apologize for not getting a chapter up yesterday. We went swimming, and when we got home, my younger brother got me in trouble for something I did not do. You know how it is, blah blah blah. Anyways, I'll do my best to get the last three chapters of this story up tomorrow! Thanks again for reading!
Donnie grinned as Mikey leapt atop a Karai bot, bashing her head repeatedly with his nunchuk. He had a crazy, wild grin on his face, just like he always had when in a battle. It didn't matter that his and his brothers' lives were at stake, or that the entire world rested on their shoulders. All that mattered now was that he kept his chin up, that he was optimistic, that he kept the good cheer moving on. He had to be upbeat for his brothers. It was just like old times.
Old times. Donnie wasn't even sure what that meant anymore. His mind...he didn't even want to bother with thinking of all the anomalies that he was experiencing. Was he really just settling in here? Was he really referring back to when they were teenagers? Wasn't he still one?
Yes, he was, but it wasn't important. What was important was their ongoing battle. Leo was currently sword to sword with Karai, the clashing metal never ceasing it's ringing in the halls. The were arguing with each other, and words were passed that made Donnie question Karai's loyalties in times past.
Again, referring to things behind them. Why was everything being brought up like this? Because, he tried to reason within himself, everyone knows this is where it's going to end. One team was going to stand over the slain bodies of the other, reveling in their victory. And that team was going to be him and his brothers.
Donnie knew he had to do something. Despite several seconds having gone by since Leo broke Karai's concentration from him, it was seconds that he had wasted. Which brother did he turn to help?
Mikey was horribly outnumbered, the legions surrounding him just like that. As a legion. Leo as handling Karai, but they were both pushing each other to their limits. Raph...dear, hotheaded Raph had immediately thrown himself at Shredder.
This was not how the plan was supposed to be at all. Raph was supposed to take on Karai- the obvious past between her and Leo would be disastrous. Leo was supposed to help Mikey with the legions, not leave him alone. And Donnie, well, he was to go up against Oroku Saki. It was going to a swift battle, in and out. They were supposed to just kill them both and get it over with.
It was at that point that Donnie knew he had to go into action. He couldn't just sit and watch his brothers fight- not along, not again. He was to be here for them, to help them, to fight alongside them like the team they were. Now he had to adapt. Stick to the plan, or meld right in and do what his brothers were doing.
Master Splinter had always said that a plan only lasts as long as it doesn't come in contact with the enemy. After that, you just had to wing it. But Donnie wasn't one to wing it. He always had had a hard time adjusting to change. It just wasn't in him.
Looking around, he knew he only had two options. Take Raph's place in the plan and help Mikey, or take Raph's place in the current fight and take on Shredder.
He made his choice. Whether that choice was right or wrong, it would yet to be determined, but he was confident in it. He was confident in his plan. Perhaps to confident.
Donnie leapt near Raphael, and his brother took the hint. Taking his sais and striking against Shredder's claws, he dropped and rolled out of the way. Donnie pulled out his own weapon.
It wasn't his naginata bo staff. That was a pacifist's toy. It was not for someone who had one lethal mission. He had, instead, replaced it with a Kamayari- much to the displeasure of his brothers. They had insisted that now was not the time to change weapons, that they needed to be at their best. He had disagreed, of course, stating with what he believed to be common sense. He needed a better weapon. He always did. And what was better that a weapon like this? It was light, and agile like his bo, but it was more dangerous. Instead of just being a plain staff, it was like the Grim Reaper's scythe, with a bonus spear tip at the end. It was menacing, and it made a point. A point that none of his brothers liked.
Shredder did not seem surprised at all. He wasn't even startled by the new appearance, but that didn't bother Donnie. He had a job, and he was going to finish it, and finish it soon.
Being face to face with Oroku Saki was different than Donnie had imagined. He hadn't expected him to seem so...human. So vulnerable. Well, vulnerable was a strong word. It didn't matter that the man was old, and so feeble looking, it was the fact that he was swinging claws at Donnie's face and body that made him strong.
Donnie flipped his Kamayari around his head like he had done with his staff so many times. The balance was off, one side being heavier than the other, but he focused on maintaining his stability. He grasped the middle of the rod tightly, swinging it down, nearly slicing Shredder's ankles off. His opponent moved fast, and it was only his pure white robe that suffered from Donnie's wrath. It's hem caught ahold of the scythe's curved blade, and it tore, exposing Shredder's calf.
