Rating: Overall story rated T

Disclaimer: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and all related characters belong to Nickelodeon.

Warnings: Overall story contains disturbing imagery such as blood, gore and the like, and disturbing situations.

Summary: The world as they knew it has gone to ruins. The shadows, once their greatest allies, now harbour threats so great it's safer to risk walking in open daylight and Mikey and April will do anything to keep what remains of their family safe; even if it means abandoning home and everything they knew. This story is AU and a collaboration between sampsonknight and Zelgadis55. - Updating regularly.

Comments, thoughts and concrit are always welcome.

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Sekai no Owari

Ch 7

Dazed and half stumbling, Mikey wandered through the passageways and gantries of the lair as he made his way to his brother's sanctum sanctorum. As he walked, often steadying himself with the nearest wall, he began to feel stronger but the dizziness never fully left him and he had to fight to focus enough to see straight. His fears for his family increasingly grew the longer he was without them but he didn't dare call out in case someone or something had gained entry before the lair was locked down and he gave his presence away.

On the way to the lab, he passed the main entrance where he could see the exposed panel for the door with the cover leaning against the wall. Mikey frowned; had something had gone wrong with the system? It could explain why the lockdown was still in effect despite being so late in the day. The thought relieved him until he remembered his brothers weren't answering their Shell-cells either.

Reaching down to his belt, Mikey carefully pulled his phone out, contemplating it. After a moment, he decided to try it again after all. Once dialled, he held it up to his earhole, listening as Leo's phone began to ring. Then, he realised he could actually hear it and the sound was coming from the nearby lab.

Slowly following the traditional ringtone that sang of Leonardo's love for their father's homeland, Mikey kept his eyes firmly on the doorway ahead, fighting to keep upright when...

Squelch!

"Eww!" he moaned, feeling an unfortunately familiar wet slop slide from the ball of his foot, working its way between his toes. Cringing, his mind plunged, taunting him of memories of wandering the sewers before learning to look where he stepped when he was little and he looked down. "Eww! Gross!" he cried again, instinctively shaking his foot violently to get the stinking, greenish-brown lump off. The sudden movement once again played havoc with his equilibrium and it was all he could do to keep upright as he breathed harshly, fighting for balance. When he was no longer in danger of falling over onto that fairly fresh pile, he carefully scraped off his foot as best he could. He was tempted to limp to the kitchen to wash off his foot but the need to know what happened to his brothers overwhelmed him once more and instead, he redialled Leo and trotted carefully towards the sound, trying desperately not to leave a trail he'd only have to clean up later.

-:-

She gasped, suffocating yet again as the water filled her aching lungs while the strange mutant child stood there accusing her of something she could barely comprehend.

Did he just state that the little turtle was Leo and the wrong age in comparison to him?

Who was he anyway? The half-formed thought from before tried to push its way into her mind even as she automatically rejected it; some things were just too insane, even in a world filled with mutants, zombies, interdimensional beings, aliens and the supernatural.

Taking a step back with the darkness and her doubts closing in, her gaze flickered between the young turtle and the baby in his arms. The one that she only now noticed had golden eyes.

Golden eyes just like Raphael's.

Overwhelming feelings poured into her, threatening to cast her into an abyss of doubt and madness.

Was this real or was she hallucinating?

Had her near-drowning caused brain damage or had she drowned and this was her last moments before she passed on? Those terrible thoughts were certainly easier to accept than the seeming impossibility before her very eyes.

However, his unnerving and accusing gaze upon her forced the one question she dared not even think, "This is impossible, you… you can't be Donnie and that baby can't be Raph!" She took another step back, gasping with ragged breath as his previous words hit her and shattered her soul.

Did he... actually accuse her of this chaos? Did he really think she would... or could... do such a thing?

But what about their relationship? What about the past? If he truly was her Donnie then surely he would have recognised her! Surely he'd never think such things of her?

Before he could reply, she straightened, pulling herself together with some difficulty, "Okay kid, funny! You can't be Donatello for too many reasons! One, you don't know me! Donatello and I have been best friends for years! Two, you're accusing me of doing something wrong! Donnie would never do that to me or anyone else without proof! Especially because he'd know full well I have no such capability and anyway, if I had the answer to the fountain of youth, I would at least make myself in my early twenties, instead of allowing myself to hit thirty which is coming far too soon…"

Placing her shaky hand on her head, she took a big breath and let it out before continuing, "Besides, getting younger isn't possible! I would believe in vampires and flying pigs before that!"

