Donatello didn't meet eyes with anyone as he walked to Michelangelo, too ashamed to look at the turtles he was supposed to call his brothers.

Donatello clenched his fingers around his staff, standing in front of Michelangelo.

If he did this, there would be no forgiveness, no penance for his actions. There would be no going back. It would be worse than last time.

Already, he could feel the guilt eating at him, consuming him as it had years ago.

This was his brother for god sakes! His biological relative! He couldn't just strike him down, but what choice was there? If he didn't, Saki would do it himself, or order an all too-willing Baron to do it, and Donatello knew that they would take their time with the poor turtle. And if he refused, Saki would just kill him right along with the others.

At least this way, Donatello could make it quick and easy. Painless.

Donatello unwillingly flickered his attention to the two other turtles.

Raphael was fighting like a madman against the hold on him, growling as many obscenities as he knew, in both English and Japanese.

Leonardo was fighting too, trying to shake the ninja off of him while his wrists moved together in a quick fashion.

Donatello didn't know what he was doing with his wrists, but the turtle seemed very invested with it.

Leonardo's eyes met his with desperation and he almost looked away, but found that his guilt demanded that he not.

"Don't do this." The turtle breathed.

I don't want to.

He didn't have a choice! Didn't he understand that?

"Please." Leonardo begged him, almost sagging against the ninja's hold. Even his hands stopped their constant motion.

Donatello could feel the eyes on him, he even swore that he could feel Shredders glare, but that could've just been his imagination.

Donatello looked down at Michelangelo, who was staring at him with such wide eyes that he couldn't help but be reminded of a child.

And suddenly, he was no longer in the dojo, standing in front of Michelangelo. Instead, he was fighting in the dark against figures he couldn't see.

He couldn't.

It was as if he could actually feel himself being torn in two and he didn't like it. Actually, he didn't like anything about this situation at all.

He looked again at Leonardo and his decision surfaced, and he realized that it had never been much of a decision at all.

He swung.

It's a common saying, the whole, 'life flashing before your eyes.' thing, but Mikey never really understood that saying before now. He had seen it in comic books where the good-guy almost comes to an end and he suddenly remembers everything he's done, but the reality wasn't quite the same.

He heard his father's teachings told to him through the years, his voice as clear to him as if he were standing right there in front of him.

He saw years of practice in their dojo, his father first awarding him his nunchucks.

He remembered the night that Splinter and Leo came back to their newly found home without Donnie, and the empty feeling he had experienced as a result, like part of him had been taken away.

He couldn't blame his immediate older brother for any of this. Mikey wasn't the most observant turtle, but even he could see that Donnie didn't want to do this.

Not wanting to look, Mikey ducked his head and squeezed his eyes closed, flinching when he heard the sound of metal meeting metal.

Leo watched in horror as Donnie held the staff up, the bladed end pointed above his baby brother's head.

Everything that came after was a confusing mess of blood, panic, and overwhelming fear.

He watched in shock as Donnie maneuvered the blade at the last second, using the momentum to drive it into the crevice between Shredder's helmet and his body suite before cutting Mikey's binds in one fluid motion before turning his attention on a now aware Baron.

The ninja attacked without hesitation and Donnie was quick to bring his staff up in defense against the suddenly volatile man, using his long range weapon to create some much needed space between the two.

Mikey used the sudden action as a distraction to double team the human and planted his good foot into his chest and reared back, sending the human into an incoming ninja.

Mikey fell back on the ground in pain as he accidentally jolted his injured foot and cried out.

Donnie immediately knelt beside his brother, checking the injury without checking his surroundings first.

By this time, Shredder had stood up, a barely visible trickle of blood running down the front of his suit, his eyes burning holes into their second youngest brother with such hate that it put even Raph's rage to shame.

"Watch out!" Leo yelled, seeing the incoming attack aimed for his brother's exposed shell.

Mikey saw this and grabbed his immediate older brother's arms and threw him away from the incoming sword, then preceeded to roll out of the way himself, forcing his bad foot to take weight that he really wasn't prepared to take.

Mikey blinked several times, trying to clear the sudden bright spots in his vision before slowly attempting to rise to his feet, only for the ninja that had just tried to attack them focus his attention on the weaker of the two.

