A/N: Big thanks to my beta, Ravenshell!

Chapter 47

I tap my knees from my spot on the floor as I watch Leo hover over Donnie's plastron and Raph at his feet while April is knelt at the arm of the couch where Donnie's head is. Their foreheads touch in an upside-down sort of way as her hands hold either side of Donnie's face. Master Splinter is still drifting with April in Donnie's mindscape. I've scanned everyone's aura like a hundred times since April and Sensei checked into the spirit world. Everything was cool until a minute ago. I can see the whirling wisps of April's yellow aura and Sensei's grey one inside of Donnie's purple aura space. I even saw when they set the monster free. There's a lot of fast movement in there. I hope April, Sensei, and Donnie are kicking major monster butt. I look closer at their auras and something's off. Donnie's aura is moving funny and so is the black presence of the monster. I tap my knees faster. Something isn't right.

"Hey, Mike, give the tapping a rest, will ya?"

"Dudes, I think something's wrong in there," I whisper to my two oldest brothers as I point to Donnie's plastron.

"Donnie hasn't moved and he's still breathing," Leo says as he rubs his hand along D's arm and visibly scans his body for changes. "Everything's fine. We just have to be patient and wait for Master Splinter and April to come back from the spirit world."

"But I think I should—"

"Just stay put, Mikey, and don't do anything stupid…or stupider than usual." I glare at Raph, who's eyeing Donnie just as intensely as Leo. Letting out a frustrated groan, I sit back on my heels, tapping my knee anxiously. "And stop that," Raph growls and I hold one hand in the other to keep them still. He's such a grouch when he's scared. I look back at Donnie again. They can't see the battle of the auras taking place in Donnie's body like I can. I can't just sit here, something is wrong!

I'm quiet for what feels like an hour before I try to plead with my brothers again. "You don't understand! Donnie's—"

"Mike! Can you just shut up for five seconds. Geez, is that too much to—"

And that's when I feel it: an energy blast that nearly knocks me on my shell. Leo and Raph shiver and stare at each other before looking back at me. "I didn't do it!"

"What the shell was that? It felt like something went through me…in a creepy kind of way." Raph shudders on his own this time. A loud thud makes us all jump and turn behind us. Master Splinter's out of his meditative state now and sprawled beside the TV. He looks like he just got sucker punched. I turn back to Donnie's plastron and I can still see April and Donnie's auras holding down a battle against the darkness inside him.

"Sensei, are you okay?" Leo questions, concerned but too afraid to leave Donnie's side.

"No. No, it is not okay." Sensei is all panicky but he still manages to right himself before rushing between Leo and Raph to look at April's concentrated expression as she leans into Donnie more while keeping a firm grip on the sides of his face. "We cannot attack it."

"What do you mean? I thought the whole point of going in Don's headspace was to kill that thing!" Raph raises his voice in frustration.

"It cannot be killed. Doing so will kill your brother. Donatello is connected to this parasite in such a way that they are no longer two entities but one."

"You mean it's a part of him now?"

"No. It is your brother. It has been your brother for a while. April must be stopped. She does not know that killing this creature will destroy your brother's mind and spirit.

Raphael reaches for April, but Sensei grips his hand. "You cannot separate them. Their auras share a link through their physical connection and such an abrupt shift can kill both Donatello and April.

"Then what're we supposed to do? She's going to kill Donnie and not even realize it!"

I don't wait for an invitation to help, I close my eyes and my aura shoots straight up to the ceiling. I can see Sensei, Leo, and Raph hovering nervously over Donnie and April, but when my body slumps to the floor Sensei is quick to cradle my body against him. Don't worry guys, I'll be back. I swan dive into Donnie's spiritual space and have to dodge several spikes of black tar as they soar through the air. The black shape-shifting projectiles aren't aimed at me but at April who's vigilantly fighting behind me. I'm right in the middle of the fray. I've gotta work on my spirit landings.

"April! April, stop!" I swing my arms over my head, creating an orange dome that encases the two of us.

"Mikey?! What are you doing here?"

