A/N: Sorry for the late update. With my senior thesis over I thought school would be easier. But I think they're trying to make up for the lack of pressure with that in other ways. (flops over) Anyways, thank you guys so much for your constant support! It means so much for me and really kept me going on this chapter. Hope you like it.

X

Relief was short lived as Shredder's howl echoed throughout the room snapping everyone's attention back to the man as he regained his footing. His eyes narrowed at the youngest turtle.

"Leonardo, get your brother out of here! Michelangelo, follow behind them!" Splinter ordered as he skidded around the side to where his son stood giving him a hard push and raising his blade in time to block the Shredder's strike.

"Master what about..." Mikey gasped, his nunchucks twirling nervously. In the dim light, the red that decorated his face and body were easily seen as was his awkward stance due to his injury.

"I will be fine! Go!" he yelled, shooting a glare at his sons that told them to move.

"But..."

"C'mon Mike!" those were the two hardest words Leonardo had ever uttered but they were said, and the affect was not lost as his youngest brother ran after him, completely trusting everything would be alright. Leo only hoped his brother's intervention had been enough to save their father.

Shaking his head as they ran down the long hallways, Leo tried to block out the fading sounds of the battle, silently praying to whoever could hear that his father would be alright. They couldn't loose him! Not now. He told them, once they were older, that he would not always be around, and that they would one day have to move forward without him. But not now. They were still so young and...to have Raph wake up to that? Wake up to the fact their father had died to save him? Leo knew it would kill his brother. Even if he kept everything inside, the guilt would consume him and...

"It'll be fine. It'll be fine." he muttered to himself and his siblings as he sprinted over the still fallen bodies of the Foot ninja. Some were beginning to rise, but Michelangelo's nunchucks saw they stayed down.

"You think Sensei will be alright?" Mikey asked as they shot for the stairs.

"He..." Leo started then cut himself off. "He's Sensei. What do you think?"

There was more harshness in his tone than he'd intended but Mikey didn't seem to pick up on it, or if he did, he didn't care. Same as Leo, all he was focused on right now was escaping and saving their family. That focus became even purer as they turned the corner and headed up the stairs, and several long shadows appeared. The Foot Elite stood in their way...

BOOM!!!

A large explosion below nearly sent them into the wall and both turtles whipped around, watching as smoke came rushing up from below.

"SENSEI!" they cried in unison. What had happened?! What...no!

Surprisingly Michelangelo was the first to react and turned his rage on the Elite guard in front of him. He ran as fast as he could with his damaged leg and flipped up over his brother's head, his weapons spinning in mesmerizing circles of death as he raced towards them.

"Leo! Get Raph outta here!" he yelled as he drew closer and brought one of his chucks down on a shoulder that disappeared in a puff of smoke. He felt a hand slam into the back his shell and spun around just in time to avoid impalement from another coming at him from the side. Then another guard appeared in front of him, and a large ax swung for his neck. He barely dodged it as his eyes searched for his brother. Where was...

Then he saw Raph on the ground and suddenly heard a cry as Leonardo came up from behind and with a crisscrossing gesture caught one of the Elite across the chest. Blood spewed, but it wasn't enough to kill him as the man turned in the turtle's steel grip and with a knife-hand strike hit him in the neck sending him stumbling into the side of the stairwell gasping for air.

"Leo..." Mikey tried to order again but was cut off as another guard came at him surrounding him from the front and back while two went after his brother. Inwardly spewing curses only Raph had used, Michelangelo whirled around, desperate for an escape route while trying to keep an eye on his brothers. Leo was struggling to keep the two guards at bay while fighting for an opening to get out, but Raph was who he was most concerned about. He was simply lying on the stairs, bleeding sluggishly...and in direct line of attack for the guard if they got close enough. This battle needed Leo though. Shell it needed all four of them!

And Sensei...

Anger and pain spurred Michelangelo on as he twisted around and snarled like a demonic animal as he fought, trying to find some opening.

Then an opening occurred, but it wasn't the one they needed. Instead it came when one of the guards hurled Leonardo to the side and despite his wounds brought up his naginta and aimed it directly at Raphael.

"NO!" Leo yelled as he struggled to his feet then attacked to late. His mind froze as he watched the weapon hurtle towards his brother as he moved to stop it. But he couldn't. No matter how he tried he knew...

"KIYAH!" a cry from below rose up as Splinter's form crashed out of her smoke, his bleeding paw catching the spear just before it struck his son's heart. "I told you to leave!" he bellowed.

