Disclaimer: (cries bitterly) I don't own them!… and I'm not making any money off them.

A/N: Guess what guys! I just bought myself Daredevil over the weekend… causing my to write this little note. I swear I didn't get any of this stuff from that movie, despite how alike some parts may seem. The first eighty pages are already written and waiting to be edited… just thought I'd clear that up cuz some things I have in here are a lot like in Daredevil.

Oh and also guys. I know some of you are thinking it wouldn't be that hard for Raph to function as a ninja again but this is different than Leo fighting the Foot Tech ninjas or something like that. Just try this, go into a room with no windows (or do this at night when it's dark) turn off all the light so no light is coming in from anywhere and try to walk with confidence (without your hands out waving in front of you) it's hard and a bit scary. Leo stayed in one place while fighting for the most part. That can't happen in every fight. It's very easy to get disoriented.

Oh and the italics is a dream sequence.Happy reading!

pacphys Ah yes Donny's protectiveness comes from my sister. She is as shy as can be until I ask to do something I shoulIt't be doing then you don't mess with her! I also really enjoyed writing kiddy Mike. He was the original main character in this fic so I guess he should count his blessings! Raph was supposed to have a broken leg in the fight but I couldn't wait for it to heal so I changed it. I got that from a Gary Paulsen book 'The Hunt' only it was a kid that did it to a dog… I thought it sounded painful. I had writer's block when I wrote that part about them forgetting Kevin so you're right, it really didn't fit. Thank for reviewing!

BubblyShell22I'm certain I'm destine to have a blind husband. I plan on throwing myself into my work when I get older and I think work would be the only place I would have a chance to meet a guy. It doesn't matter though. I just want a guy who is the man of my dreams. Thanks for reviewing!

ShikamaruChickAlas Raphael has a very long hard road ahead of him, but I think you'll like the ending. It's a good thing that you could understand the mook yan jong I wasn't sure I wrote it right! Thanks for reviewing!

Donny's GirlReally? I might end up living in Michigan. There is a guide dog training school up there and I want to work there. It was only natural for me to have him come form Michigan. Thanks for reviewing!

Lunar-ninjaAnd you think I'm bad for liking to write evil guys? You're laughing at a poor Raphael! Aw yes Mikey sitting on Raph's chest. That came from how my sister used to sit on mine when she wanted to get me down. I have long since learned how to get out of it though. I thrown my leg up over her neck, hence the reason Raph was kicking Mike in the head. Thanks for reviewing!

Chibi Rose AngelWelcome a board! Yes Kevin is a little on the girly side. He looks all man but those eyes are a dead give away that he's not as confident as he looks. Leo is just storing all his lectures away for latter for one great big lecture. I think all he can think about is how he could have down it different, how it could have been better. As for me hiding, I'm a writer in the works. I tend to write very very slow so I type a ton of it before I start to post. Thanks for reviewing and I compliment made me feel special!

SPLINTER: I feel as if suddenly our small family has hit a rocky patch in our road of life. Not long after we were all told Raphael was going blind, the inevitable happens. Blindness set in faster than any of us could have imagined. My initial thoughts when I was told about Raphael getting into a fight were full of anger and disapproval. He intended on a sever punishment for putting all our lives at risk. The boy even went so far as to show himself willingly to a human. Donatello was quick to inform me though that Raphael had indeed gone blind. I should have cancelled practice that night when I found out but I figured the rest of my sons could use the peace katas offered. I suddenly forgot about punishing Raphael. He must feel so lost. I can only imagine the thoughts that are going through his head. All we can do is be there for him and hope it is enough.

Raph winced as he heard the click of his crutches settling into place as he put his weight on them. If he continued like this the chances were high that Don would catch him. He used one crutch to gently search the direct area in front of him before he took another small step.

'click'

The Lair was dead silent except for the TV he had left on and that dreadful clicking that was going to be the end of him. He descended the stairs into the living room slowly and painfully. The last does of painkillers were wearing off and his arm was, starting to throb again.

"Raaph!"

He groaned inwardly as he took another step. Getting back to the couch unnoticed was just too much to ask for.

