Okay So

I was just thinking about this story ALLLLL WEEK and I remembered someone asking me about what happened after, and I'll admit I didn't even know if the figure was Shredder or Leo. BUT I considered it and did this! I know Mikey seems a little ooc here, but its what I believe would happen after everything that Shredder did to them.

This is back from chapter 22, so if you want you can re-read that to get all caught up (I know I had to) but if you wanna wing it, that's fine too :)

Oof whats this? two stories in one night? I felt bad. thats it. jk thats not it, i also love that you love my stories so i made more.

idk what to call this... voice 2? It'll be called voice 2 until someone gives me a better title :( plz help me

When the door opened, Raph was leaned on Mikey's shoulder.

Don didn't look; his eyes were on Raph's, wide and scared.

Raph couldn't see who it was because of the darkness.

Raph gasped as he tried to stand, ready to defend his brothers.

He tightened his fist, and the figure stepped forward.

.

Leo's hushed voice broke through the tense silence. "Hey, hey! Shh-shh-shhh, it's okay. It's okay."

Raph slid down the wall next to Donnie as Leo continued. "We gotta be quiet. I'm so sorry it's taken so long. Sensei's waiting in the truck. It's okay. Don't move."

Leo used the little bit of light from the hallway to see where the chains connected to the wall. The metal sound that came with Leo's swords leaving their sheath made them flinch to varying degrees. They'd all become accustomed to the sound of metal. It wasn't a good memory.

Donnie's hands fell to his sides; he was too exhausted to let them fall gently. Raph wondered how far the numbness went.

Leo glanced over Raph for a second, offered a reassuring smile, and stepped over his outstretched legs to reach Mikey's chains. The light from the hall wasn't bright enough to reach that far, so Leo felt around the wall, hitting where he thought the chains could be. Mikey let his hands fall in the same fashion as Donnie had.

Leo put his swords away and immediately calmed his breathing. Raph could tell he was freaking out. There was no way he could get them all out at the same time. He briefly wondered where Casey and April were.

"Hey," Leo was standing above him suddenly. "Can you walk?"

Raph blinked at him as the question processed through his brain. He hadn't slept for... how long? It had been, what, at least three days, no more than five maybe.

Leo snapped his fingers, grabbing his attention. "Can you walk? You okay?"

Raph nodded this time. He tried to ignore Leo's expression when he didn't answer verbally, but Leo shook it off and went to grab Mikey from the corner.

Raph pushed himself up with help from the wall. Donnie stared up at him and tried to offer a watery smile, but it didn't last long.

Raph breathed in sharply as his damaged shoulder demanded sudden attention. He swallowed dryly and pushed himself forward, towards the open door. Donnie shook his head when Raph held out a hand for him. It was obvious he could barely carry himself, much less someone else, but he was persistent.

Leo had Mikey slung around his shoulders, holding him tightly as their youngest brother limped across the cold concrete.

Raph helped Donnie to his feet in front of him as Leo passed slowly with Mikey. Don was shaky on his feet, and though he stumbled through the doorway, he made it to the exit with Raph right behind him.

Leo was much faster once he carried Mikey out to the van. He came back for Don, and then helped Raph climb in through the back.

Splinter was in the there as Leo had promised, tending to their injuries as Leo hurried around to the front and grabbed the wheel. Raph stared at the passing buildings until they faded out into trees.

To the farmhouse, then.

Raph's eyes snapped open when he felt prodding to his wounds. He hadn't realized he'd fallen asleep.

Splinter's concerned brown eyes stared into his. "Does this hurt you, my son?"

Raph stared dumbly at him.

Mikey made a scoffing sound from his spot behind the driver's seat.

Splinter turned to him. "Is something wrong?"

Mikey shook his head, and Raph could see the white cloth tied around his eyes.

"No. You're just asking the wrong turtle." He sounded bitter. It wasn't a tone they were used to hearing from their kindest little brother.

Splinter glanced back at Raphael. "Michelangelo, tell me what you mean by this. Now."

Mikey smiled harshly. "He won't talk to us. Hasn't for weeks."

Their father turned back to Raphael. "Is this true?"

Raph ducked his head.

Splinter sat up straight. "I see. There is no rush. You may speak whenever you feel comfortable. For now, you must rest. We still have quite the drive."

Raph nodded and closed his eyes. He didn't sleep for another hour.

He awoke gasping for breath. A hand on his chest stopped him from moving up further. He slammed back on the bed. Wait, bed?

The words that had been threatening to reach his ears finally comprehended.

"It's okay, don't worry. You're here, you're back home, it's okay. Don't worry."

The words repeated themselves, and after a deep breath, Raph focused on Leo standing above him. Leo smiled at him. Raph tried to return it, but it must have shown as a grimace.

