A/N: And now what you've all been waiting for, how Master Splinter is handling things.
Chapter Five
During the time that their little brothers were gone, Leonardo and Raphael were enjoying their freedom without them. They were able to play with all the toys that still functioned in the lair without having to hear crying to share or claim that it was theirs. Also they had full reign over the television without thewhining over missing favorite shows. But after many hours of uninterrupted fun the two little turtles started to get bored with such freedom. Not soon after they realized that they were actually missing their brothers and wished that they would come back home.
As even more hours passed by two turtles began to worry. It really wasn't like their brothers to leave home without their father, but it was also not like them to stay out so late. There had to be only one reason as to why they had not come home, because something must have happen to them.
"We got to go out and find them." Raphael said anxiously.
"But we don't know which way they went or where to start looking." Leonardo answered with a bit of a panicked tone.
"So how are gonna find them?" Raphael asked. "They could be anywhere."
"We're just going to have to wait for father to come back." Leonardo told him. "Only he could find them."
Meanwhile Master Splinter was just coming home of his quiet retreat…er…scavenger hunt. On his back he carried a large sack full of things he had found. When he got to the door hecaught the scent of his two 'youngest' sons from the wrong side of the entrance, from the outside rather than the in. This scent had to have been recent, because he hadn't taken any of the turtles out on a hunt with for a long time.
Thinking (actually hoping) that the turtles were playing around the entryway, Master Splinter decided to dismiss the scent and opened the door. Immediately the elder rat was jumped by two of his four sons. They grasped the ends of his kimono and there was worry plastered on their faces. Before he could even ask what the matter was, they cried to him about everything that had happen since he left them alone. At first Splinter couldn't understand what they were saying due to them both talking at the same time and through tears.
"We're sorry father. We knew we shouldn't have let them leave, but they wouldn't share and we were so angry with them. They haven't been home for hours and hours and we don't know where they are. Something has happened to them and it's all our fault. We're sorry and we'll take any punishment you'll give ifyou go find them."
Quickly he set his sack down and kneeled so that he could take his frantic sons into his arms. He slowly themrocked them so that they would calm done enough to tell him what he need to know. Once the panic attack was over, Leonardo and Raphael were calm enough to tell their father everything. They told about the plane, the fight, their brothers leaving, and them not coming back for a very long of time.
At first Master Splinter was angry with his sons. The 'younger' ones knew better than to leave home without him and the 'older' ones were supposed to have kept a better eye on them. But he couldn't stay mad, because his mind began to race with worry. It was dark outside when he came home and the smell of rain was in the wind. If he didn't go out looking for them now he could lose their scent and then he would never be able to find them.
Quickly the elder rat pried his two upset sons off him. "Stay here. Having two of you missing is more than enough." He told them sternly as he rose to his feet. "I will be back as soon as Ifind your brothers."
Without another word Master Splinter was out the door and sniffing the ground to find out what directionhis missing sonswent in. Luckily the rain had yet to come, but the thunderingrumbling outsidelet him know that it was threatening to. As he followed his sons' smell the elder rat pushed out any worse scenario thought from his mind, because he believed picturing such bad could mean thatit wouldactually happened. But even if he didn't think about it, it didn't mean that something bad happen to his sons.
Before longMaster Splinter had caught the scent of something else mixed with his sons'. He studied this second scent and he smelled around to get a brief sense of what went down in the area. There was only one conclusion he could draw from what he had found out. His greatest fear had come true, humans had captured his sons.
It took him a moment to collect and calm himself. There was a chance that they weren't taken far, that they weren't in some scientific lab being prodded and poked by men in white coats. There was a chance that he could rescue them or die trying.
But wait, he couldn't die. Though he wanted his missing sons back in his furry arms and hug them tight to his chest, he still had two other sons to care for. If something were to happen to him, how would they survive on their own? And how would the cope with not only losing their brothers, but their father as well?
It saddened him to think this, but if there were no way to save Donatello and Michelangelo he would have to…. No. He wasn't going to think about it. Not till he knew all the facts of the situation. Not till he knew that there was no chance. From this moment on he was going to think positively.