"What the shell do you think you're doing?"

Raph let out a sigh as he finally reached the couch and flopped back.

"Taking a pee break."

"You're not suppose to be on that leg!" Don all but screamed. Raph laughed silently to himself at the mental image Don's voice conjured; his brainy brother stomping his foot and having a fit.

"I have to do something Don. It's been a day and a half and I'm already going out of my mind!"

"That's what these are for."

There was a thump as Don threw a book down on Raph's plastron.

"What's this?"

"You tell me." He folded his arms over his plastron and waited with a smug look on his face as Raph felt the book on all sides.

"I give up Don. I'm stumped. What is it?"

"It's a Braille book. I picked it up today. There's a chart there too so you can translate from English to Braille."

"Um… Thanks. I think."

Raph wasn't sure if Don's present was a gift or a curse yet he slowly ran his fingers across the cover. All he felt was a line of bumps. They didn't seem like individual letters and they certainly didn't seem like they spelled anything out.

"You're welcome. At least it will keep you busy for awhile."

Raph grinned slightly. His need for action and movement even in his less than healthy state drove his doctor brother up the wall. He pulled the chart out and placed it above the book on his plastron so he could reach it easily. He would have to learn Braille sooner or later and anything was better than sitting there listening to the fly crucifying itself on the light bulb above him. He heard Donny exit the room as he settled down again.

They had all tried to be louder since yesterday, all of them except Master Splinter who continued to be his stealthy self, and when one of the boys made sure to walk heavily up the stairs or slam a door louder than normal Raph could feel the waves of disapproval float off of him.

Seconds later he heard Don's lab door slam. He shook his head. They were all trying so hard to make it easier for him to pretend like things were back to normal and for the most part, they were, but Raph never realized how much he took seeing for granted before.

When someone entered the room he couldn't turn and see who it was. He couldn't even count the number of times he heard his teeth clack together on an empty fork in the last two meals or his hand just missing his cup. Even knowing what time it was involved asking someone. All he had done that morning was listen to the TV. If he didn't find something better to do he would go out of his mind before the day was out.

Raph frowned as he felt the chart and book Don had given him. The chart was the alphabet in both English and Braille. Raph ran his fingers slowly over the large letter 'A' rising up from out of the paper. Above it he could feel a single dot. The letter 'B' had two dots over it but they weren't side by side. One was on top of the other in a line.

Raph tried to conjure up all he knew about Braille. When they were young he remembered Don showing them how blind people read and telling them about Louis Braille, the man who refined the Braille system for blind people. None of them had ever bothered to learn the language though. They had all learned bits and pieces of the Morse code for ninja purposes but never would they have thought they would have a need for Braille. Raph did remember some of the basic rules though. Each letter was made up of a combination of one to six raised dots arranged in two columns of three.

Once again his fingers went back to the book title. This time he felt over the first two columns, stopping at the end of the second. He felt over the two columns carefully. There were a total of four dots. The ones in the upper left and the bottom right were the only ones missing. He kept a mental idea of the shape in his head and went to the chart, running his fingers over all the raised dots until he found a combination that felt like what was on the book. He dropped his hand down and felt the letter below it 'T' the letter he just felt was 'T'. His fingers went from book to chart and after twenty minutes he allowed himself a slight grin. The name of the book was 'The Call of the Wild.' Don just had to pick out a book with a long title. He sighed as he opened the book to the first page. It would take him awhile but it would certainly keep him busy. As he felt the first letter he wondered what time it was. Hopefully it was close to dinner. He heard his stomach growl and wondered briefly it he should risk getting up and going to the kitchen. Probably not, getting yelled at by doctor Don twice in one afternoon was a no no, and getting yelled at by doctor Don twice in the same afternoon for the same crime was asking for death by lecture.

