Rating: Overall story rated T
Disclaimer: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and all related characters belong to Nickelodeon.
Warnings: Overall story contains disturbing imagery such as blood, gore and the like, and highly disturbing situations.
Summary: The world as they knew it has gone to ruins. The shadows, once their greatest allies, now harbour threats so great it's safer to risk walking in open daylight and Mikey and April will do anything to keep what remains of their family safe; even if it means abandoning home and everything they knew. This story is AU and is a collaboration between sampsonknight and Zelgadis55.
A/N: Sorry for the delay in posting. I bought a new book recently, a 900page monster, that had just come out and was the next in a series and that had to take precedence. It was goooood! Now to begin the approx 4-year wait until the next one *le sigh*.
T420000: Yep :-)
Minnie1015: They'd probably gripe (In Raph's case) or explain (in Leo's) about everything Mikey, April and even Donnie are doing wrong XD
Sekai no Owari
Ch 26
With full bellies from another freshly caught rabbit along with some berries April had found nearby, the small group set off two days later, the mood considerably lighter than when they'd arrived and with Mikey feeling far better than he had since before being bitten. The day, bright and sunny, had not a cloud in the sky and the birds chirped and warbled merrily in the trees. Still, despite the beauty of the day, the family was rather sombre as they left behind their safe haven of the last few days, knowing in the long run that it wasn't a good place to settle. Besides, the previous evening they'd seen someone enter the yard, heading directly for the silo with a familiarity that suggested they were well acquainted with the place, going into but not coming back out of. As a result, Mikey, April and Donnie made the decision to leave the next morning, right as the sun rose to avoid running into whoever it was that arrived the previous night.
"According to the maps, if we keep going in this direction we might find some form of shelter for the night. Who knows, we might even find more supplies if we're lucky," April said optimistically.
"That would be good," Mikey replied, switching the katana to his right to give his still-healing left arm a break as he kept a sharp eye out for trouble. Leo had let go of his hand to instead walk beside Donnie as Donnie tried to explain how to use the compass to their little brother.
"Agreed. I really don't like the thought of sleeping in a tree, not with Raph and how fussy he is," April pointed out softly, rubbing the sleeping baby's head affectionately.
Sympathising, Mikey snorted lightly. "Sleeping up trees sucks, especially when you toss and turn. Last time I slept up a tree I had to tie myself to it with my own belt, 'cause I kept falling out. We'd have to do that with Leo for sure and if we had to leave in a hurry, we'd be screwed."
"I can see that," April agreed then paused, looking around suddenly nervous. "Mikey, it's quiet."
Mikey froze mid-step, then carefully put his foot down so as to make no noise. He called softly to Leo and Donnie and both immediately moved in between him and April, Donnie pulling his single kali stick out and holding it at the ready to protect himself and Leo. At Mikey's suggestion the previous night, he'd used the electrical tape in his duffle to secure a screwdriver to the end, giving himself something he could use to kill a zombie with until they could find or make something better for him.
April readied herself as well. With Raphael bundled snugly in his blanket and tied to her to keep her hands free, she positioned her hands around the bo, triggering the switch that converted it into a naginata.
The air must have turned tense since at that moment Raph started to stir and April instinctively kissed him on the head, whispering into his ear that everything was okay and he should go back to sleep.
Her eyes flickering anxiously from side to side, April searched the thick woods for any sign of movement. Once more, it had come down to damned if you do, damned if you don't. They'd had the choice of the woods or the road, both having their pros and cons and sadly the woods had seemed the better choice when it came to their safety. However, the problem now was the fact there were too many hiding places and they had to be on constant guard. Just because it was dead silent didn't necessarily mean there was danger but the unnatural quiet was alarming either way.
"We should keep moving forward," April suggested quietly, her eyes darting to Leo now and then. "For all we know, whatever made the forest like this could be far off. We shouldn't change the direction we are heading unless it's obvious it's not worth it."
"Yeah, but stay together and stay close," Mikey agreed in a low voice as he took a cautious step forward. "Everyone keep your eyes peeled for anything unusual."
"Agreed," April nodded, taking a few more steps and not seeing anything that was alarming at all.
Everything stood still. The air was thick and one could drown in it if they contemplated on it too long. Shifting the heavy bo in her hands, April was grateful that before being taught to use the sai to the point she wouldn't hurt herself, Donnie first tried to give her lesson with the bo since he didn't like the idea of her getting close and personal in combat. Unfortunately, Leo soon nipped that in the bud, stating that only Donnie's bo could become a naginata and a blunt weapon was ineffective against the undead, therefore she was to train with Raph. She had to admit she learnt a lot from him but she also learnt she had just as nasty a temper as Raph for how much he infuriated her during their training sessions.
Taking a breath - she hated this, it was worse than watching Mikey playing the horror games that he love to play now and then - and knowing something was coming, she swore she could hear the eerie music starting to rise, the music that forced the player to spiral into anxiety, knowing they were boned.
She wondered if Mikey was thinking the same for he was far tenser than she was. Oddly, she noticed that only Leo wasn't on edge but she wasn't sure if he either didn't understand the danger or if he truly believed he was safe with them protecting him. Part of her felt relieved even as the other part of her felt the stress. A stress she'd never felt this intensely before in her life, clawing at her soul as it was.
