"Sniffles" Onward we go.

Chapter 13: Munashii (Meaningless)

Raph gasped as he was bumped, giving a half-yelp of fear and struggling to move away. He'd been sound asleep, resting properly for the first time in what seemed like years.

"Easy bro," Mikey coaxed, "didn't mean to scare ya' sorry."

"M-Mik-Mikey?" Raph managed, moving his hand toward the voice of his younger brother.

Mikey took Raph's hand and squeezed it gently. The wounded red warrior relaxed, easing back and sighing slightly.

"Can I have…some…water?" Raph rasped weakly.

" 'course bro," Mikey whispered, gently helping Raph sit up as he held the water bottle to Raph's lips and let his brother drink.

Raph tried to gulp it down only to have Mikey pull it back and warn him to take it slow. Days without proper water and food meant that large amounts weren't going to be good for him to take in.

"Easy bro, you'll get sick if you don't slow down," Mikey whispered.

Raph managed a weak nod and then started to take slow sips, struggling to sit up. Then he felt his shoulders lift as Don gripped his brother's body and helped the wounded warrior sit up.

"Than-Thanks," he managed, grimacing from the pain he was in.

"No problem bro," Don murmured.

Raph relaxed against Don, slipping into unconsciousness. Mikey fought frustrated tears as he rubbed a thumb over the back of his elder brother's hand. Then Raph stirred a moment and uttered the words they both feared.

"Wh'r's L'o?" Raph slurred softly.

Mikey and Don exchanged a worried glance, thankfully Raph was out cold again before they had to answer.

~*~

Leo shot across the wooded area breaking into the grassy field that the men were running across. Men that were members of the USBS that had fled the burning building two days before. While Don and Mikey had headed home with Raph, Leo accompanied by Bane, had started to chase down the few men that had escaped the place.

Bane glanced at the blue-clad warrior running beside him. Blind rage fueled the warrior. This was not the "brother" Bane had come to know, possessed by some sort of blood-rage.

Bane was in the most frantic state, worried, worried about the warrior beside him. Leonardo had been shot twice but moved as if nothing had touched him. But ultimately that wasn't what Bane was worried about, it was the mental state of the blue-clad warrior. He seemed off, consumed, not at all of himself.

Then Leo's shout broke the uneasy silence as the last three of the men they had been pursuing came into view.

Leo seemed to kick into a higher gear and shot forward then with a single leap he unsheathed a Katana and beheaded the man as he flipped past him toward the other two. The remaining two screamed in terror and scrambled to move faster.

Bane growled as they split in their panic and dropped to all fours to catch the man. Bane tackled him and snapped the neck, as bitter as he was about his imprisonment, he feared humans too much to dare casing them pain or to risk them coming back to collar him again.

He turned to hear the screams of the last man and see Leonardo standing above him, blood staining his Katanas and Bane realized to his horror that Leonardo had snapped completely.

"DON'T TOUCH ME YOU FREAK!" the man screamed, as he tried to crab-walk away.

Leo screamed in primal rage and abandoning his blades he leapt forward, the sound of bone breaking on bone was heard seconds later.

Bane scrambled forward and tried to drag Leo off.

"B******!" Leo screamed, "HE NEVER TOUCHED YOU!"

Bane finally got a hold of the warrior and dragged him off. The man was dead, skull broken.

"HE'S DEAD!" Bane cried out, frantic to calm the hysterical warrior.

Leo collapsed and started weeping against the wolf. Body shaking as the effects of his injuries finally hit him.

Bane stared in horror as Leo began to convulse as if in pain. The bullet wounds on his side gushing blood, hands trembling, and his eyes growing dull.

"…home…" Leo managed.

Bane fought tears as he lifted his friend and carried him back towards the old camp.

"Hold on Leonardo, please, your brothers need you still," Bane plead.

~*~

April opened the door to find Don standing there supporting Raph's bandaged frame.

"Raph," April gasped as Don stepped forward supporting his brother. Raph grunted, lifting his head toward her. She shuddered at the bandaged face but came forward quickly to help move him toward the couch.