His brother wasn't normally so bossy but when someone got hurt not even Master Splinter would dare defy him and his knowledge. He was only looking out for the family. Raph understood that so he sat still and ignored his stomach. Don had said one week completely off of his leg and that's what he would do, at least for awhile. He would stay in one place until his painkillers really kicked in and the torture began to subside. Then he would tend to get a bit antsy. Though Don had learned this about his brothers long ago and now took them off the pain medication before they were ready, effectively keeping them from doing anything dumb. Raph wondered if Don would do that to him this time around. After all as soon as he was able to move again they had things to do. April had invited them to her new apartment at the end of the week and Don said Raph could go it his arm healed well enough to use the crutches. Raph figured that he was going for a sure thing already. His arm wound was scabbing over and as long as it didn't get ripped open again by something or other he could be good to go.

Raphael heard someone walk into the room shuffling their feet as they went so as not to startle him.

"Hey Raph, want some dinner?"

"Depends." He answered back. "Is Don in the kitchen yet?"

"No." Mikey was slightly puzzled as to Raph's inquiry but answered none the less.

Raph grinned as he closed the book and reached for a crutch.

"Then let's get going. He yelled at me once today for being up and if he sees me again he promised me he'd use me in one of his experiments."

Raph slung his injured arm over Mikey's shoulder and used the crutch for his other side. Mike chuckled as they entered the kitchen. Raph found his seat just as Don walked in. He quickly took in the situation and glared at his brother.

"Raph!" he warned, preparing for the lecture he was about to give.

"He helped me! I swear it on my shell he did!" Raph was quick to point all fingers at Mikey.

Don calmed down and nodded his head in approval at his orders being followed as he took his seat. Leo and Splinter soon entered also from where they had been talking in the dojo after evening practice.

"Bored to death yet Raph? Mikey asked as the meal got underway.

Leo glared slightly at his younger brother who was smiling like the Cheshire cat.

"I've died from boredom five times already today.

Mikey's grin widened.

"Good!"

Now everyone at the table was frowning at him. They watched as he pulled out a box from under his chair and slipped it into Raph's lap. Raph jumped violently, almost stabbing himself with his fork.

"That's gonna solve your boredom problem."

Raph put his fork down, completely puzzled as to what was on his lap.

"I've been working on it since last night when Kevin left. He gave me the idea."

Raph felt the box and could tell that there were areas where the cardboard was slightly more raised. He traced the four large letters with his finger but still remained confused.

"Life? Mike I don't get it."

"I modified the game so you can play it. I'll show you how it works after dinner. You guys can play too. He gestured to Don and Leo. They all brightened up, glad that Mikey had a good reason for saying what he had said. Leo smiled at Mike and gave him a nod for his work. He knew Mike was in his room all day, only coming out for meals and practice, but he figured he was just trying to work out this new hitch in their lives and let him be. This idea of Mike's was good though. When they were young they had all had their favorite games, Don's had been Monopoly, and Raph's, LIFE Mikey had liked Sorry and Leo had been a big Risk fan.

They all ate dinner faster than their normal fast to see exactly how Mikey had changed Raph's favorite game. By the time Splinter had finished his own meal at a regular pace and was making himself a cup of tea, his sons were gathered in a circle on the floor around the game board.

The old game had already been modified once to better fit the lifestyles of the boys. All the little plastic pegs that fit into the cars had been painted green except for one which had been painted gray. The heads of four of the pegs also had been striped with one of their colors. The careers had also been crossed out and changed to jobs like street patroller and Master ninja. The problems had been changed from having a tree fall on your house to having the Lair flood.

Now Mikey had added more. The path for the cars to take had been lined by thin wire and each block was separated by the same wire like speed bumps in the road. The money had slightly puffy number stickers on them and the symbols on the board now had different stickers on them. The payday boxes had a money sticker in the middle and the stop signs were raised off the board.

"This way you can know what's going on in the game."

"Mikey!" Don complained. "You used my wire I use for repairing circuit boards!"

"It was for a good cause though Bro!"

Raph felt over one of the intersections in the board where two wire arrows had been glued to symbolize a choice in direction.

"I was gonna put all of what the cards said on CD but I would have needed Don's computer for that."

"This is cool Mike."

Mikey beamed as Raph complimented his work.

"I thought you'd like it." He passed out the money and the cars and all four brothers enjoyed a relaxing evening with almost no fights.