Master Splinter smelled the scents, every scent that had to deal with his sons. Where they stood, who surrounded them, how many were there, where they went. And it was during all this smelling that he was given a sense of hope, because he found that his sons' captors were just a couple of boys. That meant his sons couldn't have gone too far. In fact, they may had befriended the boys and joined above ground to play, which would make the elder rat sorely disappointed in them for making themselves know and staying hidden like he had told them to.
Hearing the thunder go on above him, Master Splinter quickly ran up the ladder for the street. He knew it was only a matter of time before the rain hit and that he could lose the scent when it did. He followed his sons' smell to an abandon building once he was up on street level. Stealthy he dashed over to the building and went down the stairs to a basement apartment.
Carefully Master Splinter opened the door, so as not to alert anyone might be in there. The heavy smell of paint hit his nose, making him a bit sick. Still he entered the building and smelled around to find out what happen. Did his sons throw paint around for their entertainment? He found the chain that once held his young turtles to a pipe. No. His sons were the ones having paint thrown at them. They did not make any friends down below, they were take as plaything for young boys to abused. But there was more than just boys' smell here, there was also a man scent. By the chains was a tool probably used to cut them and wet tissues that were covered with his sons' scent, paint, and the man's scent.
It was here that the elder rat was starting to worry about his two endangered sons, because he now smelled them leaving with the man. He followed the three scents, tracing their path. Back up to street level, down the sidewalk, stop, up stairs to one building, stop, back down the stairs, further down the sidewalk, enter building, enter strange box with double doors, dead end.
Now he had an idea of where his sons were, but unsure as to where exactly. So Master Splinter went back outside to see how big the building was, how many windows did it have. Perhaps he could look through them to see which one held his young turtles captive. But his heart sank when saw that the building was tall and there so many window all around. There was no way he could look through them all before the storm came, there wasn't even an assurance that he would be done by daybreak. How was he going to find them?
While wondering where he was going to start looking, Master Splinter came onto the side of the building that had balconies. A flashed in the sky caused him to look up and something caught his eye about three stories up, two balconies over. Hanging from a hood covering that particular balcony was a rotating hanger, in its clasps were a couple of belts and a couple of bandannas. Could they bethe same ones that his sons wore? There was only one way to find out.
The elder rat shimmed up a drainpipe that was on the side of the building like a spider on a wall and jumped two balconies over to the one with the items. A quick smell told him that they had just been washed, meaning that the scent of his young turtles were gone. But the fact that these items looked so much like the ones they wore made Splinter sure that his children were there. All that was needed to be done was to figure out how to enter the building.
Breaking a window was out, because the noise would alert the people inside. Seeing that the glass door was one of those sliding ones with the flip lock, Master Splinter knew he had to find something thin enough to slip between the door and frame to lift the lock. Thinking of what he could use, the elder absentmindedly put his hand into his pocket to find a playing card he had put in there some time ago. He brought the card out, used it on the door, and successfully popped the lock. Then Splinter silently entered the build after slowly opening the door and closed it behind him while smelling around the room he was. His sons had been in this room, on the couch that was made out like a bed. Made like a bed? Why? Their scent then went from the couch towards a hallway, down the hallway, and into a room with its door wide open.
Quickly Master Splinter went over to the doorway where he smelled his sons, that man who took them, and a young girl. He was in for a surprise when he entered what seemed to be a bedroom. There was the man sleeping in a large bed, his arms stretched out to the sides where his hands almost touched the ends. Donatello was asleep on with his back on the man's left arm, his own left arm following the man's while his right hand grasped the white shirt the man wore. Michelangelo was asleep on his chest on the man's right arm, his right hand clutching the man's shirt as his left arm followed the arm it slept on. Sleeping on her back on the man's chest was the little girl, her head just below his chinand strands of her hair pulled out of abraid were on his face.
At first Master Splinter was shocked to see his sons sleeping with the man and obviously his daughter. He was even more surprised that the man had even let the two turtles getinto his bed. Then the elder rat felt a little hurt that his children could so easily go to theman for comfort from storm as they wouldhave done with him had they been at home. But now was not the time to feel sorry for himself or to be stunned by what he saw. The thunderstorm was going to hit any moment and he had two other sons to get back to.