Donnie hesitated for a quick second. He couldn't explain why he did. He just felt the need to make sure his brothers were okay. He had been so consumed, that he had nearly forgot that his brothers were in fights of their own.
That hesitation would be the beginning of the end.
Donnie watched in awe at the masterpiece of the cooperation between Raph and Mikey. Mikey was laughing and making jabs as he always did, and Raph was unleashing any anger that had built up onto the bots. Several lay sparking or in pieces around them, but more were pouring into the room.
Shredder swung at Donnie, and he barely missed the attack. He was running on adrenalin, his body already wanting to give out on him. But he wasn't going to be weak. Not right now. He couldn't afford to be.
Making a wild slice at his enemy, Donnie sheared off Shredder's beard. This did catch the maniac by surprise, and then that surprise turned into anger. He roared, a noise that no one would expect from such a fail man, but something that Donnie had been counting on. That single second, that one pause would affect everything. As the Shredder let out his mighty bellow, Donnie brought his scythe from his side, and brought it up swiftly. Another half inch, and his worst adversary would be finished.
That half inch never came. A blood curdling scream had echoed out across the open throne room, making everyone freeze.
It was Mikey. Donnie watched in a perpetual, motionless fear. The Karai bots had multiplied, picking out and surrounding Michelangelo. Despite his impressive ninjutsu, he could not keep up with them. They had practically piled on top of him, their blades and saws tearing at his skin.
When they pulled away, Donnie wanted to cry and puke. His brother's mangled body lay perfectly still, blood seeping onto the ground below. Not a noise came out of him, and Donnie feared the worst.
It was obvious the guilt that settled on Raph. He had been Mikey's protector. He had let Mikey down down. Mikey was dead because of him.
As Raph flew at the emotionless metal creatures, the fighting resumed. Shredder and Karai acted like nothing had happened, but Leo, Raph, and Donnie knew. They felt the loss. Their brother's spirit had departed them.
This had most effect on Leo. He had been there for his father's death, holding his hand as it grew cold and stiff, and thirty years later almost to the date, he had to hear his little brother's piercing screams as he was mauled to death. Something snapped inside Leo.
He swung rapidly and uncoordinated at Karai, his efforts having all the heart that was needed, but none of the mental capacity. His only plan was to avenge his brother. His rapid, short sighted burst made him stumble, and it was that mistake that Karai used to her advantage.
As Leo literally flew blindly around, his ninja sense having left him, making him as blind as he truly was, Karai silently crept behind him. Racing at him with full speed, she drove her katanas into his hard shell. The crack that reverberated was just as bad as Mikey's screamed.
But Leo wasn't Mikey. He didn't cry out, he didn't let the world know he was gone. He only let out a small, indescribable noise, almost like a yelp, that would tear anyone's heart. Anyone's but Karai. She used her swords inside Leo as leverage, bringing them together before pulling them part. It only made the gaping hole in Leo's shell larger, and blood spurt from it onto her. Slowly drawing her katans out of him, Karai turned away, knowing her mission was done. Leo was dead before he hit the ground.
"LEO!" Raph yelled from across the room. Leaping on top of a legion's head, he flipped, landing right in front of Karai. It was like she had come between a mother bear and her cub.
Donnie felt his heart rupture. Here he was, locked in battle with Shredder, who was nothing more than an elderly male, when he should be with Mikey and Leo. It wasn't right. It wasn't fair!
Donnie heard Raph's menacing growl at the murderess. She was a butcher who had her face carved on the same machines that had killed their younger brother, and she was the one who had slain Leo in cold blood. Hamato Raphael was not about to let that go unpunished. Her sentence: death, in the most painful way possible.
Taking a deep, unsteady breath in, Donnie once again faced Oroku Saki. Shredder had a cruel, inhuman grin on his face that told Donnie he was pleased with what had happened. He had enjoyed Michelangelo's screams, and he had relished Leonardo's agonizing end. He was looking forward to Raphael's demise, but even more still, he was anticipating Donatello's execution. He was truly a very sick minded monster. And he dared to call them animals.
He was playing with Donnie. Toying him just long enough so Karai could take out his brothers. That's what she had been raised to do. She had studied each one of their fighting styles to the point where she could predict their next moves. They both knew them to well.
Donnie knew that he and Raph had to work together. They had to stick by each other's sides until the end. They had to be there for one another. They couldn't leave each other alone. They just couldn't.