Splinter watched from the kitchen as his sons laughed and made fun of one another. No one would have thought that two days ago tragedy had struck the family a huge blow. Raphael sat with his leg propped up on the corner of the coffee table and his shell leaning against the edge of the couch laughing along with his siblings as if his he hadn't been changed forever and he wasn't blind, but Splinter knew better. For Raph to get his life back to the way it was before he lost his sight he was going to have to work hard. Splinter knew the only reason it was so simple now was because his son was injured and unable to move around as freely as before. Once his wounds healed though he would be hit hard by the number of hurdles he would have to over come. Great amounts of frustration would be inevitable. So for now Splinter deemed it right for him to be having fun and kicking back while he still could.

Michaelangelo had worked hard during the day to fix Raphael's favorite game so he could still play it. Splinter could sense him being completely split between working on his project and keeping his brother busy during the day. He thought everything was ok now though. Michaelangelo thought that the worse was over and that Raphael had gotten out of his very small rut. It was not so though. Raphael was in a much bigger rut than any of them believed and Splinter knew it.

Raph groaned as he awoke.

"Woah, weird dream," He muttered as he opened his eyes.

"No dream Bro. It was real"

Raph's head snapped to the left and there was Don standing next to him sleeping. Wait standing? Next to him? What was Don doing in his room sleeping standing up? All Raph could muttered was a confused.

"What?"

"I donno where Master Splinter is but it looks like we're caught good this time."

Raph leaned forward slightly and on the other side of the sleeping Don was Mike. Why were they in a line? He went to take a step out of the line but found himself unable to. His legs were latched just below the knee to a wooden board by heavy metal cuffs bolted directly into the board. Then it all came flooding back to him.

The Lair had been invaded by Foot members. They had them in an enclosed area and took advantage if it, using gas like there was no tomorrow. After the tear gas came chloroform and that was the end of that.

Right away Raph was more alert. Leo was to his left. He was also sleeping. A gash above his left eye seeped blood which ran down his cheek and onto his plastron. Mikey was right. Master Splinter was no where to be seen. He tried to look behind him but the combination of his shell and his legs being shackled down prevented him from doing any more than turning his head.

"Any escape plans brewing bro?"

Mikey's voice cut into Raph's exploration. He gave a negative shake of his head. He still felt the lingering effects of the chloroform and didn't feel like talking much. Beside him Leo groaned. His head tossed from side to side for a few moments but then he seemed to remember and his eyes snapped open.

"Guys! The Foot!"

"We know." Raph crocked.

Leo pieced the puzzle together faster than Raph did. He immediately started to yank on the chains attaching their hands to the top of the wooden shelf. The racket he was making caused the ringing in Raph's ears to increase ten fold and he gritted his teeth, trying to block it out.

An all too familiar voice announced its presence from the shadows before them.

"Oh good. You are awake." The metallic growl grated off their ears worse than Leo's escape attempts.

"Why don't you just die already?" Mikey sighed

His comment went unnoticed by the Shredder who continued to advance upon the four trapped brothers. His eyes flicked to a small grey figure tied up behind them. Fear and worry for his sons shown in his eyes. Yet he was unable to call out for the gag that was bound around his mouth. With an evil grin The Shredder's eyes flicked back to the teens before him.

"I believe you have some information I need."

Three of the four gave him questioning looks. Don's head was still slumped again his plastron.

"The Umtrons" He roared. "You've been helping them! Tell me where they are and I might let you live." His voice softened in a way only a dangerous evil maniac could manage.

"We don't know idiot. We have as much of a chance finding them as you do!" Raph ground out.

Shredder could be so dumb sometimes.

"Then watch your brothers suffer one by one."

Shredder gave a nod to someone hidden in the darkness. There was the sound of water trickling as liquid flowed slowly down the shelf they were standing on toward them. The smell that followed though was what worried Raph. The tell tale smell of gasoline. It was then that Raph realized the shelf they all stood on was at a slight down ward slant with a lip near their toes to keep the gas flowing near them.

