Hi again!
You want to read more? Of course you should! I'm so So SO happy you wanna!
So what did you think of the fighting scene? Was it good or bad? Confusing or did you understand it? I so hope it wasn't confusing... I don't know it I can redo it O.O
Previous Readers, Well... the previous fifth chapter was kind of... a lot different. There it much new content in this one and takes a slight twist to the story than before. Everything will be explained so don't you worry. I hope you like it!
Thank you for the reviews and for continue reading of this story. It really warms my heart!
A Great Lost
Chapter 5: Wounded Brother
Except for the tv, it was dark and quiet in the lair. Mikey tried to distract himself from the ache of his sore cheek while playing the new Tomb Raider game. Though it wasn't as easy like he had hoped. The cheek was swelling and the throbbing pain demanded attention and it made it hard to focus on the game which result in him dying over and over again. That damned slide down the waterfall was just to annoying, and if he didn't die at the waterfall, the trees surely killed him. It was a very bad time playing a new game. It became frustrating and it didn't help that he was even more frustrated and angry at Raphael.
Damned that Raphael for hitting him without a reason. He had done nothing to deserve it! His remark of Leo being better than Raph with the feeling-stuff-around-him was only fact. Everyone knew that Leo had been better at all the Ninjutsu stuff. All he did was train while they slacked off, of course he had been better!
Alright, maybe he had stepped over the line just a small, tiny, little bit. But not enough to deserve Raph going all crazy on him and treating his face like a punching bag! If Don had not stepped in than Mikey was sure he would need to go and see a plastic surgeon to recover some of his natural beauty and to hell with him being a mutant turtle. His face would have to be saved no matter what!
Though he couldn't deny that he had seen his brother's devastated and sorry look right after it had happened. But Mikey was not ready to forgive him just yet. Raph had always been unstable when it came to things he took as accusations. Hell he was always unstable when it came to things he didn't want to hear or do, or well anything! And even more after Leo died. But that was not an acceptable excuse, he was not the only one that was hurting. They all missed their brother and there would always be a hole that no one would be able to fill. Leo had been his hero, the one he looked up to and admired. The turtle Mikey wanted to be and promised himself to become.
Mikey knew that Raph blamed himself for Leo's death and probably hated himself for it. And if Mikey had been in his shoes, then he would too. But what Raph didn't know was that even though he blamed himself, none of them did. At least not anymore. Mikey had, right after it had happened and did for quite a long time. But then he realized that it wasn't Raph's fault or anyone else for that matter, well except the Foot and Shredder of course. And with the Shredder dead and the Foot gone, then there was no one left to blame or take revenge on. Besides, Leo wouldn't want that anyway. And even though how much they wished they could go back in time to prevent it from happening, it would never happen, or wish for him to come back to the world of the living.
Well, at least not until a scientist made a virus that spread through the world and made the dead start walking. Only then, would Leo come back. Not that Mikey was sure he wanted that. He may get his hero back, but zombies was not known to be the neatest people in the world and it was hard to keep the lair clean to begin with.
And Leo wouldn't want them to keep beating themselves up over his death. Anyone that had known Leo knew that. He didn't blame anyone of them and would want them to move on and be happy. Live the life that he never would and keep moving on. That was the reason to why Leo had made sure that only he had died and not all of them. And from wherever he was, Mikey was sure he was watching over them. Like maybe their own personal ghost!
The door to the lair hissed open which startle the young turtle into a jump. Without turning around, Mikey shouted; "About time ya came home." He turned to the clock on the dvd player, it was something over three hours since he and Donny had gotten home. "Master Splinter wants ta talk ta ya the first thing in the mornin'."
Splinter had been really angry once they had gotten home and he'd seen Raph's handiwork to Mikey's beautiful face. He had told both him and Donny that he wanted to talk to their brother once he came home, but once an hour and a half had passed, their old father had gone to bed for much needed sleep, after all it was like three in the morning.
Waiting for any sort of respond, Mikey was a bit surprised when he didn't get one. Pausing the game just before Lara Croft was going to be stabbed in her head by the fifteenth time while sliding down the waterfall, he turned around to look over to the entrance to the sewers. He was meet with the sight of a bloody Raphael that was swaying over to the nearest beam in the direction of the infirmary. Though before managed to he reach it, he collapsed on the floor.
"Raph!" Jumping off the couch in a heartbeat, he ran over to his brother while screaming; "Don! Donny!"
