Hola mi amigos! I've decided to continue on with this story. I feel confident about this one. My old one is trash compared to this, even though I'm sure some may not like it. Oh well! I'm tired of caring what others think of me anyways. For those of you who criticize others because of OOC, but you have not even wrote a single story involving the characters, lay off!

But for others I welcome you. Tips and well-rounded reviews are accepted!

Warnings: Blood and swearing, and some drama.

This chapter is also called "When Cicadas Cry" inspired by Eiko shimamiya's single "Higurashi". I hightly recommend playing the song when the lyrics pop up. It's amazing how great the effect is!

Disclaimer: I do not own TMNT, nor do I own the following song. And lyrics are obtained from .

Chapter 2: Higurashi

A dull pain spread on his stomach like spilled water. His knees hit the ground hard. The blood leaking from the dead man's head formed a small puddle. Michelangelo stared at the blood, feeling like the metallic liquid wanted to entice him. His hands involuntarily shot to his head, his own shaking wildly. "No, no, no, no…" Tears leaked from his eyes. "I-I couldn't have killed him…" he murmured. "I'm not like that. I don't kill anyone!" he cried.

Raphael rushed to him. He knelt beside him, and hugged him tightly. Soothingly, he said, "It's okay, Mike. Ya didn't do it out of lust, hate, or jealousy. You killed in self-defense—to protect someone who was dying. There's no sin in that," he assured, rubbing his weeping brothers shell. "However," retracting, Raphael gripped his shoulders strongly, and urged, "we have to get that kid out. I know you want to cry, we all do. But this kid is in worse than you are. Your strong, Mike. I've killed a few times, and felt the same pain, but over time, it wears off and you realize you did the right thing."

Michelangelo gaped. "Y-you killed people before?" he asked unbelievably.

Raphael nodded, keeping his composure. "Yeah, I killed," he admitted. "But only to protect my bros." Forcing a smirk, he said somewhat proudly, "And you did that too!'

Michelangelo's mind was torn from his first kill, and his brother admitting he took lives as well. Wiping his eyes, Michelangelo stood his feet. "Alright," he decided. "Let's get outta here."

Leonardo and Donatello smiled sadly, then Leonardo sliced the chains that bound the boy to the wall. "Don, security cameras?" Leonardo asked, hoping they were still offline.

Donatello and Raphael lowered the boy gently, placing him on Michelangelo's back. "We're good for ten minutes," he replied. "We need to get move, fast."

Michelangelo tucked his arms under the boy's legs. It shocked him to know how light he was. It's okay now. Leonardo led the way out of the cell, the rest of the patrol followed his lead. Close to the time security came back online, the platoon escaped the tower. Michelangelo let out a breath of relief as he glided from rooftop to rooftop. Nevertheless, the images of the dead man would haunt him until the day he died.

He knew he would live with the sin for the rest of his life. With that fact came the realization he had lost his innocence, and undoubtedly, something worth more.

Eyes opened to the sound sound of a small grunt. The weary, scarred orbs laid on the boy. Pushing himself upright, he rubbed his eyes and massaged the side of side. Michelangelo turned to the kid, hoping he would wake up. His expression, however, didn't show his hope or excitement. It was angry, sad, and weary.

Another grunt. Michelangelo rubbed his eyes again, smiling slightly. At least he alive, he thought gratefully. The boy appeared to be either fifteen or sixteen. His skin was tan, and his face was long and angular, with round cheekbones. Michelangelo wondered if the kid was Japanese, Native American, or both.

Chuckling inwardly, he thought it comical that an actual kid with Japanese blood would come into their Japanese heritage family. The boy slowly opened his black eyes. Michelangelo nearly gasped when he realized no light shined their, but death resided inside them. The orange-masked turtle was convinced that a week of torture and blood would suck all the innocent light out of your eyes.

The pitch black pools widened, as the boy tried to scramble to his feet. A sharp yelp of pain, and the boy fell to the ground on his side. He yelped, causing alarm in Michelangelo. He rushed in to help him. "Are you okay?" he asked quickly.

