Getting close to the end, folks! Only one more chapter to go after this one. Well, maybe two more chapters if the epilogue is separate. I guess we'll have to wait and see :)

CHAPTER TWELVE

"That's enough, Raph." Leo said.

"Not yet," Raphael said, looking up at his brother.

"You've already given more than enough blood," Leo said, "You need to keep some for yourself."

"Just a little longer..." Raph said, looking at Leo's body.

"Raph. It's alright. The fever hasn't got any worse. You can give me more later." Leo argued.

"Fine," Raph said, stopping the blood flow. "Whoa."

"Dizzy?" Leo asked, "I told you it was too much."

"Shut up," Raph said, undoing the connection between them.

"Just make sure you get something to eat," Leo said.

"Fine." Raph said.

He checked the temperature of Leo's body, and turned over the wet towel on his forehead. Then, with Leo following him and telling over and over again that he needed to eat and keep up his strength, Raph went downstairs to the kitchen.

Mikey was there, eating ice cream.

"Hey," Raph said, grabbing some water and milk from the fridge and cereal from the pantry. "Sorry 'bout earlier. There really was an emergency."

"It's ok," Mikey said, "We're all kind of running away from each other, aren't we? Donnie and I ran away from the movie you wanted to watch, and then you ran away from our game."

"Yeah, well I'll make it up ta ya." Raph said, sitting down and pouring his cereal into a bowl.

"What happened to your arm?" Mikey asked, pointing to the bandage.

"Nothing." Raph said, turning to his food.

"Raph," Donnie said, stepping into the kitchen. Where had he come from? "We need to talk about replacing your emergency blood supply-whoa, are you hurt? You look awful."

"I'm fine," Raph said, taking a large swig of his water, "I heard you and Mikey talkin' earlier. So, you all think I'm crazy now, right?"

"Raph, you shouldn't have brought that up." Leo reprimanded.

"Shut up," Raph responded, "Look guys, I ain't crazy, alright?"

"Of course not." Donnie said, far too quickly.

"Raph," Mikey said, "You know you can always come to us if you need help, right?"

"Mikey!" Donnie said.

"I'm just saying," Mikey said, throwing up his hands, "Raph, there's nothing wrong with crying."

"I know that," he said, "But I ain't about to cry, Mikey."

They sat there silently for a while as they ate. Donnie wasn't eating though. He was just sitting there with them, eying the bandage on Raph's upper arm.

"Well, I'm off to bed." Mikey said, getting up and putting his bowl in the sink. "Maybe we can do the whole board game thing tomorrow."

"Sure, why not." Raph said.

"Goodnight Mikey." Donnie said as the turtle left the room.

Raph continued eating, and Leo sat down on the floor.

"Raphael," Donnie said, "I need to talk to you."

Uh oh.

That was Donnie's serious medical voice.

"What is it?" Raph asked suspiciously.

"That." Donnie said, pointing to Raph's arm.

"It's nothing," Raph said.

"Drugs aren't nothing, Raph."

"Oh no," Leo said, "Donnie, you've got it all wrong."

"It ain't drugs, Donatello." Raph said.

"It isn't, huh?" Donnie narrowed his eyes, "Is that why some of the supplies in my lab are missing?"

"Don," Raph looked him in the eye, "I don't do drugs. That's stupid."

"So I suppose if I were to look in your room right now, I wouldn't find some of my missing supplies?" Donnie asked.

Raph looked at him sharply.

There was no way Donnie was going into his room.

"You ain't going in my room," he said pointedly, "And I ain't takin' drugs."

"Besides," Leo suggested, "Couldn't you tell if he was on something, Don?"

"That's right," Raph agreed, "Don, shine a flashlight in my eyes and give me a test or somethin'. I'm not doing drugs."

Donnie got up close, into Raph's face. The turtle tried to back away at the close contact, but Don pulled him closer. He checked his eyes, his mouth-"You're not on drugs," he announced.

"Told ya." Raph said, going back to eating his cereal.

"Now," Donnie said, "Tell me what really happened with your arm."

"Nothing." Raph said, and he continued eating.

Donnie sighed. "Raph," he said, "I know it's hard for you. It's hard for all of us."

"You got that right." Raph said.

"But I'm looking out for you, Raph. If you go out hurting yourself, I want to know why."

"Right." Raph said.

"Just...just trust me Raph," Donnie said, looking a little lost as he said it, "Let me help you where I can, alright?"

"I'll keep that in mind," Raph said, finishing the last of his meal.

"Alright." Donnie said, getting up, "I guess that's better than nothing."

Both Raph and Leo didn't want to meet his eyes as Donnie left the room.

Raph wasn't going to sleep a wink that night. Leo's body was really burning up now. Leo wouldn't let Raph donate any more blood, and since they couldn't argue about it without attracting attention he figured he was going to be stuck sitting up all night trying to keep the fever down.

"Raph, I think...I think it might be working." Leo told him as he replaced the wet towel on Leo's forehead, "It's not as bad as before."

