Dear Readers,

I decided that since I had this flow of ideas and what not going on that I should write the second chapter as soon as possible so as not to forget the ideas that are floating about my brain. I don't know yet the kind of response I'll get from the first chapter, but hopefully it's a good one and one that will make this chapter worth writing.

Enjoy everyone!

.: KareBear :.

"Stuck in the Middle with You"

Chapter 2

He had, had his eyes closed for so long that he didn't know if he was dreaming or awake anymore. He knew what had happened a few moments ago. He knew that something large and heavy had broken off and had dropped off his shoulders. As if the very weight of the world had dropped from his shoulders. He now felt lit as air, his body in a state of complete relaxation. He felt strangely warm and tingly. The best way to describe it was as if his body was a flame, a warm and strange flame. He felt his very being rise up at points and break away like a slowly burning flame. He didn't want to open his eyes for fear that this would all go away, but after a few minutes he ventured to try and open his eyes. A brilliant crystal blue, blinding white, and clear flied his eyes as he looked at his body for the first time. His body no longer gave the appearance of a turtle, but it wasn't necessarily the shape of a human either. He could see his legs, his hands, his body, and he touched his face. Strangely he didn't feel fear as he saw himself shinning a brilliant blue and moved at if it was a slowly burning flame. For some reason, this all felt very natural. However, after he was finished examining himself, something did strike him. He had caught a glimpse of his surroundings and noticed that he was about two stories high in the air; floating above in the skies as if a leaf in the wind. He looked around in amazement at the landscape around him. The world had suddenly looked more beautiful then it had in such a long time, even the city shone brilliantly in the moonlight. His eyes gazed all around the area until his gaze fell upon a form that was lying in the midst of a field of flowers. He felt compelled to see what the form was, and before he knew it, he was gently floating down towards the body until he was just a few inches away from it.

What he saw, oddly enough, didn't come as too much of a shock.

It was his body, lying peacefully among the flowers of the field. It seemed like the body was only sleeping peacefully among the buds and tall grass, and as he went to touch his body, he suddenly was compelled to stop. His body was slowly being pulled upwards, but he had no desire to resist it. His hand still outreached as to touch his body left behind, he was carried off into the skies above. He starred at his body till it became out of sight, and after some time a white light took hold of him, he closed his eyes, and knew he was leaving.

Leonardo quickly threw open the door of his room and looked around till his eyes fell to his younger brother looking up in the same panic way he had just a few moments before.

"You....you felt..." Leonardo began to say to his brother from the level just above him, when he heard the doors of Donatello and his Master swing quickly open. Donatello searched frantically with his eyes, till he caught his brothers just a few feet away from him. He ran to Leonardo's side and took his shoulders.

"You felt that, didn't you?!?! Didn't you?!?!" he exclaimed in a panic tone.

Before Leonardo could respond, Splinter walked over and placed his hand gently on his sons shoulder.

"We all felt it, Donatello." He said soothingly.

Donatello slowly released his brother from his grasp and turned to his sensei.

"But...what does it mean?..." he asked in a half worried, half hopefully tone.

His master grew quiet in thought for a moment, and this worried the three brothers. When he looked up at them again, he realized the panic in their expression, but in actuality, he was just as worried as the rest of them.

"I don't know, my sons, but...I fear that something may have happened to your brother."

It was the thought in each turtles mind, but not one wanted to believe it. If the sensation that had felt was one from their brother, then the only thing that could have happened was...

"We have to go looking for him!" Leonardo declared. He would not let this outcome that swept across his mind present itself. He was the leader, the older brother; he couldn't let that option be a possibility.

Donatello nodded and gave the expression of a determined individual that would stop at nothing till his brother was safely retrieved.

"I'm not coming back till I find him..." he stated just enough so that they all heard it.

"None of us will..."

They turned to the son who was on the lower level. It was the first time he had spoken in what felt like forever. Master Splintered stared into his eyes as if he was searching his soul for answers. After a while Splinter nodded.

"Go my sons, bring your brother back....I only pray that you will retrieve him safely..." he paused for a moment and bowed his head. After a few moments he raised it again and spoke to his sons once more. "...I will try to find Michelangelo through my meditation. Go quickly my sons!"

Without another word, each had grabbed their designated weapon and turtle cell-shell's and was off in different directions down the sewers.

Michelangelo slowly stirred and went to open his eyes. Was all that just a dream?? No, it was too real to be just a fantasy his mind concocted. As he opened his eyes, his sight confirmed that he had not been dreaming, as he opened his eyes to the planet earth write in front of his. He suddenly became nervous, and panic gripped his soul once again. What was he doing up here?? How did he get here?? Wasn't space a vacuum? Why wasn't he dead?!?

He felt warmth suddenly start to rise upon his back, and he slowly turned and starred in utter amazement. The stars shot like diamonds across the sky, the moon passed by him quickly, and the sun spun. It was as if time was out of control and the days and nights were passing like grains of sand in an hourglass. This, however, wasn't what left him in a state of shock and amazement. He wasn't starring at the passing stars or the spinning Earth, but the single holy and utterly beautiful looking figure that stood just a few feet away from him. The being was just as he was, a flame of blue and crystal and had the barely made figure of a human woman, but she was larger and shone more brilliantly then the sun itself. This however, didn't hinder him from starring at her for sometime. He felt her look at him and exam his figure. Once she was finished, he felt her smile at him. I say felt, because it was a sensation Mikey got that coursed all through out him, and she didn't seem to be able to speak. It seemed that her expressions could change the very way he felt inside and out.