Leo, shaking off the shock from the sudden change of events, went to work on his binds, all too aware that his two baby brothers were currently fighting alone.

The leader in blue wanted to cheer when the tanto finally cut through the rope, but his victory was short lived as the entire Foot clan descended upon them.

Leo only had time to cut Raph's binds and take a defensive stance in font of his immediate younger brother before he was being attacked on all sides. He vaguely saw his brothers fighting in the room, each holding their own. Donnie had taken up a defensive stance in front of Mikey, was so visibly drained that it was a wonder that he hadn't passed out yet.

Raph was holding his own, allowing his pent up rage to stem into his fighting, no mercy in his eyes. At this point, Leo was was more afraid for the Foot soldiers than of them.

Leo glanced to his right and saw that his feelings were not reciprocated among his little brothers as Mikey tried to help his older brother while Donnie struggled to defend them both.

"Raph, on them!" Leo called to his volatile brother, not waiting for him to follow before jumping to his little brother's aid.

"Hey Brainiac, got any toys with you to help out here?" Raph grunted, slashing out at a Foot ninja that had just been making a beeline for Donnie when his shell was turned.

"Some." The turtle in question panted. "What exactly are you asking?"

"What about those nifty little gas bombs?" Leo asked, thinking back to the docks where Donnie had blinded them all with the smoke bombs.

Donnie nodded before pressing some unseen button on his staff and the electric end that he had used to restart Raph's heart sizzled on one end, which he quickly slammed into some poor Foot soldier's chest.

"I have a couple." He said.

"Good, when I give the word, use them. We're getting out of here." Leo said, making eye contact with his second youngest brother as he did.

Donnie held his gaze, seeming to gauge whether or not he seemed to be telling the truth before finally nodding and reaching into his torn jacket. In hindsight, Leo really should have been more careful. He should have been watching his brother's back, he should have foreseen that he would be distracted, trying to get the smoke bombs. But the simple fact was that Leo wasn't nearly as used to Donnie's actions as he was Raph's and Mikey's, and it made him unpredictable to Leo.

So when Donnie wasn't alert enough to see that Shredder had managed to sneak up behind him and saw that he was preparing to strike, Leo did the only thing he could think of and pushed his second youngest brother away from Shredder's blades. He himself managed to duck out of the way to avoid the most fatal hits, but was unable to block the the kick that sent him into the nearest wall.

"Leo!"

"Fearless!"

The three remaining turtles watched in slow horror as their eldest brother was kicked, his body slamming so hard into the wall that the brothers flinched when the resounding bang resonated through the room.

The effect was instantaneous.

Shredder turned on the three brothers, who simultaneously attacked with a vengeance, temporarily forgetting their own injuries.

Mikey, fastest even with his injured leg, sprung at Shredder first, trying to knock him off balance with a flurry of vicious movement only for Shredder to latch onto his injured leg and use it to throw him into the wall beside his eldest brother.

"Mike!" Raphael yelled before letting out a growl of fury and grabbing a small sword from a fallen Foot soldier and launching himself at his enemy.

"Raphael, wait!" Donatello yelled, reaching out to grab the volatile turtle but was too slow and watched as Raphael's weapon clashed against Shredder's gauntlet.

Donatello ran, throwing the eletric end of his staff into Shredder's exposed back when he was sure that he was distracted with Raphael.

Metal absorbs eletricity, he thought as Shredder's body seized momentarily.

"I think it's time for your smoke bomb things!" Raphael yelled, twirling his new weapon.

"Right." Donatello agreed and began to dig through the many near invisible pockets lining the inside of his jacket, looking for his remaining smoke bombs as Raphael tried to defend them both from an onslaught of Foot ninja.

"Brainiac, move!"

Donatello looked up in time to see Raphael tighten his hold on his weapon and take a single step toward him before he automatically grabbed for his staff and whipped around, bringing it up in defense, hearing a deafening ringing of metal meeting metal in return.

Donatello had never prayed more for the structural integrity of his staff than he did right then, begging whoever or whatever was listening that it held out.

