Oruku Saki was sleeping soundly in his opulent bedroom. It was easy for him to do. He did not worry himself with the number of enemies he had, whether inside or outside of his organization. He had plenty of guards to afford him that sense of security. It's unfortunate he took that for granted.

"Wake up," Raphael ordered.

Saki opened his eyes to the point of a sword touching his throat. He followed the steel blade up to see a green figure staring at him. "Which one of the mutants are you?" he questioned, his eyes searching for his guards. He couldn't see any of them and heard no other sounds, save Raphael's voice.

"Raphael," the turtle answered. "Don't bother shouting for help," he removed the sword from Saki's throat.

Wondering what exactly was going on, Saki rose up and stared at the mutant in front of him. "Why?" he asked suspiciously.

Raphael grinned and turned around, walking over to a large curtain at the outer edge of the room. He pulled on it, hard, making the large clothe fall to the floor. When he did, it revealed a pile of bodies, tossed haphazardly together. "You really should take better care in training you men, Shredder." Raphael answered. He began to walk back to where his former enemy was now standing. "They didn't even offer me a challenge."

"What is it you're after, Raphael?" Saki's interest had been peaked. He studied him, wondering what is was he desired. The turtle was standing there, so confident and with a gleam in his eye. "Why are you here?"

Raphael tossed the sword onto the bed and made himself comfortable in a nearby chair. "The same thing you're after," he waved his hand around. "The death of my family."

"April!" Casey called out. "Are you okay?!" He ran over to her while Leonardo went to check on Splinter. "What happened?"

April wrapped her arms around Casey and allowed him to help her up. "He……..he tried to….." she paused. She couldn't even say it. The look in her eyes told Casey all he needed to know.

"I'll kill him," he growled low.

"No," April protested as she was helped to the couch. "there's something wrong with him."

Casey stared at her wondering why she was defending the one who tried to attack her.

"That's not Raphael. It didn't even sound like him," she explained.

Michelangelo brought April a glass of water and looked at his father. "Are you okay, sensei?"

"Yes Michelangelo, I am fine." Splinter replied. He looked around the room and his eyes stopped on April. "I think it would be best Ms. O'Neil if you gathered your things and returned with us."

April nodded and went into her room to start packing.

Casey waited for her door to close before he began speaking. "Will someone please tell me what's going on here?! What's wrong with him?"

Shredder sat at the head of the table, enjoying his breakfast. Hun and Karai were on either side of him. They had been listening to their master tell them about their new ally in the fight against their enemies, the turtles.

Hun had a hard time believing anyone was going to be able to get close to the mutants. Karai was curious to know who it was. "Master Shredder," she asked. "Who would be able to infiltrate the turtles and then tell us their weaknesses? Can we trust such a person?"

"No my daughter, not a person, but another mutant." Shredder responded and continued to eat his breakfast.

"I'm curious to see who this mutant is," Hun snarled.

"Very well," Shredder conceded. He turned towards the door and nodded. The sentry standing in place understood the signal and opened the door.

Both Karai and Hun's eyes went wide as they watched the large turtle stroll in as if he owned the place. Raphael stopped and stood beside the Shredder. "Please," Shredder pointed to an empty seat. "Join us."

Not paying attention to the strange looks he received, Raphael did as he was asked and took a seat. Immediately a plate of food was placed in front of him. He ignored everyone else as he began to eat.

"Father!" Karai shrieked. "You cannot be serious! How can we trust this creature?!" Karai stood up and walked over to Raphael, grabbing the edge of his chair, she jerked it around so he was facing her. "What have you done to him you filthy……"

Karai never finished her sentence. Immediately Raphael stood up and stared at her. Glaring, he reached out and grabbed her by the throat, lifting her off the ground, "I wouldn't say such things if I were you," he growled.

As soon as Raphael moved, Hun stood up, waiting on Shredders instructions. Oddly, the oriental man sat silently and continued eating, as if nothing was happening. Hun began to move around the table to where Raphael was, until Saki placed his hand out and stopped him.

