Hey there, everybody! I'm back!
Wow! I think I did pretty good for my first time, huh? I can't believe you guys like me! This is so cool!
To anybody who's interested, I put more stuff up on my bio so you guys can know a little about me. It ain't much.
Anyways, I can already hear you guys yelling at me through your computer screens: Get on with it, already! So, I'll quit babbling. But first, I'd like to acknowledge the people who reviewed this story.
Now that that's done, on with the story! Here's the disclaimer!
Disclaimer: Despite however many times I try to convince myself otherwise, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles still don't belong to me.
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"Ahhhhh!" Mikey cried as he hid behind a pillow, blocking the screen from his view.
Donny just rolled his eyes, smiling slightly, as he reached for more popcorn.
"Damn, Mikey! If you're gonna watch the movie, at least watch it quietly! You scream more than that girl!" Raph pointed to a young woman, on the show, as she ran with her boyfriend in a park.
The younger of the three watched obediently for the next fifteen minutes, until the monster caught up with the couple and attacked. Then, he screamed again as the creature got the boyfriend on the ground and started ripping him apart.
Mikey buried himself under blankets and pillows, bumping into Raph. "Hide me! Hide me!"
Raphael growled and slapped him in the back of the head. "Knock it off, Mikey! Look, it ain't even real blood! It looks like someone mixed ketchup with syrup together!" The fake blood was all over the place now in the horror flick. Then the monster proceeded to remove the heart as the girl shrieked like crazy in the background.
The heart in hand, the cameramen took large close-ups of the beast's face. Raph shook his head. "That don't even look real! It looks like Jell-O, molded into the shape of a heart!"
The turtles watched as the monster crushed the organ in the palm of his hand. The next frame showed the pieces falling to the earth.
Donatello leaned forward. "I think it is Jell-O."
Both Raph and Mikey leaned closer. Mikey looked at his red-clad brother. "Yep. It's Jell-O, all right. Cherry flavored." He smiled.
They watched the movie until it ended at one that morning.
"I can't believe we just watched that!" Raph shook his head.
Donny laughed. "It wasn't even that long. Most of the time we were watching commercials."
"Damn commercials." Muttered Raph, under his breath. He wasn't really a night person. Or a morning person, for that matter.
"We should probably get to bed." Donny suggested, popping his neck as he stood up. "It's already tomorrow. C'mon Mikey. Mikey?"
They turned to see Michaelangelo snoring peacefully on the couch.
Don looked back to Raphael, who stared at him blankly. "What? I ain't movin' him! I'm goin' to bed."
He sighed. "Same here. Night, Raph."
"Night."
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Before going to bed, the purple-clad turtle went to his lab to make sure all of his machines were off. That done, he went up to his own room, passing by Leo's on the way.
He was just about to go into his room, and bed, when he heard a low moaning sound coming from his brother's room. Curious, he turned around and checked it out.
Dang! He couldn't see anything. He waited for a few seconds for his eyes to adjust before looking for the lamp he knew was somewhere in there.
Light spread throughout the room. Donny couldn't help but think it was so big, even though he knew Leo had the smallest one. It was just so empty. Nothing but a bookshelf, a small table, and a stand for his swords.
And of course the bed. Which was also empty.
Don raised an eye ridge at this before hearing another moan. Turning around, he saw his older brother, lying huddled in a corner on the floor. His eyes were partly open, but he looked half-asleep. Donny crouched down beside him.
"Leo?"
Leonardo mumbled, "…seventy-five…" He tucked his head down to his chest before letting out a shaky breath.
It didn't take long for the brainy turtle to figure out what was happening. When they were younger, all four of them occasionally had dreams that they couldn't quite come out of. They'd be seemingly awake, but not entirely. Usually, they didn't even remember what had happened when they woke up.
But what was he doing on the floor? Donatello took a quick look over his brother. Don rubbed his chin. Leo looked wet. He lifted his head to the ceiling.
"Stupid leaky pipes." He sighed. Don was getting pretty tired fixing them.
He was still looking at the pipes when Leo spoke. He quickly turned his attention back to his brother.
"What did you say?"
Leo stared blankly. "Can you see them?"
Donny shook his head. "See who?"
If he heard Don's question, he sure didn't respond. "I can't see them. I wish I could. Maybe, I could help them…" his voice trailed off.
"Leo?"
He didn't answer.
By now, Donny was getting worried that Leo might be sick. He sounded delirious. But when he checked for a temperature, he found the exact opposite.
He promptly reached for a few blankets, placing them around his brother's body. "God! You're freezing!"
As he did this, Leo's gaze was starting to clear up. "Donny…?"
The purple-clad turtle analyzed the question. It sounded more like Leo was trying to place him in his memory.
He ignored the thought. "Yeah?"
