Looking back as I edit this, it's kinda funny that I picked Raph to be Shredder, only to have him later switch with a Kraang in the show. Poor guy can't catch a break when it comes to switching minds with villains. :P This is a long one, so settle in and enjoy!

Mind games Pt. 3

Raph

"Raph, stop it, NOW!" Donnie jerked the gun away from him, and before he could make a grab at it again, gold filled his vision. Gasping in shock, Raph stumbled back. His mind suddenly felt like it was being pulled from his head. He clutched his face as the world started to spin, and then everything went black. Little splotches of gold danced in the darkness, making him dizzy. Finally everything stilled, and he slowly opened his eyes with a groan.

Raph reached his hand up to rub his head and make sure it was still on his body, but it was stopped by metal. Metal? He was… wearing a helmet of some sort. He slowly lowered his hand, but it wasn't his hand. It was Shredder's. Raph sucked in a sharp breath as it dawned on him: He was Shredder. HE HAD SWITCHED MINDS WITH SHREDDER, just like Mikey and Splinter. Raph suddenly noticed that he couldn't see out of his right eye, and he had dull, throbbing pain pulsing from several places in his body. This guy sure didn't hold back on the battle scars.

It all made sense. That gold must have been a bullet hitting him, and the moment before he had been thinking: 'Wow, why doesn't Donnie trust me? You'd think I was Shredder, for all HE listens.' So the guns must be thought-controlled! You think of a person, you trade brains with them. Simple. He had to go find Donnie and tell him.

Raph shot to his feet, sinking back into his seat with a gasp as pain shot through one of his legs. Stupid Shredder with his stupid battle…"M…Master Shredder? Is something the matter?" Raph's head shot up, and he looked around him for the first time. He was in Shredder's throne room. A strip of stone floor surrounded by pools of water under thick glass stretched before the throne he was sitting on. Swimming in one of the pools was a huge red fish… Xever. And only yards away knelt Dogpound, who was looking at him quizzically. "Is…something the matter, master?" Dogpound repeated, tilting his head like a confused puppy.

"No." Raph jumped at his own voice. It was a sound he had come to hate, and though he would never admit it, fear. The deep, throaty voice sent shivers down his spine even now when he was controlling it. Clearing his voice, Raph made himself continue. "No, um, nothing is the matter, Bradford." Wait, that wasn't mean enough to be Shredder. Better add something. "Do I look like a child in need of constant babying, ya stupid fleabag?!" Okay, that didn't sound right, either. Why was he so bad at this?

But Bradford didn't notice. He started to shake. "My apologies, M…"

"Your apologies, eh? Apologies don't cut it. Actions do. Go make yourself useful and get me a…" Raph froze. Get him a what? "A… a…" he blurted out the first thing that came to mind. "A raspberry slurpee!"

Dog pound blinked. "A… raspberry slurpee?"

"That's what I said, isn't it? I need to eat like everyone else, don't I? Go, before I decide to put an end to your miserable existence!" Dogpound slunk out of the room, and Raph let out a sigh of relief as the door clicked shut. He was glad his brothers weren't here. A raspberry slurpee? He would have never heard the end of it. Then again, he wasn't going to hear the end of this, anyway. He looked down at himself. Why did it have to be Shredder? He was in the body of the man who had killed his father's and Ara's previous families. It made him sick to his stomach.

He couldn't help but wonder what was going on at the lair. It probably wasn't pretty. If Shredder got away, he would know their location, and it would be all his fault. He had to get home. Raph rose, then bit his lip as pain shot through his bad leg once again. But if Shredder could stand it, he could too. He might be a lot of things, but Raph wasn't a wimp. Biting his lip harder with every step, Raph strode across the room and swung open the door.

He nearly jumped out of his armor when he found Dogpound standing there, holding the stupid slurpee. Wow, that was fast. "Here's your…"

"Yes, yes, thank you!" Raph snatched it out of Dogpound's hand, then realized he couldn't drink it with his helmet on. Oh well, he'd give it to Mikey later.

"Anything else, Master Splinter?" It suddenly dawned on Raph that he had complete control over Bradford and the foot clan. He could make them go anywhere, do anything. This could be really useful.

"Actually, yes. Err... when's the last time you've had a vacation?"

"A vacation?" Bradford shifted uncomfortably. "Umm, never."

"Then we'll have to fix that, won't we? I want you to take a nice, long vacation in, ah…Jamaica."

"Jamaica?"

"Yes, yes, you see, I have a new plan to destroy those loathsome turtles. It's foolproof. But since you have FAILED me time and time again…" he paused to glare at Dogpound, who whimpered slightly and shrank back. This was kinda fun. "I want you to take a nice long break beforehand and get into top shape. I have a reason for sending you to Jamaica specifically. In the seas next to the island, I have buried a secret chest. It has many items in it that are vital to the plan. Xever will do all the diving for you, but I need you to obtain that chest." Raph let the blades of his amour shoot out. "Don't you DARE come home without it, or I will end you. I don't care how long it takes. No go, I want you, Xever, and the foot clan out of the city TONIGHT."