When Michelangelo reached for him, his hands were quickly slapped away. "What are you?" he screamed, scrambling back in fear. "Did they send you to torture me? Have they finally decided to have my throat ripped out from a monster?"

Michelangelo's mouth dropped when he saw the tears streaming down. "Leave me alone!" the fragile kid shouted. Standing to his feet, back hunched, a hand gripped his shoulder. The boy twirled around, and his hand slapped across the face Splinter, hard.

Michelangelo gasped. Splinter received a back hand across his face! The rat's face flew to the side from the impact, quickly pinched the back of the kid's neck, making his shoulder and neck cringed together.

"Get…the fuck…away from me…" the boy muttered coldly. Wiping his hand around, he shoved Splinter arm away, then punched him in the mouth. Splinter crashed to the floor, wiping a small bead of blood from his mouth. "If you're going to kill me," said the child, "then I'll take you with me."

"JAYDEN!" shouted a rough voice. Michelangelo turned to the direction it came, and saw Raphael run to the situation. Gruffly, the muscular turtle wrapped his arms around him tightly. "It's okay…" he soothed. "It's okay…"

The boy looked at Raphael in disbelief. "Raph…" he muttered. The anger and hate was gone. "Is that you, Raphael?" he asked..

Raphael's look softened. "Don't worry, you're safe," he assured. "We busted ya outta the prison, and brought ya home."

Jayden glanced around, looking at the surroundings. "Home…?"

"We aren't going to kill you," Michelangelo promised, helping Splinter stand. After sitting Splinter on the couch, he asked, "Why would ya think we would kill you?" How could these two have met? The aqua turtle's head ached from confusion.

Jayden's eyes lowered to ground. Raphael sat him next to Splinter, who was rubbing his sore mouth. Raphael sat next to Jayden, and explained, "We go ways back. I met him when I was doing Night Watcher rounds. We can talk about that some other time, though."

"Agreed," motioned Splinter, breathing deeply to extinguish his stoking anger.

Jayden bent down, and covered his face. "I'm sorry," he apologized quietly. "I thought you were the enemy. I'm sorry. Lo siento…Lo siento…Lo siento…" Soon his apologies turned to sobs, and soon he began crying. "Fuck. I hate crying! I hate being weak!" he hissed.

Michelangelo could have sworn his heart broke. He was weak because he was crying. Glancing at his dad and brother, he gave them a worried look. Raphael leaned towards Jayden. Splinter laid a hand on the boy. "It's okay to cry sometimes," he assured. "It just shows you have a lot of emotion trapped inside you. Crying is just how you let it out."

Jayden shook his head, ignoring the advice. Quietly, Jayden stood to feet, hunched over, and began to make his way upstairs. "Leave me alone for now," he said bleakly. Jayden began to walk up the stairs. Despite the pleas and Splinter, Raphael, and Michelangelo he continued and walked through a door. They heard it shut close, and felt concerned for Jayden.

Raphael pounded the arm of the couch, furious. "Next time I see those ninjas I will slice their necks."

Michalenagelo agreed. "Danm right!" he said, folding his arms. He saw Splinter give him a stern look. Swearing was never for any of them. "Sorry sensei…" he apologized. Lowering his in guilt, he asked, "Why does life torture our family so much?"

Raphael looked at Michelangelo, showing understanding. "Mike, I told ya before. You killed in self defense. You helped save that kid."

"But my hands are tainted with a human's blood!" he retorted. Anger rose quickly as the vains inin his neck showed and protruded under the flesh. "I killed that man. I didn't mean to. I just—"

Splinter embraced his son ttightly. "And you are not to blame," he whispered kindly in his ear. "I don't think you would be condemned because of that." Tears from the son fell onto the rat's face. Gripping his father tightly, he let the tears run freely and without attempt to shroud them. Raphael joined the embrace.

"Don't worry, bro. We got your back." Raphael smiled, Michelangelo obviously knowing it was forced. "I still need my knucklehead brother,"

His eyes shifted downwards to the side. "That Mikey isn't coming back, Raph," Michelangelo said sadly. He sighed. "Please…just leave it."

