Disclaimer: Don't own it.
Chapter Five
Donatello leaned into the small comfort the blanket offered him. He drank his green leaf tea in silence, staring straight ahead at nothing.
"Are you sure he was dead?" Raph leaned into Mike's ear as he whispered, watching the turtle in purple drink the warm substance. Mike nodded fiercely. Leo joined their miniature conversation.
"He was dead. I am sure of it. Or at least, his heart had stopped." Leo cursed himself. This shouldn't have happened. Donatello wasn't dead, but was mistaken for dead. He would have died if they had carried through with what they had planned, a burial. The dead disintegrated quickly, especially in the poor dank air of the sewers. They would have tried to get him into the ground as soon as possible. He was grateful that they spent all of that time actually checking to see if Don was dead. Otherwise, Don would have woken up six feet under. Leo shuttered. He could not put his brother through that.
"Don, are you ok?" Leo spoke to Donny for the first time since he woke up. There was a weird aura in the air that made everything uncomfortable. He felt a kind of awkwardness he never felt with Don before. Don slowly looked up at Leo, as if seeing for the first time. He blinked once, twice, three times before responding.
"…I feel like crap." The statement earned a laugh from Mike. Leo smiled, despite himself, but he could not shake that feeling he got from Donatello. He watched as Mike approached the turtle in question. Don and Mike's eyes met seconds before Don found himself in Mike's arms. Slowly he hugged back. Mike was on the verge of tears.
"I thought we lost you, Donny." Mike sobbed and then laughed. Donny was still here, alive, and in one piece. Well mostly in one piece, he still had that nasty bite. Mike looked down. Sometime during the entire ordeal Donny's bandage had fallen off. He now looked for the wound, checking to see if it got any worse. What he did find startled him. He pulled away to get a better look. His brow creased in confusion.
'But I thought…' The skin lay unbroken. There was no sign of injury whatsoever.
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Owen left Headquarters, his mind traveling a mile a minute. Katrina's words at the front desk had threw his thoughts into uproar.
"Amongst them was a vampire by the name of Trevor Girshwind…"
'So ol' Treve Head is back, eh?' That was just like Trevor, never giving up until dead. Yup, definitely like him. He smirked. If Trevor was back, that just meant that he would just have to take him out one more time, and this time permanently. In one leap, Owen took it to the roof tops. Knowing exactly where he was going, he allowed himself to think over his current situation. There was stillness to the cool autumn air as he ran except for the wind, which played with his jacket and hair. With a dark eye to the night sky, he spotted his destination. A leap into the air, and he was there. Well almost. He scaled the side of the Empire State Building, his fingers finding cracks and indentations to depend on. Careful to stay away from windows, he journeyed upward until he reached his favorite spot. He allowed his leg to hang down from off of the landing as he rested his hand on the knee of the other one. The view was the best right at the top. The point of the building swayed behind him, but he paid it no mind. He lit a cigarette.
There was no doubt that Trevor would be looking for him. He as much as said so at their last confrontation. He took a puff of his cigarette, allowing the nicotine to relax his tense muscles. The sleeve of his right hand drew up, showing the end of a nasty scar in the moonlight. Yes, Trevor would be back to finish the job.
And with no doubt, Owen would be ready for him.
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Leo walked into the kitchen, exhaustion written all over his face. The day had been extraordinarily draining. Nearly as bad as the day Splinter died…but not quite. With a sigh he fell into the wooden chair.
"Donny's asleep."
Raph looked up from his glass of water, of which he had neglected to drink. "Hn." His voice was gruff, his eyes never leaving the glass.
Leo placed his head in his arms expecting a barrage of questions (that he was in no condition to answer) from the turtle across the table. But when none came, Leo glanced up, looking Raphael in the eye for the first time. The red masked turtle seemed rather calm and collected, despite the day's events. However, there was still an aura of anger that could not be looked over. Leo also noticed that Raph's eyes were slightly puffier than usual. Leo sat up, reading his brother like a book.
"You've been crying." It wasn't a question, but a statement. Raphael had been crying. Leo knew his brothers, and this was no different. Raphael looked up, the thought of denial crossed his mind, but he knew that lying to Leo would be like punching though a concrete wall. It would never give and he would only hurt himself. A clinical smile graced his features.
"Can't pull the wool over your eyes, huh Leo?" Leo didn't see the humor, though sarcastic as it was. He stared back at his brother. With all the things that have been happening lately, he had grown more and more use to seeing the turtle in red cry. Although he never witnessed it personally, he knew that it happened. Though, a mere week and a half ago, the whole idea of Raph spilling tears would have been ludicrous. Now…it didn't seem like such a sin against nature. Raph was a person after all, wasn't he? He had feelings, just like the rest of them. It was just something that Leo never had to think about. Raph was Raph, end of story. But now, there was more to understand about Raphael than just being Raphael. Though, Leo wasn't too sure if he was ready for that yet. He set a steady gaze upon the turtle.
"You're still mad at me," Again, not a question. Raph's eyes all but told Leo that still on shaky ground, but also…something else. Raph stood, that clinical smile never leaving his lips, the anger never leaving his eyes.
"And what will you do for your next trick, All Powerful Leo?" His voice dripped with scorn as he side-stepped his brother, finally placing the unused glass of water in the sink. "I'm going to bed." Raph made way to his room but then the sound of Leo's voice stopped him in his tracks.