Leo didn't know which way was up or which way was down, in fact, he didn't know what up or down even was at this point. His head was spinning and his stomach was churning, but one thought kept repeating through his head like a mantra:

They need me. They're in danger, they need me.

With those words running on repeat in his pounding brain, Leo carefully got on his hands and knees, trying to push himself up when he saw Mikey crumbled in a heap beside him.

"Mikey?" Leo whispered, crawling over to his unconscious brother, trying not to bring attention to them. "Mikey, wake up."

Leo gently shook his youngest brother's shoulder, earning a quiet groan in return and the eldest turtle sighed in relief.

"Is it morning already?" Mikey mumbled sleepily, eyes blinking open.

Leo couldn't help the laugh that bubbled up in response, despite their situation.

"Brainiac, move!"

Leo's attention immediately snapped back to his two younger brothers.

Raph was trying to defend both himself and Donnie while the younger searched through his seemingly endless amount of pockets.

Upon hearing the older turtle's call, Donnie's head snapped up and his hands immediately went to his staff and brought it up to block one of Shredder's gauntlets that had been aiming at his head.

Leo could see that Donnie was trying his hardest to hold his weapon up while one hand reached back into his jacket before throwing something on the ground.

A cloud of dark purple smoke billowed out around them and Leo could hear several clashes of metal.

Leo took this opportunity to get to his feet, albeit shakily, and wrap his youngest brother's arm around his shoulders. He had to get Mikey out of here, that had to be his first priority. His youngest brother was in no position to fight any longer and Leo didn't want Shredder taking advantage of that- as he surely would- by fighting someone virtually defenseless.

As much as he wanted to help his two immediately younger brothers, he knew that Mikey needed him more, and so he took full advantage of the distraction and pulled Mikey closer to him, dragging his injured brother with him to a corner of the room. Mikey needed a better hiding place but Leo couldn't see anywhere that would provide proficient enough cover. But where-

The sound of something shattering caught Leo's attention and he turned in time to see Donnie's metal staff- which he had previously thought unbreakable- shatter under the weight of both of Shredder's gauntlets.

Leo thought to ask his brother what the weapon was made out of if they ever lived through this mess.

Donnie stumbled back, clutching the two pieces of his broken staff but didn't have time to block Shredder's attack.

Shredder's hand whipped out and grabbed Donnie's throat in a grip so tight that it was a wonder that his brother's neck didn't break right then.

Donnie's eyes went wide, hands clawing at the metal fingers around his throat as he attempted to gasp in breath that he wasn't being permitted to take in.

"Drop your weapons." Shredder growled, glaring at the leader in blue, as if daring him to push him.

Raph looked to Fearless too, wordlessly asking what to do. He himself didn't dare make a move, all too aware of how sharp the claws currently at his little brother's throat were and forced himself to freeze in place, lest he make a decision that would put his brother in danger. He was happy to follow his older brother on this one.

Leo didn't move. If they dropped their weapons, the two eldest brothers would be leaving themselves defenseless, but if they didn't, Shredder would easily break Donnie's neck before either brother could get to them.

It was a lose-lose situation and Leo was hating every second of it.

Apparently Leo hadn't complied fast enough because Shredder squeezed tighter around Donnie's throat, several of his sharp metal fingers cutting through his skin and causing blood to trickle lightly from the puncture wounds.

"Alright, alright!" Leo yelled, trying to hide his panic but failing. "Drop it, Raph."

As much as he hated to give in to his enemy, as much as he hated complying and therefore leaving him and Raph exposed, he knew the alternative would have been so much worse.

Leo laid his tanto on the ground and raised his hands in a peaceful manner, trying desperately to think of a way out of this that would end in all of his brothers safely away from here.

Raph swore none too quietly as he threw his small sword on the ground, glaring hatefully at Shredder as he did. He was going to wish he had never threatened his family, Raph would make sure of it. He wasn't called a hothead for nothing.

Shredder tilted his head, watching them for a moment before glancing at Donnie again.

Donnie was in trouble, Leo could see that much clearly. His lips were turning a frightening shade of blue from lack of oxygen and his kicks and struggles were growing weaker by the second. Shredder obviously had no regard for his brother's need for air.