Donatello then Mikey's favorite move. Flipping backwards, he tried to spring to Raphael. He tried his best. But his Kamayari weighed him down, and he wasn't an expert at this like Mikey was. He flipped, slipping on the smooth floor, barely dodging Shredder's advances.
"Watch Donatello-san!" Those were the only words Shredder had spoken to Donnie, and they were not words that comforted him. He knew what Oroku Saki had meant. Wheeling around, he barely saw Karai's fluid movement as she drove her swords into Raph. She had killed him the same way she had Leo.
Standing, she was covered in glistening red, life substance. Leo's, Raph's, and hers, it didn't matter. She stared Donnie right in the eye, and smiled a coy and wicked grin.
But Raph wasn't finished. He had fallen, but moved his arms, dragging himself along the bloody ground. He draped an arm over Leo, and whispered his last words. "I tried my best Fearless...I'm sorry..." His eyes closed, and he too was gone. Donatello had just lost his last brother. His brothers...Raphael...Leonardo...Michelangelo...his father...Hamato Yoshi...They were all gone. Oroku Saki and Karai had killed them.
They had killed them all. They had killed his family.
Donatello lost himself in that moment. He flew into a raging savagery, charging Karai head long. He drew his Kamayari, and as she attempted to take a leap above his head, he brought it up. The spear tip pierced her abdomen briefly, drawing blood. She crumpled to the ground, but then stood up slowly, taking a place beside her master. She clutched her stomach, shaking slightly. If glares could kill, Donnie would be dead.
Staring back at Karai, Donnie shot her a look that rivaled her own. She almost withered under his gaze, and despite her age, she looked to Shredder for support. He merely gave her a nod, and strength seemed to fill her again.
Donnie processed all of this quickly before determining his next move. Shredder and Karai may have studied his brothers' moves to perfection, but they weren't ready for him. He looked to young and inexperienced, and although that was true, he carried something that they had given up on a long time ago. A vendetta. A blood feud.
Donnie melded into the shadows just as he had been taught, disappearing from his enemies' sight. They had a major disadvantage, being in the light like that. He merely had to throw them off guard.
And that he did. Running swiftly and quickly around them, he never let them onto his location. They threw shurikens, and a couple grazed him, but he didn't let it phase him. He had to avenge his brothers. He had to avenge his father.
He retaliated by striking out of the darkness. He made his first real hit on Shredder, and it was one that counted. He knocked the poor man's knees out from under him. The sickening crunch that echoed from the raw metal hitting bone almost made him remorseful.
Almost.
Oroku Saki fell to the ground, Karai standing guard. She was already fading, already seeing the gravity of the situation. Shredder was down. She was wounded. And there was a vengeful turtle seeking to kill them. The chances of them surviving were slim, and dropping.
Donnie couldn't help but grin as he saw he had the upper hand. Something inside him had lost control, and he was no longer Hamato Donatello. He was a beast.
Swinging his Kamayari around his head, Donatello struck out at Karai once again, but this time from behind. His scythe curved inside of her, coming out through her chest. He yanked it out, causing her to scream in pain. Crumpling to the ground, she could barely keep her eyes open enough to speak her last words. "Father...I...am finished..." Her head hit the concrete with a thud, blood trickling out of her mouth. Her blank eyes stared on, but she wasn't there anymore. Hopefully she was burning up in the pits below for her heinous crimes.
"Please..." Oroku Saki begged. His knees were broken no doubt, and he could hardly move without wincing. "I'm an old man...let me live just a little longer."
Donatello stepped in front of him, scoffing. "Your little longer is up," He brought down his weapon swift and hard, slicing Shredder's throat. It was a miracle his head did not come off.
Donatello stumbled away from Shredder's fallen body. Blood was everywhere. It was on the floor. It was on the walls. It was on him.
He didn't know what to do now. The mission...it was a success...but at the highest price...
Donnie's thoughts were interrupted by a noise. Whatever it was now had his full attention. Something had to have it. But that sound...it sounded like...a moan?
"D..Donnie?" The beaten body of Michelangelo shifted. He...he had called him!
Donnie rushed to his side, taking his one, good hand. "I'n here!"
"Where's Leo 'n Raph?" His voice...it was so pathetic...he was drowning in his own life essence.
"Mikey..." Donatello tried to choke back the tears as everything seemed to hit him full force. "They're...they're gone..."
Mikey let out a muffled sob, coughing some blood out. "You sure bro?"
"Karai...she..." Donnie searched for an answer. He just couldn't let it be this way.