Abruptly, things started to become lighter as she could feel the atmosphere changing around her. There still weren't any sounds still but it wasn't as heavy. Turning her head towards Mikey, she asked him a silent question, only gesturing to how it was now peaceful. She wondered if it had just been her imagination and if she'd inflicted her delusions onto them.
Mikey breathed a clearly audible sigh of relief as he made out the distant sounds of birds singing once more. Whatever it was that made the forest so silent had clearly passed on but that didn't mean he was willing to let down his guard or his family. Mikey relaxed his tight, double-handed grip on the katana handle, wishing once more he could instead just use his preferred weapons. He always did well enough with a katana when needed but it was a stiff weapon that didn't have the natural, easy flow he was used to with the nunchaku.
Picking up the pace again, Mikey continued to keep watch around the area, reminding his brothers to keep close just in case. "Are you sure you wouldn't rather lead the way, April?" Mikey joked to help bring the tension down further. "You know the person at the back is always the first to be..."
"Not be eaten for the one leading is always the main course," April interrupted quickly. "Besides, the redhead is the last choice," she continued before quickly adding so as not to scare Leo, "and children Leo's age are always the survivors."
Mikey chuckled deviously, "I think you're mixing up your horror movie stereotypes, Ape. You really should have watched them with me more often. The survival skills you can pick up in them alone are..."
"Ludicrous," Donnie put in grimly with a shake of his head. "I wouldn't pay any attention to Mikey's delusions if I were you, April."
"Oh I know, I know. Sometimes, though, you have to let him believe he is onto something before you crush his fantasies. It's a lot more amusing and hopefully, one day, if done often enough, he will learn to think before speaking... Or perhaps that's a fantasy all on its own." April sighed exaggeratedly, only to have Leo tug on her arm.
"So I'm not safe?" Leo asked in a small voice as April smiled down at him.
"Of course you are Leo. We're just saying that Mikey's theories are half-baked and should stay in the lame B rated movies that he fried what little sense of reality he had on," April explained, only to have Leo look at her confused by her choice of words.
Mikey chuckled as he clasped his free hand over his heart. "Ouch, you wound me mortally, madam," he stated melodramatically as Donnie sighed and sunk his head into his own hand for what felt like the fiftieth time that week.
"Oh, you'll survive. You've heard worse and it will never change as you never will, and also..." April's voice became threatening, "next time you call me madam, Mikey, I will personally shove this bo where the sun..."
"Not with my bo," Donnie interjected sharply, wishing once more he was big enough to be able to use his weapon of choice for himself.
"Fine, fair enough," she grumbled under her breath. "I need to use it for other important reasons anyway. Then I guess I could use a stick... a very thick and long, rough stick!" April huffed, looking around as if searching for such a weapon.
Chuckling over April's empty threat, Mikey turned to jibe back when a sudden rustling and a menacing growl sounded from the bushes at the side of the faint track they were walking. Paling, Mikey whipped around in time to see a large black and tan shape launch itself from the greenery - directly at Leo.
Seeing the blur, Leo tensed, grabbing Donnie's arm in pure terror.
In the back of his consciousness, Mikey barely made out the huge salivating jaws and large clawed paws stretching for his brother and without thinking, he swung his borrowed weapon around as he stepped out, slicing diagonally down with both hands and straight through the wild beast's furred back.
What followed was a piercing yelp and a heart-wrenching whine. Mikey felt sick. A dog, it was just a dog. A large, mangy Rottweiler, with a collar and a nametag.
The dog continued to whimper in pain as Mikey stared down in horror. "Oh god..." he whispered brokenly, seeing its name staring accusingly up at him. "I'm so sorry, Cujo," he trembled. It was one thing hurting and killing Foot and other such murderers in the past but it was entirely another thing entirely to attack a poor, innocent animal with lethal force... even if that animal did directly threaten his brother.
Mikey turned to April, still shaking in shock. "I've gotta... April, can you... Please, can..."
"Leo, why don't you take my hand and come with me, Donnie, you too," April commanded quietly. She balanced the bo the best she could within one hand as she gently took Leo's hand. Seeing the tears in his eyes and the confusing mix of feelings he was going through, she hurried to pull him away from the grisly sight.
Mikey listened as his family walked away, unable to take his eyes off the dog who was fading with every second. He knelt down beside it and reached out a trembling hand to stroke the quivering flank. "I'm sorry," he repeated softly, unsure if he was saying sorry for trying to kill the dog, for not finishing it off in one slice, or... for doing what he had to do now.
With tears in his eyes, he raised the katana again and let it fall, putting the animal out of its misery.
Falling back on his haunches, Mikey let his tears flow as he reached out and stroked the animal once more. Suddenly, he heard a cry echo through the forest and his head whipped up in panic.
Someone was calling for their dog, their family pet, he reminded himself at the sight of the worn collar.
The name echoed again, closer this time, and Mikey guessed whoever it was was following the dog's trail through the woods. They were close, making Mikey realise in his grief he hadn't noticed them sooner; Master Splinter and Leo both would be disgusted by his lack of attention. He looked about frantically and launched himself up into a nearby tree, sheathing the katana as he jumped. Taking a deep, steadying breath, Mikey called upon his years of stealth training and raced from tree to tree until he caught up with his family.
Giving them the 'shh' sign, he quickly led them away, erasing their trail behind them.
-:-
Her heart pounded in her chest as her breath escaped her, while her footsteps thumped across the mud splashing up against her pant legs as she refused to slow down.