"So," Raph said, "When do ya think you should go back in? You know, in your body?"

"Raph," Leo said seriously, "I don't know if I ever left it."

"Come again?" Raph said, looking up at his brother.

"I've been...I've been feeling everything around me," Leo said, "And I didn't tell you this, but I've been hearing everything around my body. Even when I was in the other room with you."

"That don't make any sense," Raph said, "How come you're here with me if you're over there?"

"I don't know," Leo sighed, "Ask Splinter. But Raph I-I really want to rest."

"What?"

"I just need to rest, Raphie." Leo said softly, "Just for a little while. You'll be alright for a little while."

"Leo, don't give up on me-"

"I won't," Leo said, "Just a little rest Raphie. My body's fighting...I'm fighting. I won't leave you, Raphael."

And suddenly, just like that, Leo was gone.

"Leo!" Raph said.

Suddenly he realized. Leo's body...Leo's body was breathing. They had known he was breathing, but before now they couldn't hear it. Now he was breathing loudly, painfully.

"Leo!" Raph said, grabbing onto his brother's hand, "Leo, talk to me!"

The breathing stopped.

"Leo? No! Leo!" Raph said.

"I'm here," Leo said, and Raph turned around to find him right where he had been standing before.

"Leo, what just-"

"I've been doing it Raph, I just don't know how." Leo said, "Maybe some of it was my ninja skills after all. Raph, it hurts to breathe. Can you put the ventilator on?"

"Right, okay," Raph said, clumsily taking the ventilator and putting it on his brother.

"So," he said, turning back to Leo, "You didn't just..."

"Die? No," Leo said, "I'm not sure how I'm doing this. But Raph, I need to stop for a while. I need to turn my attention back to my body..."

"Right," Raph said, looking back at Leo's body, which was just as still and silent as it had been before.

"You'll see me again in the morning," Leo said, smiling at Raph, "I promise."

Raph was still for a moment, then he nodded. Leo disappeared, the body began breathing heavily again-and there was a knock on the door.

"Raph? You alright in there?"

"I'm fine, Mikey." Raph answered, grabbing Leo's hand and feeling Leo's forehead.

"I heard shouting. Was it a nightmare?" Mikey asked. He knew better than to enter the door without Raph's permission. At least, Raph hoped he did.

"Everything's fine," Raph said, watching Leo breathe painfully, "Go back ta sleep, Mikey."

"Are you sure? I mean, we could talk about it. I've had some bad dreams too."

"Nah. I'm fine."

"Well, we could watch a movie together. We're both up anyway." Mikey offered.

Raph looked at the closed door, and then at the brother lying on his bed.

"Nah, I'm good here." He said.

There was no way he was going to leave Leo alone tonight.

"Alright. If you're sure," Mikey said softly, "But if you change your mind, I'll be waiting."

"Got it," Raph said, and he listened as Mikey walked away.

Then he continued his vigil by his sick brother's side.

The next morning, Raphael knocked on Master Splinter's door. True to his word, Leo was right behind him.

"Um, Sensei?" Raph began, "Can I come in?"

"What is it, Raphael?" Splinter asked as Raph walked inside.

"It's Leo, Masta Splinter," Raph said, "Listen, this might sound strange, but didya feel him last night or anything?"

"Why do you ask?" Splinter said, looking at Raph sharply.

"Oh good, you did feel him," Raph said, "Listen Sensei, it's a long story but the short of it is...well, Leo's not dead."

"Raphael," Splinter said, standing up.

"I know you all think I'm crazy," Raph said, "But Leo's getting better now, so we thought I should tell ya."

"My son," Splinter said, touching Raph's shoulder, "We already discussed this. Leonardo is-"

"MASTER SPLINTER!"

"Donnie?" Raph said, turning to look as Donatello scrambled down the stairs to Splinter's room.

"MASTER SPLINTER! I'VE KILLED HIM!"

"What?" Splinter asked.

"Killed who?" Raph asked.

"LEO!" Donnie shouted as he reached Splinter, "I'VE KILLED LEO!"

"Whoa, what's going on?" Mikey asked, running out of his room to join them all downstairs.

"Please forgive me Sensei, I made-it was a terrible mistake," Donnie said, shivering as he grabbed onto Splinter's legs, "I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to!"

"You didn't kill me, Don." Leo said.

"My son," Splinter said, "You did not kill your brother."

"I did!" Donnie said, looking up at Splinter with tears in his eyes.

"How?" Mikey asked, "He was killed by that flying sword."

"No, he wasn't!" Donnie insisted, "The sword-I didn't tell you this, but there was poison on it! And I thought it killed him, but I just looked at some samples I put under the microscope-I must have left them there before we left for the farmhouse-and, well, it wasn't lethal."

"What?" Splinter asked.

"It was...faking death," Donnie said, "And I fell for it! And then...Master Splinter, we buried him...I-I killed our brother. I killed your son."

And he broke down sobbing.