Splinter went over to where Donatello slept and went to pick him up, but the little turtle's grip on the man's shirt didn't look like was going to loosen while he was asleep. So the elder rat lightly rubbed Donatello's cheek in a way of waking him. The little turtle's eyes twitched before opening slightly. Tiredly he sat up, released the man's shirt and rubbed his sleepy eyes. A thunderclap outside cause the little turtle hiccup a whimper that was followed by a fearful sniffle. Instantly, like it was some kind of reflex, the man's arm jumped up and clasped Donatello's head.
"Safe inside." The manmumbled while gently guiding the little turtle's head to rest on his shoulder and Donatello gave no resistance. He just put his head down, nuzzled his face into the man's shoulder as he grasped the shirt again, and went right back to sleep. The man's arm stayed resting on the young turtle's head, his arm resting on the shell.
Master Splinter gave a sigh of frustration as he moved over to where Michelangelo slept. Like he did with Donatello, Splinter gave the young turtle's cheek a stroke. Half asleep, Michelangelo pushed himself up onto his hands and knees. The elder rat reached over to pick up the little turtle, but the lack of weight on his right arm and the pressure on part of his chest alerted the man.
Without opening his eyes, the man asked. "What's the matter? Do you need to go to the bathroom? Do you need a drink of water?"
"No." Michelangelo whispered.
"Then lay back down and go back to sleep." The man replied.
"Ok." Michelangelo yawned as he settled back down and fell asleep again.
Master Splinter put his face into his hand; even asleep his sons were a handful. It was at this point that he made a decision. He was just going to grab his children by the shell and make a run for it. So what if he woke up the man, he was faster than any human. By the time the man untangled himself from his daughter, Splinter would have been out the balcony door as well as being down to street level. Moreover these were his kids and if anyone was going to give such comfort it should be him.
Once again the there was a thunderclap, only this time it brought a shower of rain with it. It was almost like the sky opened up and a faucet was turned on. It was now or never for Master Splinter to do something, but as he reached to snatch up his sons two familiar little voices called to him. "Father?"
Splinter turned to see his other two sons in the doorway to the bedroom. "What you doing here?" He whispered sternly as he pushed them back into the hallway.
"We were watching the news." Leonardo said anxiously. "They said that a really bad storm was coming and that there was going to be chances of flooding. We weren't sure if you knew so we followed after you to tell you."
"Then the sky made a noise and we got so scared that we couldn't move for a moment." Raphael butted in. "But when you went up on top we finally went out you and lost you for a moment. Then you came out of the building and walked up the street, so we followed you again."
"Then you went up the pipe to the balcony and we were scared to follow you up it." Leonardo interjected. "But when the sky made the noise again we didn't want to stay outside where it could get us and climbed up."
"Father, why are Donatello and Michelangelo sleeping with that strange man." Raphael asked worriedly. "Is he making them sleep with him? Are they captured?"
"No they are not captured and no they are not forced to sleep with him." Master Splinter answered calmly. "They were scared of the storm just like you are and the man is doing for them what I do."
"Oh." Both turtles answered solemnly.
"Go out onto the couch and wrap yourself up in the blankets there." Master Splinter told them. "I will join you in a minute."
The elder rat went back into the bedroom and looked at his sons on the bed. They were sleeping so peacefully, it made no sense to disturbed them. His other two sons were with him now and it was storming pretty well outside, thus there was no rush to go home. But he didn't just want to stay without leaving any warning of his presence for fear the man might chase him out, because he was so much bigger than the young turtles. So before he left he found a pad of paper on a dresser and with a pen wrote, 'Father is here'. Then he went back out to his sons who were huddled on the couch, under the blankets. With a slight smile, Master Splinter took them up into his arms.
Leonardo and Raphael nuzzled into his furry chest as they tried to fall asleep. It was hard for them, because they were worried. They had seen the room with neat toys covering the floor. There was those 'videotapes' that had their brothers' favorite shows they could watch them any time they wanted. And what about the girl? Bet she was kind, that she wouldn't put down anyone and be happy to share anything. She probably wouldn't tell anyone she wished they weren't related.
Basically the one thought going their heads was, 'Would their brothers becomimg home?'
A/N: Welp, Donatello and Michelangelo have been found. But now there is worry on if they will want to go home or stay with Marcus and Cherise. MaybeI'll make them stay. I dunno.
