A/N: Look! It's a semi-longish chapter! Amazing! I have to admit, I'm kinda impressed with myself because of all your reactions to Mikey's "voice". Thanks for all of the reviews. And in case your wondering, there will be a little action - it starts at the end of this chapter a little. So, yeah, thanks for waiting!

Disclaimer: Results not typical. Your results may vary.

Raph raced up the fire escape. When he caught up with Mikey, he was going to hug him, then kill him. Why on earth had he left? And without any weapons! Was he asking for trouble?

He continued upwards. He, Don, and Leo had split up in their search for Mikey, but he was pretty sure he knew where his little brother was. He leapt onto the roof of the building where Kluh had returned to challenge Mikey to his rematch - the beginning of all of this. He smirked in satisfaction when he spotted the familiar figure on the other side of the roof. He wondered if Mikey even realized where he was, or if he had just come here subconsciously.

He marched silently towards Mikey, fists clenched, having every intent to start chewing his brother out. His anger vanished, though, when Mikey fell to his knees. Thunder rumbled as he stopped a few feet behind Mikey. "No, it wouldn't be worth it," Mikey said softly.

Raph's brow knit together in confusion. He opened his mouth to speak when Mikey suddenly hissed, "No! Leo's the leader, not me!"

Raph's eyes widened. He could now sense his brother's turmoil. He's at war with himself, he thought.

"They - do…" Mikey choked out desperately, as though he was trying to convince himself of something.

Oh, Mikey, what're you thinking, bro?

"Shut up!" Mikey suddenly screamed, looking up at the sky as thunder rumbled. Raph felt a shiver run up his spine. He could've swore he saw the air cackle around his brother. "Just shut up!"

What the shell?

"No! Leave me alone! I don't want it! I never did!" Mikey shouted. His voice cracked, and he choked out, "Please - just - leave me alone."

This is all about that Chosen One crud! Raph realized as he took a step closer to his brother. Rain poured down, completely soaking Mikey. Raph could tell he was crying - his shoulders were quivering.

"I'm completely alone," Mikey whispered heartbrokenly.

That's it! Raph thought, closing the distance and dropping to his knees next to his baby brother. He reached over and pulled him into a hug. Mikey tensed. "It's okay, bro. You're not alone - I'm here," Raph whispered.

After a moment, Mikey relaxed and hugged Raph back, sobbing. Raph held him tighter and rubbed his shell soothingly, just as he used to do when they were little and Mikey had woken up from a nightmare. It was a trick he learned from Splinter.

Apparently the technique still worked. After awhile, the sobs died down, then finally stopped. Raph could tell by Mikey's slow breathing that he had fallen asleep. Slowly he reached behind him and pulled out his shell cell. He pressed a button. "Yeah?" came Leo's voice after a moment.

"I found him," Raph said quietly. "He's okay. He's sleeping right now," he added before Leo could say anything.

Leo sighed in relief. "Where are you?"

"On top of the building at the corner of Eastman and Laird," Raph replied.

"Isn't that where Kluh -?"

"Yeah, it is," Raph cut in. "You'd better get Donny and bring the Battle Shell. He's small, but I still don't think I could carry him all the way back to the lair."

"Okay." A pause. "Are you sure he's okay?"

Raph looked down at his brother. "Physically, yes. Emotionally?" He hesitated for a moment, then said, "I'm really worried, Leo."

Across town, Leo closed his eyes and rubbed them. If Raph was admitting worry to him… "Okay. We'll be there shortly."

"We'll be waiting," Raph replied, then hung up. He gingerly put his phone back in his belt. This time his subtle movement caused Mikey to stir.

"R-Raph?" he moaned, sitting up and rubbing his face. Suddenly his eyes widened. "What are you doing here?" he exclaimed, scooting back a few feet.

Raph stared at him, one eye ridge raised. "I'm here because I'm worried about you, bro. We all are," he answered.

"Why?"

Raph blinked, shocked. "Why? Are you seriously asking that? You're our brother, Mikey! We care about you!"

"Even after what happened?" Mikey asked timidly.

"You mean in the lair? Geez, Mikey, it's no big deal. You should know that I've almost done the same thing. If you ran away because of that, then-"

"No, it wasn't just that!" Mikey exclaimed, leaping to his feet.

Raph slowly got to his feet as Mikey backed up a little bit more. "Then what the shell is this about, Mikey? I heard your little crazy moment, so I know something's not right," he said, crossing his arms.

Mikey smirked faintly. "That was pretty blunt, bro," he remarked.

Raph shrugged. "Eh, you know me," he replied with a faint grin. Then his face got serious again, and he added, "But I don't know if I know you anymore, Mike. You've… changed too much… and… I kinda want… the old you back."

Mikey looked down. "Yeah. Me, too," he said softly. He sighed, then looked back up. Raph could see tears beginning to threaten, and he took a step closer. "Ever since the fight… there's been… well, I've been feeling… something," Mikey said slowly, sitting on the ledge of the building.

Raph sat down next to him. "Something?" he queried.

Mikey nodded, avoiding eye contact. "Something… bad, something… scary," he murmured. He looked up at Raph. "Something evil." Before Raph could comment, he continued, "I first felt it a tiny bit at the rematch. I think it helped give me a little bit of an edge. Although," he added with a bit of a smile, "I don't think I really needed it then. I was so mad at what Kluh said that I just let instinct take over. It wasn't about me anymore, it was about you guys." He paused, searching Raph's eyes. "He threatened you, and I wasn't about to let him get away with that."