"Y-yes, Master," Dogpound gulped, rushing out of the room. Raph rubbed his hands together in satisfaction. Great. Now Dogpound and the foot were on their way to Jamaica to search for a chest that didn't exist. That should take them a while. But in the meantime, he had to get home.

Raph slipped out the door, then slunk down several deserted allies until he was sure he wasn't being followed. Pulling back a manhole, Raph dropped inside, letting out a pained hiss as his bad leg hit the bottom. Raph limped through the sewer, muttering under his breath about having to worry about bad legs at fifteen.

When he got to the outside of the lair, he stopped. Should he really just walk on in? He didn't get a chance to decide, because just then Ara walked out of the lair, wearily rubbing her eyes with the heels of her hands. "Ara?"

"Gaaaahh!" Ara jumped at the sound of his voice, drawing her sword even before she finished the alarmed shout.

"No, Ara! It's me!"

Ara lowered her sword. "Oh. Raph. Of course."

She sheathed her sword, and Raph noticed a dark purple bruise on her right cheek. "What happened to your face?"

She fixed him with an angry glare. "You happened."

"Oh. Err, sorry 'bout that."

"Humph." Ara stepped aside, pointing to the lair. "In."

Raph slunk inside, Ara following after him. Donnie and Leo were in the den, double-checking some knots they had used to tie Shredder up. It was eerie looking at himself, unconscious and thoroughly bound. But of course it wasn't him, it was… he was interrupted from the thought as Leo and Donnie looked up. Their eyes widened in shock, but only for a moment. Leo's shrank into slits, and he stormed up to Raph. "Raph! Look at what you've done! This is a horrible mess, and it's all your fault. Why couldn't you have listened to Donnie, for once in your life?! Now we have SHREDDER in our LIVING ROOM. He's unconscious now, but not for long. What do you have to say for yourself?"

Raph winced. "Sorry?"

Shaking his head, Leo turned to Donnie. "We need a blindfold before he wakes up."

"That's easy." Donnie jerked the red mask ends so the fabric twisted around, none too gently.

Leo looked at Raph. "To. Your. Room."

Raph made a face. "You're not the boss of me." Leo pointed in the direction of Raph's room, his silent glare saying it all. Raph swallowed. "Yeah, yeah, okay."

He trudged off, only to pause as he heard a soft whimpering coming from Mikey's room. He swung open the door to find Splinter…or…Mikey sitting on his bed, his large ears drooping and a single tear trickling down his cheek. "Mikey, what's the matter?" Raph asked.

Mikey looked up, and unlike the others, he didn't even do a double-take. "Hey, Raph," he sighed dejectedly. "Nothing's the matter."

"C'mon, spit it out." Raph sat down next to Mikey. "Oh, I brought you this." Raph held out the somewhat-melted slurpee.

"Thanks." Mikey accepted the slurpee, drinking it thoughtfully while Raph waited for him to finish.

Suddenly the house was filled with an outraged roar. Raph smiled tiredly. "That would be me waking up." He froze. "Wait, does Splinter know about this?"

Mikey nodded, never taking his sad eyes from the floor. "Yeah. He helped Leo and Donnie with some of the knots and then said he had a headache. I think he's sleeping."

Raph nodded. "Good. I just hope he slept through that. If he took on your sleeping habits along with your body, that shouldn't be a problem."

Mikey rolled the empty cup between his hands, not even smiling at the joke. "I miss being me," he sighed finally.

"What? I thought you like being Splinter!"

"Yeah, I do. It's just…what if I never go back? I miss my shell, and my freckles, and I miss Stubby and Joey Nails and the stinky triplets…"

Raph groaned. "Please, Mikey, don't bring your toes into this. You'll go back. I think I figured out how the guns work."

"Really? Awesome! I need to get back into my own body ASAP. Pepper didn't even recognize me. But I guess there are some good things about this. I have a waaaay deeper voice than you!"

"Actually, Mikey, I'm pretty sure mine's deeper."

"Whatever. But I have four fingers!"

Raph waved his hand. "Five."

"Great. I finally have a chance to brag, and you go ahead and upgrade, too."

Raph shook his head. "I hardly call this an upgr—"

Mikey cut him of by holding up a hand as his ear twitched in the direction of the den. "Listen!"

Raph silenced, straining to hear. "What is it?"

"It's Shredder," Mikey said, his eyes widening. "He's talking about…" Mikey shuddered, turning away from the sound. "Killing Ara's dad."

Raph sucked in a sharp breath and leapt to his feet. "What?!"

Mikey nodded, then gasped as his huge ears picked up more. "He DID that?! The monster!"

"Stay here," Raph snapped, jerking open the bedroom door and storming into the den.