Realizing he wasn't going to be interrupted, Raphael continued to hold Karai, watching her face change colors and listening to her gasp for breath. "You father trusts ME, you little witch. Unlike you." He noticed the look on her face as her feet dangled above the ground. "You see," he continued. "I could have killed you father last night but I didn't. Instead, I showed him how poorly you had trained his elite." He tightened his grip, completely cutting off her air. "One would think that you purposely slacked in their training, in hopes that your father would be killed. Then you would be placed in charge."

Seeing that Karai was close to passing out, Shredder finally intervened. "Enough Raphael. You may put her down now." He stared at his adoptive daughter, as she slumped into her chair, gasping for air. "I believe your point has been made." He turned his attention to Hun, who stood there, in amazement of what happened. "Hun," Shredder ordered. "Take Raphael, furnish him with weapons and have a room prepared for him. Make sure," he emphasized. "That he has everything he requires."

Not knowing what else to do, the large man complied. "Follow me," he ordered to Raphael. Hun was not polite in his introductions around Foot headquarters. His first step was to take Raphael to the weapons master to make his selections.

The turtle's April and Casey quietly returned to the lair. Leonardo went to check things out before allowing anyone else to enter. He returned momentarily with the word that all was clear. "It's safe," he said allowing his family to enter.

Warily, everyone began to walk in. "Donatello," Leonardo spoke. His voice startled the jumpy turtle. "Listen to me Don," Leonardo looked him in the eye. "I need you to change the codes on the alarm. I don't want Raphael making his way in here." He paused waiting for a reaction.

Donatello just nodded in agreement with Leonardo's directions. "I'll set up the back-up system as well," he murmured quietly and walked off.

"What happened Leo?" Casey asked. "He seems so jumpy and…..scared."

"During a sparring session," Michelangelo swallowed a lump that had formed in his throat. "Raphael almost killed him."

Casey sat on the couch beside April, waiting on an explanation for their friend's violent behavior. "I don't understand," Casey admitted. "What's going on with him?"

"I believe, Mr. Jones," Splinter walked down from the stairwell. "I will find the answer in this." He held up a red, nameless book and walked over to his seat. "Your brother's journal," he eyed Leonardo and Michelangelo. "Perhaps there is something here that will shed some light on our current situation." Cautiously, Splinter opened the journal and began flipping through the most recently penned pages, gazing at the words written on them.

While Splinter was looking through the book, Donatello returned and joined his family in the main living area. Leonardo noticed the look of apprehension on his face and the nervousness emanating from their friend April. "Mike," he looked at his youngest brother. "Why don't you help me make some tea for everyone. It might help to calm everyone down a bit." Agreeing, Michelangelo stepped into the kitchen with his brother. In a matter of a few minutes, everyone was holding a warm mug of tea.

"When did all this start happening?" April asked. She looked at Leonardo waiting on an answer.

"A few days ago," Leonardo began. "We went into the Volpahart building." He looked at Casey. "Angel's brother was down there and she wanted us to go get him out of there."

"I remember her telling me about that," Casey answered. "She didn't go into the bottom of it with you guys though, did she? She said she stayed on the ground floor of the building with the old man."

"She did," Leonardo continued. "We went down into the underground and there was some giant monster. Apparently he fed off of the greed of others. It was how he controlled them, by offering them money or power." Leonardo took a sip of his tea and inhaled for a moment. "While we were down there, it captured us and put us in some sort of cell like in a beehive. It played on our worst fears and made them seem real." Leonardo shuddered when he remembered running his swords through the image of his father. "We all faced a different situation. I battled Splinter, Michelangelo dreamt that I had joined with the monster and Donnie," he indicated to his brother, "he dreamt that something happened to Angel and he couldn't do anything to save her."

"What was Raphael's?" April asked. She was sitting up against Casey, his arms around her.

"April," Casey interrupted. "I doubt he told them anything."

"You're right Casey," Michelangelo added. "He didn't tell us anything. I was kind of hoping he told you what happened but I guess not, huh."

"Sorry Mike," Casey apologized. "I wish I could shed some light on the situation."

"Perhaps this will help us," Splinter spoke up. "I believe I may have found something in your brother's journal." He cleared his throat and began to read.

We rescued Angel's brother from the Volpahart building. There was some kind of monster down there. While we were there, it caught us and stuck us in some goop. I don't know about the other's but I had a nightmare down there. I dreamt I was fighting the Shredder but when I knocked his helmet off, I was staring at myself.