"Master!" Leo gasped.

"Father!" Mikey grinned.

Their father was bleeding sluggishly from a wound in his side that soaked his robe and long gashes in his face coated his eyes with red, but he was alive! Their father was alive!

Without an answer to their cries, Splinter turned the weapon around, and instead of hurling at the man who wielded it threw it at one of the elite his youngest fought. A sickening sound of metal piercing flesh and bouncing off bones was heard, but only the elite seemed to hear it as they doubled their attacks.

With one look, Splinter told Leonardo to get Raphael to safety and Michelangelo and him would deal with the elite.

"Hurry! The Shredder is not far behind!" he snapped doing his best to distract the remaining guard as his eldest scooped up his other child and raced up the blood-coated stairs, nearly stumbling over the remnants of a broken cane before he burst out of the stairwell.

Back to back with his youngest, Splinter systematically fought against the guard while working their way towards the open doors. They were almost there when they heard the Shredder coming and knew if they stayed any longer they wouldn't make it out alive.

Splinter didn't have to issue the order to retreat for his son to begin working to do just that. As the elite guards advanced, the mutant's own attacks lessoned as they fell back into purely defensive positions, using the attacks to be pushed further along. Metallic footsteps thundered towards them and in a decisive movement Splinter issued an order then contrasted himself in his movements allowing them the opportunity to escape up the remaining stairs.

Cool crisp night air filled their lungs and bit at their wounds as they burst out of the doors and raced towards the railing. Cries and thundering multitudes rose behind them, but they were already at the edge by the time Shredder emerged from the shadows.

Giving his son an extra hard push over the railing Splinter followed as knives bit at their backs, flying over head as they dove into the murky water. On impact, Splinter fought the urge to gasp and take water in as the salty waves mixed with his wounds. His eyes narrowed underneath from the strain as he searched for his son and found his shadowy figure through the water, as well as the subs form. He shot forward, going by his son first and grabbing his arm to keep him on the path towards the sub while keeping themselves low as arrows and even guns were fired into the water.

He did his best to protect his son as they continued to swim and finally came upon the machine. Leonardo could be seen at the controls through the window and he began frantically gastrulating for them to go around back and below as he descended. His motions indicated that Foot ninja were on top and waiting for them.

The pair nodded in unison as they swam around back then went underneath where Leo had motioned them. Once there, a door opened just above their heads and Splinter followed his son through the hole, both gasping as air filled their lungs.

Letting out a small groan, Mikey hauled himself up before helping his father through and then falling on his back as the hole closed with a metallic snap.

His chest shuddered as he tried to regain his breath. The smell of iron from the previous fight inside the sub with the Foot made it especially difficult, and even as he felt the sub descending further, a part of him expected another attack to come at any time.

After several minutes, he finally turned over on his stomach and forced himself up on his elbows.

"You...ok Sensei?" Mikey coughed up the remaining water, sucking in a deep breath that both burned and felt wonderful at the same time.

His father nodded and Mikey felt a hard pat on his back as if unsure all the water was truly gone.

"I am fine...my son." Splinter managed to choke out, before regaining his breath and balance.

Mikey nodded, then turned his attention to his father's wounds, but before he could so much as suggest they be attended to, he caught sight of Raphael's motionless figure and nearly gagged. In the light he could see the full extent of what had been done to his brother and he felt a mix of sickness, anger and grief well up inside of him as he moved closer.

"Shell...Raphy." he gasped as he looked over his brother, wishing for any sort of sign his brother knew what was going on. All he received was a blank expression that seemed bordering on oblivion. Instinctively he reached out to touch his brother's face, but was stopped just in time by his father's hand wrapping around his wrist.

"You must not touch him my son. Not directly." Splinter's voice was stoic on the surface, but there was an underlining of pain that carried over even as he asked Leonardo to give his brother the gloves.

Seconds later the hastily made pair was thrown over and caught expertly in Mikey's bruised hand.

"What about you?" Mikey asked on autopilot.

His father simply stood then returned moments later with bandages and other medical supplies, and proceeded to wrap his hands until they were completely covered but still useable. Then he set to work, ignoring any questions about his own wounds as he began to pull the needles from his son's body.

"Keep his head tilted back." the rat directed.