By the panic and fear in his voice, Don had rushed out from his lab just in time as Mikey reached Raph. He too had been to angry to sleep. "What?"
"Raph's hurt!" Mikey turned him on his shell and got a bit clearer view of the wounds, his arms was almost covered in blood and the side was bleeding.
Don came rushing over and with just a seconds' view of the wounds, he had already concluded the amount of damage. "Help me get him to the infirmary."
Taking a respective arm over their shoulders, they lifted him up as carefully as they could. As they began to move to the sick room, something dropped behind them. Mikey stopped, curious to turn and see what it was but Don told him to hurry. And he didn't need to be told twice.
They laid him down on the bed that they all had occupied way to many times for some ones so young. Mikey had been a fool to believe that maybe they wouldn't have to again.
Don turned to rummage through the room after the supplies he would need to fix Raph. He had a few cuts and bruises but those was not much to worry about as they were superficial wounds. But the deep cuts to his shoulders, the two cuts that twirled down around both his arms and the one to his left side was.
Mikey knew the drill, Don needed his space to work his mojo, so he stepped to the corner, right by the door where he could watch the situation and jump in if Don needed his help. Besides, Mikey didn't know what to do at times like this. Whenever there was a life threatening crisis, instead of using his logic part of his brain, he just blanked out and began to think of the horrible things that could happen. What if Raph died? How the hell could they make it just the two of them? Splinter was way old and would not handle another son dying. He and Donny would not be able to move on all by themselves. He couldn't lose another brother, he was barely holding on as it was.
Speaking of the old rat, Splinter came rushing through the door as fast as his legs would allow. "My sons, what have happened?" He asked with worry. He looked down on the bed further inside the room and hurried to Raph's side."Raphael!"
"I don't know. He collapsed by the door." Don said as he took his surplices and put them on the table next to the bed. He turned to look at Mikey. "Go and grab a bucket or something and fill it with hot water!"
"On it!" He rushed through the door, almost missing what Don called for next.
"And a clean towel!"
Glad to be doing something and out of the sick room, Mikey rushed to the kitchen. He grabbed all the supplies that he needed and rushed to get back. But the corner of his eye caught something by the door, and curiosity took a hold once more. Taking a longer route than he would normally do, he turned from the bridge crossing their inside sewer pool and headed for the front door. The object which was lying abandoned was something his mind didn't want to register. Standing right in front of it and seeing it clearly, his mind just didn't want to work and he slipped into the memory.
Nun chucks wasn't the best weapon. Though he loved unusual weapons, Mikey knew they weren't the best when you were up against something big and sharp that could take your head off in just one swing. The Elite with the axe was a quick swinger, and it made it almost impossible to get a hit in. Forced to the edge of the building, he was almost certain that he would fall. With both nun chucks spinning in his hands, he was waiting for the opportunity to strike. The problem was, he just didn't know when that would be. Though he was glad he just had the Elite on his hands, he would be a lost cost if the Foot ninjas were there too.
The Elite seemed satisfied to have 'im on the edge. It would make it even harder for Mikey to dodge the axe and if he did, he would most certainly fall off the building. Searching for anything that could help 'im out, Mikey saw the fire escape a few feet to his left. His best chance was to jump for it and hope that his arms weren't that badly damage to keep 'im from falling. As the Elite was about to strike, Mikey made a jump for it, losing one of his beloved nun chucks to the fall. He managed to grab on to the railing but his arms protested as the deep cuts covering them was stretched out. More blood bubbled up from the cuts and ran down his arms. He probably would need a lot of stitched later and wouldn't be surprised if Raph began to call 'im the Frankenstein Turtle.
Forcing 'imself over the railing, he looked up to see where the damned Elite had gone. Realizing that a purple fog came up behind 'im, he jumped up a few steps on the ladder and the Elite appeared. He swung his axe and managed to clip off the ladder. It begun to swing, and Mikey nearly lost his grip. The Elite stroke again and plunged the giant axe into the building, missing Mikey just as the ladder swung past 'im. Mikey took the opportunity and kicked the Elite back against the railing, making 'im almost fall over. His hat wasn't as lucky and slid down to join Mikey's nun chuck. Seeing his chance, Mikey made a jump with a spin and kicked the Elite of the rack. Turning to the axe that was still plunged into the building, he grabbed a hold of it and pulled it out. With one last glance back to see if the Elite wasn't turning up behind 'im, he climbed the ladder and got back up on the roof.