Cold shivers ran down his spine when he realized what was going to happen, but it was too late to yell anything. Even though it wouldn't have made a difference. A sound of a match being struck and the gas burst into flames. No doubt Mikey had figured out was going to happen too because he shifted his feet uneasily, trying to free himself from his bonds. He gasped as the flames touched his feet and increased his efforts to escape. Sweat appeared on his face and every noise came from his mouth short of a scream. Finally just as the flames were reaching Don's feet he let out a scream of pure pain. Raph's eyes watered with tears, feeling his brother's pain, causing his eyesight to blur. Beside him Leo had his own eyes screwed shut and his head ducked, trying to block out the sounds.

"Tell me and it will stop!" Shredder yelled over the crackling of the fire.

"We don't know!" Leo roared back. He tugged at the chains holding his hands to the wood. "We don't know damn it! I swear I'm not only going to kill you for this Shredder. I'm going to make your life a living Hell you son of a…"

There was a slash and a sharp intake of breath from Leo as Shredder slashed his face with his claws, leaving two long bloodied marks down his left cheek.

Raph jumped as the flames his feet. He had momentarily forgotten about his own fate. Instead his heart had gone out to Mikey whose cries had now died down to whimpers and moans. Don had been blissfully unaware of his turn at torture, being unconscious the whole time. Now Raphael closed his eyes and tried to block out his brother's cries and Leo cursing the Shredder in every language known to man. Now he had his own pain to bare and he focused on it and trying not to show any pain. It reminded him of when you were little and you just had to turn the hot water handle on the facet the whole way up and the cold on the whole way down and tried to keep your hand under the water as long as possible before you moved, but this time he couldn't move and the pain only got worse. Shredder's voice broke through his thoughts as he bickered with Leo.

"Shut your mouth or your brothers shall pay the price."

"I'm going to rip you to pieces and chop you up and…"

"Enough!"

Raph opened his eyes in time to see Shredder's infamous claws come down in direct alignment with Don's neck.

'No!' he screamed as he struggled with every once of his being.

"Raph! Raph! Wake up!"

"No!"

Raph shot straight up in bed and almost rammed straight into Leo who was trying to wake him. Sweat poured off his face and his heart was racing. Raph shivered as his mind replayed his dream over and over for him. It was terrible, watching all his brothers suffer. All he wanted now was to see his brothers and make sure they were alright but as he searched wildly about the room for them only darkness greeted him. He let out a small whimper that didn't go unnoticed by all standing in the room.

Don stepped forward and laid a hand on Raph's shoulder.

"Hey Raph, it was only a dream . You're safe now."

But saving himself wasn't what Raph was worried about. He grabbed onto Don's forearm just as he had done so many times already in the last three days to assure himself that he was really there.

"Where's Mike and Sensei?" He asked as he tried to calm himself down.

Splinter's soothing voice came from somewhere towards the back of the room.

"We are here my son. Perhaps you could tell us what your dream was about and get it off your mind?"

Raph laid back and rubbed his hands over his face now that he knew his family was safe. It wasn't as good as seeing them but it would have to do. His words were muffled as he spoke through his hands.

"Torture, pain, killing, the normal stuff. I'm alright you guys can leave."

"You sure Raph?" Leo asked. "You looked like it was bad."

"Yeah I'm good. Go back to bed."

They filed out of the room with a few 'good nights.' Raph stopped Don just as he was heading out the door.

"Hey Don?"

Don stopped and turned, one hand on the slightly ajar door.

"Yeah Raph?"

A puzzled look crossed Raph's face as he thought about how to ask his question.

"If gas was poured on your feet would the fire continued to burn after the gas was gone?"

Don's eyes grew slightly. No doubt the question had something to do with his dream. He wasn't sure if he should tell Raph the truth or not but against his better judgment he did.

"Yeah, in fact the chemical burn from the gas would be worse than the burn from the fire. An infection would no doubt happen. I wouldn't be surprised if you lost both your feet."

"Thanks Don."

"Yup. Night Bro."

Don wondered back to his lab. He had fallen asleep at his computer searching for information and was only waken up when he heard Raph's commotion. Now he sat back tiredly in his chair, disconnected the internet and shut down his computer. Hours of searching and he had found nothing. He would have thought that there would have been a lot on the net about how blind people got on, but all he could find was about how simple and safe detached retinal surgery was.