Disturbed by her aggressive diatribe, Donnie looked aside for a moment before fixing his angry yet fearful gaze on her. "Well I am Donatello and I don't know you. I've never met you before and none of us would be friends with humans because all they do is hurt and experiment on what they don't understand!

"And as for reverse ageing," he added more softly, hugging the squirming baby closer to himself for comfort, "I don't want to believe it either but all the evidence points to this conclusion. The only other option is an elaborate prank and not even Mikey would be capable of something like this..."

"Mikey's a trickster by nature but even he knows his limits and what lines not to cross," April snarled, feeling a headache or worse coming on. "Okay, let's just say for the moment that you are Donatello and let's also say that for some reason you don't remember me. Okay, ignoring that, not all humans are bad! Most are dead now, by the way, eaten or turned into rotting freaks of nature… Either way, that said, do you think that I would be standing here freaking out, worried to death over the only family I have left in this damn world? By that, I mean you, Mikey, Leo and Raph!" April clutched her sides, they felt like they wanted to burst, and took a big breath. It hurt! It hurt so much that he could think so badly of her.

"Do you think I'm playing games here?" she snapped, shoving the feelings of betrayal and pain violently aside. "You guys mean the world to me and I would be better off dead than if I didn't have them around! So, do you still think me as some stupid, naive human that wants to experiment on anyone that isn't like me? Do you really think…" the bile in her stomach surged and her hand shot up to her mouth. "Oh god, I'm going to be sick." April tried to hold back the tears; this was stressing her out so badly and if this somehow really did happen, if they had somehow de-aged as the young Donnie-lookalike suggested, that meant they'd actually forgotten her. And what about Mikey? How would he react to this? He loved his brothers so much. How would he cope with knowing they'd... Her stomach suddenly lurched again and she turned, rushing to the wall to support her weight. Instantly, she started retching and gasping for air.

Donnie stared fearfully at the strange woman before him who claimed to know them. He had so many questions. Sure, he'd seen the photo on his father's wall of all six of them together during what was obviously happier times but he just couldn't remember it. He had no idea how they met, how many years ago it had been, how she'd managed to worm her way into their lives or how they'd been convinced to let her in. The truth was, humans fascinated him. Not all were bad, he knew that well enough, but that didn't mean they could be trusted; whether they deliberately caused harm or just said something to the wrong person. Could he risk his now helpless baby brother's life by giving her a chance?

He wanted to take Raphie and run, to get somewhere safe, but where could they even go? He didn't know this place well enough and didn't know the way out.

Before he'd lost Leo, they'd been trying to find a way out but to no avail. If he ran, she'd just find them again sooner or later given how they were trapped inside this place. Besides, what if what she claimed was true, about there being danger outside? He didn't believe in zombies but that didn't mean that something else couldn't be out there.

Donnie glanced away, contemplating where to run to but the sounds of the human's distress tugged at his heart, taunting him.

He stared down at her hunched, pale and shuddering form, "I don't even know your name," he whispered, taking a tentative step towards her.

"April" she somehow wheezed out. She managed to stop her dry reaching but it was replaced with a burning pain in her chest and she still couldn't breathe. Forcing the words out, she whimpered, "I… I need air... I… I…. I can't breathe… There is… oxygen… in the lab… Please…" She cringed at the feel of her body sweating and her sight weakening; was she suffering some kind of side effects from the near drowning or was she just having a panic attack? She just didn't know!

For a moment, Donnie hesitated again but then unable to stand seeing anyone suffering like this human... like April... his heart won out and he nodded. "Do you know where they are? I mean, I can search but that would take time since I don't know off-hand."

"Medical..." she choked out, collapsing the rest of the way to the ground and landing onto her knees hard.

Donnie nodded quickly and making a fast decision, placed Raph on the ground. He felt guilty abandoning his brother but he could move faster without him. "Stay here, Raphie, I'll be back as soon as I can, okay?" Still grizzling, Raph didn't seem too inclined to move so Donnie took that as agreement and ran for the lab, hoping this wasn't an elaborate trick and that when he returned with the oxygen canister, his brother would still be there and safe.

