"I will not sacrifice three of my sons to save the life of one, Donatello. Nor will I ask that of , I promise."

Splinter cupped his head, allowed his fingers to convey some comfort. He felt Donny flinch in revulsion, and anguish when he glared down at Leo again.

Rising with a grimace, he stared down at Leo, shaking his head with disgust. "I'll stitch his scalp."

"You do not have to do this, my son." Master Splinter whispered.

Donny sighed heavily, as he made his way out of the room. "I know."

The old rat only breathed out, and sat down by Leo's head, grimly. "You are a good brother, Donatello."

"Leo used to be, too." Donny tossed over his shoulder as he left. Master Splinter stared down at Leo for a moment, and began the sad task of replacing the blood-soaked bandage around his head with some pristine cloth.

Leo nearly cried out at the sudden, sharp tilt upward, as Splinter cupped his head and hoisted it.

Splinter quickly pulled out the old, bloodied pillow, and shoved two in its place, to prop up Leo's head for a better angle.

It took every scrap of Leo's crumbling self-control to keep the hitch of his breath the same. The acidic taste of bile set fire to his throat. His skull was pounding with a numb thud, as if somebody had wrapped a baseball bat in a quilt and struck him.

Donny may have left Leo for dead, but the lingering hatred lay over Leo like skin, it was so close.

Leo felt Donny's glare against his closed eyes like a brand, it was so vicious. After so much silence, and seething things left unsaid or unexplained, Leo could even sense the change in Splinter's touch.

Normally, the old rat would have been mindful of the aches, and would have handled Leo's wounds with the care given a holy relic.

But now, Splinter was almost scrubbing away the blood like he was scouring rotten food from an unwanted pot. Quickly, with distaste, and no regard to how hard it was for Leo to bear.

A few quick dabs of the rag, Splinter's disgusted sigh, his lurching shuffle out of the room, and the door shut with finality.

And Leo lay there, warring against the urge to faint. The dull ache was throbbing against his skull, the dark waves lapping at the very edge of his awareness. Hell, even his eyes were throbbing.

Leo eased his head back against the soft pillow, and let the velvet encircle his skull for a moment. Cracking open his eyes, he shut them with a wince. Even the wan light from the desk lamp felt like a needle piercing his brain.

Donny must have whacked him harder than he thought.

It hurts. Leo nearly whimpered with the effort not to faint, as he forced his breathing to slow. It would have been so easy for Leo to sink his head back into the pillow and simply die.

But his heart lurched on, heedless of his wishes, and the thought of leaving his family with nothing more than his corpse to protect them was not an acceptable option.

I have to get out of here. I have to leave.

It was as if the quilt beneath him had turned to concrete. His fingers twitched, then clawed at the sheet as he shut his eyes.

Damn it, stand up! Get up!

A gentle tug of cloth reminded him of the knots. How in the hell could he have forgotten those?

He wrenched his throbbing head upward, and brought his wrist as close to his teeth as he could. He worked his teeth over the material, bit down and tore at the knot. After more tugging, the knot finally came loose. Leo halted in terror, listening for any sound that somebody would enter the room.

Now or never. Leo forced his quaking fingers over the bonds, ruefully thanking Splinter's sense of mercy in not making them so tight as to cut off the circulation. It took longer than he wanted, but soon, Leo had set himself free.

Leo heaved a sigh, lay down an elbow, and tilted to the right. Eying the floor, he reached around to the pillow, and threw it down. Grunting, he tucked his elbows in, and log-rolled himself off the bed.

The pillow dulled the noise of his toppling to the floor, but did nothing to dull the whiplash of pain that seemed to reverberate through his very bones.

Leo clapped a hand over his mouth, waiting for the nausea and the ache to die down. The thunder in his skull, and the acid in his throat withered to a lesser level of agony. Slowly, he arranged his limbs beneath him, and tensed when he heard Mikey's voice against the door.

He couldn't make out what was being said, but he heard Mikey mutter something that sounded like disappointment and the sound of him walking away.