They all retracted. The killer stood. "I'm going to—"

A voice rang out through the room. "Does anyone want to tell me why the kid is listening to Higurashi by Eiko Shimamiya in Mikey's room?" Michelangelo looked up, and saw Donatello, Leonardo beside him. "Well?"

Splinter and Michelangelo shared concerned glances. "Higurashi…?" Splinter muttered in surprise. "Michelangelo…how do you have that song?" Splinter's tail twitched furiously, while his eyes filled with horror. At that moment, music leaked throughout the lair. An ominous tuned filled their ears. Background chorus were heard.

Michelangelo stuttered. "I-I didn't even know I had it!" he said, holding his hands up. "He probably got it off a website!"

Raphael gave a confused look. "It's a song, big deal. What's so important about it?"

Splinter glared at Raphael. "Besides the fact it was the song Michelangelo listened to constantly when Leonardo left on his pilgrimage, expressing his emotions, it is a great deal!" he nearly shouted. "I found Michelangelo about to slit his throat when that song played."

Furimuita sono ushiro no (shoumen daare?)

Kurayami ni tsume o tatete (yoru o hikasaita)

Michelangelo gasped at the Sensei's words. "Oh no…" his voice was barely a whisper. "Leo, Don, get to my room, and bust the door down!" he ordered his older brothers.

"Got it!" they responded together, and raced to Michelangelo's room.

Splinter and Raphael raced up the stairs, lead by Michelangelo. Please, please tell me I'm wrong! he pleaded in his head as he ran up the the second level.

Amadare wa chi no shizuku to natte hoho wo

Tsutaiochiru

Mou doko in mo kaeru basho go nai nara

Michelangelo and the others arrived at his room. He pounded on the door. "Jayden, opened up!" he screamed, scared. "Open up!" The song's volume increase fully as a response.

Kono yubi tomare watashi no yubi ni

Sono yubi no goto tsuretette agreu

Raphael shoved turtle to the side. "Step aside." Raphael backed up. Closing his eyes, a tear leaked from the lids. Upon opening them, mouthed a few words, which no one could tell, then rammed into the door.

Higurashi ga naku akazu no mori e

Ato modori wa mou dekinai

The door crashed to the ground loudly. The room was dark, but for a dim light from a nearby desk lamp. The smell of blood sunk into their nostrils. Leonardo gulped. "S-someone…find a light switch."

Michelangelo had never heard Leonardo so scared before. He trembled. Finding a light switch, color became visible again, but it was not was they wanted to see. In front of the bed, blood leaked on the floor. Rushing to the sourced of the blood, their feet became soaked with blood, and the thick substance splashed when Donatello knelt.

"My God…" Lifting his hand from the ground, the creature nearly vomited when thin streams of blood leaked down his forearm. Blood leaked from the walls and was splattered on a small desk.

Hitorizustu kesarete yuku (aoi honoo)

Kurayami no sono mukou ni (asa wa mou konai)

Michelangelo found the courage to walk to his brother and inspect the damage. "Don, how bad is it?" he asked gently. "Is he...?"

Donatello shook his head. "He's breathing barely, but we have to get him to the infirmary immediately." Glancing at Michelangelo, he informed, "If we don't heal him within the next thirty minutes, he'll die. His body lost half of the blood in the prison. "

Blue eyes closed, but then opened with determination. "Then let's get him there," he urged. "We need to get this wound bound up first."

Raphael untied his bandana and handed it to him. "Use yours too," he suggested.

Michelangelo nodded, and untied his bandana. Tying the two cloths together, he wrapped them around Jayden's abdomen to seal the gash; Donatello and Leonardo propping him up. Michelangelo lost all tolerance from the blood. It disgusted him. "There," he finished.

The purple-banded turtle checked every life sign, cut, and broken bone. "Damn it!" Donatello shouted, punching he ground, blood splashing. "Fuck…"

Splinter asked urgently, "Donatello, what is it?"

Donatello sighed. "We can't move him," he informed. "Surgery will have to be done here." Glancing at Leonardo, he demanded. He inspected the body. "I need wire, a thread, gauze…" he trailed off. Checking the pulse once more, he gasped. Onyx eyes widened with horrible realization.