-:-

Feeling more confident with his movement now and still following Leo's ring tone, Mikey reached the lab, only to freeze in place metres from the door.

Laying on the ground were Leo's swords and belt and not far away from those were his knee and elbow pads and his wrappings, looking as if they simply fell off as he wandered away.

Slowly, so as not to make his still aching head spin, Mikey crouched down beside the discarded protective clothing and weapons, reaching out to the pouch on the belt containing the still ringing phone. With fear filling his soul, Mikey took out the Shell-cell, wondering what could make Leo strip off and prance around naked.

Leo would never just leave his Shell-cell behind, let alone his beloved katanas. They were as much a part of his straight-laced brother as his babies were a part of him!

"Leo!" Mikey yelled in panic as he stood and frantically looked around. Then he remembered and hurriedly clamped his hand over his mouth. He still didn't know what was going on, why the lair was on lockdown or if anyone had even managed to get in first. Yelling like that might only attract trouble, rather than help him find his brothers. Trying to settle his racing fear, Mikey took in several deep, calming breaths, thinking fast. There was one way to find out what happened without looking everywhere in blind panic. The security system.

The power in the lair was low, leaving little for luxuries but the cameras were vital; there was no way they hadn't been recording when whatever happened - it was just a matter of if they were recording in the right zone or not.

Still clutching protectively at his brother's Shell-Cell, Mikey waltzed into Donnie's lab and froze in horror yet again.

The place was trashed as if a group of teenagers had been partying while the parents were away or the Hulk had come smashing through.

Or at least a good portion of it was anyway.

Donnie's powerful research computer was thrown and smashed and the table where the chemicals he had been working with had collapsed, the chemicals split among broken glass.

For a moment, Mikey felt a cold fear course through him at the thought of the fumes but then realised the still whirring exhaust fan would have long since extracted anything lingering within. He stepped further inside, only to step on something which felt stiff and grungy like their wrappings did when they hadn't been washed for several days and there was a crunch and a burst of sharp pain in the ball of his clean foot. Hissing, he grabbed his foot, pulling it toward him to look at the damage. A shard of glass stuck out and he winced. Then he looked down.

Right where he'd stepped was Raphael's gear. His belt, weapons, pads, wrappings and mask.

A fresh thrill of fear filling him at the implications, Mikey peered around and carefully avoiding the path between the table and Raph's gear, where he could see a few spots of blood caused by the broken glass, he hopped his way over to one of Donnie's chairs. Quickly, but carefully, he dug the piece of glass from his foot, grateful it wasn't too deep, then pushed his way over to the section blocked off as an infirmary. Once Mikey treated his foot with iodine and wrapped it, he rolled his way over to the security station, relieved that it at least was still intact.

Due to Leo's stipulations, Raph's protests and his relief – a turtle needed some privacy after all - Donnie hadn't installed cameras throughout every room in the lair like he'd wanted to. Instead, the only rooms with cameras were the ones with doors leading in or out, such as the main entrance, their garage, the sub tunnel and the room with the emergency exit leading to the lake, and of course, the dojo. Mikey knew that Donnie also had cameras installed in the lab but that Donnie hadn't given anyone else access, though he long suspected that Leo did have access in case of an emergency.

Hitting play on the footage from the night before, about when he and April were supposed to be back, Mikey fast-forwarded through the still parts, only slowing it down as he witnessed Raph stalking furiously to the door only to find himself locked inside. Watching Raph's fury as he tried to escape, Mikey wasn't quite sure how to feel; happy someone had cared enough to try to look for them and upset that they'd been stopped or relieved they'd been stopped. It was scary enough outside in the daylight hours when you could see what was coming but during the dark hours? When you couldn't see jack? That was a whole other terrifying thing and not even Raph's ferocity could have saved him if he'd stayed out for a long time, especially with the electricity out through most of the sewers and the city above.

He watched as Raph ran angrily back to the lab and disappeared from the camera view. For the first time, Mikey wished like shell Donnie hadn't kowtowed to everyone else's wishes with the cameras and that everyone had access to the lab's surveillance.