"Trying to keep you from going full blown Carrie in D's aura!"

"What're you talking about? This thing is going to kill Donnie if I don't stop it!" She fires three more rounds of psionic blasts at the humongous black glob.

"You're going to kill him if you don't stop!"

"No, you don't understand Mikey!" She grunts and pushes against my safety dome until I can't hold it up any longer and it disintegrates out of existence. The monster blob screeches as red eyes and teeth plunge for us. April rips it in half, screaming as she pours raw energy into every move. "This thing is evil. I've felt it, it will destroy Donnie unless I destroy it first. I just need to pull it off Donnie's aura space." I watch in horror as April telepathically rips the screeching black tar from the walls like sticky wallpaper.

"April, please listen to me, dudette. This isn't the way." The rest of my shouts are drowned out by the ear piercing vibration of April's powers as she floats high above me. With arms stretched out in front of her, April slowly clutches her hands into fists and jerks them toward her center. As her battle cry rings in Donnie's mindscape everything shakes, nearly throwing me off balance. The black slime that clings to the floor like hot glue doesn't stand a chance as it draws to April's will-power like a nail to a magnet. More and more slime pulls from the walls, the floor, the ceiling as April combines it all into a huge ball of thick ooze. April doesn't look like April anymore. Her aura is just a bright light, raw and blinding. I look away in fear of being mesmerized and drawn to the dangerous sun that is April O'Neil.

Donnie! I have to find Donnie! I can't reach April but maybe Donnie can. I skid around globs of ooze that float up like the liquidy stuff in a lava lamp as I search for my brother. Finally I find him, huddled within himself. His aura presence is fading fast. "Hang on, bro." I tell him as I pull him by his armpits toward the yellow mass of destruction. "April! Appppprrilllllll!" I scream, waving my arm frantically as I hold up Donnie's barely conscious spiritual form. "You're hurting him! You have to stop!" She isn't listening. I'm going to make her listen. Laying my brother at my feet, I concentrate my energy until I feel every chi open. Then I let go.

The orange blast hits her. It's enough to make her aura flicker back to its normal form again. She looks annoyed but at least I have her attention now. "You're hurting him. Look! If you love him you'll stop!" I'm not sure if it was the sight of Donnie quivering on the ground or my words that give April a moment's pause. She lowers herself in front of us, never letting go of the small planet of darkness hovering above us.

"Donnie?" Her bright sparkle dims to a normal aura glow. I help my brother to stand. His aura is so transparent, I'm afraid he's going to fade away completely. "You have to hold on, okay? I'm going to blast that thing with everything I've got then you'll be free."

"That's what I've been tryin' to tell you. If you blast the big bad goo to smithereens, Donnie won't be free, he'll be gone!"

"Gone?" She looks confused, but at least she's listening now and not on a psychic rampage anymore.

"He's right…." Donnie breathes out as he tries to keep his balance without my support. He stumbles forward and both April and I keep him stable this time. "It's not invading me…it…it is me, or at least a part of me."

"No…" April's voice chokes as she looks for hope in Donnie's eyes but finds none.

"My DNA is changing, along with everything else."

"What affects the body, affects the mind and spirit too." I offer some Master Splinter type knowledge.

"The radiation…its poison runs deeper than we thought. It's the essence of me now."

April's aura is pushing out all kinds of heartbreaking emotions, but she's still holding on to the dark orb. It trembles above us but she quickly repositions herself to keep it afloat.

I can feel my energy start to wane. It's getting harder and harder to stay whole in Donnie's mindscape. "Dudes, I can't stay here much longer. I'm about to—" I never finish my sentence because within seconds my aura is sucked back into my body like a vacuum.

TBC

A/N: And we have another cliffhanger, lol. I hope to get the next chapter posted a little sooner...didn't mean to leave you guys hanging this long! Looks like it's up to April. How long can she keep this growing darkness within Donnie contained?...especially now that she knows destroying it will also destroy Donnie. What will she do?...Stay tuned! Next chapter coming soon!

Poetique