One of Donnie's hands dropped from his throat and snaked it's way into his many jacket pockets, only for Shredder to grab his arm in an iron grip with his free hand and shove it harshly into the wall.

"Let him go!" Leo demanded, eyeing his tanto on the ground and wondering how fast he would have to be to attack Shredder before he killed Donnie.

"Drop 'em, you tin can!" Raph snarled and Leo could see his brother eyeing his dropped weapon as well, obviously thinking along the same lines as him.

The two eldest brothers were too occupied with Shredder to notice that Mikey had woken up and was making a desperate run on one foot toward the Kusarigama that lay forgotten by Baron's unconscious form.

Shredder leaned forward and the two eldest brothers tensed in expectation of an attack that didn't come.

If leo had to venture a guess, he would say that Shredder was saying something, but if he was then it was too low for them to hear.

Donnie opened his mouth, his words too low for the two eldest turtles to hear the croaked response.

Shredder's face contorted in fury and he shoved Donnie's body against the wall hard enough to make the two eldest brothers wince at the sound it made.

Leo vaguely saw Shredder's blade rear back before he reacted automatically, lunging for the tanto on the ground.

Raph, following his brother's lead, rushed forward to grab his fallen sword, his rage is pulling him forward.

Leo knew that neither of them would make it in time, but that didn't stop them from trying.

Leo watched in horror as Shredder plunged his blade into Donnie's stomach and harshly yanked it out, releasing him and allowing him to fall to the ground in a bloody, gasping heap.

"Donnie!"

None of the brothers were too certain who said it, but the fear laced in every letter was shared unanimously the two eldest.

Mikey looked up, his fingers grasping the hilt of the Kusarigama, unaware of what was happening. Dread pooled in the youngest's stomach and he threw the chain out toward Shredder, wrapping the thick metal around his suit and pulled, yanking the human off his feet and into a far wall.

"I think I'm in love guys." Mikey said, staring down at the weapon with wide eyes. "I think I might like this better than my chucks."

When no one responded to the witty remark or told him to shut up, Mikey looked back to where his brothers had been and he realized the reason for his fear.

Leo was kneeling beside Donnie, obviously trying to staunch the red mess coming from his stomach while Raph handed their older brother everything that could be used to slow down the bleeding.

"Donnie?" Mikey whispered, dropping the borrowed weapon and limping as fast as his body would allow to his brother's side.

"Leo, what happened?" Mikey asked, looking up at his eldest brother with tear-filled eyes. "Leo?"

Leo didn't answer, too focused with putting pressure on his brother's wound to even realize that Mikey was there.

"Fearless, what do you want us to do?" Raph demanded, his voice uncharacteristically pleading. "What can we do?"

Leo was saved from answering by a far off, animalistic roar that seemed to shake the walls before the large double doors were thrown off their hinges, revealing a very ticked off Leatherhead, Master Splinter, and Casey Jones.

"That's one hell of an entrance." Raph grunted, crossing his arms over his wide plastron.

Leo nodded toward their family.

"Go help them. I'll protect Donnie." Leo told them, applying the soaked makeshift bandages firmly into his brother's wound.

"Don't worry Fearless, me and Mike will clear the way for ya." Raph promised before taking the tanto from where Leo had dropped it and replacing it with his borrowed sword. "This feels much better."

Leo waited until Raph and Mikey were a safe distance away before he dared to try and find his brother's pulse. Donnie's arm flopped lifelessly as he gripped his wrist, relief flooding through the older turtle when he felt the faint pulse beneath the too-pale skin.

Leo hesitated over Donnie's body. What was he supposed to do? There was nothing more to staunch the blood with- they had used everything on them to begin with- and Leo didn't know anything beyond basic first aid. He felt utterly useless right now. If they had ever gotten really injured, it had been Sensei that had healed them up and delt with the unsavory wounds, and now Leo was referring never staying with him to learn what he did.

"Donnie?" Leo asked, tapping his brother's cheek, hoping for a response of some kind, his fear rising when Donnie remained silent and unmoving. "Come on Donnie."

Leo waited for any sign of life before he began to frantically shake his brother.

"Donnie? Donnie, wake up!"