Mikey nodded, placing a hand on his brother's chin and the other on his forehead as he tilted it backwards to keep the airway open. All the while his eyes blurred and burned as he took in every wound, every scar, every bruise his brother had received. This didn't seem like Raph at all to him! Raph...he was so full of life! Even if he was hurt he would have been swearing at the Foot ninja and egging Leo on with his plan's for revenge all the while giving Mikey a wink to let him know he wouldn't do anything stupid. Until he was healed up that is. But now there was nothing. No smirk, no swearing, there was hardly even breath.

Not even when Splinter began to remove a particularly embedded needle did the turtle show any sign of discomfort or acknowledgement. In Mikey's mind that was because his brother was to strong to show signs of pain. He could be in the worst kind possible and Mikey doubted he'd let anyone know.

Stupid hothead!

"How is he?" Leo's voice broke the silence before it settled.

"He is..." Splinter started then cleared his throat. "Your brother will be fine, my son."

There was enough doubt in Splinter's voice that sent both his son's stomachs dropping and hearts pounding as they continued in their respective roles. Neither one completely believing they had escaped Shredder for real or that their brother could die. The first disbelief was from shock, the second was a reality they would not accept until Raphael told them himself with his last breath.

Once the needles were removed, and those small wounds cleaned and bandaged, Mikey watched Splinter turn his attention to the larger ones. Focusing mainly on those that bled on his son's chest and sides. The youngest shook his head, focusing on his brother's face and silently pleading with him to stay with them.

A sudden small gasp sent his head shooting up and his eyes locked onto where his father felt against Raphael's ribs. The look in the soft brown eyes said everything. They were broken. How many Mikey didn't know and he couldn't find the will to ask. All he could do was adjust his grip and hold his brother down as their father folded a small towel, propped it against Raph's side, then began to tightly bind it to the ribcage in order to stabilize the area. The youngest didn't have to hold his brother though. Just as before there was no sign Raph knew what was going on or felt a thing. Splinter could have been doing an amputation and Raph probably wouldn't have known it was happening.

Going back to holding his brother's head, Mikey tried to maintain his composure, but in the end couldn't stop the way his voice shook as he spoke.

"You're gonna be alright, you know that Raph?" he swallowed hard as he handed his father another large roll of bandages. "I mean...ya know there isn't another option right? Cause...well you're you! You wouldn't let Shredder win!"

From the corner of his eye, Mikey saw a small sad smile trace his father's face and received an encouraging nod. Though the more he looked at his brother, the less he knew what to say. With Leo it was easy! Well, not easy, easy. But at least he knew how to talk to his brother so that he'd know how much he was needed. With Raph...he wasn't sure. He could flap his lips all he wanted about how much they needed him and Raph knew at least he needed him, but whether that would be enough...Mikey wasn't sure. Out of the four of them, Raph probably had the hardest spirit to break, but his body was all to fallible. The way Raph lived though Mikey wondered if he understood that he was mortal like the rest of them.

His spirit might be strong, but if his body could no longer house it...then...but Mikey wouldn't believe it! Raph wouldn't just give up! Even if his body was failing he'd still stick with them. Because he was Raph! He was...

"And...I really am sorry about the coffee. I'll get more though, just like I promised. Then..." he searched for words, then suddenly a small light took control of his eyes. "Then you can help me out! Cause I got some niiiiiice plans all laid out and you're gonna love who the victim is. But I need your help, otherwise Leo just won't give me that same worthwhile reaction! You know how annoying that is to spend days concocting a scheme only to get a mediocre reaction?"

A small chuckle rose from their father's throat.

"Do you hear that my son? It seems as if your brothers are conspiring against you." Splinter managed a small grin as he looked over his shoulder at his oldest.

"Oh hah, hah. When has that ever been a surprise?" the eye roll was evident in Leo's tone as was the hope Raph would make it do to such a thing.

"Me and Raph'll make it a surprise! You'll never see it..."

SHROOM!

A sudden explosion rocketed against the back of the sub sending everyone forward with a jerk, and Mikey narrowly avoided hitting his brother's chest.

"What the shell?!" he screamed.

"Leonardo what..."

"It was...no. No...it can't..." The panic in Leo's tone was evident, and his voice cracked. "Shredder!" it was all he had time to say before another explosion rocketed against the sub.

To Be Continued...

A/N: Wouldn't it be nice if I was nice? But where's the fun in that? Hoped you liked the chapter. Tried for a bit of fluff among the drama, but yeah. Please let me know what you thought. Hope you all have a great day!

Be blessed

your friend

innocent-rebel