How could he hurt so much, and still be so numb? Raphael idly wondered as he stared dumbly at his splintered wrist. The sai's hilt jutted from his flesh.
Very, very gently, he tugged, and nearly shrieked at the sudden pain of bones scraping blade. The agony grew teeth, sent fire through his very bones.
Raphael stilled, and tried to control his frantic panting. It hurt too much for him to just pull the thing free. He let his head flop back, woozy and sick and trying not to faint. The sound roared in his ears, as the world swam.
The floor, by then, was slick, and sticky with the growing pool of his own blood. Damn-
"It's ironic, Raphael. There were so many times when you shot off your mouth before, and now..." Raphael tensed at Leo's voice.
Leo shook his head sadly. "And now...you're silent."
The grin curled over his lips as he waited. Raphael's eyes flickered from his shredded limb to Leo's face, serene and pale as a rising moon.
"Are you sure you don't want to beg?" Leo's voice dribbled down through Raph's fragmented senses.
Hell, no, he wasn't begging. Normally, the question would have been answered with a snarl, a hit...something more than just the pathetic flop and roll of Raph's skull against the floor.
Raphael managed to shake his head, but nothing more.
"Are you sure, Raph?"
Leo graced him with a coaxing smirk, and a long, patient wait for the answer.
Raphael tensed when he felt Leo's fingers mockingly drum themselves against his plastron in a sick parody of tolerant waiting.
Another patient sigh, as Leo only breathed out, "All you have to do is say please, Raphael. That's it."
"F- you." A garbled explicit, slithered out over unbearable pain. Raphael swallowed back blood, and bile, as he cracked open his eyes.
Leo's smirk fractured into seething, horrific silence as his fingers ghosted over the hilt of the sai. Gripped the pommel. And twisted it.
Raphael tasted blood on his tongue, as the small whine finally escaped.
The pain, God, it hurt-
"You sure you have nothing to say, Raph?"
Raphael could choke back the scream, but not the words. "Already said it, Leo. F- you."
The words were slurred out as Raphael let his head fall back. Panting, he stared at the ceiling, and tried not to collapse into sobbing.
He wasn't blubbering. Not like this.
Time seemed to fragment into nothing but a jumble of disbelieving moments. Raphael watched Leo's knuckles turn white, the flare of vivid green against scarlet.
Muscle and skin being separated by the slow slide of metal. Leo's cruel chuckle as Raphael's flesh was cleeved from bone. Weeping red and a convulsion and a groan that sounded like a plea. Raphael's spasm of overwhelmed pain under Leo's palm.
It hurt like hell, and had to stop. Raphael grit his teeth, forced his good hand open, squinted.
Leo was still straddling his plastron, smiling.
Inches. Only a few piddly inches apart. Raphael snarled, ripped open his eyes, and suddenly bucked. Leo yelped in surprise when Raphael belted him across the jaw and toppled him.
Raphael grinned at Leo's sudden sprawl across his chest. Wincing, he snapped his knee upward, and relished Leo's cry when his kneecap collided with his face.
Leo squawked, righted himself and wiped the blood away from his busted lip with a shake of his head.
"That the best you can do, little brother?"
"Ya want more, asshole?"
Leo only chuckled, and shook his head. "Really, Raphael. Did you forget that you have two weapons? Granted, they're not as effective as my katanas, but they'll do for this."
Raphael's gut clenched. "For what?" He spat, as he wrested his good elbow to his side, trying to roll and somehow keep his hand still. Warily, he glared at his wrist, and nearly vomited.
Leo's mirthless cackle was soft, as he held Raphael's other sai aloft. "You know damn well what for."
Leo paused, as he turned the weapon over in his hands, musing. "Tell you what I'll do, Raphael. I'll give you a fighting chance. You've got ten seconds to pull that thing out of your wrist and defend yourself."
Raphael stared up at him, too wounded, and shocked to answer.
"And now you have nine." Leo whispered, as he crossed his arms, waiting.
Raphael winced as he hauled himself upward. He slid his fingers over the hilt, felt his own blood over the cold metal. He shut his eyes, bit his lip to keep from bawling, and tried to find the strength to pull his own weapon free from his flesh.
Oh, God, he couldn't. He couldn't! His breath hitched as he grit his teeth, swallowed back the cry.
"Eight." The word fell like a brick, and Raphael flinched.
"Seven." A languid purr, as Raphael clawed at the hilt and tried to will himself to yank the damn thing free.
