Author's Notes: Nothing has changed from chapter one. There really isn't anything I can think to say except that this story is being beta read by the wickedly talented Diedre-sama! So if you wanna find out just how cool she is, then go check out of her stories! And as always, thanks for reading and reviewing! Oh and if there are any glaring errors then tomorrow I'll be sure to send this chapter to D-chan for another look over.

Disclaimer: I don't own anything TMNT related. I'm only writing this story for fun and entertainment purposes so please don't sue.

Chapter 2

Michelangelo's point of view

Would you be surprised if I told you that our lives have gone to hell since Donatello's death? Never in a million years would I have thought that he'd be the first one to go. I always thought it'd be Raph or Leo. Raph, because he was Raph, and Leo, because our enemies always targeted him the most, but Donnie was the last one to ever cross my mind.

I guess now I know what they felt like during that year I was with Karai. They must've been pretty broken and incomplete when they thought I was dead. The difference between me and Donnie, though, is that I came back.

In some ways, a part of me died five years ago. I always knew that we weren't invincible, and that some day we'd die, but not so soon. He was so young, and he had his whole life ahead of him. After the whole incident with Bishop and Shredder, I realized just how fragile and precious life really was. All those times I took my training for granted and now looked what happened.

Donnie died because of our weaknesses.

After being reunited with my family, life went back to the way it used to be. Leo and Raph fought over the stupidest things, as usual. Donnie stayed cooped up in his lab, and I put on the joker's mask once again. Had I been smarter, I would've realized the warning signs, but I didn't.

Because of that one flaw, he paid with his life. I would give anything to have Donnie back. To have him in his lab working on a new project, or to have him lecturing me for touching something I shouldn't or for breaking something by accident. It would all be a welcome distraction.

I know Raph is just upset, but it's time to let go. He can't go on living like this; otherwise he's going to die. Holding your feelings inside is very dangerous and destructive, and it's also an obstacle to healing the wounds. That's where the problem lies with Raph. His wounds aren't old. Instead, they're fresh and being kept open as he continues to pour more and more salt onto them. We've tried everything to get him to understand that it's not his fault.

No one blames him for Donnie's death except himself.

Then again, we weren't the ones who held Donnie in our arms as he took his last breath. We didn't watch him slowly drift away before our very eyes. I think that's the main reason why he refuses to let go of him and acknowledge that he's gone.

To this day, I can still remember what it was like to find them. All of us just watched in deathly silence as Raphael hugged Donnie and cried. There was blood all over the room, and when my eyes fell back on my brothers, I almost broke down on the spot.

To bear witness to such a scene unnerved me on so many levels. It was like time had stopped, leaving me frozen in place to do absolutely nothing as I helplessly watched my tough as nails brother sobbing his heart out while my soft spoken brother lay motionless in Raph's arms.

Ever since that day, Raph's become a different person. He won't eat, sleep or do anything else that's healthy for him. All he does is train until he's exhausted and then goes topside to do whatever he pleases. Leo's also changed. He won't come out of his room, except to use the bathroom or to grab something to eat. He's just been sleeping his life away. Master Splinter is always meditating, so that just leaves me. I think I'm the only one who's really accepted Donnie's death.

Right now, I'm doing some light packing, getting ready to makemy way to the old warehouse. I'll be taking the Battle Shell. It would have been better to bury him here in New York, but if you think about it, there would be a greater chance of someone discovering his grave if he had been buried here. So we decided that it'd be best if we buried him at the farmhouse

Upon entering the warehouse, I walked to the Battle Shell, got in, started it up and then pulledout onto the street. The roads were relatively clear with only a few cars or motorcycles passing by. The skies above were gray and gloomy with thunder rumbling in the distant background. Momentarily, I wondered if the heavens were getting ready to weep for me since my tears were all used up.

Coming upon the intersection I took a left, heading deeper into the city. Before going to see Donnie, I had to stop off at April's.

Leonardo's point of view

It's not my intention to keep them at arm's length. Everyone has been struggling to deal with Don's death, and I tried so hard to keep my sanity intact so I could be strong for them, but in the end, I couldn't. When I realized that we were drifting apart, I tried to stop it from happening, but I failed miserably at that, too. The weight of my own ineffectualism is a hard thing to bear, but when no one wants your help, what can you do?

As I lie here in my bed, my thoughts are on Don. I can't help wondering where he is right now. Is he in heaven, hell, or has he just disappeared all together? I'd like to think that he's in heaven waiting for us, but I don't know what's on the other side. For once in my life, I don't have all the answers, and that terrifies me.

I can faintly hear Raph's radio blaring from his room. I'd overheard most of their conversation, but I didn't get involved. Long ago, I learned that it was better not to get involved with someone you cared about because it was only going to end in tragedy. Take us, for example. We used to lead a dangerous life, but when it was all said and done, we were family. There was no one else in the world for us, so that's why we clung to one another.