Taking a look at his surroundings, he almost didn't notice the purple fog coming up on his right side. The man appeared from the smoke, holding a very familiar nun chuck in his hand. Clenching at the axe with a bit more firm grip, his eyes met the Elite's and higher the weapon over 'im. Before he even could touch the man with the axe, he was gone in the purple fog. Mikey clenched to the weapon even harder as he searched his surroundings. As soon as he saw 'im, he was smacked in the head with his own beloved weapon. Before he could get his balance, he was smacked again in the back of his head and then kicked in his stomach that sent 'im flying on his back, the axe dropping from his hands.
Very disoriented and with his head throbbing, he grabbed a hold of the pipe next to 'im to push 'imself up. He felt dizzy and his vision was swaying. He knew the symptoms very well by now, it wasn't his first concussion. His attention was drawn to a very familiar scream from not that far away. He demanded his eyes to follow the sound to search the source of the painful cry. The eyes found what they were searching fort, it was Donny. He was on his knees screaming in pain as the Elite with the twin bladed sword pulled out his weapon from his side.
"Donny!" he cried out in terror.
The twin bladed sword possessor situated in front of 'im with the deadly weapon over his head, ready to strike. Don didn't move, even if he was aware of the tool over his head, he did not move. The pain in his head told 'im that there was nothing he could do to stop it, but Mikey wouldn't let his brother die. Not as long he was alive and breathing. He dodged the axe that was aimed for 'im by rolling to the side. The axe cleaved itself stuck in the wall and the Elite had a hard time reclaim it to his possession once again. Quickly coming up behind the man, he grabbed a hold of his head and snapped the neck.
Without even making sure that the Elite was truly dead, Mikey quickly ran towards his brother. Seeing as the blade was being hissed over Donny's head, he just hoped that he would make it in time.
"Move Donny!" He roared at his brother with as much full force he could put on his vocal cords.
The blade began to fall down towards his brother. Slowly Don turned to look at his brother and Mikey saw in his eyes that he wasn't realizing what was about to happen. For the first time running felt slow. He pushed his legs like he had never done before and he couldn't remember a time before that he relied on them so badly. He would not let his brother die, he would not lose a brother. His mind began to play pranks on 'im. Pictures years from now showed 'im the damage to the family if Don wasn't there. Their brothers would blame one another until they either killed each other or hated the other to the point where they would go their separate way. He would be left taking care of a heart broken and grief damage father until he died of heart ache. Leaving 'im with his own painful guilt to rot away alone. The sword approached his brother's head. He had to jump and so he jumped. Flying towards his sibling and the enemy, Mikey grabbed Donny before the blade could crash down on his skull. The two of them flew to the side by Mikey's movement and slipped on the wet concrete until they were a few feet away. He had succeeded. He had succeed in saving his brother from a certain death. Feeling overwhelmed by the joy he turned to look at his brother. Instead he was looking down on his brother's leg in shock. Mikey followed his gaze and saw the large gash going down the side of his thigh. The pain relived itself in a rush and before he knew it, he screamed in pain.
"Mikey!" Don shouted from the sick room and he snapped out of his mind.
Remembering that he had a dying brother in the next room, Mikey ran as fast as he could back to him. As soon as he stepped inside, Don grabbed the bucket and towel from his hands and turned back to get to work. He watched as Don washed away the dried blood on the side and then began to stitch it up. Splinter took the towel and began to wash away the blood on Raph's arms. Feeling like there was nothing else for him to do, Mikey let his mind wander away to the object lying on the floor by the entrance door. He had seen it before, but never lying on the floor like that. Splinter would never let it lie there like that.
The curiosity returned and he walked out of the room. His feet did not lead him to the door to the lair, but instead to the Japanese slide doors to their father's room. They never entered the room without being invited in but the door was slide wide open like it was meant for him to enter. Without a second thought, he entered and was meet with the warm and familiar atmosphere. The candles was lightened as they usually was. He turned to the small altar that their father had made for their deceased brother and was meet with the one of very few pictures with only him in it. Leo had a slight smile and Mikey couldn't remember when it had been taken. But by the look of the background he knew it had been taken up at Casey's grandmothers farm house. Over the picture on the wall was the object he had been looking for. Grabbing the single katana, he admired it in his hands. The handle was the same blue as when Leo first got it, a little worn down by the edges maybe, but the blade had been forged several times since.