"What's wrong?"

Raph was getting tired of that question. He was getting tired of all questions, actually.

He automatically went to grab his hurt shoulder. Leo took the hint and started to look it over.

"So," Leo started. "What Mikey said, back in the van."

There it is. The elephant.

"Did you want to tell your side of the story?"

Raph bit his cheek and shook his head. He didn't want them finding out, for some reason. It would only upset them if they knew his silence was involuntary. He'd already thought of using note cards to communicate, but still. It would definitely hurt them.

He'd had a lot of time to think about it.

Leo hummed at his answer. "I think I know what's wrong. Not only is your shoulder dislocated, but I think your arm is fractured just below it." He waited for Raph to comment. When he didn't, Leo said he was going to consult Don, and left the room.

Raph studied his shoulder. Surely, they would have to relocate his shoulder before dealing with the broken bone. That would hurt. He sighed to himself and busied his eyes with the room. Sunlight streamed in through the window, and he recognized the room to be one of three others on this floor of the farmhouse.

He had to give Leo credit, keeping them all on the same floor yet in different rooms was smart. Raph would have just stuck them all in the attic, not thinking of the mood swings that always come afterwards.

Obviously, Leo had noticed Mikey's change of attitude in the car.

He pulled the sheets of the bed back with his good arm, and saw the bandages that wrapped his torso and legs. They'd done a number on him, that was for sure.

Leo opened the door just as Raph dropped the blanket back down, arms full of materials for a small makeshift cast. He sighed. "Don says your shoulder needs to be put back into place before we can worry about anything else." Raph nodded.

"I could get you some pain pills, but Splinter says they could mess with how quickly your injuries heal. It's really your call, though."

Raph shook his head 'no' and Leo nodded to himself. He walked over to the bed and positioned Raph so he could relocate his shoulder.

"Okay. Breathe. On three. One-"

Raph opened his mouth in a silent yell of pain and sucked in a breath.

Leo wasted no time in wrapping a straight piece of wood to his arm, and made quick work of the new sling around his neck.

"There. All done. Hungry?"

They smiled at each other. Raph nodded and made to get up.

Leo helped him out of bed as he asked, "You okay to get up?"

Raph snorted and let Leo lead him to the door and down the stairs. He stopped at the couch where Leo had him sit.

Mikey and Don must still be in their rooms, he thought. Leo came back with a bowl of soup, and set it on the table. Raph grabbed the spoon with his good arm, but then opted to sit more comfortably on the floor where he could reach the coffee table better. Leo had gone to deliver two more bowls to their brothers upstairs.

The familiar groan in his throat was gone as he helped himself off the couch. Leo said it made him sound like an old man groaning every time he moved. He stirred his soup lazily. That problem was gone now.

Movement from the stairs drew his eyes. Mikey had a temporary loss for words; he was concentrating on Leo's voice and the feel of the stairs. He set Mikey down on the floor across from Raph and guided his spoon from his hand to the bowl to his mouth, speaking soft encouragements all the time.

Once Mikey seemed to get the hang of it, Leo stood and grabbed his scarf by the door. "Sensei told me to get him when at least two of you were up and moving. We'll be back in about 10 minutes. Just..." He sighed, hand on the doorknob. "I don't like leaving you alone, so look out for each other, alright?"

Mikey snorted. "Yeah, I'll get right on that."

Raph could hear the pain in Leo's voice. "I'm sorry. You know what I mean." And he was gone.

Mikey's laugh came out as a huff. "I'm guessing the one on the other side of the table is Raph, 'cause you're not talking to me."

Raph clinked his spoon against the bowl. This was the worst possible situation; he couldn't even mouth his words. A note card was a stupid idea, too, now that he thought about it...

After another minute or so of silence, Mikey put down his spoon. "I thought you told them. About the lair. Everything."

Raph looked up in horror. The white cloth around Mikey's eyes stared back.

"Fine. Don't tell me what happened. All I know is that you like to go silent as some sort of stupid self punishment, we didn't even stop by home, and Shredder stopped asking us that question after you came back."

Raph blinked at him. Illuminati confirmed, then. It made sense, in a way. The evidence was there, all wrapped up with a nice bow, and Mikey had just slammed it against his face. Metaphorically, of course. Raph wasn't sure Mikey could find his face. He shook his head to rid himself of that bad thought.

He wanted to tell him the truth, in that moment. There wasn't a translator around, and there wouldn't be one for another five minutes if Leo was correct on the time.