"Oh Raph what happened?" April breathed as she cradled him against her.

Don let April ease Raph down onto the couch and let his brother lean into the hug that was offered.

"April…I…I'm really tired and I don't feel so great still…" Raph managed.

April nodded gently squeezed his hand.

"I'll help you lean back ok?" April said gently.

Raph nodded and let a groan of pain slip out, a grimace flicking across his face, what could be seen of it anyway. April flinched when she got a good look at the battered warrior. She shook her head in frustration. Raph was already sleeping again, he hadn't recovered from his injuries all the way yet and got worn out easy.

Don handed April a blanket and she tucked it around Raph's frame. Green eyes flicking toward Raph's face and leg.

"They…made sure he couldn't get away. He took a bullet to the leg and they set it wrong on purpose…then…then…they…" Don trailed off fighting tears.

"He's blind isn't he," she whispered as she touched his bandaged face.

Don bit back a sob and nodded.

"They poured an acid over his irises, but…but they rinsed it out before it could eat away the ball of the eye. It'll heal over, but the damage, it'll scar and…he…won't ever see again," Don managed.

"Does Splinter know?" April asked.

"Yeah…I called him…but Mikey he's going to bring him here. We're planning on taking Raph home tomorrow…but the trip was hard on him. He needed a familiar place to relax to rest," Don sighed sitting in the chair off to the side.

"Leo?" April asked hesitantly.

Don flinched.

"He…he…snapped…Bane went after him to make sure he didn't…get hurt or lost…to bring him home after he calmed down. We couldn't stop him he was…so…so…intense…April I was scared of him," Don breathed.

"He's always been protective of you guys. Elder siblings are like that," April whispered, "Don…the Foot came here today. They said that the Elders demand…Don Leo and Karai haven't consummated the marriage…if they don't by next Friday…its…war."

Don bowed his head and took a nervous breath.

"Then we have to leave the city don't we?" Don murmured.

"Don what about-" April started.

"I have no idea where Leo is! Friday is three days away!" Don snapped, panic etched into every feature.

April took a deep breath and nodded, before glancing at Raph's sleeping form.

"You just got here. Don will he be able to handle another move?" April whispered, gently holding Raph's hand, "Donnie…look at Raph…he's exhausted. He needs to be home, not running around the country. He needs a place to heal properly, he needs to be home."

"Do you think I don't know that? Don't you realize that…he needs a doctor? I don't anything about eye injuries April! I was hoping to treat him in the Med Ward either at home or at the Foot headquarters. But no…Leo, was too stupid to do what he had to before we left. He wanted this marriage and now we're in danger because he didn't follow through!" Don ended with a shout.

"He didn't want the marriage," April whispered.

Raph stirred, turning his head and starting to wake. April soothed him and he relaxed again.

"What?" Don demanded.

"He didn't want to marry Karai," April said firmly.

"What?" Don managed, "he argued with us constantly about it."

"He…he said…the responsibility of the leader…is too make sacrifices. I'm the leader…my sacrifice is my freedom so my brothers might have their own," April whispered.

Don took a struggled breath before stumbling back in confusion.

"He told you that?" Don managed.

April hesitated and then nodded, she had actually read it from his journal. The journal she was supposed to have burned.

"But…" Don struggled, "Why…he didn't have to…we would have figured out how to help him with the chest pain and everything…we would have done something."

"Would you have noticed he was sick in time Don?" April heard herself hiss, "you guys practically ignore him most days."

Don looked away.

"He's still our brother," Don mumbled.

"Have you ever told him that to his face? Or do you just walk away laughing like everyone else Don? He's pushed himself so far that he's nearly died taking care of all of you. You all don't realize how…pressured he feels all the time do you?" April said fiercely, "do you?"

Don sat down heavily and pressed his head into his hands.

"We…practically drove him into this didn't we?" he managed to croak.

"You all at least pushed him along some," April said firmly.

"Wah's goin' on?" Raph rasped, turning his head slowly, "why fightin'?"