Dangerous as it was to do such a rash thing as running in the middle of the woods with the potential dangers that could be lurking, they had little choice as yet another echoing crash shattered the sky, leaving trails of light that illuminated the now gloomy and ominous forest.
Holding the displeased infant closer to her chest she flashed a look of desperation towards their brother, "We need to find this shelter quickly! It's getting worse and I don't know how much of this cold Raph can take, he's soaked!"
"Great, but where?" Mikey shot back. As he ran, he was holding Leo's hand, trying to help so his little brother could keep up without slipping. Leo however, while he didn't fight the hold, was somewhat unresponsive and distant and Mikey could tell he didn't want to be helped by him of all people.
"The shelter we were aiming for, it should be ahead, hopefully not too far away," April had to yell over the crackling thunder and the pounding rain which drowned out her voice.
Despite Mikey's help, Leo slipped and fell, a small noise of surprise escaping him as he was dragged a few feet by Mikey's grip on him. "Sorry, bro," Mikey apologised, skidding to a halt and scooping Leo up. He then continued running alongside April with Donnie just ahead of them.
"Are we still going the right way, Donnie?" Mikey called, trying to hide his frustration with the situation.
With a small burst of irritation, Donnie wiped the rain from his eyes as he ran, "You don't have to keep asking," he retorted as he glanced down at the compass again. Realistically though, he could understand it. With the driving rain and thick cloud cover hiding the sun, visibility was poor and with all the dodging and running around trees, bushes and other obstacles, it was far too easy to get turned around.
"Mikey, asking are we there yet isn't helpful! If we were off course, Donnie would have told us," April chastised, a bit more forcefully than she meant; she too was starting to become extremely irritated and moody.
Mikey forced a sheepish grin onto his face. "Not what I asked. Is that revenge for all the times I did?" he asked, buoying up his tone. "Besides, you're the one saying we should be there by now."
"Sorry, I don't have a working GPS and I'm just assuming the distance," April admitted crossly.
"Heh!" Mikey replied teasingly before letting the smile drop from his face. The group ran in silence for several minutes before Mikey felt Leo shift slightly in his arms. He glanced down, unwilling to take his eyes off the ground ahead for long, "Are you okay, Leo?"
Not saying a word, Leo avoided his brother's eyes, gazing over at April and Donnie instead.
Mikey suppressed his sigh. Leo hadn't spoken a word to him or anyone else, for that matter, since he'd been attacked a few hours ago. He glanced at April, hoping to meet her eyes and express his concern but she studiously kept her gaze ahead, making sure she didn't trip or slip, not wanting to risk falling on Raph and hurting him.
An explosive noise of frustration sounded from Donnie ahead as he slipped in the mud, falling face first and sliding forward. The compass in his hand flew from his grasp.
"Donnie!" Mikey cried, dashing towards him.
"Donnie, are you okay?" April asked, likewise rushing to help.
Wordlessly, Donnie scrambled to his feet, ignoring the concern from Mikey and April and began frantically searching for the lost compass.
"What are you looking for?" Mikey asked worriedly, hoping his brother wasn't looking for what he thought he was. He was.
"The compass," Donnie replied shortly. The abruptness of the answer didn't disguise the distress in his voice, however, and he continued searching desperately.
"Here," April handed him her small flashlight to help him to search, even as she looked around to make sure nothing was sneaking up to them in the heavy downpour.
"Thanks," Donnie muttered. He hadn't wanted to open his duffle for the larger torch and soak everything inside including his tablet.
Mikey put Leo down on his feet and he immediately veered directly towards April, reaching out to Raphael and trying to soothe his little brother with platitudes such as "It is going to be okay," and "We will be out of the rain soon," as he passed. Then he turned towards Donnie. "I think I saw something land around here," he offered, shifting to where he indicated and digging around in the mud near his brother.
"I can't believe I lost it," Donnie moaned piteously, wiping an exasperated, muddy hand over his forehead. Within moments, the torrential rain had washed his face clean and Donnie crawled over beside Mikey, searching desperately for the compass that was their lifeline. "I should have made a wrist strap for it."
"Well, you'll just have to do that after we find it and find shelter," Mikey replied firmly, digging thoroughly about himself.
"Guys, we need to hurry this along!" April said impatiently. Suddenly, she removed her shirt without shifting Raph and placed it over him to shelter him as best she could, pressing the crying child against her body and hoping her body heat would help him.
"We're trying, April," Mikey replied tautly as he searched, hands buried in soft, watery mud. "Leo, come help us find the compass, we can't go on without it."
Leo hesitantly flashed a look at Mikey then back to Raph without saying a word.
"Leonardo!" Mikey called again, far more sharply than he intended when there was no sign of capitulation from his five-year-old brother. "We need your help. For Raph's sake if nothing else."
Leo shivered at Mikey's tone, then jumped when April placed a hand on his shoulder, "Please Leo, will you help them? Raph is cold. I can only warm him up so much and if we continue to be out here too long, he'll get sick. I can't help because I can't put Raph down and someone needs to keep watch. Can you do it for Raphie?"
Slowly nodding, Leo nervously came up to Mikey, looking around but unsure what to do.
"Dig around in the mud and feel for a small, plastic rectangle with a raised circle on it," Mikey said, glancing up with a small smile.