"Please Donnie," His tone stabilized, and he stared his brother in the eyes. "Check for me. I want to know for sure."
Donnie already knew. He had watched them die. But then...he had watched Mikey die to...was there any hope left? Could his one wish come true? "Okay Mikey..." He whispered. "But stay here, okay? Don't leave me," He knew his brother didn't have long, and he was determined to be here to make the passing as smooth as possible.
As Donnie stood up, Mikey flashed him one of his signature smiles. It had always made everybody feel better, and even now, seeing that lifted Donnie's spirits in a way he didn't think was possible. "Can't go anywhere but up, and I don't plan on going there either," Going up...Mikey was dying. He was dying. He was...he was his last brother...his little brother...and he was dying! Donnie had always thought that when their times came...that Mikey would be the last to go...but that was wrong. It was wrong because Donnie had charged into here without a solid plan. He had signed his brothers' death warrants.
Cautiously approaching Leo's body, Donnie grimaced at the sight. He didn't want to be here. He didn't want to have to face them like this. They were gone for forever, and he...he was the one that had lived. Why him? Why couldn't he have died for them? It would have been right, after everything he had done to them. He had ruined their lives. And now he had killed them.
Donnie peeled Leo's sunglasses away from him. His once ocean blue eyes were now pale, and glassy looking. He hadn't been able to see anything in thirty years, and it was all his fault. All his fault...
Pulling Raph's dark red bandana away, Donnie's entire body shook. His brother's mask was dripping in the blood that it had been laying in. Leo's blood. How ironic that would be...blood brothers torn away from each from a fight that left one bleeding, and now, they were brothers again from the same blood. Except last time the price had been minimal to what had happened here.
"Mikey?" Donnie's voice cracked as he walked over to his younger brother. Nothing. There was no response. Not even a moan.
Falling to his knees, Donnie picked up Mikey head, and placed it in his lap. If his brother was having trouble breathing, this position should help flush any liquid in his trachea. Watching carefully that Mikey's chest was moving, Donnie kicked himself mentally for not placing his brother on his side. That would have helped him. It would have saved him. Saved him from...saved him from dying...
Mikey was gone. The first was to go, but the last one to die. That was Mikey. "Why..." Donnie whispered. "Why?!" He couldn't take it anymore. He had to get away. He had to get away from the death, from the suffering. He had to get away from the pain. He couldn't bear this anymore. It wasn't in him.
As he stood up, Donnie clutched his head. It was throbbing. Just like the rest of him. He had been cut by so many shurikens, but he didn't know where he was cut anymore. He was to covered in...in it...
He collapsed. Sobbing, he curled up into a ball, and screamed. There were no words to let the world know his pain. He was all alone now. His family had left him. He had driven them away. He had...he had done this...
He squeezed his eyes tight and continued to cry. He couldn't help it. He had to let it all out. There was no changing the past, no matter what he wanted. He had no way to console himself...
Donnie's mind began to shut down. He couldn't process anything right now. He was to tired. To exhausted. Sleep overcame his body, and he finally found peace.
Tears streamed down Donnie's cheeks. He didn't want to wake up. He didn't want to open his eyes and see his brothers' bodies again. He couldn't. It would kill him.
"Donatello," Someone shook him. "Donatello, my son!"
Donnie tried to fight back. He didn't want to open his eyes. But he couldn't help it.
"Donatello?" The voice...Donnie could see him as clearly as he ever could...it was his sensei...his father...it was Hamato Yoshi.
"Father?" He didn't know where he found his voice. He truly didn't.
Splinter let out a relieved sigh, pulling Donnie into his arms. "My son...my Donatello..."
Donnie din't know whether to laugh or cry. So he did both. The noise that came out of his mouth resulted in something...different, but it was something understandable. His father understood that he had been through much. He just didn't know how much.
Splinter wiped tears away from both of their eyes. He too choked down sobs.
"Father..." Donnie searched his Sensei for an answer to a question that he had not asked yet. "My brothers...where are my brothers?"
A/N: So, dudas, if I haven't said this before, please review! With this story almost done, the last few chapters, and the last few reviews, are most important. And yes, I just called you a duda. It's like dude, but fits girls too (since adding the "a" at the end something usually makes it more feminine). It's not a dudette though, so it's kinda like a combo. Sort of.
Oh! Another 4,000 word chapter! How awesome is that? I know, I'm excited too!
So please guys, tell me how this chapter affected you! I really really really want to know!
Thanks again for reading and reviewing!