Disclaimer: I do not own TMNT. I wish I did, though. LOL! I can only dream to.
Warning: This fic may contain some harsh language and maybe some violence. However, it does contain angst. A lot of it, too. Thank you guys for reviewing my story. It means a lot to me. Yes, I'm hoping I will make this story not seemed rushed.
SILENCE
Chapter 3
By Raphangela
-Splinter… Splinter… Splinter…-
The soft voice still whispers throughout Splinter's psyche.
-SPLINTER!!!!-
Splinter immediately opens his eyes with a gasp. The voice has finally stopped and Splinter sighs extendedly. Finally his mind is at peace, the way he wants it to be. But how long will that peace last? The voice had gone silent immediately after it seemed to have roared viciously and angrily at him. However, he also felt like the voice had seemed to be crying out to him in misery. It sounded poignant, depressed, and sounded as if it wanted to reach out to someone for help; like a desperate cry from a lost soul that is lost in the darkness. What really stressed him out, though, is that the voice wasn't really recognizable, but it felt like it. It felt like it belonged to someone close, really close. It felt like it belonged to one of his son's, but he did not know whose.
Splinter sighs to himself and thinks, 'Will I ever know the answer to this?'
"Master Splinter!" Leo's voice calls out. "Donny and I are home!" Leonardo walks into view with his brother. They are both soaking wet, making Splinter raise his eyebrow.
"How was the trip? And where are your brothers?" Splinter asks with part curiosity, part worry.
"The trip was awful, Sensei. All it seems to do is pour terribly outside… worse than usual. We found nothing either." Leo clearly answers. "And no, we don't know where Raph and Mike are. We thought they would already be home. Aren't they here with you, Master?"
"No, my sons, I have not seen them once entering and neither did I even hear them." Splinter replies. "Weren't they with you when you both left? I thought you all went together, were you not?"
"Yeah," Leo explains. "But I split us up into two groups a little while before it ever began to rain. I had no idea that it would begin to rain like that."
"Then we must wait then for their return." Splinter suggests with a sigh. "I'm sure that they will be back soon. In the mean time, the both of you better get yourselves dried and washed up. I do not want any of you catching a cold, let alone catching the flue."
"Yes, Sensei." Leonardo says.
Leonardo and Donatello both nod respectfully to their master and do what they are told. Donatello goes and retrieves towels from the bathroom and returns with two of them, giving one to his brother. Leonardo thanks him and they both dry off quickly. Leo tells his brother to take a shower first and Don complies. Splinter smiles at Leo's leadership skills, but then frowns when he remembers that two of his son's are still out there.
'Be careful, my sons, and please come safely home soon.'
-----
'Cold…So cold…' Mikey shivers from the rain, his tears still leak from his eyes. The cold rain chills him to the bone and his energy is depleted from all of the crying he has done. 'So cold…so very cold….' He cries as he shivers more. The voice in him has quieted down a little, but has not gone away.
-…Give into to me…-
'No.'
-…Give into to me…-
'No way… Go away!'
-…You can't fight me forever…-
'Yes I can! Go away!'
-…I'll never go way…-
'Please…just go way… please… Just leave me alone.'
-…I can't do that…-
'… I wanna go home…'
-…You can't go home…-
'Why not?'
-…You can never go home…You're not welcome there anymore, remember?-
'That's not true!'
-…Yes it is….you know it is…-
'Just shut up! I don't care what you say! I just wanna go home! Just go way! Please…just go away. I command you to go way!'
-…I can't go away… I'm you, remember?…-
'No, you are not me! You lie! Please… Just leave!'
-…I'll never go away…You can't fight me forever…-
'Please just go…please…just go…' Mikey thought as his body getting weaker by the minute. The cold rain and his weeping have taken its course and have made him weak and weary. The voice grows quieter and quieter by the minute.
-…I'll never go away…You can't fight me forever…-
'Please……go…..go….away….' Mikey tries to keep his eyes open.
-…I'll never go away …-
'…..go….'
- …You can't fight me forever……never…-
'……go…….'