Leo nodded, keeping as far from Mikey as he could as he reluctantly helped search in the mud.
Mikey shifted over on his knees, continuing to feel around when Donnie suddenly rose on his knees, his arm flying straight up. "Found it!" he gasped triumphantly.
"Thank shell for that," Mikey flopped back on his haunches in relief. "Is it still in one piece, bro?"
Donnie lowered his arm and peered at it, tilting it to allow the rain to wash most of the mud off. "Yeah, it seems okay, but I'll have to cle..."
"We need to move," April interrupted, insisting as her teeth chattered and her body started to shiver harder.
"Yeah, right, sorry, Ape," Mikey promptly apologised, jumping to his feet and almost slipping in the mud again. "Is it working Donnie? You can always clean it up later."
"Yes, it still seems to be working," Donnie frowned, inspecting the small compass as he stood. "Though there's dirt and water inside of it."
"Good, let's get going again," Mikey commanded. "I'll carry you again, Leo. Your legs are too short to move fast for long," he explained, already moving over to where Leonardo stood again beside April.
Leo stiffened, not willing to leave April's side and hurt by the obvious reaction, Mikey did his best to ignore it as he scooped up his little brother again and began running, heading for the shelter they knew must be somewhere ahead.
-:-
Sometime later, the small group burst out of the woods into a clearing, only to be met with a terrible sight ahead. The small house was long burnt to the ground. Mikey's heart sank as he realised that meant there was no shelter to be found after all. He turned and looked helplessly at April.
"There might still be something we can use," April gasped hopefully. "Look at the vegetation, it's been burned down for a year or more by how the bushes are growing around it. Leo never would have marked this place if there wasn't something here recently," she explained, squinting about to see what could be used despite the stinging rain splashing in her eyes.
Leo shifted in Mikey's arms, looking towards April as his name was mentioned but didn't speak. Mikey gazed around.
"Look," Donnie piped up, pointing beyond the burnt remnants of the skeletal structure. "Looks like swings over there, so that means there were probably children here."
"So?" Mikey asked impatiently, not getting the point.
"So in a place so off the grid and surrounded with trees as this place," Donnie began, looking all around the edge of the clearing with a sharp gaze, "maybe... just maybe... There!" he exclaimed in sudden excitement.
"What's there?" April asked, walking up next to him and trying to see what he pointed at as a small smile claimed her lips. There between the trees was one large, old looking one, sturdy and tall that wasn't even shaken by the wind which was still picking up. High among its strong branches was what appeared to be some kind of treehouse.
"The question is, will it be suitable for the night?" April asked warily, clutching the wailing baby turtle closer to her.
"What choice do we have?" Donnie countered, already running towards it.
Letting out a sigh, April shook her head, that wasn't what she meant. She was worried it wouldn't block the wind or that it might be more dangerous to seek shelter in it than being in the rain. As she followed Donnie, she exchanged looks with Mikey, telegraphing the concerns and doubts that filled her.
A couple of minutes later, jumping from the sudden crash of thunder almost directly overhead, Mikey stood looking up at the treehouse above. "Isn't it supposed to be dangerous to shelter in trees during a thunderstorm?" he asked doubtfully.
"Yes, it is," Donnie replied, "but it's worse under a lone tree. This one is among many and isn't the tallest so we should be fine. Besides, it would be worse being out in the clearing over there since we would be the tallest objects in the clearing and our bodies would be more conducive to conducting electricity than the trees themselves."
"Mikey, do you think you can climb it to see if there is a ladder or even tie a rope for us to get up there? I wouldn't be able to climb this, with or without Raph," April said, looking around to see if she could spot any danger, not that she could see much since it had become darker between the rain and all dense grey clouds above them.
"Sure," Mikey replied, putting Leo down again. Immediately, he turned to the tree and started shinning up it, quick as a monkey. Within moments, he stood on the platform, looking all about. "Uh... about that ladder, it was a rope ladder and it looks like it's been cut away," he called down. "Donnie, you got rope in your bag, can you toss it up?"
"Just a moment," Donnie called back, shouting over a long rumble of thunder as the storm increased. For a moment, he paused over the bag, realising there were things inside he couldn't afford to get wet and instead struggled to toss the entire bag up to Mikey. "Don't get it wet inside!"
"Gonna be hard in this downpour, little bro," Mikey retorted, pulling a face.
"Then turn around and open it inside the shelter," Donnie retorted irritably.
"Fine," Mikey grumbled, turning to do as he was told.
"Sometime this year! I don't like it that I can't hear anything but this rain. An undead could come upon us and we wouldn't even notice. Besides, I'm freezing and Raph... Let's just hurry up, please," April called, vigorously rubbing Raph's arms and legs, worried by how disturbingly quiet he'd become.
"Sorry," Mikey called, tying off the rope and tossing the end down to the ground below. "Donnie, you come up first. Then I'll take Raph off your hands so you can climb up, Ape," he yelled, already rappelling quickly down the tree.
"Fine with me, Donnie, when you get up there get Raph out of this wet blanket and warm him up quickly," April told him, a worried tone filling her voice.
"Of course," Donnie replied crisply as Mikey jumped aside, allowing him access at the rope.
Mikey took the silent, slightly blue looking Raphael from April, watching as Donnie pulled himself up over the lip of the platform. Immediately, Mikey began climbing the tree once more, griping with his knees and using the rope to help him climb one-handed. Soon as he reached the top, he handed his baby brother to Donnie who stood waiting to take him and then rappelled down once more.