Conflicted, Mikey took the katana with him as he returned to the entrance door. As he moved closer to the object, he kept shifting his eyes from the object to the katana in his hands. Standing right in front of it, his mind couldn't deny what his eyes were seeing. He was holding the katana that they had taken with them when Leo had died three years ago and on the floor were the katana that had pierced and killed Shredder and been taken with Karai when she had grabbed his body. The two pieces had been separated ever since. He reached down and took the other katana. As he was staring at the twin swords in his hands, fear began to take hold of Mikey. Was the Shredder alive? Where the Foot back? Was Karai out for revenge?
He needed answers and walked back to the sick room with both swords in his hands. As he stepped in, he realized that the only one that could answer the questions was lying on the bed, dying. He stopped dead in his track and just stared at his brother. If Raph died then who could answer his question? Had Karai killed another brother of his? Or was it Shredder? How could they fight them if Raph died? The Foot Clan had already killed two of his brothers and if they were back then would it mean they all was going to die?
"It's okay Mikey. He's going to be okay."
Snapping out from his thoughts, Mikey turned his teary eyes off of Raph and up to Donny which was stitching up the side. There was a soft smile on his brother's face that made Mikey let go a little of the tension he hadn't realized he had been holding and took a breath.
"Ya sure?" He asked with a shivering voice.
"Yeah. He will be out of it for a while, but we all have had it worse." Don lowered his eyes to the wounds with a bit bothersome look on his face. "Whoever did this didn't want to kill him."
"When your brother has recovered, we need to find out who," Splinter said. "I do not want to lose another son, but we need to know who this new enemy is."
Don looked up at Mikey but turned his gaze to the katanas he was holding, his eyes went big in shock and horror. "What is that?"
Splinter turned around by the sound of his voice to see. "Michelangelo! Where did you get that?"
"I found it by the door. Raph must've dropped it when he collapsed."
"Leo..." Turning to Raph, they all expected to see him awake, though he wasn't. He kept talking in his sleep, but it was barely above a whisper and Mikey couldn't make out any words. Though it was clear he was dreaming.
The road from the building where I had fought with the fake Elite Foot ninja and back to the lair had seemed longer than it normally would've. I had no idea if it had been twenty minutes or an hour since I left the roof. I was so dizzy and tired that it felt like my legs was dragging with each step. It took me a while to find the hidden pipe lever which would opened the door to the lair.
"About time ya came home." Mikey said from somewhere afar. "-Master Splinter wants to talk to you the first thing in the mornin'."
I could barely hear 'im. It was like I had gone under water and the sound of his voice had been muffled. My body felt so heavy and it didn't matter how many steps I took towards the beam, it seemed to get even further away by each one. At least the pain had begun to disappear but my thoughts was going vacant. It was like I was walking through a narrowed tunnel with black walls that became even smaller and smaller. I was slowly going numb.
"-aph!" Mikey's voice sounded so far away.
Suddenly standing up straight, with a clear view, I saw myself crash down on the floor. "What the hell?" I asked confused and actually rather frightened. What the hell was going on? How could I see my own body?
"What?" I heard Donny's voice come from his lab.
"Raph's hurt!" Mikey shouted to 'im as he reached my body with a terrified expression on his face.
Don came rushing as fast as he possible could and in his eyes I could see that he was fearing the worst. Mikey turned my body onto the back and I could see the damage to my body in another view. Was this some kind of dream that my unconscious had created from the sounds from what was really going on? Or was I really dying and this was some kind of out-of-body experience before it happened?
"Hey, Mikey. I'm standin' right here." I said, feeling the panic rise up and waved a hand in front of his face. When I didn't get a reaction, I turned to Donny who came running. "Don! Ya see me right?"
Don just ran past me and sat down next to my body. He took in the sight of the wounds and I could almost see the gear in his head going on high speed. He put two fingers to my neck to feel for a pulse. "Help me take 'im to the infirmary." My brothers took my body and headed for the sick room.
"Hey, guys! I'm standin' right here!" I shouted to them as they disappeared behind the corner. I had never felt more invisible and ignored before in my whole life and it was really starting to terrify me. I was about to run after them in a try to get their attentions somehow, but my body froze from a voice behind me.
"They can't hear you."