Having decided to go and see Raph, I rise from my bed. For the past five years, I've done nothing but grieve, sulk, and mourn. It's about time we got it together and moved on with our lives. If not, then we were surely going to see Don sooner rather than later.

I opened my bedroom door, closed it and then made my way to Raph's room. I took my time because I knew this was going to get messy. This was Raphael, the 'Turtle of Steel,' after all. You couldn't expect things to go smoothly with him.

Once I arrived at his door, I knocked, hoping he'd be able to hear me. When he didn't answer, I thought for sure he was just going to ignore me. Imagine my surprise, therefore, when the music stopped and I heard him answer me.

"What is it?"

"It's me Leo. I was wondering if we could talk."

Nervously, I waited for him to open the door. After an uncomfortable moment, it did, and I walked in. Raph closed it behind me and then went back to his hammock. He sat down in the hammock and then began staring at me as I took a seat on the floor. Looking around for a moment, I was completely appalled with the state of my brother's room. Books, cds, weapons and broken furniture littered every available space of the floor. His sais that he always perfectly maintained were protruding from one of the walls. That's not what scared me the most…instead the random splotches of dried blood on certain areas of the walls of his room were enough to almost send me into a self-righteous angry fit but I resisted the urge to lecture him.

Biting back several comments, I took a deep breath as our eyes finally met. "Raph, how are you holding up?"

He looked away from me, his expression void of any expression. Vaguely, he reminded me of the statues one would normally see in a museum or at a graveyard. As a whole, they were intricately designed and fascinating to study but one look into their dull and lifeless eyes normally indicated otherwise…

It was almost as if my brother's soul was missing and quite frankly, that scared me senseless. Had he really been living his life in so much anguish and pain that he'd willingly become an empty and hollow puppet?

"Fine. What about you?" He spat out in a monotonous tone.

"If you mean, how's it feel to sleep my life away, then I'm just dandy." I replied just as dully.

He shot me a death glare filled with such venom and malice, causing me to momentarily to look away from him. "I didn't let you come in here just to make jokes. What do ya want, Leo?"

I sighed and mentally steeled myself for the worst. He wasn't going to like what I had to say, but it had to be said.

"I heard you and Mikey talking, but that's not the reason why I came to see you. I came in here to talk to you about Don."

His icy gaze would've killed me if it were capable of doing so. "If I said it once, then I'll say it again. I don't wanna hear anything about him. He's gone, so just leave it at that!"

He got up from his hammock and walked to his door. As his hand gripped the doorknob, I decided it was now or never.

"I had a dream about him."

He was just about to open the door when my words stopped him. His grip on the doorknob tightened considerably and his posture went rigid as he slowly and angrily ground out, "That's all ya came in here to tell me? A stupid and pointless dream! That's really sweet, but I'm not interested in hearing about it."

"He's worried about you, Raph." I said softly, keeping my eyes on his back.

"If he's so much worried about me, then he wouldn't have left in the first place."

Wincing at his harsh tone, I could only look on lost for words as his hand left the door handle. Imagine my total surprise when he sat down on the floor next to me. Even though he was refusing to look at me, I took that as a positive sign. At least now I had his attention and he even seemed more willing to listen.

"In the dream, I was standing on cliff. I looked down and saw a breathtaking, crystal-clear ocean. It seemed so endless. The skies were equally clear, and I was looking up into that cloudless expanse, when I heard his voice. I spun around, ran to him without thinking, and tried to embrace him, but when I couldn't, he smiled sadly. Subconsciously, I asked him if he was all right and I got my answer. He's in a better place, but he can't rest in peace until he's sure we're going to be okay."

"So what do you want me to do, Leo? Ya want me to just forget about him? To act like the pain isn't there? Well, unlike you, I can't block out the pain or forget."

Suddenly without warning, his hands were around my throat, his eyes looking wild and glazed over. He looked like a ferocious and possessed minion from hell. Automatically my hands went to my throat as I tried to pry his hands off of me. This only served to further enrage him as his hold tightened on my throat.

Desperately clawing at his hands, I couldn't think straight as my eyes continued to bulge out of their sockets. As I slowly felt my body going limp, his strangle hold loosened giving me the opportune moment to knock his hands away from me. Coughing and gasping in frantic breaths, I leaned over as I gingerly rubbed my throat.

"Raph…" I managed to wheeze out, my voice filled with shock and uncertainty.

Shooting me with yet another fierce glare, he stared at his hands for a moment before finally looking up at me with a horrified and grief stricken look on his face. "What is it going to take for you people to understand that I'm fine! Ya hear me! I'M FINE! I don't need you or anybody else telling me what I should and shouldn't be doing!"

He got up, opened the door and slammed it behind him rather forcefully. I had no idea where he was going, but I hoped it wasn't to do anything stupid.