She slowly floated over to his blue and crystal form and stood a little less then a foot from her.

He gathered up his courage to speak to her after he felt her smile at him, but realized that he too couldn't speak. His voice was gone and he touched his throat in disbelief. The woman smiled at him and extended a hand to touch the hand that was holding the part of him that would be his throat. As he looked up from his thoughts, she spoke to him, through his mind and straight into the rest of his soul.

After her words, he felt strangely calm and relaxed and dropped his hand. She lifted her hand and touched his cheek close to where his mortal eyes would have been. She gently slides her finger across his face and he felt a tiny cold liquid come off his body and placed in her hands. She slowly retracted and held the liquid close to her heart and clasped it tightly with both her hands. He suddenly had felt that she was sad, and he too became saddened. He mentally asked her what was wrong. She looked up at her, and with her free hand, reached out and cupped her hand around where his heart would be.

He heard one word in his mind and it seemed to echo throughout his entire being.

"Broken"

Leonardo had taken to the rooftops of the dark and light deprived New York City. He scouted the air and his eyes searched frantically for any sign of his youngest brother. When finding no trace of him in one area, he move on, feeling a little more of his hope slips away from him.

Donatello had taken to the sewers, and was combing every pipe and tunnel he could find. He had already contacted Casey and April who were out combing the open parts of the city the boys couldn't set foot. Donatello had mapped out his route and every time he x'ed out another area on his map, he felt his hope slowly slip away from him.

Raphael had taken to the streets and searched every dark alleyway and crime hangout he could, but to no avail. He felt his hope also slipping away with each failure to produce any clues to his brothers whereabouts, but each time would shake his head and keep on going. He didn't want to lose faith in his brother; he didn't want to think about what might have happened. All the while he ran and searched, he prayed for his brothers return.

"....Michelangelo..." he whispered to himself as he ran to another part of the city.

Splinter searched the astral planes through his meditation, but could not find him. He was either being blocked from all forms of mental communication or he was no longer able to connect to....

He wouldn't take that for an answer and continued his search along the astral plane.

Michelangelo starred long and hard at his chest after the woman had removed her cupped hand.

It truly was broken, literarily!

It seemed like his flame form suddenly became hard around the area just before his heart. This placed around his heart was chipped and cracked and a strange white mist like that of dried ice poured out from it. As strange as this was of a site, Michelangelo wasn't frightened by his appearance for he knew it was already there long before he had spoken to the woman. There was a sudden cracking noise and he quickly jerked his thoughts back to reality to see a piece of himself brake off around his heart and begin to fall only to burn itself out like a flame burning itself out on a wick. The piece that had broken off had made the hole grow a little wider; letting more of the white mists escape him.

The woman lowered her head and the sadness Michelangelo felt continued still.

He mentally implored the woman to tell him what was happening. He wasn't afraid or anger, he just had the need to know why his heart of all places was beginning to crumble.

There was a long pause and the woman looked back up at him.

She told him what was happening to him and inside he felt a piece of himself grow dark and cold.

His souls truly was breaking....the white mist was his very existence...and soon it would pour out of him and he would be lost to the cosmos.

Michelangelo felt himself slipping away, slipping away from reality, and just as another piece was going to break away, she gently grabbed his head and brought him back.

She confronted him with these words.

"Do not lose faith, my child. For once our journey is complete you will guide yourself with angels wings. You are the only one who can save yourself from losing yourself to the darkness that wishes to take you into oblivion."

Michelangelo let her words penetrate his spirit and he felt a little better just by her words. The woman smiled at his slowly renewing faith. She took a few steps back and lifted up her hands that had taken the liquid from his face. He opened her hands to show a crystal water droplet. It floated a little in the air and as she quickly took her hand away from underneath it she seemed to cry to him.

"Do not lose faith! Guide yourself to the light of the living!"

And with that the crystal droplet fell and instantly there was a giant water ripple and before he could blink, the surrounding area was being flooded with water. He closed his eyes and covered his head so as to protect himself, but when he was completely submerged in the water, he quickly opened his eyes to see that the woman was gone...

...and he was underwater in a vast and brilliant ocean.

End of Chapter 2

Short chapter, but it seemed like a good place to stop.

Yes, this is a spiritual journey and it will have many places for symbolism (I kinda think this chapter alone has a lot of that). Don't worry though; I will get the rest of the gang moving along. I have plans for those guys insert evil laugh here.

Just a note that I wanted to make, this story is not meant to be religiously convicting at all. I didn't base Michelangelo's experiences off any religious beliefs. It's all comes from my own imagination in my big fat noggin laughs. It's kind of neat though, making up this astral experience as I go. I have to say, I had a little help. As I type I listen to the same 6 or 7 inspiration songs and let the songs do most of the work. Classical, African, Asian, and all sorts of music I listen to. Some with words, others without.

I'm getting off topic here. Just wanted to make the note that if for any reason you are angry about my expression of astral experiences, death, and other things religion touches upon, I'm sorry and that this is meant to be purely a creative piece.

Hope you all enjoyed!