Leo smiled, then lifted his head. "Uh," he stammered, "what time is it?"
Don checked the alarm clock. "About 1:30."
The ninja sighed.
"Everything okay?" Donny asked, concerned.
Leo just nodded.
For some reason, he didn't think he was telling the truth, but he let it go. "All right, bro. You know, a bed's a lot more comfortable than the floor. It's also a lot warmer. You want to get into it?"
Leo nodded again, and, with Donny's help, crawled into bed.
"You really shouldn't sleep on the floor."
"I know." Leo said quietly. He looked like he had a serious headache.
"You're probably going to be sick tomorrow." Said Don, as he crossed his arms.
Another nod. Don looked over his brother worryingly. "You sure you're going to be okay?"
"I'm fine, Don. Now you should go get some sleep."
Now it was Don's turn to nod. He turned around and walked to the doorway, then circled back around to ask another question. But Leo was already asleep.
The ninja shook his head as he walked to his room. It was as if something had just pulled his brother into unconsciousness.
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Later that morning, the four turtles awoke to sounds coming from the kitchen. When they arrived, they saw Master Splinter talking with April and Casey, who had obviously come to visit. It didn't take long for Raph and Casey to get into a wrestling match.
Mikey went over to Splinter eagerly. "Soooo, does this mean we don't have to practice?"
"Yes, Michaelangelo. I have long ago learned that it is unwise to practice anything in Mr. Jones' presence."
"Yahoo!" Mikey shouted before running off to join them.
Don brought April a cup of tea. "So, what are you two doing here?"
April smiled. "Oh, Casey and I just wanted to pop in for a short little visit. Well, at least that's what I wanted to do."
Leo watched her from a countertop, where he sat. "Casey has something to tell us?"
"I think, but I'm not sure. He didn't really tell me. Hey, Leo, are you all right? You look tired."
He frowned. "Just didn't sleep good last night."
Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Donatello watching him closely.
Finally, the three were able to stop their fight long enough for Casey to tell them what was going on.
"Okay, nothin' huge," he started, "but there's some guys I've been seein' hangin' around a jewelry store not too far away from my apartment. Same guys for the past several days. They kinda look like Purple Dragons."
"Not surprising." Said Mikey. "We haven't seen them in a while."
"But why would they be out in broad daylight?" asked Don. He had a point.
Leo smirked. "So they wouldn't have to deal with us."
Raph got an evil grin on his face and whipped out his sais. "Well that's just too bad."
The plan was to meet by Casey's apartment by three that afternoon. It was 2:45 now and Leo was practicing in the dojo, trying to relax, or at least concentrate on something other than his recurring nightmares.
Who were they, really? Why did they scream? More importantly, if he found out the answers to these questions, would he be able to help them?
"Ya know, Leo, you probably should be in bed."
Leo was caught off guard by Raphael's voice. He sheathed his swords. "I'm fine."
Raph snorted, "Right. I bet if you were, you wouldn't be tossin' and turnin' up in your room for God knows how long. Am I right?"
The blue-clad turtle paled. He was vaguely aware that Donny might have seen something last night, but he didn't think Raph knew about this.
He hadn't noticed that Raph had gotten only inches away from him until he spoke. "So what's goin' on?"
"Nothing."
"Yeah right, Leo."
Leonardo clenched his hands into fists at his sides. "Go away, Raph."
"Why? There somethin' happenin' that I don't know?"
"No…" Leo spoke through clenched teeth.
"Then prove it."
He looked up at Raph's face.
"Prove it." He repeated. "Show me that you can beat me, like you didn't yesterday."
Leo ground his teeth. Raph was getting on his nerves quicker than usual. That was odd.
The red-clad turtle started walking away, until Leo unsheathed his katanas. "Fight me." He said.
Raph turned around, not expecting that.
"I said fight me, Raph!"
The other got out his weapons. "Fine."
The fight began. Leo let go of all the rage he had inside, not knowing where it came from. You're losing it. Something told him in his head. He was fighting without thought now; he had to get control back. Sometime, he noticed that he had put him on the floor, moving for the finishing blow. Don't hurt him! There was that voice again! Who was it?
Sanity. That's all he could come up with. Allowing the voice to move back within him, he put his two katanas through the floor, next to Raph's head.
Raph was breathing heavily. Leo reached out to help him up and was surprised when Raph took his hand. His brother just nodded and walked calmly away, leaving Leo shaking from his actions.
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That was Chapter 2!
What did you think? I hope I didn't disappoint you. Oh, it was bad, wasn't it? I suck, don't I? Please tell me I didn't!
Because the question might arise, I'll tell you that Leo's not going insane. It's just a part to the dreams.
Thanks for reading! I'll update soon, I promise. Please read and review!