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. Thank you all for reviewing my story, because it really means a lot to me. I hope you guys will like this chapter!

SILENCE

Chapter 10

By Raphangela

Splinter, Leonardo, and Donatello watch as Michelangelo picks at his food gingerly; they couldn't help but stare at Mike's unusual behavior. Michelangelo is completely silent, except for the light sounds of chewing he makes as he eats his pizza. He is also eating his pizza mannerly with a fork and a knife, which is unusual for them and especially for Mikey. Recalling of what happened earlier, as soon as they had placed that pizza in front of him, Mikey had grunted and looked at it like he could have stared a whole right through it and into the floor. After several minutes of having his master and brothers asking him what's wrong, he glared at them and had gotten up from his seat and had gone into the kitchen and retrieved the knife and fork. After that, he sat down coolly like nothing had happened. Michelangelo had started to eat, not looking at any of the three as he did.

"Mikey?" Leo and Don ask in union while carefully watching their little brother's every move.

"Mike?" Leo asks again in concern. "Mikey, what's wrong?"

"Michelangelo, are you feeling well, my son?" Splinter asks his son the third time, the other times since before the turtle began to even eat. Michelangelo remains silent for the next fifteen seconds. Splinter, feeling disrespected and yet concerned by the turtle's behavior, strictly says; "Michelangelo, you will answer when I speak to you." A few more seconds pass, but Mike still doesn't answer. "Michelangelo, show some manners to your elders. I order you to speak at once!" Splinter says as he taps his walking stick down hard on the floor.

Michelangelo only grunts, still not looking up at any of them. The trio glares at him as they begin to get very aggravated with him.

"Mike!" Leo, having enough of this, yells first.

"Mikey!" Donatello is second.

And then finally Splinter says; "Michelangelo, whatever is the matter with you?"

Michelangelo stops picking at his food and pushes his plate away. He slowly looks up at them and glares as he crosses his arms. He then gives them a fear-provoking look that simply means "If you mess with me, I'll slaughter you". They look at him in absolute shock; they never had expected him to look at them in that way EVER. Mikey is acting totally out of character for them. He is acting more Raph-like than usual, considering Mikey always had looked up to him like a role model. Raphael was and still is the angriest one of the four, he can be nice, but he still has his moments. However, not even Raphael would glare at them like that, especially at Splinter or even around him. It is like someone has switched the personality of Michelangelo with someone worse than their own hardheaded and angry brother, Raphael. Could Mikey secretly be worse than Raphael, or is there something definitely wrong with him?

"Mikey?" Leo and Don ask with concern in their voice.

"Michelangelo?" Splinter asks as worry starts to overcome his inner stress and exasperation. He and his two sons watch as Mikey quietly gets up from where he is seated and coldly walks away from them and goes into Raph's and his shared room.

Splinter sighs and sadly says, "Oh, Michelangelo." He then gets up and looks at the other two and smiles sadly at them. He says to them, "Watch over your brother, you two. Make sure nothing bad happens to him. I'm going to go meditate some more." They watch as Splinter leaves them, his steps seem to stagger as he walks into his room.

"What did Master Splinter mean by that?" Don asks his older brother, his eye bridge lifted in curiosity.

"I don't know, Don," Leo answers sincerely and then changes the subject. "But did you see the way Sensei walked?"

"It's no surprise, Leo." Donny says. "Master Splinter isn't getting any younger these days, if ya know what I mean."

Leo sighs and then says, "I know, it just pains me to see him like that…" He pauses for a moment, then he hangs his head and continues saying, "And to see Mikey like…"

"Like what?" Don inquires.

"I…I don't know," Leo answers and then looks up at his brother, his face all scrunched up in a weird way. "Something doesn't seem right about him…I feel like it's not Mikey, not Mikey at all…but at the same time it does…like something has happened to him…his old self that we use to know is gone."

"I know how ya feel, Leo." Don says and puts a hand on Leo's shoulder. "Mikey is worrying me, too, but I think He's just moody, is all."

Leo answers flatly, "It feels like a personality change to me."

"You're worrying too much, Leo." Don informs him. "It is the first day Mikey has woken up after all of those days. Whatever had happened to him might've affected his sudden mood towards us. Give him time, I'm sure we'll have the ol' Mikey back sooner than we think. We'll get him back so fast that you wish he didn't! Don't worry, Mikey will get over whatever is wrong with him, I know he will. He always has! Nothing gets that guy down!"