Mikey glared as best he could. "Fine." He threw his spoon, which landed on the floor. As Raph reached for it with his good arm, Mikey kicked the table, flipping it over on Raph's legs, trapping him against the couch. He struggled to free the arm he could move, but it was pinned against the floor and the couch. He gasped in pain as he felt his stitches pop. He couldn't see his surroundings; the table obscured all vision when it was three inches from his beak. The hot soup running down his plastron wasn't doing him any favors, either.

He had no idea where Mikey was. They'd all been taught to be aware of their surroundings blindfolded, and his little brother knew the farmhouse layout. A stair creaked. He was going back to bed.

It was another three minutes before the front door opened, bringing with it a cold gust and familiar voices.

The door slammed shut. "Hey, we're back." He gasped. "Raph!" Footsteps rushed forward and the table was lifted from his person. Leo checked his slightly bleeding legs, exhibiting the same freaking out symptoms as earlier.

Leo looked him in the eyes. "What happened? Where's Mikey?"

Raph pointed to the stairs. Splinter knelt by his side as Leo sprinted for the second floor, calling Mikey's name.

Careful hands checked his popped stitches. "What happened?" It sounded less like a question.

Splinter's hands were stopped when Raph grabbed his wrist. He looked into his father's eyes earnestly.

"What did he do to you?" It came out as a whisper. Raph guided his hand to his neck. The scars were thin and had had weeks to heal, but they were there, albeit faintly. Splinter would know.

Understanding dawned on their Sensei's face, then anger. "He did this to you?"

Raph nodded, and tears threatened to spill as his breathing became uneven. Splinter's arms enveloped him in a hug. "It will be okay. I will be here for you."

Leo didn't see what was happening right away. He was busy carrying Mikey down the stairs, seating him across the table as before. "Apologize. Now."

Mikey shook his head. "He told him where our home was. Didn't even defend himself when I asked him."

"He could not." Splinter's voice seemed to reverberate the room.

Raph told himself it was better this way. Mikey wouldn't be as upset with him. He could tell them what happened. He could tell them everything.

"What do you mean?" Leo's voice shook and Raph closed his eyes. He didn't want to see their faces when Splinter told them.

"It would seem Shredder has done something to Raphael's voice. He cannot speak."

They held their breath. Finally, Mikey spoke up. "What are you talking about?" His voice shook.

Raph opened his eyes. Mikey's lips were in a line. Leo was just staring at him with wide eyes.

Raph sniffed and picked at the dried blood on his legs.

Splinter's voice was soft. "You know what I mean."

Mikey's breath hitched. "You mean- He can't- Oh god Raphie I'm so sorry, I didn't mean it, I didn't know, I just thought you hated us or something, I'm so sorry!" He was crying, but his tears would never fall again.

Raph shook his head, it wasn't his fault, he couldn't have known, he could never hate them, the list of what he wanted to say went on. The tears that threatened to fall rolled down his cheeks. Leo comforted Mikey as Splinter held Raph.

"So," A voice came from the stairs, quiet and raspy. Donnie cleared his throat. "What's going on?"

...

One month later.

Raph whistled sharply to alert Mikey of his presence as his little brother joined him in the dojo. They'd made a system to help communicate when it was just the two of them. They'd also been hanging out together in the dojo, and Raph thought dismally back to the day they'd found him packing his video games in a box.

They'd had their questions answered, and they'd answered questions in return.

April and Casey had gone looking for them in Japan after Leo got a hold of some faulty information. They volunteered to go when Leo was unsure of himself. The farmhouse offered more space, and they were less likely to be discovered there while they were healing.

For now, they were back home and gaining their strength back every day. Raph kept a notebook and pencil in his belt at all times. Mikey was learning to read in braille, with Don's help, of course. It was slow going, Mike said it was too clumsy and hard to learn, but they didn't let him quit.

The feeling in Donnie's hands hadn't come back, but he'd learned to live with it. As long as he watched what he was doing and had other people feel the temperature of his coffee cup, he seemed fine, passive and patient as ever.

Leo's hovering wasn't as bad as it was before, but it was still bad. If he wasn't helping Raph cook in the kitchen, he was glued to either Donnie or Mikey for hours.

Raph had deemed sign language useless with only three fingers, and made sounds with his mouth or hands when he needed attention. It wasn't a foolproof system, but it worked most of the time. He had to learn how to whistle.

Cooking wasn't so bad, now. It was in the beginning. Even Don knew how to make Pizza Rolls without setting the dishrag on fire.

Leo still wasn't allowed to touch the toaster.

Raph shook himself out of his musings as Mikey took on his sparring stance. Raph clicked his tongue twice to signify he was ready.

The smile on Mikey's face was contagious.

"Hajime!"

They rushed forward.

...

Thats it thats the end. nothing more to see here.

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jk heres a lil smiley :D