"Is this about earlier?"
Leo just couldn't take a hint could he? Well if a fight is what he wanted, then a fight is what he'd get. Raph turned, glaring daggers at Leo. Leo stood his ground, despite his exhaustion. This had to be taken care of, once and for all.
"Raph, what is your problem?" The best way was the direct way. The question earned little admiration from the other turtle, however. Raph blinked.
"My problem? MY PROBLEM?" His voice was booming. He went from annoyed to wrath in one second flat, a record even for Raph. Something more must have been bothering him, more than he let on. Leo had little time to dwell on the thought; Raph was over him in microseconds. Leo stood slowly, silently accepting the challenge. He had dealt with enough shit for one day, and it was all going to stop now, starting with Raph. He set Raph with his own hard stare. Raph did the only thing he could do with his state of mind. He lashed out.
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Mike watched as Donny's chest rose and fell, his breathing steady. Despite the circumstances, he felt a sort of happiness when looking at his brother. The mere fact that he was alive, the mere fact that he wasn't…dead, made all the difference in the world. Mike swallowed, the tears stinging the corners of his eyes again. When Donny's heart had stopped beating, it felt like the end of the world. It felt like what was left of his heart had ripped in two. He wouldn't have been able to survive. First, their father, Master Splinter, and now…his own brother. A single tear fell down his green cheek. He smiled despite himself, wiping his tear away. All was not lost, Donny was still here. He remembered all the times when they were little, about six years old. They had been real close back then. After a scary dream the first place he would run to was Donny's room. At the old age of six, it was too embarrassing going to Splinter's. He smiled wider. He remembered how he was convinced that he was a "big boy", much too old to seek the comfort of their Master Splinter, but was still terrified of things that went "bump" in the night. There was this one night that they had watched a scary movie on the television, despite Splinter's warning against it. Not even an hour after going to bed, Mikey had one of the worst dreams he could remember. Immediately he ran as fast as his little feet could carry him, to Donny's room. He knew, even in his young age, that Donny would not tease him, like Raph or Leo. He remembered settling down beside the turtle, feeling the small comfort of having someone else there with him. He didn't feel all alone anymore. Everything wasn't so bad. He looked over the sleeping form from his spot in the chair. He only wished for Donny to feel the same comfort, to know that he is not alone.
'I will never leave you, Donny.'
Don rolled over, his face towards Mike. Calm, innocent, child like. He was still asleep. Mike made a vow.
"No matter what happens, Donny, I will be there for you."
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The kitchen exploded into movement as the fight commenced. Raph shot out a fist. Its target; Leo's skull. However, this time, Leo was ready. He sidestepped the on coming attack and counter acted with an attack of his own. His fist found Raph's plastron before he could even blink, leaving him breathless. He sailed backwards and into the wooden kitchen cabinets. At the force, the cabinets gave way. Broken glass and plate shards filled the air from within. It was never his intention to hurt Raph. Actually, his intention was the very opposite. Raph had needed to vent, Leo knew that. But now everything had changed. Raph looked up at him, the glass shards causing his skin to bleed. He ignored the pain as a new blinding rage took him over. With a yell, he bomb-rushed the shocked turtle in blue, knocking him clear into the next room.
At the yell, Mike looked up from his post next to Donny. At the crash, he scrambled out of the room. He froze at the den's entrance. Leo was now on the floor. The coffee table lay in ruins. Leo moaned as he sat up, only to roll out of the way of Raph's oncoming attacks. Raph snarled, his own cuts, although shallow, leaked blood. Mike gasped. Raph and Leo were always known to have a few scrabbles, but nothing like this.
It had never gone this far.
He watched as Raph followed Leo's roll, trying to land punch after punch. Finally Leo stopped, bringing his legs up and over, falling into stance in front of his approaching brother. Raph, in his rage, leapt through the air, an intended kick to Leo's cranium. However, Leo dodged at the last second, sending Raph to the ground. More crashes, more broken furniture.
Mike watched on, helpless. There was no way he could stop this, no way in hell. He knew he was powerless against the two clashing personalities of his brothers. They would finish the fight, regardless of what Mike said or did. He, indeed, was powerless. The only one that would have been able to stop his brothers' fight was Splinter, but he was gone. If Splinter was there, things wouldn't have gone that far anyways.
Splinter would have made sure of it.
He now watched on as Raph grabbed Leo, pinning him to the floor. Immediately, Leo was barraged with punch after punch. His head, his shoulders were pummeled by Raph's fists. Raph's cries of anger echoing the lair at each blow. Leo felt his lip give way as it busted under a knuckle. Despite the pummeling, despite the pain, Leo was able to put his foot up and over, kicking Raph in the face, causing him to lose his grip on Leo's shell. He took advantage of the freedom, instantly pinning Raph to the floor. Raph struggled against Leo's bonds, but it was no use. Leo held Raph fast, hindering him motionless.
"Do you give up, Raph?" Raph's struggling slowed, then ceased as if as an answer to the question. Leo didn't let go. Not yet. Mike stepped forward, but was stopped by yet another sound.
Raph's quiet sobbing echoed in the now silent lair, piercing the soul of both Leonardo and of the on-watching Michelangelo.
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Alright, this chappy done. Don't worry, the next one will pick up right where it left off. Just thought I might leave you with a little cliffy, ya know, to get the blood stirrin' R and R