"That's why I'm worried, Don." Leo says sadly. "Mikey is down…and acting like he never has before. Something is wrong, Don. Something happened to him, something happened to our Mikey…but I don't know what." Leo instantly jerks away from Don and walks over to a punching bag, he punches it hard. "DAMN!! I wish I knew! Why won't he tell me what's wrong!?" He grabs the punching bag and then leans on it for support.

"Leo," Don starts as he walks towards his older brother and leader. "Look at you. You're hurting yourself. You need to rest, you haven't been sleeping much at all lately ever since the defeat of The Shredder. You're pale… you have gray bags underneath your eyes… Simply said, you look absolutely terrible. You need sleep, Leo, BAD."

Leo sighs and says, "I know…I know…but I don't think I can ever go back to sleep."

Donatello looks at him strangely, he asks, "Why not?"

Leo covers his face with his hand and says, "I've been having terrible nightmares lately…about The Foot and…" He shuts his eyes and grimaces; he can't find himself to continue.

Don frowns and says, "Leo, we defeated the foot long ago. We defeated The Shredder! The Foot's no more!"

"It isn't about the Shredder, Don." Leo replies seriously.

"Then who is it, Leo?" Don asks, his breathing gone rugged as he listens.

"I don't know, Don…" Leo tells him. "I'm not sure on whom to say it is, but the presence of the person feels familiar in a way."

"You don't? Are you sure?" Don asks.

"Don't know that either, but I have to admit, though, Don," Leo says with a nervous laugh. Leo shakes his head and then looks up at his brother to say, "That this is the worst nightmare I've ever had in my entire life…and it keeps on repeating itself."

"Leo?"

Leo explains his dream, "In the dream, its dark…so very dark, it's nighttime. The dream is so violent, so fast…so strange, yet more frightening. I see a pair of glowing eyes looking hatefully at me, you, and Raph…for some reason, Mikey wasn't in the dream, but his presence was fully there. The being is like a shadow…so dark, but those glowing eyes seem to be so haunting…so evil...and when the evil figure grinned…it seemed like the forces of hell had been unleashed with that psychotic smile of his. There, with him, was the Foot Clan, surrounding us and ready to attack us at full force…for some reason, they seemed much stronger than ever before… We were so scared, Don, so terrified by them, especially the dark figure that leads them… The figure, seemed to be familiar somehow… he looked like to be one of us…but evil…and I was worried to death for him and about him….maybe because I was so terrified of what he could do to us…I don't know. We were all cut up and bruised...and exhausted. Raph looked to be the most pathetic one of us all…He looked like he had been crying and still was. The dark figure then commanded the Foot to attack us…we stood no chance…they began slashing at us and trying to rip us apart. Throughout the attack, I kept on hearing evil, demonic laughter…and Raph's constant screams…screaming for or about Mikey." Leo sighs deeply. "And then that's when I wake up."

Don is lost for words for a moment and then says with concern in his voice, "Leo…it was a dream."

"No, it wasn't just a dream, Don!" Leo shouts out at his brother. "It means something! It has to! Something is going to happen, but I wish I knew what, though." He punches the punching bag again and then kicks it hard, making it swing back. "Why can't I make it out, Don!?" He yells and then he catches the bag before it can swing back at him. "Why is it SO hard!?"

"I don't know, Leo." Don says. "I'm not good at telling what dreams mean, at least not what other people's dreams mean." He watches Leo look at him sadly and slouch over in exhaustion. "You need rest, Leo, and you need it bad."

"I don't think I ever want to go to sleep." Leo answers.

"I didn't say 'sleep', Leo. I said 'rest'" Don corrected. "If you don't want to sleep, then just lay down a bit at least. You really need it, Leo."

"Alright," Leo agrees as he smiles weakly at his younger brother. "I will, then. I'll go lay down for awhile." He walks over toward his brother, which is the same direction his room is located.

Don smiles and then says, "Good, you need it, Leo."

Leo stops in his tracks once he reaches Don, he puts his hand on his brother's shoulder and says appreciatingly, "Thanks, Don, for listening to me."

Don smiles at his brother and nods. Leo takes his hand off and then walks into his room to lie down. Once Leo is out of sight, Don frowns deeply and sighs sadly to himself. "I know how you feel, Leo. I know. I have almost the same nightmares as well."

To Be Continued

Does Leo's dream mean something? If so, what then? What about Don? To find out, stay tuned to feature chapters. I might change the title of the story and make it like a book. So, please read and review.