Here we go. It's almost midnight.. I'm tired.. :) Had a good work-out.

And I can't breathe without you
But I have to breathe without you
But I have to...
Never wanted this, never want to see you hurt
[Taylor Swift - Breathe]
Chapter 21

Tobias always thought he would feel it if anything happened to his loved ones.

He always believed it would be like the all-famous twin magic, like a feeling in his guts; that he would feel the pain and know the danger, maybe even see what was wrong. It was a childish believe, and he was aware of that, but up to this point he hadn't given it much thought anyway.

Right now, he himself is definitely in enough pain for two. But if there is one thing he can't afford to do, it is lie down.

"Please, tell me exactly what happened."

Against every protest from either one of the boys, Donatello made room on the sofa immediately after Raph carried Tobias in. It doesn't make much of a difference, though, because the room is still covered in mattresses and blankets. So now everyone stands gathered around the furniture and asks the redhead questions while Leo treatens his bleeding head wound. Let me tell you, it's not too easy to talk (or concentrate, for that matter) while someone else presses a cotton pad against your forehead. And you're hardly conscious.. and your common sense just dove headfirst over a cliff.

Still, Tobias tries. He really does.

"We.. went back from the pharmacy.." He hisses as Mikey applies desinfectant to a minor cut in his arm, but continues. "There were footsteps. And then, all of a sudden, they.." he shudders and closes his eyes for a moment. Raph has a hard time not to show his impatience; his knuckles turn white from the supressed tension. When Tobias goes on, his voice is a whisper. "We fought.. and there was so much noise and cries and blood.." His voice becomes more and more of a whisper. "So much blood. And then..." Another shudder makes his body tremble.

"Then?" Raph asks. He tries to keep his tone even, but he loses the fight. He sounds strained. "What then?"

"They wanted to kill me!" Tobias shouts in a sudden outburst. His eyes fly open, but they seem to see something the others don't. "They had a baseball bat and.. they wanted to kill me. Just like they did to.." His voice breaks, and he bursts into tears. Between his hiccups, he repeats "Michael got me away, but they took him. They took him. Michael.." Over and over. It is nervewracking.

Raphael stalks away from the couch and slumps down on one of the mattresses. "We're gonna find them", he growls, so low that the others almost don't hear him. "Oh yeah, we'e gonna find 'm, and dis Niklas guy'll wish ta nevah be born!" His volume increased more and more until the last word comes out as a shout. Normally, this is the point where either Leo, Don or Mikey step over to him and remind him to "take it easy, bro."

Not this time.

"He's dead meat, dude", Mikey agrees. Leo remains silent, but Tobias can see the determined expression on his face as he puts a bandage around the redhead's forehead. The medical aid kit Liza brought in earlier is almost empty now. Liza. Tobias has to stop himself from thinking about her situation, because he just stopped crying and doesn't want to start all over again. "Sorry", he mutters from between his hiccups. His head feels dizzy, and all of a sudden he is very tired.

"We are going to have our base here", Leonardo says and closes the zipper of the aid kit. "In this room. It'll be our last hold in case everything goes wrong." His voice indicates that he believes this could very well happen. "We need all the medical supplies we can find, and Mike, go get some food." He waves Raph and Mikey off into the kitchen, and Tobias has the sneaking suspicion that there is a plan behind this. The kitchen is near enough to just go there every time they need something.

He is right. As soon as the two are out of the way, Leo comes over to the couch again.

"Tell me", he whispers low enough so that Don won't hear it. "What exactly does Niklas want from you guys?"

Tobias doesn't know where this leads them. He does see, though, that by sending everyone away Leo wanted to protect his privacy, which is kind of pointless since he'll probably tell his brothers anyway, but still. The boy appreciates the effort.

"I can't tell you", he whispers. The room starts spinning.

"Then let me guess." Leo's voice is still low, but determined. "Someone died. And it was Niklas' fault."

"Whe- I mean- " Tobias stutters. The blood starts rushing through his ears, deafening every other sound. He can't think. But he mustn't.. he can't... "I didn't..." His hands fly to his head, fluttering, and press against his ears. The bandage around his forehead turns red from the pressure on the wound. Leo tries to pull Tobias' hands away, but the other boy squeaks and jumps back. It is a weak sound. Leonardo hates himself for continuing this, but he needs as many information as he can gather, and he needs it now.