"Leo, it's your turn now," April looked down at Leo who eyes widened in fear as he frantically shook his head, taking a step back. "Leo, please we can't fool around here. I have to get up there to warm up Raph, I'm the only one that can since I'm warm-blooded and have more body heat."
Biting his lip, Mikey looked to April, speaking as softly as he could considering the driving rain and sudden claps of thunder. "He's still afraid of heights. He's younger now than when Master Splinter helped him past that."
Sighing, April knelt down, "You can close your eyes if that makes you feel better, Leo. Please, you have to do this for Raphie. Remember when you ask me how to survive? This is part of that."
Looking slightly at her yet too fearful to take his eyes off of the rope, the five-year-old nodded reluctantly. April smiled sweetly and rubbed his wet head, "One part of surviving is learning to overcome your fears, especially ones that hinder your survival and that of others as well. You know, I'm afraid of things too," she admitted quietly.
"You are, sis?" Leo asked in surprise, his voice croaked slightly as he looked up at her, speaking for the first time in hours.
"Yep, let me tell you my fears and maybe it will help you with yours. Sound like a deal?" April asked as Leo hesitantly nodded.
"Okay, well, I'm afraid of dolls, the porcelain type whose eyes watch you no matter where you are in the room." She shivered at the thought, briefly irritated to see Leo almost laughing.
"You're afraid of dolls?" he snickered faintly.
"Legend has it, that those are the types of dolls that suck in the souls of the dead, trapping them within because they're hollow and have space to fill," Mikey piped up gravely, kneeling down by his brother and ignoring the nasty look April gave him. "Then they wander the Earth, looking for new vulnerable hosts they can take or kill."
"Like Chucky?" Leo's eyes grew wide. April kneed Mikey hard in his sore arm, satisfied when he yelped painfully.
"Yes I am afraid of them but when it comes down to it, if I had to I would go into a room full of them just to survive," April pointed out, letting out a small whimper at the thought. "No matter how terrified I would be... and truthfully, I was scared of zombies too... so much so that I froze the first time I saw one... and you know what? It was you that saved me and told me that even though I'm afraid I'm not alone so that should be my strength to carry on."
"I did?" Leo asked as he blinked solemnly at her.
"Of course you did and after that I kept telling myself what you told me and every time I feel frightened when I see one, I tell myself I'm not alone and have to do what I can to survive and help keep my family safe."
Leo become silent, swallowing hard, "Can I shut my eyes?" he asked.
"Sure," Mikey reassured with a smile, reaching out to pat his brother on the head. "I can carry you up, whether in my arms or with you hanging onto my shell and you can close your eyes the whole way if you like."
Leo looked at him for the first time in hours and let out a big breath, closing his eyes, "I will hang on your shell..."
"Okay, good," Mikey breathed in relief, partly due to the agreement and partly because those were the first, however reluctant, words Leo had uttered to him in hours other than asking him about murderous dolls. "You go up first, Ape, we'll follow right after."
"Okay," April nodded, starting to climb up as quickly as she could.
Mikey watched as April slowly disappeared over the lip, then taking the rope, Mikey tied it around Leo's waist and looped it around himself, just in case Leo lost his grip at any point. "Okay, climb on," he said brightly as he crouched down for easier access.
Leo hesitated at first, looking up at his sis who'd already reached the top, then he climbed on top of his brother's shell, squeezing his eyes tightly closed and not daring to open them as small whimpers escaped him.
Mikey reached up a hand to pat one of Leo's soothingly, only to feel bad when he felt his brother shudder at the touch. Whether it was because of him, the knowledge they were about to go up the tree or because of the cold, Mikey couldn't tell but he let go and instead gripped the rope and began climbing the tree. He spoke nonstop all the way up, telling jokes and hoping to distract Leo from what was happening. Once they reached the top, he was surprised to find Donnie waiting at the edge ready to grab hold of Leo and pull him away. Once Leo was safely on the platform, Mikey finished pulling himself up again and untied the rope, making sure to pull it all the way up and coil it neatly.
Leonardo could feel the solid wood under his feet, yet he still didn't dare to open his eyes even though he knew it was Donnie that had him. He shivered and shook uncontrollably, wishing he could feel grass rather than wood beneath his feet.
Donnie glanced up at Mikey as he tidied the rope, then, with his hands on Leo's shoulders, steered him towards the shelter. "Come on, Leo, let's get inside where it's dry. There's a couple of old blankets here, we can use them to warm up with."
Nodding, Leo followed silently. Suddenly, once he couldn't feel the rain anymore, he felt Donnie vigorously wipe him down with something.
"There, all dry," Donnie finally said softly. He then picked up the remaining dusty, old blanket and wrapped it around Leonardo. "There're only two blankets, so we'll have to share but Mikey and I need to dry off first. In the meantime, keep that wrapped tightly around you. Okay?" he asked, using the same spare shirt of April's to dry himself off with.
Finally managing to open his eyes, Leo looked around before sluggishly wandering towards April to see where Raphael was. She was sitting on the floor with a blanket wrapped around her, whispering to who he assumed was Raph inside the blankets. She was rubbing his body and keeping him tightly against her as she uttered words of security and comfort to his baby brother. Biting his lip, he wished he could join her.