"So you don't think this… whatever… was controlling you at the rematch?" Raph asked.

Mikey shook his head. "But it got a lot stronger during the whole Gigen thing. It's like something in me wants to get out, but I know it's bad, so I'm trying to fight it, but… it's getting harder." He didn't even glance up as Don and Leo approached. He continued staring into Raph's eyes. "It's something that almost made me want to kill you."

They were silent for a moment as a faint roll of thunder rumbled in the distance. The rain was starting to lighten up. "Why didn't you say something earlier?" Don asked finally.

"I didn't want to worry you guys any more," Mikey replied, looking down again. "This whole thing is my fault, anyway."

The others all exclaimed in protest. "Mikey, how could you say that?" Leo demanded.

"Yeah, it's the Gigens' fault, not yours," Raph added.

"But if I hadn't been so reckless, maybe the rematch would have turned out differently," Mikey replied. "Maybe I wouldn't have become this in the first place."

Don knelt down so he could look up into Mikey's face. "Don't ever think that, bro. Ariana told us that fate picked the Chosen One. For some reason, you were meant to be the One. It's not your fault, and no matter what you would've done, things still would've worked out the same in the end."

"You can't keep beating yourself up over the past, bro. Trust me. It doesn't work," Leo added wryly.

"An' we can help ya deal with all that other crud," Raph added. He put a hand on Mikey's shoulder. "We'll get through this, bro - together."

Mikey looked at them for a long moment. They could tell something was still bothering him. "Do you guys… do you think I'm a…" He trailed off and looked back down.

"A what?" Leo prompted.

"A liability?" Mikey finished in a hushed whisper.

"Absolutely not! What makes you think we would ever think that?" Don exclaimed.

"Everything bad that's been happening to us has been my fault," Mikey replied. His words started spilling out hurriedly. "I mean, on the ship I nearly got Sensei killed because I couldn't move. I've blown cover more times than I can remember. And this whole thing with the Gigens almost got you killed. And-"

Raph silenced him by putting a hand over his mouth. "Stop it, bro. Sure, sometimes you screw up. We all do, man. It's part of life," he said harshly, gripping his brother's shoulders. "But you are an awesome fighter. You've pulled off so many moves that saved our butts…"

"And when you're focused, you're practically unstoppable. Especially now," Leo added.

Lies. All lies. Mikey didn't reply.

"Mikey, is there something else that's bothering you? Did we make you feel like you're a liability? Is there something we can do?" Don asked.

"No, it wasn't anything you did," Mikey replied hurriedly.

"Then what? Did someone say something?" Leo inquired.

"Sort of," Mikey mumbled. He stood and crossed through them to the other side of the roof. He looked up at the cloudy sky, letting the small raindrops fall on his face. "You guys are going to really think I'm crazy," he said finally, turning back to face them. They were silent, waiting for him to continue. "I've been… hearing a voice… inside my head. It keeps… saying that I should… let the power come back and take over."

They glanced at each other for a moment. "So ignore it," Raph replied. "You said it yourself - you don't want it. Anytime it comes, just ignore it."

"You can always come and talk to us if you want, bro," Don added. "We're always gonna be here for you."

"We don't exactly know what happened to you when you were the Chosen One. This voice could be an aftereffect of it. But whatever it is, we'll help you get through it, okay?" Leo finished, walking over to his brother.

Mikey nodded slightly. "Okay," he whispered. Leo smiled and gave him a small hug.

"Let's go home. I'm all wet, and I don't feel like getting sick," Raph said.

"You guys go on ahead. I'll walk back," Mikey replied. They all looked at him sharply. "I promise, I'm coming home. I just need some more time to think," he told them. When they didn't reply, he added, "Look, Don, give me your shell cell. Will that make you feel better?"

"Much," Don replied with a smile, handing Mikey his phone.

"But you need to be back in an hour, okay? Otherwise we'll be coming after you," Leo told him sternly.

"Yeah, with ropes if we have to," Raph growled. "And I'll personally drag your butt back to the lair and make sure to hit every rock on the way."

Mikey grinned. "Don't worry, I'll be home before then."

Leo and Raph turned and headed back for the alley where the Battle Shell was parked. Don paused, then gave Mikey one last hug. "Be careful, okay, bro?" he whispered.

Mikey pulled away and smiled. "You know me!"

"Yeah, I do," Don replied, giving the end of his bandana a gentle tug. "See ya later."

As Don slid in behind the wheel of the Battle Shell, Raph asked softly, "Do you think this is such a good idea?"

"We need to give Mikey his space. He needs to work this out internally before he'll be completely ready to come to us. I may not like it, but at least he has the shell cell," Don replied as he pulled out.

"We should've given him his weapons," Leo said.

"I think that right now, Mikey is good enough to survive on his own without weapons," Don replied.

"I sure hope so," Raph muttered, staring out the window. "For all our sakes."

On a rooftop a few blocks away, a pair of binoculars focused on the lone turtle returning to the sewers. "I may not be able to get them all at once," the owner muttered with a slight accent. "But if I can get that one, the rest will be sure to follow. Those blasted turtles will pay for what they've done to me. I'll make sure of it," he finished fiercely, the red glow of his artificial eye casting a strange light on his narrowed real eye. "I always get my prey - always."

A/N: Dun dun dunn!! Hmmm... now, who could it be? Just so you know, this guy isn't an original character. He's been featured on the show before. Only once, I believe. So if you want to find out, please review... that writer's block is looming again... and it's a lot closer than last time! So review, review, review!

moogsthewriter