-…never…-
Mikey can no longer keep his eyes open or keep his mind straight. Mikey starts to fall asleep on the cold, wet pavement underneath him. His body begins to relax and slowly slides down on his side. He falls asleep quickly after that.
-…I'll never go away …-
-----
"Mikey!!" Raphael calls out as he runs throughout the city; he even had searched through the Bronx. He also checked the underground subway; of course he had stolen some clothes before he went from a thief he had gladly beaten up. He then discarded them afterward when he decided he didn't need them anymore. Raphael sighs. It is a good thing it is late a night because no one really is up after twelve o'clock expect drunks and a few other people, but Raph doubt that anyone else would be, especially in this weather. They'd have to be crazy to. Crazy like him, because he had hurt his best friend and his brother. "Please, Mikey!! Where are you!! Answer me, buddy!!"
He runs through the now flooding alleys, splashing the water mixed with dirt and other things that were left carelessly on the streets. The garbage that was once in the tipped over garbage cans seems to float in the two inch deep water. Raphael accidentally slips down really hard onto his shell and slides a few feet down. Raphael quickly gets up and shakes his head, his senses feel a little bit knocked. "What a night… WHAT A NIGHT!" He continues to run, but more carefully now.
Getting tired, he decides to jump on top of one of the buses that went around and in the city at night, but gets on top of a diesel truck instead. From there, he looks as much as he can for his brother. He knew could not stay long and it was only to catch his breath for a wee bit, so after a few minutes he jumps right off. He darts into an alley and finds himself cursing. "Dammit!" He growls to himself. "Where are you, Mikey?!" He shuts his eyes tightly and screams at the heavens, "MIKEY, WHERE ARE YOU!!?!"
Feeling as if all hope is lost inside of him, he decides he should better go home and tell the others what happened. He dreads going back, especially without his brother. Things will be different if only he can find Mikey. He sighs to himself and says, "I'm SO sorry, Mikey. I….I'm SO sorry…" He lowers his head in shame and shakes it. "I don't know what got into me back there…if only I kept my mouth shut… You wouldn't be out here hurting because of me." He walks slowly out of the alley and onto the sidewalk. He walks sadly down it, becoming more depressed with the matters at hand.
"Raph..." Cough. Cough
He lifts his head up quickly when he hears a familiar voice and then a coughing sound. "Mikey?" He turns his head toward where the sound came from. He sees a familiar shivering figure lying on the wet and cold ground all the way in the back of an alley. The figure almost seemed lifeless if it weren't for it shivering. All at once, Raphael feels as if his heart had stopped and a deep hurt within grows. "Mikey?" It doesn't answer, so he begins to run up to the shivering form. "MIKEY!?"
'Oh, please. Don't let that be him. Please, God, please.' He prays in his thoughts.
Raphael comes to a slow walk, fear trying to keep him back, but he doesn't stop until he reaches the form in front of him. He comes to a halt and gasps. "Mikey!" There before him lays his little brother, shivering violently with his eyes closed tightly shut. All of his color seems to have paled and he does not look too well at all. He looks as pale as death. "Mikey…. Mikey…" Raphael tries to speak to him, but all he keeps on getting is his brother's constant murmur that doesn't make sense at all.
"Mikey, wake up. Wake up, Mikey." Raph says as he quickly kneels down and shakes his brother, but still gets no response other than his brother's violent shaking. Raph winces at the feel of touching Mikey's cold skin, it feels cold as ice, and Mikey's rough coughing spells doesn't ease the sorrow he feels. Raphael looks at his brother's face closely and sees the tear stained cheeks and his face muscles constrict tightly in a miserable, hurting look. Raphael is brought to tears by this and gently takes his brother into his arms. He embraces his brother dearly and closely. "I'm SO sorry, Mikey. I'm SO sorry. Please forgive me."
Raphael picks Michelangelo up into his arms and carefully carries his brother back to the lair. The torrential rain slowly turns into a light shower by the time he reaches a manhole.
To Be Continued
Sorry about this chapter being a little short. LOL. I'm actually very glad that Raph found him…now…I must work on the next chapter. Stay tuned.