I had another nightmare. This time, I watched as my other self mutilated my family. I or my other self slit Leo's throat, ran my sai through Donnie's throat and pinned him to the table, Michelangelo had my other sai pushed through the side of his head. I walked into Sensei's room and watched as I cut Master Splinter's head completely off. I'm losing control.

I can't keep this up. I think I'm going insane. I keep dreaming that I'm killing my friends and family. I can't even write down what I did to April or how I killed Casey. I tried to fight myself but I lost. I'm in hell and I can't escape.

"No wonder he wouldn't tell us," Michelangelo shook his head in disbelief. "He probably was scared of what we would have thought of him." He wanted to cry, he had never felt so hopeless before. "Is there anything we can even do to help him?"

April set her cup on the table and leaned over to reassure Michelangelo. Gently she squeezed his hand and forced a smile. "We'll do whatever it takes Mikey. We'll bring him back."

Leonardo watched his family and eyed Donatello, sitting silently in the chair. "Donnie?" he questioned. "I need you to tell me what's going on."

Donatello looked up at his brother and shook his head. "I have to wonder Leo." He stood up and walked around still holding his mug of tea. He sighed for a moment and then turned back around to everyone. "What if he doesn't want help? What if there isn't anything that we can do and this is how he is? Then what?"

Casey didn't want to listen to that. Immediately he stood up and began to argue with the purple banded turtle. "How can you say that?! This is your brother you're talking about! You heard what Splinter read just as well as the rest of us, Raph needs our help!" Angry and full of rage at what was happening, Casey did the only thing he could think of. He threw his mug across the room at the wall and watched as it shattered into pieces.

"Enough!" Leonardo yelled at the two who were arguing. "Donnie," he spoke sternly. "Whether he wants it or not, Raph is getting our help. We're going to need you on this one, Raph is going to need you." He put his hand on his brother's shoulder and gave him a pleading look. "I know you're scared, we all are. Please," he begged. "Don't let him fall into this darkness."

Donnatello looked at Leonardo and saw the desperation in his brother's eyes. "Ok," he whispered. "What do we need to do?"

Splinter had been sitting in his chair, waiting and watching. He knew that he couldn't make his son's help Raphael. It would have to be of their own choice. He also had faith that his family was strong and would stick together. His faith in his boys was not unfounded. Nodding at Leonardo and Donatello as they sat down and looked at him he spoke, "There is one more entry." He told them. He turned the page to final message and waited for everyone to settle before he read it. "This one is very different from the rest."

We know you're reading this old rat. You're too late. We don't want your help, remember. When we see you again, we'll kill you.

Splinter cleared his throat. "It even seems as if it were written by a completely different person. Even the handwriting is nothing like the other entries."

"Maybe," Donatello perked up, "Because it was." He stood up and walked over to his father and held out his hand. "Can I see that for a moment Sensei?"

Splinter agreed and handed the book over. Donatello immediately took and flipped back a page and reread the selections. His family watched as he paced back and forth, turning the pages and looking again at the last entry.

"What are you thinking don?" Michelangelo asked.

Donatello held up a finger to silence his brother for a moment and shut the book. "Remember what he said at April's? 'We don't need any help.' He didn't say I, he said WE." He emphasized that last word. The gears were beginning to turn as he considered even more clues about his brother's behavior. "April," he turned towards her, not really looking at her, still thinking. "You said it didn't sound like him. Why?"

April sat up and considered all that had happened only hours ago. "It just didn't," she tried to explain. "He was so quiet and was almost crying when he got there. His voice was so soft spoken. He even apologized for what he was going to do. Then, when he turned around, he just looked evil and his voice was so harsh." She stopped and shook a little when she though about what had almost had happened, what might have been had her friends not stopped him. "It looked like him but that was all that seemed like Raph."

"Alright Donnie," Casey insisted. "Spill it," he ordered. "What's happened to him?"

"I'm not 100 positive Casey," Donatello stood with his left hand on his hip and his right one rubbing at his chin. "But it almost sounds like Raph is fighting with multiple personality disorder."

Next chapter is in the works and will be up soon, I think.

(cringes in fear) there's a plot bunny that hides at the foot of my bed. Really.