Master Splinter walked forward between the two figures to his son, causing silence to fall between them. He gave them a firm look before gently kneeling beside his wounded son.

"H'lo?" Raph managed weakly, his voice shaking a bit.

It hit them all then, he was scared, Raphael…was scared.

"Shhhh my son," Master Splinter coaxed.

"Daddy?" Raph managed.

Mikey and Don exchanged a quick worried glance, Raph hadn't called Splinter that since he hit puberty.

"Shhhh you are alright my son, rest. You should rest for now alright?" Splinter coaxed.

"Stay?" Raph whispered weakly.

"I am here and I will stay. Get some sleep my son," Splinter comforted.

Raph relaxed, his father's hand loosely cradled in one of his own. Fingers curled to maintain a connection to his father.

"I…tried…daddy…I tried ta' get ou'" Raph murmured before slipping into sleep.

"I know my son, you were very brave," Splinter whispered, rubbing his son's cheek in comfort, careful to avoid the injured areas.

He turned to April and Don, who were hanging their head sheepishly and then to Mike who was standing behind them looking worried.

Casey had just walked in time to hear Raph talk about trying to get out.

"Is he alrigh'?" Casey whispered, blue eyes flicking toward his friend.

"Weak…badly injured, but with time and rest he will be strong again," Splinter said firmly.

"What about his sight? Sensei he can't fight blind," Mikey managed, earning a shocked look from Casey.

"It seems my son you have forgotten a very important lesson I taught you," Splinter said softly, his mouth quirking upward slightly, "the blindfold lesson."

Don brightened.

"I did forget about that…you made us pass a test blindfolded before you declared us masters two years back. You said we have to be able to fight in pitch black or in low visibility conditions and in order to do so-" Don rambled.

"You had to prove you could fight me blindfolded," Splinter interrupted gently.

Mikey cast Raph a worried glance.

"But…didn't Raph nearly fail that because he got so annoyed?" Mikey whispered worriedly.

Splinter chuckled.

"His temper got in the way, but…he did better than you Michaelangelo," Splinter teased gently.

Mikey couldn't help but crack a grin and chuckle, shuffling in embarrassment.

Then there was a loud knock and the family leap to their feet. Splinter ordered his sons to hide and remained where he was while April stood in front of him.

Casey walked over and stood at the door.

"Who is it?" he demanded.

"Leonardo said this was a save place…please…he is wounded!" Bane pled from the other side of the door.

Casey wrenched the door open and gasped at the sight of the blood stained wolf.

"Where is he?" Don demanded when he noticed that Leo wasn't present.

"He went to the tower…I lost him…he ran off…I-I couldn't find him!" Bane cried frantically.

Mikey jumped forward and grabbed hold of the lupine's arms and managed to calm the frantic wolf down.

"Casey…go with my sons and inquire about Leonardo…hurry," Splinter ordered.

Casey nodded and with Don followed by Mikey, the trio shot down the stairs. Bane remained frozen at the sight of April.

"It's ok," April coaxed, "I'm a friend."

"That's what they told me," Bane whispered weakly, amber eyes flicking from Splinter's calm features to April's gentle eyes.

"I won't hurt you Bane. The guys are like family to me. Since they took you in, you're family too," April whispered.

"Leonardo…he…Splinter I could not stop him…he killed so many…" Bane whimpered, "he was so angry…"

Splinter closed his eyes and sighed.

"The men responsible for-" Splinter started.

"In the city," Bane cried, " I put him down so he could sleep while I tried to figure out where we were and a human came down the alley…he killed her…then he just took off…toward the tower."

"Did he say anything to you Bane?" Splinter whispered.

"He said hōpu wa muimi desu... Watashi no kazoku wa... Fējingu. Ningen wa tsuneni watashi-tachi o nikunde...-Shi ga kuru yō ni," Bane whispered, "I don't know what that means." (Hope is meaningless...my family is...fading. Humans will always hate us...let death come)

"But I do," Splinter whispered fearfully.

Reviews please…yeah Leo went a little off his rocker…a little…