His heart sank into his stomach at the scene that awaited him there. Shredder was sneering happily despite his blindfold, giving a gruesome blow-by-blow of exactly how he had killed Nao in thorough detail. Ara was sitting in a curled-up ball, hands pressed over her ears. Her eyes were squeezed shut in agony, and tears shone on her cheeks. Donnie had wrapped his arms around her to steadying her quaking shoulders, which shook with suppressed sobs.

Leo stood in a corner, rigid as a pencil. His face was contorted with rage, and his fists clenched and unclenched with the fierce desire to pummel Shredder. Raph found himself wondering why he didn't. Then it hit him: they couldn't. They knew he would feel every one of their punches afterwards when he switched back. They couldn't bring themselves to hit their brother. "And do you want to know what I did NEXT?" Shredder sneered loud enough for Ara to hear despite the hands pressed over her ears. He leaned forward in his binds, thoroughly enjoying himself.

Ara shook her head helplessly, tear after tear trickling down her cheeks. "J-just s-st-top," she croaked hoarsely.

"But it's the best part!" Shredder exclaimed. "He was trapped in a corner, so I drew my sword and pressed it against his throat. He looked up at me and begged me not to hurt you, Ara. He didn't care about himself, up to his dying moment. He only cared about you. Too bad that didn't save him from the death I had planned in my head for so long."

Ara let out a heart-wrenching sob, the broken sound echoing in Raph's ears. Raph saw Donnie shift ever so slightly so that he was between her and Shredder, as if to block her from the words. "And do you want to know what I said to him? Do you want to know what the last words your father ever heard were?"

Raph's horrified limbs finally remembered how to move. He lunged across the room, kneeling beside Shredder and viciously jerking the red mask ends so that he could look him in the eye. Raph's bright, emerald green eyes glared back at him when he did so. It was very unsettling to see the eyes that had once been his dripping with hate, evil, and enjoyment over Ara's suffering. They widened in surprise at the sight of him, but Raph paid no attention to the stare. "Shut your dirty little mouth," he growled out, "or I'll shut it for you."

Shredder's wide eyes narrowed. "Let me guess. You're—"

"Sick and tired of you harassing my family," Raph finished.

"You're pretty tough for a snotty little fifteen-year-old," Shredder snarled.

"You're pretty smug for a guy who got himself captured by snotty little fifteen-year-olds."

Shredder's green eyes flashed, but then he just snarled, "as I was saying, Ara…"

Raph shoved a finger in Shredder's face. "Shut up or face the consequences."

Shredder let out an amused guffaw and then continued talking.

"I warned you…" Raph raised his fist and was about to swing when a soft voice sounded behind him. "Raph." Raph turned to see Leo, who pointedly gestured to his fist.

Raph looked down at his gloved hand, where metal spikes were embedded in each knuckle. "So?" Raph was so angry right now, he didn't care how much it would hurt him later, as long as he hurt Shredder NOW. He let loose, but Leo grabbed his arm before it made contact, removing the glove himself. Big brothers. Sheesh.

Raph delivered a swift, hard punch to the face, and Shredder's head immediately bobbed over, unconscious. Raph smiled wryly. "I can feel the headache already." He twisted the mask back in front of Shredder's eyes, then slapped some duct tape over his mouth. Raph dusted off his hands and stood up.

His eyes drifted over to Ara, who was taking deep, shuddering breaths in an attempt to calm down. He tried to imagine what it would be like if Shredder killed his family: Leo, Donnie, Mikey, Splinter... and then bragged about it in full detail. He shuddered. He couldn't imagine it, he really couldn't. Raph wanted to go up and give Ara a hug or a pat on the back or SOMETHING, but he was pretty sure he wasn't exactly what she needed right now, him being in his present form and all. Donnie looked up at him. "Tell her…" Raph cleared his throat. "Tell her I'm sorry." Donnie nodded with a smile, and Raph headed towards his room.

"Raph?"

Raph stopped, turning slowly at the soft, sad sound of Ara's voice. He looked at his feet, too embarrassed at being in the body of the man who had put her through so much to make eye contact. "Yeah?"

"There's no reason to apologize. And…" She paused, and Raph slowly looked into her eyes. "Thanks."

"No problem. Tell me if he's any more trouble, okay?" he replied gruffly, trying to hide his relieved smile. She nodded, and he retreated towards his room.

"You handled that good," Mikey called as he passed by.

Raph stopped in the doorway and glared at the rat in front of him. "I thought I told you to stay here!"

"I did." Mikey tapped an ear. "These babies are more useful than they look. No wonder Splinter is always so ticked off when we make lots of noise. I can hear EVERYTHING."

"Yeah, well, get in bed. Something tells me that we're going to have a big day tomorrow."

"Okay, I will. But Raph?"

"Mhm?"

"What you did just now was really cool. No matter what happens or who you turn into, you're a really cool guy, and I love you." Mikey climbed into his bed, humorously small in proportion to his current body. "That's all."

Raph smiled and headed for his room, but not before he had voiced his reply: "I love you too, little bro."

It almost felt like that for the first time in a long while, Hamato Yoshi and Oroku Saki were at peace.