As the hours on the recording sped by at five times the speed with nothing in view, Mikey decided to try the other cameras to see if he could find out anything new on those.

To his immense frustration, the only thing he found on them was his and April's entry. Mikey winced painfully as he saw his head snap back and he reached up to touch the lump painfully reminding him of it. On the video, April soon stirred and looked away. Then once she'd checked him over, shouting wordlessly, she ran off shell knew where and he lost sight of her.

Glad to see she'd left of her own accord yet feeling slightly betrayed by the fact she did, Mikey sighed and decided to go back and continue watching the video feed for the main entrance. As he was about to press play, he heard something outside the lab and instantly alert, shot to his feet, drawing his 'chucks.

Wobbling slightly from the sudden movement and inwardly cursing his head injury, Mikey ran lightly to the door. He ignored the pain from his cut and the drying mess on the other foot and stopped right at the threshold.

Peering cautiously out, Mikey couldn't see a thing that could have caused the sound and so praying that nothing somehow found its way in by creating a new entrance, the turtle set off to investigate.

-:-

Her body trembled and with every passing moment, breathing became so difficult she felt on the verge of passing out.

Would that child... would Donnie?... really fetch her an air canister to aid her as he said he would?

He was adamant in his display of how he felt about humans, feelings she was never aware of.

Sure, she'd been told they were wary of humans before she met them, they still were in many ways, but nothing like to this degree.

The baby's grizzling ramped up, becoming full out wailing and attracting her attention. She shakily moved closer, away from her meagre stomach contents puddling the floor and leant her back against the wall for support as her eyes fixated on the tiny turtle, unable to believe this was Raphael. The Raphael she knew was not the tallest of the turtles but he was the largest, stocky with thickset muscles and a personality that demanded you paid attention to him if you knew what was good for you because heaven help you if you harmed someone innocent or worse, someone he loved. This baby though, he was too small, too defenceless, demanding attention in a completely different way that made him as different from the Raph she knew as night was from day.

The tears dripping down his cheeks made her current issues far less important as she forced herself to speak. "Hey there, Raph, it's okay," she offered softly, trying not to choke on her stuttering breath.

Startled, the child looked up at her as she gasped for air, tilting her head back in pain and grabbing her shirt, feeling daggers stabbing her chest.

Everything started to go dark and suddenly, somewhere in the chaos of her agony the cries stopped. Fearing that was not a good sign, panic rippled through her as she wondered had Raph moved? Had he crawled off somewhere?

With its insufficiently fenced walkways, gantries and long drops this place wasn't a safe one to explore at such a young age, so ignoring her pain, she snapped her head forward, expecting to see him gone. Instead, she jumped in surprise seeing the little turtle between her legs reaching up towards her nose.

She stared down at him, dumbfounded. Was he curious about what she was? Was this why he was approaching her? Or did he somehow, unlike Donnie, have memories of her?

April remained still, waiting for him to do what he wanted and worried any movement might frighten him off. If he did run, she wouldn't be able to chase after him regardless of if he was just a baby or not; she simply didn't have the strength right now.

Then there was the other thought. If Donnie was the way he was towards her, what must she look like to Raph?

As his tiny, emerald hand touched her nose, she feared the worst. However, his reaction was opposite to what she feared.

Unexpectedly, Raphael squealed in delight as he squeezed her nose before focusing on something else that was new to him. Her hair. Before she could react, he grabbed a handful of her bright red locks, swiping it up and feeling it under his fingers.

Despite the pain, April didn't take back the chunk of hair the child now pulled on. Instead, blinking and taking deep, ragged breaths to try to steady herself, she placed a hand on his head and softly rubbed it.

Instead of baulking at her touch, Raph appeared to approve of it, letting out numerous odd-sounding noises that she never in her life heard before and assumed by his behaviour that it was his way to show he was happy.

Moments later, he climbed clumsily onto her legs and up her torso, one hand landing heavily on her breast as he slipped. Letting out a chuckle, April rolled her eyes as she joked, "Wow it took you to be a baby again to finally be able to touch a woman's boob without getting her angry."

Coughing, and gagging suddenly, she wished she kept the inside joke to herself; it was something she'd teased him about before only to see him go red when Mikey brought it up for a good laugh.

The child, not understanding her words, cooed quietly to her and then whimpered.