"Six." Leo sang the number brightly. This was one hell of a way to die. Pinned to the floor like a bug under glass, and bleeding.
Raphael only felt the odd rush of wind, heard the savage scream and the bright streak of orange and green sailing over his curled body.
The sharp cry of wood cracking against bones, as Michelangelo flipped, and pummelled Leo's wrist with the nunchucks.
The sai fell and skittered away from Leo.
Leo's strangled cry errupted as Mikey sent him flying with a foot to the throat.
"DONNIE! MASTER SPLINTER! HELP!" Mikey shrieked when Leo righted himself, and stared him down.
"You shouldn't have done that, Mikey." He whispered.
Mikey whimpered, gave Raph a panicked glance. Trembling, he twirled his nunchucks into combat position, but stepped between Leo and Raphael.
"Don't do this, Leo." Mikey's plea was broken as he looked on, helpless. It was a fight he knew damn well he couldn't win.
From behind, he heard Raphael growl from the floor, "Mikey, get the hell out of the way!"
"No!" Mikey shook his head, frantically, as Leo slithered closer, and waved the sai in invitation.
Mikey eyed Leo warily, as he whispered over his shoulder, "Besides..he doesn't have his weapon. He only has yours, and he's not too good at close range combat."
"Mikey, you're gonna get yourself killed!"
"I'm not letting Leo do this, Raph." Mikey said quietly. "Besides," Mikey whispered, as he forced the grin, "Donny and Splinter are coming. All I have to do is hold Leo off. That's it."
"Oh, Leeeooo-" Mikey sang out as he pranced away. "Why don't you show me what you got, huh? Come on, bro. Poke me or something already!"
The taunt had been deliberate. Leo recoiled with the speed of a striking viper, blindly lunging with a snarl. Mikey lightly dodged, the bright burble of laughter shard-sharp and lingering.
Grinning, Mikey bounced, waiting. "Man, Leo. I was expecting more. Come on, man!" The whine was mocking as Leo quaked and glared. Bracing himself, he leapt like a panther.
Mikey merrily flounced out of the way, and gave Leo a bop on his shell for his trouble. The nunchuck against shell rippled through the lair like a gunshot.
"You can't hurt me if you can't catch me, Leo! Come on! Get me already!" Mikey crowed, as he waved Leo onward.
The bright false laughter died when he gave Raph and the pool of blood a tortured glance. He gave Leo a fearful look, and Raph a brave smile.
"Come on, O Fearless One! " Mikey bowed, and dodged another attack.
Raphael grunted, and shifted in disbelief as Mikey flowed like water and carefully herded Leo away from him.
"Donny! Get your ass in here! Master Splinter! Help!" Raphael shouted so loud that his scream thundered through the Lair.
Raphael nearly wept with relief when he heard the small sound of terror from Don and Splinter's gasp. Splinter's face twisted in agony as he saw one son fighting for his life and the other savagely attempting to kill.
It was the most gut-wrenching decision Splinter ever made as he knelt to the floor, paws braced for the leap. Deftly, he flung himself into the air, rising high and landing hard between his sons. Michelangelo only felt the gentle brush of fur against his shoulders as he was suddenly spun out of the way of the sai jabbing inches from his throat.
"Protect Raphael, my son." Splinter said gently, as he calmly watched Leo.
"I am sorry, Leonardo, but you have left me no choice." Splinter's voice was laced with sorrow and love as he abruptly leapt from the floor, and collided with Leonardo.
Leo toppled when Splinter landed, his shell scraping brick as he slid several feet and only halted when he crashed into the wall.
Rising with a flick of his tail, Splinter's paws came to rest just under Leo's chin. "I love you, my son, but you will not hurt your brothers any more."
Leo spasmed as the gentle paw became a crushing weight over his throat and thrashed instinctively when he couldn't breathe any more.
Crushing oblivion, and tortured twitches as he tried and failed to claw away the vicious grip on his throat. Splinter felt the throb of pulse, and the desperate sounds for air as he abruptly let go of Leo's throat.
Ignoring the whimper, Splinter waited for the lurch of the exhalation before covering Leo's mouth and nose with the herb soaked rag.
Leo recoiled when he felt the gentle but unyielding palms against his nostrils, but he couldn't stop the gasping for air. Splinter watched in sorrow as Leo only glared up at him in silence, before his eyes finally slid shut.