There were days when he had hope they were just dreams. The day Leonardo was hurt, the day when Raphael had a fever and now the day he saw his love stabbed right before his eyes.

There were days where he hoped they were normal. The days where they had to fight was especially when he thought this.

It was fear that he always kept inside, the fear of his brothers getting hurt and the fear of one day being left alone.

So as he laid there Mikey did not want to move, did not want to open his eyes. He wished it was all over, that he could just escape in one of his dream worlds. But then he heard it, a gentle caring voice, the only voice that could make him move at this very moment, "Mikey?"

Opening his eyes, Mikey found himself gazing in those beautiful worried gold brown's of Donatello, without saying a word he moved in one fluent motion to pull Donnie into his arms and gripped onto him. He felt if he let go this illusion would break as well.

"Mikey? Is everything okay? Where are we? Everything is a blur?" Don whispered wrapping his arms around MIkey as well, even though he felt lost on why Mikey was so worried.

After a few moments Mikey realized this was not an illusion, he pulled back and looked Donnie over. He appeared perfectly healthy as if everything was alright, except they were now in a cave, but there was light shining everywhere and plants, vibrant green plants of all kinds surrounding them. As if an explosion of life had happen where they landed.

"Umm Donnie are we dead?" Mikey said looking around the area again.

Donnie look around as well and then glanced up it was at that moment when Raph's sai landed softly in the grass in front of them.

Mikey picked it up and looked up, "Raphie…dammit Donnie we're falling apart…"

Don looked at the grass, the plants, and the sudden realization he was injured not too long ago…"maybe not Mikey - did you notice that we landed softly?"

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"Everything was perfect in my life you know that Leonardo!" Derius said as he still continue laughing, "and yet even not knowing anything, even your brother not knowing his destiny or the fate of your family he still ruin it all!"

Derius angrily blasted Leo with some sort of dark ball, however a bubble of water seem to appear around Leo absorbing it with a splash and disappearing, "I don't understand Derius, what you are saying makes no sense. All Raphael did was escape what else would you expect him to do?"

Derius shook his head as he summon more shadow creatures around Leonardo, "this is my realm Leonardo, you cannot even begin to think of defeating me and for Raphael I will take his love away from him as as he did to me!"

Shadows appeared all around Leonardo, he could feel the pressure of it against his chest. But the symbol on his left arm seem to glow and a reddish light cast the light against the shadows breaking their hold upon him.

"What?" Derius paused, his eyes looked at the symbol…"I see…" Derius muttered, "even after I thought I weaken him, separated him from you, he still haunts me with those amber eyes of fire - the very flames that took my Itzal away from me..."

Leonardo grip his blades, and rush towards Derius hoping to take advantage of whatever magic was binding him and Raphael together, but as he went to slash through Derius something seemed to grab upon his legs and then roughly threw him against the wall.

"Didn't I say Leonardo that this is my realm….this was Itzal's realm and I will avenge his death by taking the life of Raphael's soulbound - " with that Derius grabbed his blade and went to stab Leonardo - however a blue light surrounded Leonardo and begun to glow brightly - Derius could almost see the shape of a dragon before him. "No!" He cried out, "this can't be happening!"

Leonardo was not sure where exactly he was as he found himself floating in the air, and beneath him four beings facing one shrouded in darkness. However, there was a part of him that felt this was somewhat familiar...as if he been here before.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*****~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It was easier to not move, to just give up - to let the darkness take over and let his mind wander to a world of nothing a place where he was safe. No harm could come to him, no pain could cloud his judgement - a place where he was nothing and everything around him was nothing.

He felt a hand touch his cheek, his body shudder and he instantly pulled away, crying out meekly, "no more! Please no more."

"Shhh…" a gentle feminine voice said, "it's okay child - it will be alright little Phoenix - "

Slowly he open his eyes and found himself staring at a beautiful fox woman with nine tails, "Phoenix?" She smiled and nodded touching his forward, "what are you doing?" He stated trying to pull away from her only to cry out in pain. His body hurt - those two demons….the things they did….

He curled up instantly trying to hide within his shell, wanting to disappear from this world again, wanting to just give up...his captors and what they did….

"Shhhh," the fox woman stated and touch his face again gently, "little Phoenix - do not cry. I know the pain is tough at this moment, I know your heart is broken, I know they taken your body from you, they torture your mind but they can never break your spirit."

"They already have…" he whispered not moving, not unravelling himself from the protective ball that he is.

"Do you know why they did this? Why they are hurting you little Phoenix?"

Why? Why are they doing this? I been asking that everyday since I been here… he thought to himself. Uncurling he look up, moving did hurt but somehow it did not bother him as much, looking up with those amber eyes he stated more loudly than before, "Why?"

"Cause they fear your power, they fear who you and your brothers truly are. If they can break one down than they have nothing to fear…"

Something burned within him, within his heart. A fire he could hardly maintain - it seem to run through his body - a fire of hope. The one word that reminded him why he did not give into the darkness - his family - his brothers… "Tell me what are we?"

"You are the Guardians of the realms - the very carnations of the four elements - together there is nothing that can stop you. It is when your wills and your hearts are separated when the realms truly end. Phoenix, I have known you in many forms, and in many lives and all those years your flames have never been extinguish."

That fire burning within him he could no longer maintain it. He stood up the chains on him seeming to burn away - "I am not Phoenix - my name is Raphael Hamato and I will make it home to my family!"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*****~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Opening his eyes Raphael stood up the creatures had stopped coming towards him fear in their eyes, a light seemed to be emitting from Raphael.

It's been years since I thought about the past…

And he could feel them on his back, wings of fire. But before he could fly down to his brothers a burst of wind seem to come from below. A screaming Donnie landed on top of Raphael as a floating Mikey looked both happy and confused, "ummm Raphie how to I turn off the super powers?"

"Ouch, Ouch, Ouch…" Donnie said getting off Raphael, "okay fire wings now - I guess it is true fire likes to grow…"

Raphael smiled pulling Donnie into a hug, Mikey floated to the ground gently joining in with the group hug. "Don't you two do that again." Raph stated.

Donatello smile and nodded and Mikey did the same. Then all three nodded in unison, "well looks like we will be able to finally help out Raphael."

The wings on Raph's back seem to disappear but his sai's glow brightly, "we need to meet up with Leo at the castle, we cannot have him fighting this battle alone. Let's do this!"

All three rushed into the pile of shadow demons all fighting in unison with one goal in mind, "Turtle Power!" Mikey yelled out.

But before they could even start the battle once again, a bright blue light appeared underneath them and all three felt themselves being dragged into the ground - where the three turtles once stood was a symbol of a dragon burn into the very earth and a lot of confused shadow hounds.