A/N: O.o Whoa! Eleven reviews already! . You guys are so good to me. So, as promised, here is the next part. Unfortunately... I will be going on a mission trip and will not be returning until Father's Day. So you'll have a little while to wait. But don't worry, it is ready! I just need to get it typed up on here and stuff. Once again, thank you to all my readers, and especially to my reviewers - you make writing worth it!
Disclaimer: Don't own 'em. Do ya really have to rub it in?
"Hi-yah!" Raph shouted as he launched himself at Mikey. He and Mikey were only training, but he felt himself getting frustrated. Even with broken ribs, burned hands, and a still-healing ankle, Mikey was beating him hands-down. Raph had always had a hard time beating Mikey, but since their return from the Gigen home world, no one had been able to beat him in a sparring match easily, not even Leo. At first, they had taken it easy on him because of his injuries, but when he accidentally launched Don into the second story, they'd stopped being easy. Raph had been losing to Mikey a lot lately, and he hated losing, especially to Mikey. Mikey always made fun of him, but even that had changed. He hardly gloated any more when he won; he almost seemed regretful. As much as Raph hated to admit it, he wanted the old Mikey back.
Raph focused his energy into a low spin kick. He managed to catch Mikey right at the ankles, accidentally hitting his bad ankle hard. Mikey gasped in pain, but instead of falling to the ground, he landed on his bandaged hands. He spun on his hands and kicked Raph in the chest - hard. Raph went flying backwards. He hit the ground hard and rolled a few times. He quickly got to feet, failing to hide his shock at Mikey's speed and resourcefulness. Mikey was just standing there, keeping his weight off of his bad leg, looking both surprised and regretful. "Are you okay?" he asked.
"I'm fine," Raph grunted. "Let's keep going," he added, settling into an attack stance.
"Suit yourself," Mikey replied. He didn't move, though.
Raph launched himself at Mikey again. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Leo and Don watching from the sidelines. He leapt high in the air, aiming a kick at Mikey's head. Mikey waited until the last possible second, then suddenly moved like lightning. His hands shot up and caught Raph's foot. He spun around on his good leg and released Raph's foot, sending Raph flying again. Raph twisted, landed, then leapt at Mikey once more. Caught off guard, Mikey had just enough time to turn before Raph's foot caught him right in the middle of his bandaged chest. Mikey's eyes widened in surprise and pain as the pair tumbled to the ground. "Sorry, bro," Raph muttered.
Suddenly Raph saw a flash of rage cross his brother's face, and in a flash Mikey suddenly rolled over, pinning Raph to the ground. Raph flinched as a nunchuck suddenly appeared in Mikey's hand, and just as he was about to send it into Raph's face, he stopped himself. His expression changed from rage to shock, and he dropped his nunchuck. "Oh man," he whispered, quickly getting off of Raph.
"Mikey? What's-?" Raph began, but Mikey just stepped back, horror on his face, then turned and scaled the ladder that led to his room on the second floor. Don and Leo rushed over as Raph got to his feet, holding Mikey's nunchuck.
"What the shell was that about?" Don asked.
"I have no idea," Raph replied. "I just muttered 'sorry' when he suddenly got real mad. Then he stopped, and just left."
Leo frowned. "I'm really worried about him," he said. "He has not been himself at all."
Don nodded. "Not that he hasn't tried. But his mysterious attitude worries me more than his sudden super skills. I wish he would talk to us. I thought that he was himself at the Daimyo's place."
Leo blinked. Don's words stirred a memory of the discussion that he'd had with Mikey in the pavilion - a discussion that he had subconsciously tried to forget.
"I never asked… but, what happened? Out in the arena that day? I mean, you were kinda getting…"
"My shell shellacked?" Mikey finished with half a smirk. It quickly faded into a small, sad frown. "Kluh… he threatened you guys… and I remembered what you had said earlier… and something just kinda… snapped, I guess…"
Leo was shocked to see tears forming in the corners of Mikey's eyes. "Is that what happened against Drexen?" he asked softly.
"Yeah… no… I dunno! When I saw Drexen go after Raph… something snapped again… but then something else took over," Mikey replied after a moment.
"Something else?" Leo said, surprised.
"Like a force… or a person… or something. I'd kinda been feeling it for a little bit, but when I snapped… it took… control… and I kinda… let it," Mikey whispered, a tear trickling down his face. Seeing Leo's shocked look, he added, "I think I was supposed to then… I don't know… I - I was just so scared that I was gonna lose you guys and…"
"He wasn't himself at the Daimyo's place, either," Leo whispered. Raph and Don snapped their heads around to look at him. "He put up a front for you guys, but he was really torn up about the fight with Drexen. I think that Mikey wasn't necessarily the Chosen One."
"Huh?" Raph asked, wrinkling his forehead in confusion. Don looked just as confused.
"I think he may have been possessed by something - or someone - to make him the Chosen One," Leo replied.
"Wh-what? What do you mean, Leo?" Don stammered, eyes wide.
Leo sighed. "When we were in the pavilion, Mikey and I were talking," he began. He proceeded to tell them about the conversation he had had with Mikey over a month before.
When he was finished, there was a stunned silence for a moment. Raph's mouth was slightly open. Don looked stunned. "I - I think that's what my dream might mean!" Don whispered finally.
"Huh? What dream?" Leo asked immediately.
Don told them his dream. "And I had it again just last night," he finished.
"I thought all of this Chosen One stuff was over," Raph muttered.
"Come on, we'd better go talk with Master Splinter about all of this," Leo told them. They nodded and silently headed off to their sensei's room.
A/N: Don't kill me! Please, just review if you get a chance! It makes me happy, and when I'm happy, I write, and when I write, then you are all happy, and when you are happy and you review... see how the vicious cycle works? See ya later!
moogsthewriter