Donnie finished drying himself off then tossed the shirt at a stunned Mikey who stood watching silently from just inside the doorway. Immediately, he turned around and went to his duffle bag, pulling out the cup of Raphael's food they'd prepared that morning. With first the attack, then the subsequent escape from the people looking for who killed their dog and then the rain, they'd never had the chance to stop for lunch. He took it over to April, offering it to her in the hopes she'd be able to convince Raph to eat. Then shivering himself, he snatched up one of the tatty cushions to lean against and joined Leo beside April. "Open up the blanket, Leo, like I said, we have to share."
Leo instantly obeyed, cuddling into Donnie as he shivered, watching as April enticed Raph with the sippy cup on his lips. It took a few minutes but finally, he took it, letting out sucking noises and pressing into her for warmth.
Mikey dried himself off as best he could with the shirt that had already been used to dry two if not three or four people and then laid it out to dry on the nearby table, dusting it off with his hand and choking on the resultant cloud of dust.
"Mikey, can you hang up my wet clothes? Sorry, I didn't have a chance to before," April asked before adding, "I know none of us will want to move after we get warm."
"Sure," Mikey replied dully, looking around. Finding April's cast-off wet clothing on the floor near her, he picked them up, draping them too on the table and chair to hopefully dry as best they could. Finally, he picked up his own discarded backpack, which he'd left up here the first time he came up, and pulled out a ration bar each and a packet of mixed nuts to share among them. He handed them around before sitting on the floor near Donnie, shivering with both cold and shock as he finally had a chance to stop and remember what he'd been forced to do earlier.
Donnie immediately sidled closer, pulling a reluctant Leonardo with him, and opened up the blanket to tuck it around Mikey as he leaned into him.
"Thanks," Mikey chattered, leaning back into Donnie as he stared at the door.
Donnie simply nodded and went back to eating, all while trying to keep as inside the blanket as he could.
"Raph is starting to warm up now and doesn't look so blue," April told Mikey in relief. "He's even eating faster, though he looks exhausted."
"Huh?" Mikey blinked languidly then suddenly realised April was talking to him. "Oh, that's good."
"Mikey?" April looked at him.
"Yeah?" he asked, turning his head to look over his brothers at April.
"You are aware you did nothing wrong and what you did had to be done otherwise Leo would have been hurt, right?" April asked seriously, looking him directly in the eyes.
"Yeah, of course I am," Mikey replied with a hollow laugh. 'Doesn't mean I like it though,' he thought, his face dropping its forced humour quickly.
Donnie shifted his head to look up at Mikey in concern, suddenly remembering how much his brother loved animals and always wanted a pet when they were growing up.
"Then stop," April narrowed her eyes. "I understand you're upset and I understand that what you did would be something you would never do but you had no choice. There was only a split second to react and you did what you had to do to protect Leo. Feeling bad about it isn't an option. We both know we can't do that, not right now. And you, Leonardo, you have to talk to Mikey regardless of if you're scared of him right now."
Leo flashed a look at her in surprise and shrank deeper into the blanket.
The silence dragged on for several seconds before Mikey sighed and reached under the blanket for Leo's hand. He clasped it and gave it a light squeeze as a bright flash filled the treehouse, followed immediately by a loud peal of thunder booming overhead. "I'm really sorry for scaring you Leo," he said contritely once the rumble died away. "I'm sorry I had to kill the dog, but I'd do it again in a heartbeat to save you or anyone else in this family."
"That's not why..." Leo shrank back, looking towards April who smiled at him encouragingly.
"Then why do you hate me now?" Mikey asked softly, terrified of whatever the answer might be.
"You're not you..." Leo shied away.
"Leo, you need to explain what you mean," April said before Mikey could ask what he meant.
Shifting Leo didn't dare look at Mikey, "You were scary... mean... your eyes... they weren't yours..."
Mikey's jaw dropped as he stared dumbfounded down at his five-year-old brother.
"Mikey, what he is trying to say is how any kid feels when they see a parent or adult act differently than they normally do. Someone like you getting angry or in that case very serious in the split moment showed a side he isn't used to, which scared him. I remember my dad did that to me when he was angry, I was so afraid of him in those moments and stayed away in fear he would direct that anger towards me. Not that I would ever think he would hurt me but to see that sudden change is terrifying," April explained, understanding why Leo was acting the way he was, as Leo nodded, letting out a whimper.
"Leo..." Mikey began slowly, pain filling his voice, "I would never hurt you, you're my brother! I only acted like that because there was no time to think and I had to do something or you would have been killed or hurt badly by the dog. He was attacking, probably trained to attack and drive off or kill anything that didn't belong."
"I didn't say you would hurt me..." Leo said quietly, "You were so scary... I don't like that you..."
"I'm sorry, Chibi-chan but sometimes there's no time for joking. Sometimes we just have to act and do what's needed to survive."
"I know..." Leo whimpered, tears beginning to drip from his eyes, "But you're not like that... an'... an'... I'm not strong enough to make sure you don't have to be!"
Mikey was silent for a moment, pursing his lips as he thought. "Not now you aren't but one day you will be again."
Donnie shot Mikey a look, "How?" he murmured, low enough that he hoped only Mikey would hear. "Master Splinter's gone, how are we supposed to get back what we lost?"