"Don, what's going on?" Raphael asked, furious already. "Let's get him patched up!"

"I…I don't think we can save him," his cracking voice spat out. "He hit several vital organs. It looks like that he used a wakizashi to commit suicide." Michelangelo leaned in to get a closer look. Just by looking at Jayden's body, it was obvious most of the damage was irreparable.

Kagami no naka de ugomeki nobashite kuru musuu no te de

Saa dareka o koko e izanai nasai

Raphael growled. Gripping Donatello's shoulders fiercely, he shouted, "What the shell do you mean we can't save him?" The vein on his temple was bursting from under the skin.

Donatello roughly shook his arms off. "He's lost too much, he cut deeply into his stomach and probably intestines; I don't even know how to repair this much damage!" he cried.

Raphael panted heavily both from rage and sadness. "There must be something we can do…"

Oni-san kochira te no naru hou e

Donna ni nigete mo tsumaete ageru

Michelangelo stared at the dark, thick, increasingly large size of blood. He shook his head slowly, not believing any of this. Jayden's face had blood splattered in small droplets. The terrifying part was seeing the lifeless eyes, the gaped mouth, drooling black beads of blood. Knees crumpled to the ground, splashing into the dark liquid. "This can't be… He can't just…"

Leonardo wrapped an arm around his baby brother, the latter clutching it tightly. He lost his mind, Mikey. Once that disappears, death his blessing," he said softly. "I'm sorry, Mike."

Higurashi ga naku kemnomichi kara

Kikioete ita koe wa mou nai

Splinter closed the lifeless eyes of the boy they barely got to know. "Why does suffering always happen to those so young?" he asked quietly to no one. Donatello was right, however.

Kono yubi tomare watashi no yubi ni

Sono yubi gota tsurete tte ageru

Higurashi go naku akazu no mori e

Atomordori wa mou dekinai

Michelangelo broke from his brothers arm, and placed a finger on the neck. No pulse, not even a bit of warmth. Death claimed him before they could save him. Michelangelo pondered deeply is Jayden really wanted to die. He pondered if Jayden decided that his left was worthless, even though there were people who cared for him.

Oni-san kochira te no naru hou e

Donna ni nigete mo tsukameate ageru

The Rat embraced the Mechanic. The Mechanic sobbed into the Rat's shoulder. Raphael, however, made no reaction. No tears, no rage, nothing. Golden eyes held their gaze on the body. The Hothead's mouth mouth remain agape, letting eveey thing sick in. The rich pool of blood that tainted his skin, the unlocked eyes, and the feeling of regret for not saving him.

Michelangelo wondered how things had fallen apart like this. Perhaps if Leonardo hadn't left on his pilgrimage, they would not have separated. They lost faith and trust in another. Hamato was stained. The youngest turtle, the Killer, now concluded that if they did not lose hope, or broke each other until the point of shattering, this fate could have been prevented.

Higurashi ga naku kemonomichi kara

Kikoete ita keo wa mou nai

Note: Not what ya though, huh? Originally, I created this chapter to add some more suspense to the story. I hope I did well! Higurashi is one of my favorite songs. Since I express myself through action and art, I listen to this song when I feel hopless, then I listen to a lighter song, and that brings me back up.

English Lyrics? Here ya go!

Behind where I looked back (Who's in the front?)
I raised my claws at the darkness (and ripped the night apart)

Raindrops turn into droplets of blood
and run down my cheeks
If there isn't a place for me to return anywhere anymore

Take these fingers, my fingers
I'll take all your fingers away
To the unopenable forest where cicadas cry
There's no turning back anymore

People disappear one by one (blue flames)
On the other side of the darkness (the morning won't come anymore)

With countless wriggling and stretching hands in the mirror,
Come on, lure someone here

Oni-san, come here, to where my hands clap*
No matter how you run away, I'll catch you
The voice that was coming from the animal trail
where cidadas cry, is no more

Take these fingers, my fingers
I'll take all your fingers away
To the unopenable forest where cicadas cry
There's no turning back anymore

Oni-san, come here, to where my hands clap
No matter how you run away, I'll catch you
The voice that was coming from the animal trail
where cidadas cry, is no more