I don't have much time.

Hooking an elbow over the bedpost, he slowly, unsteadily hoisted himself upright and clutched his head from the pain. He wasn't moving fast, but at least he was standing. Hesitantly, he palmed the bruises that crowned his temple, his cheek, and his jaw and nearly yelped.

Silently, he lurched along the wall with the stilted grace of a wounded cat. He slid his shaking fingers over the door knob, and listened for any of the footfalls. Nothing. And then, he carefully eased his way into the empty hall. He stared at the bricks for any flicker of a shadow, and listened to the sounds of the Lair. The blare of the television in the living room, turned up high enough to mask any sound he made. Water running somewhere, the ever present hiss of pipes and the roar of the subway tunnels. Home.

Leo nearly slithered forward, inch by slow inch, as if he were stepping through a minefield. Could he bolt like a rabbit through the Lair and hope that he wouldn't be missed for a few more precious minutes?

Now or never.

Leo scanned the room, and froze when Mikey came ambling in with a can of soda. Yawning and flopping onto the couch, Mikey grabbed the remote and idly flipped through the channels.

Leo waited until Mikey settled back, engrossed in watching the cartoon road runner meeping across the screen.

Dropping to his knees out of eyesight, Leo crawled along behind the massive sofa, nearly invisible from the shadows of the wall at his side.

Mikey suddenly leaned back, and the sofa gave a loud, sharp groan. Leo froze when he heard the sound of feet, and Donny's unexpected voice.

"How is Raph doing?"

Leo heard Mikey shifting, as he answered with his characteristic cheer, "He's alright. He said he was tired from everything and wanted to turn in early, so I thought I'd come out here and watch some television….how's Leo?"

"He's alive." Donny spat quietly. "I'm going to check on him, now, actually."

Leo heard Mikey's small, swallowed sigh, as he rocked forward. The couch springs creaked at the shifting weight as Mikey scooted sideways.

"You want me to do it?" Mikey asked, hesitantly. "I know that you're pissed at him, and I-"

"I appreciate it, Mikey, but if Leo needs stitches or something, there's really not a whole lot that you can do."

Mikey must have shrugged as he flung himself back down. "Sure. Just let me know if I can do anything, okay?"

"Thank you. I will." Donny answered gently as he turned on his heel towards Leo's room.

There were only seconds between Leo's chance of escaping, and Donny discovering the empty, bloodied bed.

Leo scuttled forward, making the most of the concealment behind the couch, before he scrambled to his feet and broke into a run.

From behind, he heard Mikey's bewildered shriek of his name, followed by Donny's enraged groan. The sounds fell like dominoes, toppling into each other, and forming the shrill, broken line behind him as Leo turned sharply, darted into the dojo, and slammed a palm over the light switch behind him.

The enormous room was swallowed by the darkness, and only lit with the thin shafts of the light in the hallway.

Leo had only bought himself a few precious moments, but it had to be enough. He ran across the mats, not seeing the dribble of dried blood from where Raph had collapsed, past the equipment, past the world he once knew.

His eyes fell on the silver gleam of his katanas, safely stowed away on the weapons rack. He wrenched the blades free, and whirled when the dojo was suddenly engulfed with the dazzling light.

Leo's gut clenched to hear Mikey's startled yelp, his jaw falling open, and his eyes huge and threatening to spill over.

And Leo's heart broke as he bore down on his unarmed baby brother, shoving him violently into the bricks and then bracing him across his plastron.

Mikey struggled against the strangling grip of Leo's elbow against his windpipe, and the katana blade gracing his cheek.

"Stay still if you don't want me to slice you." Leo hissed into his ear, as he forced Mikey to lurch forward.

"Please, Leo. Don't do this! You can still let me go, you can still-"

"Shut up!" Leo silenced Mikey's plea by sliding the blade over his throat. Mikey shivered at the hot wet trickle that dribbled down his heaving collar bone.