"Niklas killed someone", he repeats. "But something happened... something they didn't foresee. Something about you. And now, they try to silence you." He can't quite believe himself what he's saying. From the one time he saw Niklas before, and from the fight on the streets, he knew that this gang was violent and potentially dangerous, but he never would have thought that he would land in a life-or-death-story. Never. Always expect the unexpected, he thinks bitterly. "I am sorry, but I need you to tell me what you know, so that I can decide how to react", he continues, and his voice is pleading.

Tobias takes a deep, shuddering breath. His hands sink down onto the sofa in a gesture of total and utter defeat. When he speaks again, his voice is swaying and hoarse, but Leo is ready to listen.

"It was a few.. years ago", he starts and Leo's eyebrows rise. This is a long time to hold a grudge. "Maybe two and a half. I was out in town.. with my brother, Noah." His voice quivers. Leo hears Mikey and Raph enter the room silently and he knows everyone is listening now. But Tobias doesn't seem to be aware of his surroundings anymore; his eyes stare onto his hands, but they clearly see something else.

"We'd been on a flea market before. To get some money. So we went into town to buy this new console.. an X-Box, I think. I don't remember." His voice is lifeless now, flat and toneless. "We got one. Noah was so happy. He would dance and laugh all the time, because he really wanted to play this game.. something about a purple dragon." His lips twist into an absent smile. "Spyro. That was the name of the game."

Leo is really thankful that Mikey, for once in his life, doesn't comment on that. He himself doesn't dare move so much as a muscle.

"So we went down the street... it was mid-summer, and it was hot, but we'd heard that there was fake snow in the villa area of the city. I told him to go home first.. I told him." Tobias' smile is replaced by pure bitterness. The lines in his face seem to harden. "But he wouldn't listen.. he was just a kid. He was twelve."

Leo's hands start to quiver with supressed tension as he started to guess where the story would lead them.

"He wanted to play in the snow. 'Come on', he said. 'Snow in July. That'll be fun!' And so we went there. I could never say no to the kid." His body starts to tremble, but now he doesn't stop anymore. "When we got there, Niklas and his gang were already there. They made the younger kids pay money to play in the snow heap. There really was snow, just at the side of the street, next to the playground." The sad smile moves the corners of his mouth down instead of up.

"Noah saw them, too. He was a smart kid. He told me that we could come back another time, and we turned to leave. But they blocked our way." His hands ball into fists. "They wanted the X-Box.. I was so stupid. I should just have given them the stupid game. But back then.. I said no."

His voice breaks now, in the end. He doesn't have to continue. The four boys have been in enough fights already to know how it all turned out.

"Michael saw what happened. He fought them off. I've never seen anything like it. But.. it was too late." The tears come now, tracing down his skinny face, and splash on his hands. His voice is soft when he continues. "Niklas says it is my fault. And he is right. They never meant to kill anyone. They never got blamed, too. His father has much influence on the politics here... It all happened behind the heap, no one saw it. Almost-"

Raphael growls deep back in his throat. It sounds like a wolf ready to kill. But Tobias doesn't hear him. He keeps on going, even while his eyes slide closed and his voice fades into a whisper. "He helped me a lot, Michael. Tried to convince me to tell the police. But I wouldn't.. Niklas said he'd kill me too.. and my baby sister... What should I do.."

His body slumps against the back of the sofa. "Leo", Donnie says, his tone a warning that breaks the unnatural silence like a shattering mirror. "He's going into shock. Keep him talking..."

"No." Leonardo stands up, slowly, and starts for the door without looking back. "You keep him talking. I am going out there now and do something before anyone else comes to harm."

Mikey and Raphael don't have to be asked to come along. They reach the door alongside their brother. Next to the door, the Leader scans through the purses that hang on the wardrobe. His sense of respect for the owner is replaced by white-hot fury. Finally, he finds a cellphone and scrolls the phone book until he finds 'own number'. He shows it to Mike. "Tell Donnie how to reach us." Then he slips the hot-pink device into his pocket.

"We still wear pajamas", Raph says. Leo doesn't even turn around as he puts on the shoes from the day before. "Just saying", his brother mutters as he follows the lead.

Mikey comes back and silently does the same. It is only moments later that they leave the house and break into a run.

Someone's
gonna
pay.

So there you have it. The dark, dark secret is revealed. Niklas should better run and hide before I forget myself and write him dead. On the spot. I'm not too happy about Tobias' story tho, so if you have any suggestions what to do better, tell me and I'll edit it over before I update tomorrow. Thanks.