"Yeah, about that..." Mikey muttered. After a moment he continued, louder, "I'm no Master Splinter but I guess I'll have to teach you guys what I can."
Donnie stared up at Mikey in horror. "You? The class goofball? Have you even retained enough to teach us?"
"Rude!" Mikey huffed indignantly.
"Look, Mikey, I know you're good but... you would always do everything right really quickly and then just be lazy and barely get it right after," Donnie explained, remembering the frustration they all often had with Mikey during practice.
"What can I say? It was too easy and it was way boring!" Mikey protested loudly. "Besides, I'm not twelve anymore."
"Something Leo told me a while back," April couldn't believe she was going to say this in front of Mikey, fearing the whole Battle Nexus bullshit would come up yet again, "is that Mikey is actually the most naturally talented out of the four of you but his main problem was just that he never bothered to apply himself."
Donnie raised an eyebrow ridge as he looked over at April. "Well, that's confidence-inspiring," he said dryly. When she looked questioningly back at him, he explained, "I mean, the fact that you had to be told, meaning that Mikey obviously still goofed around during training even up until recently."
Mikey grinned sheepishly.
"Oh I saw him serious once... but Raph started to laugh like a retard so that failed easily, even after Raph was thrown to the ground he couldn't stop laughing," April sighed. "I should shut up now, I'm not helping his case..."
"Oh, that's because I was doing an impression of Le... uh," Mikey glanced down at Leo, seeing the growing amusement in his eyes, "I was doing impressions that day and I was so accurate that Raphie couldn't take it. You just happened to walk into the lair near the end of it, April," Mikey explained eagerly.
"Right..." April rolled her eyes, "Leo, any impressions that Mikey makes of you, ignore, he exaggerates a lot."
"I know," Leo smiled, "but I like them."
"That's good, I'll make sure to exaggerate twice as hard for you then, Leo," Mikey winked at his little brother, ignoring April's muttered, "Oh god," in the background. Then he sobered and asked, "So, we good now?"
"No," Leo said solemnly.
Mikey's face fell and he sunk down lower under the blanket, suddenly shivering as his toes poked out the other end. Suddenly, seeing Leo looking as if he was about to leave the blanket, Mikey straightened and half jumped out of the blanket and across poor Donnie who was stuck in the middle, yelling "Ooga booga!" as he pounced on Leo, tickling his sides mercilessly.
"Mikey! Get off me!" Donnie gasped, feeling rather flattened by the brother who was now twice his size, "I can't breathe!"
"Make me!" Mikey grinned, ignoring Donnie's plight as he continued tickling the squirming, squealing Leonardo.
"No!" Leo shouted with an angry huff through his almost-breathless laughter, "I don't want this!"
Recognising the tone as his leader meaning business even through the childish tone, Mikey immediately backed off, contrite. "Sorry. I'll just... over here..." he muttered, falling back into his previous position and getting off of Donnie who gasped for air exaggeratedly.
Leo, finally able to get up, crawled out from under the blanket and walked over to stand in front of Mikey, waiting until he looked up.
"Well?" Leo asked in displeased tone to his voice.
"I already said sorry. What more do you want?" Mikey asked desperately. "I'll leave you alone if that's what you really want but I won't like it and I'll still come to your rescue when you need it because I refuse to let you get hurt!"
Leo tapped his foot, waiting as he crossed his arms, a shiver wracking his body from the cold.
Mikey sighed and flipped the blanket back, exposing himself and a suddenly shivering Donatello. He gestured to Leo, "Okay, enough, you're cold. Get back under the blanket with us already before you catch your death, little bro."
Biting his lip, Leo shot forward, not to go back beside Donnie but instead landing in Mikey's lap and tugging his arm so he would hold him. Once Mikey flipped the blanket back, Leo rested his head on Mikey's arm, "Now we are okay."
"Good," Mikey smiled in relief, laying back and leaning into Donnie so the three were in close physical contact for extra warmth.
Donnie shifted slightly, moving the cushion so Mikey could share it and wrapped his arm over both brothers.
"Mikey, I promise to get stronger so you don't have to always rescue me..." Leo yawned, fighting against sleep in his arms.
"And I promise to help you," Mikey replied, sleepily, happy that things were looking up again. "Both of you and Raphie too when he's old enough again."
-:-
Dreams filled their heads as all were fast asleep. It was the first night that no one took watch as everyone fell asleep without thought, beyond exhausted. Suddenly April's abrupt, painful screech echoed in the air, frightening the older turtles out of their slumber.
"Never fear! The Turtle Titan will save you!" Mikey cried, jerking upright, startled from his dream. Suddenly, he blinked, wondering what woke him up and he looked around, "Did anyone else hear a banshee cry or was I just dreaming?" he asked with a confused frown. "Man, that was a weird dream..."
"Banshees are just a myth, Mikey," Donnie yawned, untangling himself from Leo and Mikey. He rushed over to April in concern once he was free. "Are you okay?" he asked, sounding slightly unsure.
"Yes... or I will be if Raph stops thinking that the way to wake me is to shove his finger up my nostril and bite my hand!" April narrowed her eyes at Raphael who sat there happily cooing at her like some innocent baby. However, at the moment she truly believed that it was an act and he was really a demon in turtle disguise.
Mikey couldn't help the snort of laughter that escaped him. "Well," he choked out, "if you didn't have such a big nose..."