He couldn't fail Donnie twice, how would he be able to live with himself?

"My son?"

Leo's eyes met his father's, who's gaze was frozen on his son's unconscious form.

"I- I don't know what to do." Leo admitted with a frantic stutter. "He's- he's bleeding and I can't stop it and I don't know what to do and he's gonna die because I can't-"

"My son, calm yourself." Splinter advised sternly, resting a paw on his eldest son's shoulder.

Splinter then knelt beside his lost son and took in the damage that had frightened his other son so.

His stomach had been torn open and was bleeding rapidly despite the many cloths that his eldest son was trying to press against the wound.

"We need to get your brother somewhere safe." Splinter said, quickly assessing both of his son's injuries. He had already seen to Michelangelo and Raphael's state. None of his children were in any condition to fight.

Splinter pushed down the tidal wave of emotions that threatened to drown him as he looked down at his second youngest son but he forced himself to focus.

"We need a distraction." Leo said suddenly, looking down at Donnie's bloody jacket before he began rummaging through his brother's many pockets, throwing various small machines and doohickeys around them before he finally found what he was looking for.

Leo pulled the four smoke bombs out and held them up to his father before looking around for the rest of his family.

"We're leaving!" Leo yelled to them. "Now!"

With that, Leo threw the four bombs as hard as he could at the incoming Foot ninjas, who began coughing wildly and stumbling about as the purple cloud billowed throughout the entire room.

Leo pulled Donnie's limp arm over his head, trying to support his brother's weight before crumbling as his body failed him.

He fell to one knee, wincing as the pain radiated throughout his body.

The cloud of smoke had surrounded them by this point, making the leader in blue choke and cough as he inhaled the smoke. What had Donnie done to that stuff?

"Leonardo, let me help."

Leo looked up to see Leatherhead leaning down toward him, a kind expression on his face. "I can carry him, you cannot."

Leo hesitated only slightly before allowing Leatherhead to pick Donnie up, hating how his brother's body was so limp in the other's arms, and following his family out of the window to that his immediate younger brother had gleefully smashed.

They immediately made their way to the sewers but didn't slow even when they thought they were safe.

Suddenly, no one seemed too concerned with the risks of taking Donnie into the Lair, only about how much blood he was loosing and just how dead he truly looked.

Leatherhead was mumbling about needing to do surgery, but Leo didn't understand most of what he said and focused with keeping Mikey awake, who was being heavily supported by Raph, by promises of pizza.

The group stumbled into the Lair where they were met with April's mothering presence, forcing the three turtles to sit down when Mikey's leg finally gave out.

Leatherhead carried Donnie- who hadn't moved in the slightest- into thelab and instructed Splinter that it was best that he wasn't interrupted before closing the door securely behind him.

Splinter began to assess their injuries, and Leo knew that it was taking everything that their father had to not show any outward signs when he saw how bad they were.

April helped to treat the two eldest, focusing on Raph because Leo refused to allow himself be treated before his brothers, much to the latter's annoyance. She grimaced at their poor state, hating how in only a short amount of time they had managed to get themselves so injured and couldn't help but feel guilty. If only she had contacted Splinter, or refused to let them meat Donnie in the first place...

"Michelangelo, stay still my son. Your leg requires medical attention and you must remain patient until I am done." Splinter stressed as Mikey once again began to wiggle, ever the most active turtle.

"But I wanna see Donnie, Sensei." Mikey begged with wide pleading eyes.

Leatherhead hadn't come out of the lab once since going in, much to the leader's worry. What he wanted more than anything was to see his little brother and assure himself that they hadn't brought home a corpse. He had felt so cold when Leo had held him, like he already had a foot in the grave. He couldn't get the way that Donnie's body just flopped when Leatherhead had picked him up, looking so lifeless in the crock's arms. It wasn't something that the leader was likely to forget as any time soon.

April was just finishing up with Raph when the door to the lab opened up and all movement in the Lair stopped as Leatherhead stepped out.

Splinter put a reassuring paw on Mikey's shoulder before standing and turning to Leatherhead.

"How is he?"

I'ma be honest, not a fan of this one. I don't like how I did it and I may end up changing it. Thank you to those who are still with this.