"Leonardo! Release your brother at once!" Splinter, roused by terror for his sons, was already on the threshold, but stood, rigidly at the edge of the dojo, as if his feet had grown roots. Even a flinch in Leo's direction resulted in Leo frantically sawing into Mikey's sweating, heaving throat.

Mikey turned those pleading eyes from Leo to Splinter, helplessly.

"Stay back! I'm warning you, I'll kill him if you come any closer!" Leo growled, as Mikey cringed away from the blade, fighting the understandable urge to sob.

"If you must take one of us hostage, Leonardo, take my life in exchange for your brother's. I will not fight you, my son." Splinter spoke soothingly, as he raised his paws in surrender.

Leo shut his eyes for a brief moment to stop the tears.

"I'm warning you. Stay back. Both of you." Leo choked out. He crushed Mikey against his plastron, and drew the blade directly under Mikey's quaking jaw.

Donny had emerged from the kitchen, the first aid kit flung discarded at his feet, and his hands rising to his bo.

"Donny…do what Leo tells you, okay?" Mikey's voice was fragmented from the fear, as he tried to twist out of the grip.

Leo snarled in warning, as Mikey went still. "Leo?" Mikey swallowed hard, and pat Leo's arm with a shaking hand.

"Look, Leo...just take me." Mikey gulped, and plunged onward. "I won't fight you, or try to get away. Just take me, and leave Donny and Raph and Splinter alone, okay? I'll go quietly, I promise."

Splinter's face twisted in horror, and Donny could only stare, wide-eyed and nearly sick.

"No, my son-"

"God, Mikey, you can't"

"SHUT UP!" Leo roared as he savagely jabbed Mikey with the flat of his katana. "I swear. If either of you follow us, I'll decapitate him."

Mikey swallowed back the whimper, when he saw Splinter's anguish and Donny's helpless rage.

"Guys…it's going to be alright. I'll be fine. Leo? Let's go, already, okay?"

Mikey gave Splinter and Donny a brave attempt at a reassuring smirk.

"Shut up and move." Leo barked out, as he savagely yanked at Mikey. Mikey jerked his head back to avoid having his neck sliced, and awkwardly stepped backwards.

He was so wobbly and terrified that Leo nearly had to drag him out of the dojo, past the familiar hallways, out of his home, and into the darkness of the sewer tunnel. Mikey couldn't hold back the sobbing as the light of the living room was swallowed by the last turn.

His father and brother were probably behind, frantically trying to hasten and conceal themselves, maybe praying or pleading that Mikey be spared by some miracle. Of course, they wouldn't Leo just take him hostage without a fight.

But what did it matter now? It would only take Leo a moment, and a quick slice to kill him. His father and brother couldn't save him. There was no time.

Leo abruptly halted, and Mikey shut his eyes to avoid seeing the killing blow. He didn't want his last sight on earth to be his brother murdering him. Mikey didn't even have time to tremble.

Mikey felt the edge of the katana tremble at his throat, threatening to slice it open but never even gracing his flesh enough to cut. Leo's breathing was ragged in his ear when he slid his other arm across Mikey's plastron. Mikey shuddered , as the tears erupted.

He didn't want to die!

His shrill whine of panic was abruptly severed when Leo withdrew the blade from his throat and sheaved it.

Mikey felt Leo's gentle hands steady him to his feet, and grip his shoulders. Leo peered deep into his eyes for one, long moment.

"Mikey, I'm sorry." Leo whispered in agony, as he let go of his baby brother and everything that he had left to give.

Mikey nearly toppled from the shock, numbly grateful that Leo had apparently decided to let him live after all.

Mikey flinched in terror as Leo inched away, palms wide and pleading to show that he meant no stared, bewildered as the tears trickled down Leo's face. "Forgive me. Please."

Mikey yelped as Leo suddenly lunged forward, gathered him up in his shaking arms and crushed him to his plastron in the fierce embrace.

"Good-bye, Mikey." Leo whispered, as he let him go.

And Leo had vanished before Mikey could even answer.