Oh no, no, no, no, no, my brain screamed in denial. I never thought I would hear that voice again except from the haunting memories in my head. His voice didn't sound like when it was in my dreams or episodes, though. There was no echo following and I could actually pinpoint it to be right behind me. It chilled me straight into the bones. Was he here to take me to the afterlife?
I realized that I didn't want to hear it. I wasn't ready. I had barley lived and I had so much left to do. I started to regret all the times I had wished that I had died instead. I didn't want to die!
Hearing his voice meant that something was completely wrong and that I... "Am-am I dead?" The question left my mouth before I could even think it.
A snort of amusement came from behind me and I was afraid to turn to look at 'im. Like if I did it would truly be over. I heard 'im push 'imself off the wall and his footsteps came dangerously closer. Keeping my eyes fixated solid on the spot on where my brothers disappeared with my body, I could see 'im come up and stand by my side in the corner of my eye.
"Surprised to see me?" He asked, still with the amusement in his voice. He was also looking at where our brothers had disappeared to.
I had wanted to see 'im every day since he died and now that I could, I didn't want to. "Are ya real?" I asked while hoping he would say that it was all a dream.
He passed me and crouched down by his beloved katana that my body had dropped when Don and Mikey had lifted me up. The door to our father's room was forcefully slide open and our father came running out. He headed to the infirmary as fast as his old body could possible take 'im and disappeared through the door. I stared at the door for a few seconds more and my mind drifted to the situation that was going on in that room. I knew my family would do everything they could to keep me alive. And I counted on them to save me.
"You really put yourself in a big mess this time, Raph," he said from over his shoulder. "Withdrawing from the family, trying to find answers to things you could never even ask, hitting Mikey and then get into a fight."
"How do ya know about all that?"
He didn't get the chance to answer as Mikey brought our attentions as he ran out through the door. He jumped over the pool, to the middle of the bridge and then rushed through the kitchen door.
"See what I mean? You're all slacking off. Under my leadership he would've easily made that jump over the pool. Without proper and regular training, that is the result. They won't be able to handle what is about to come."
"Why aren't ya answering any of my questions?" I asked as I began to feel my impatient beginning to drop. Had he always been like this? It had been only a few minutes and he was already lecturing me.
He stood up as Mikey came rushing out of the kitchen with a bucket in his hands, but stopped dead in his tracks as he was looking over to us. At first I thought that he actually saw us, but his eyes was fixated on the single katana lying on the floor. He slowly walked over to us with confusion all over his face. As he came closer, he stopped and I could see his eyes turning blank.
"Mikey!"
Snapping out of it, he took a final glance at the katana and then headed for the sick room. Leaving it forgotten on the floor. He followed Mikey in easy, calm steps. His ignorance was really starting to piss me off. Here I needed answers and he wouldn't give me any.
"Hey! Wait." I followed 'im into the sick room where the rest of the family was. Donny was stitching up my side while Splinter was washing off the dried blood from my arms. It was really unsettling if not bizarre to see my body like that.
"At least this has brought you all together." He said.
"What are ya doing here?" I demanded.
He turned his head to me and looked me straight into the eyes. The smile he had on his face disappeared and all I could see was pain and sadness in his eyes. "I am always here."
"Ya mean yah're-"
"Always watching? Yeah. Not much else to do." He turned to look at Mikey who left the room again, but he did not follow.
"Is this what's happenin' when ya die? Ya see the life ya left behind like some kind of ghost?" I asked and put my arms up in the air and looked around. Damned I had to be dead if that was the case.
There was a small snort of laughter. Or maybe sarcasm? "Not really."
"Then tell me what the hell is happenin'. Why am I here? Am I dead or not?" I walked up in front of 'im, facing my shell to the bed my body was lying in, forcing 'im to look at me. He looked into my eyes and seemed to search for something. Without any sort of warning, he put up his arms and began to pushed me back a few steps. "What the hell Leo?" He pushed me again and again, forcing me back against the bed where my body was lying and my brother and father was stitching up the wounds. Then I stumbled and fell backwards.
As I was falling, the light in the room disappeared behind 'im along with all the furniture. The darkness swallowed my surroundings until all I could see was Leo with a sad expression on his face, who was also disappearing in the dark, his voice echoed, "You need to remember..."
"Leo...?"
What is Raph supposed to remember?! Can you figure it out? O.o
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Thank you so much for reading!
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TBC...