"Yeah," he thought "simple for an experienced eye doctor with access to atheistic."

It made him mad. Raph's blindness might of as well been his fault. The remedy to his problems had been so close yet so far. If he had tried harder or been willing to make friends with the eye doctor earlier he might have saved Raph's vision, but his fear of being discovered by society stopped him and cost Raph. Now it was up to him to help Raph. There aren't too many 'sorry for causing your blindness.' Hallmark cards out there.

Don sighed as he got up from his chair and turned off his desk lamp.

He wished he could take Raph's place somehow and let him have his sight back. Every time he thought of what Raph was going through his stomach churned as if to kick him for being dumb. Well not exactly dumb, just not smart enough. He wasn't smart enough to help Raph. What he lacked was common sense. Ever since he was a pet shop turtle he had lacked common sense. If he was put on the spot he would sit there and stutter. Even as a little one he needed to time to sort things out. As he got older he grew out of such things, but sometimes his clutzy side still showed through.

He climbed up the fire escape to the second floor and trudged to his room. The day had been draining and he longed for the comfort of his bed.

Don gave a large yawn as he entered his room. Without bothering to turn on the lights he stumbled tiredly over to his bed while taking off his pads and mask. He let out a long sigh as he slipped between the covers and let his fatigue consume him. He was almost asleep before his head it the pillow. With hopes that tomorrow would be better running through his head.

Back in his room Raph still sat up in bed. Unlike the rest of his family he was wide awake thinking about his nightmare. He hardly ever dreamt anymore and when he did even though the images were often quite gruesome they could hardly be considered nightmares. What he experienced tonight definitely earned the title of nightmares of nightmares though. It wasn't the images that made it terrible. The look on Mike's face as his feet were burned was bad but it wasn't as bad as the feelings that exploded inside Raph's chest, ripping him in two. He had felt Mikey's pain and Leo's anger and fear. He and felt the evil of the Shredder inside of him and part of him thought that was the scariest feeling of all. Donny's uncaring attitude to what was going on around him due to his unconscious state bit into his psyche and made him want to scream. He felt all the different forms of torture all at once from his brothers in his nightmare. Now it was enough to keep him up. Ever time he closed his yes he saw the dreadful scene again. He would open his eyes with a jolt but the vision didn't go away. His blindness was now another place where the problems that worried his head could thrive.

Raph growled and shook his head as if to toss the image out. No way was he going to get to sleep again tonight.

What did it matter anyway? Night was like day to him as a ninja and now day was like night as a blind turtle. It made no difference what time he slept for now daylight didn't pass through his eyelids. He was in forever night, a place where a ninja should thrive. It didn't feel like he was thriving. He was drowning, a plant with too much water.

"Yeah drowning in self pity." His mind told himself: 'Get yourself off your shell and stop feeling sorry for your self.' Raph laughed at himself for this. If he did as he told himself to do Don would have his head for not following doctors orders. He got what his mind was trying to get at none the less. So he pushed the thoughts from his head and felt around for the book he had brought into his room after dinner. He had made it an amazing half a page and had forgotten most of what he had already read. It didn't matter though. This was just a learning experience for him right now. After his arm healed a bit he would be able to use his crutches to get around a bit and not long after that he would be able to get rid of the crutches all together and get back to doing normal stuff. For now he would just have to entertain himself with the book Don had given him.

Raph smiled slightly at a flashback of that evening. It was nice to spend quality time with his brothers. To his surprise Mike's game worked quite well for him. He got to participate instead of just sitting there and listening . Splinter even joined in after awhile. After one full game and many laughs later they all retired to bed. It was nice though. Raph could almost feel the grin on Mikey's face for what he had done.

The trademark Mikey grin that Raph had imagined quickly turned into the face of a tortured soul. His screams echoed through the corridors in Raph's head and the feelings of anguish came back full fledged.

Raph growled and shook his head. That nightmare just wasn't going to leave him alone. He huffed a bit as he pushed the whole thing deeper into his mind and went back to deciphering his book. He couldn't let this thing eat at him.