She gazed down at him in dismay. He seemed upset as if her state was bothering him, "How about… you take a nap… Raphie…" April wheezed out, finding she was getting worse instead of better.

Moving her legs so she was cross-legged, she laid him onto her lap, then gently circled her finger around his eyes as he started to yawn and closed them slowly.

Taking that as a brilliant idea for herself, she used her free hand to hold him gently so he wouldn't walk away on her as he took it for affection, nuzzling into it. Then she closed her eyes as she forced her brain to remember, to recall one of the lessons Leo was just starting to give her about controlling her breathing.

She wasn't very good at it yet but she'd heard the tales of her brothers using it in a situation where there was barely any air and how they'd managed to survive on that technique alone.

Doing her best to concentrate, April began to meditate, emptying her mind and clearing it of thoughts. Oddly, with Raph so close and his warmth aiding her, she found the peace that was never achieved before, managing to calm her breathing and buy her more time.

-:-

Thanking his eidetic memory that he'd always been able to rely on, Donatello soon easily found the lab again but as he went to enter, a sudden feeling of trepidation coursed through him. Instinctively, he knew this had to be his domain but he didn't recognise it. He couldn't remember this place and worse, this was where he woke up, confused and with everything suddenly changed from the last thing he remembered.

Shuddering, Donnie forced himself to go inside the room; he wasn't the type of turtle to let the unknown get to him. Besides, he had to find the oxygen canister and return to the woman claiming to be family and more importantly, baby Raphael. Feeling sick at the thought of whatever happened to change them so, Donnie closed his eyes for a moment, before pushing on in.

Ever curious, since he hadn't taken time to look around when he first woke up, he did now. He didn't know if the medical area was attached to the lab for certain and the human, April, hadn't said but he knew that's what he would have done or at the very least he would have placed it close by in case of emergency. To his relief, he noticed a portion of the lab cordoned off that looked like such an area and taking care of where he stepped among the mess of the room, he headed over.

Soon after, he stood in the middle of the medical bay, looking around. Frowning, he rushed over to the supply cabinet. He opened the door and quickly found what he was looking for. Stretching up for the canister, Donnie groaned; he was far too short. He looked around for something to stand on as trying to climb the shelves looked far too dangerous. If he tried, he would likely bring the whole thing crashing down on him and without someone around who could help if that happened, that wasn't an option.

Luckily, there was a chair nearby, beside the cot, so he quickly dragged it over. Moments later, he held the oxygen canister and an attachable breathing mask in hand and he raced back to where he left his baby brother and the human.

-:-

Still limping slightly, Mikey cautiously made his way through the lair, following the faint sounds he could hear in the distance. A cold fear racing through him, he could only guess it sounded something like a baby but why would a baby be inside their home? Suddenly, the faint sounds stopped and dread settled within. Fearing what it could mean, he picked up the pace.

Suddenly, out of the corner of his eye, Mikey saw a flash of green movement and he whirled around, opening his mouth to yell. Suddenly remembering he didn't know what happened here, Mikey clamped his mouth shut again. If someone or something had gained entry, the last thing he, his brothers and April needed was him drawing attention to himself.

Glancing back in the direction the earlier sounds had come from, Mikey made his choice and instead started running after the small green blur in the distance.

-:-

Donnie rounded the corner, coming back to the passageway where he'd left Raph and April and what he saw made his heart grow cold with fear.

The human woman was sitting there, breathing just fine without the oxygen canister and gripping a disturbingly silent and still Raphael in her lap. Fear exploded within and he ran towards the liar, screaming, "What the shell have you done to my brother?"

-:-

His heart pounding furiously and gasping in terror, he tore through the unfamiliar corridors. He had to be in a nightmare! There was no other explanation! For a moment, he'd believed Donnie that this wasn't a nightmare, that was until he'd seen that horrifying scene of some terrifying human moaning and eating some poor giant turtle! There was blood all over her and her clothing dripped in red! Cringing, he wondered if he was next? Was she going to prey on him too? Was this some labyrinth that tricked kids into it for some evil monster to hunt them down in? He wished with everything he had that Raph was with him, that Mikey and Donnie were with him.

He had to find his way home! He had to hide from this monstrous woman!

He had to find his brothers...

-:-


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