"Mikey!" Donnie snapped in disbelief. Sometimes he really wondered who the adult here really was.
"Oh, it's not as big as your damn mouth, Mikey and my nose isn't big! Your beak is far bigger than my nose is!" April huffed, shaking her finger at him like an old man yelling at the kids to get off his lawn.
Mikey grinned broadly as he pushed the blankets away, exposing Leo who'd somehow wiggled his way deep underneath in the night, "Maybe so, but no way could Raphie shove his fingers in my nostrils." Carefully shifting the still sleepy Leonardo aside, Mikey stood and walked over to the door to look out, seeing the sky still pissing down with rain. Thankfully though, it was nowhere near as hard as the day before and the thunder and lightning had long since moved on.
"Oh, we should totally test that," April grinned, picking up Raphael who squealed and made bubbling noises. "Raphie, next time you get your big brother, Mikey. He loves fingers up his nostrils," April instructed, tickling Raph. Raphael squealed in jolly laughter as she continued, "Yes, he does, doesn't he? You should do it next time to him and leave poor me out of it! He would love you to do that to him. Yes, he would!"
Mikey glanced back with a smirk of amusement as Donnie shook his head and sighed, moving off to prepare Raph's breakfast and lunch for the road - if they ever managed to get on the road.
Letting Raph down to explore, which he went right for Mikey to play with his feet, April crawled up to Leo gently nudging him, "Leonardo," she singsonged, "it's time to get up."
The young turtle squirmed, moaning no, as she attempted again with a soft voice, "I know you want to sleep longer, but we have things to do before we head out."
Slowly Leo fluttered his eyes open and looked at April in disappointment, "But sis, I was having a good dream," he whined.
"Were you?" April asked, sitting beside him. Leo, snuggled closer, laying his head on her lap as she gently rubbed it.
"Yeah," he yawned and smacked his lips.
"And what was your good dream about?"
"I was having my birthday and father brought us to a park that had three swings and these bouncy animal things that you sit on and you can rock back and forth. There was even a slide that me and Donnie both went down at the same time and Mikey decided to go backwards on his shell that got him in trouble from Master Splinter..."
Mikey grinned down at Leo in amusement, "Sounds like fun," he laughed. "What else happened?"
Donnie stopped what he was doing to stare at Leo with an odd look on his face.
"Well," Leo thought on it, "Raph didn't want to play with us so he went off to the jungle gym and got stuck! He was walking on top and lost his footing and his shell was wedged?" Leo played with the word, "Yes, wedged between the bars." Suddenly, he laughed, "He was waving his arms and getting all mad all the while Donnie started to give some long explanation on why he was stuck."
"Well, I have to admit," April grinned, "that would have been funny to see."
"It was," Donnie said oddly.
Mikey laughed once again, "You know, I think I remember something like that happening once."
"You should," Donnie stated imperiously, staring down at Leonardo, "because it did happen."
"No it didn't," Leo protested. "It was a dream and I just turn six today and father isn't around."
Mikey turned to Donnie curiously, "So when did it happen, Donnie?"
"The night before our sixth birthday," Donnie replied softly. "Master Splinter took us to the park that night because he said it was going to rain the next night."
"Huh?" Leo canted his head, "How did you know what he said in my dream?"
"Because I was there the day it actually happened too and my memory is perfect," Donnie replied without any hint of arrogance. He turned back to finish making Raph's food for the day, his face thoughtful, if somewhat confused.
"Wait," April blinked at Donnie, "Then if that is true how would Leo know this? If I recall right, in the lair Leo said his birthday was just days away and there is no way he could remember something that hasn't happened yet since, as you pointed out with your memories when you de-aged, that you only remember up to the age you were currently at and everything else was forgotten."
"Two nights ago, I had a dream in which someone covered the toilet with clear plastic food wrap, " Donnie began carefully, watching Mikey's face twitch out of the corner of his eye. "I was the first one to use the toilet afterwards but luckily for me, I noticed and removed it before going. Then I replaced it and Mikey kept following me around for an hour afterwards, staring at me in confusion until Raph screamed blue murder after getting severe splashback when he went next."
Mikey laughed at the memory, "Oh, that was so awesome."
"Yes," Donnie said dryly, "because you weren't the one who was in trouble for that little prank."
Mikey sobered up. "Really? I don't remember Master Splinter having a go at anyone for it," he said, straining to remember.
"He pulled me aside, realising I was the last person in there before Raph. I was the one who ended up in trouble and wasn't allowed to read for a whole week because I put it back in place once I was done, hoping to trap you with your own prank instead."
"Oh..."
"So you remember that, Mikey?"
"Yeah. I wondered why you spent more time with us that week. It was weird but cool."
"When I first woke up ten days ago, according to my memory, it was March twenty-fifth."
"So?" Mikey asked, not understanding.
"When did you do that prank, Mikey?" Donnie asked, slightly impatiently.
"How should I know? It was years ago and well before I started my prank journal!" Mikey retorted, wishing Donnie would just get to the point.
"Think about it, Mikey."
Mikey strained his memory to think. "I don't know. Um... I think it was an April Fool's gag but I couldn't tell you what year."
"When we were twelve," Donnie said simply.
Mikey just stared at Donnie with wide eyes.
"Donnie, are you saying you and Leo are starting to recover your lost memories?" April suddenly asked in shock.
-:-
Comments, thoughts and concrit are always welcome.