A/N: Hey, guys! How are you doin'? What should I say? Oh! Happy New Year to everyone! (Actually, belated. But better late than never, right?) Gosh! I can't believe it's already 2015! The end of the tale is going so fast, just like how 2014 did and I hope the very best that you're enjoying this story so far! And thank you for the 4000+ views! Of course, I also thank the faithful reviewers and all the people who continue to read!

Okay, here it is! Read and review, if you like!

Chapter 8

April

The red haired teen ran through the sewers and outside it. She quickly grabbed the steel ladder and climbed aboveground. Loud pumps of her heart rang throughout her ears. She was nervous and excited at the same time. She was sent as the ace of the game. What an honor. She wouldn't let her friends go down because of her. She'd do her best to make this simple mission to be done.

Still, she was really not sure of her true purpose on the game. Maybe a spy? Or either a bait? No. Leo wouldn't do that to her. Maybe she's a backup. Well, whatever it was, she trusted her friends for that.

The warm sunlight almost burned her delicate skin. Global warming is quickly giving its effects to humans, especially in cities where pollution is evident. Next time, she would bring her umbrella for at least protect her skin from the harmful ultraviolet rays of the sun.

Her blue orbs sparkled, like the big, round sun above. Courage and strength occupied her thoughts. She was heading straight and towards the Times Square. She knew an abandoned building there. Probably left about years ago. She only hoped that this building wasn't sold or rather occupied by someone else. Every step brought her a little sting because of the force she gave, but those did not matter to her.

While running in the streets, she was focused only on her way straightforward. But a thought had entered into her mind. Donnie's hug and his cries. Is everything that worse for him to cry like that? They had been in so many problems other than that, but maybe this was only the first time one of them became open to his feelings. How about the others? Maybe they only pretend that they were fine, even if they were not. What should be the right thing to do? This made her mind go in circles. How about Leo himself? Until now, she hadn't heard him tell what he felt. He was very secretive and mysterious. Sometimes, she is the one who goes beside Leo and tell what she feels. He gave very helpful advices and comforting words, but never she gave one to Leo.

Yes, she tried her best to help all of her best friends, but how would she do that if she didn't know what was the problem? She remembered a day, when Leo and Raph had a fight. She was known to sense negative emotions and such, so she felt their hearts. Inside Raph, she felt guilt. Something she always feels inside Raph. But Leo was completely different. Mixed emotions were clouded upon him, but a certain feeling was dominant; his angst. Something that for the first time she sensed. If he would store that particular anger inside of him any longer, he might say or do something everyone would regret.

She rolled her eyes around, finding the structure. She panted, while cold sweat falls down from her forehead. She wiped out the dirt that entered her eyes. After wiping her head, her eyes captured a certain structure. That's it! She hurriedly went infront of the abandoned structure's door and peeked inside. No one was there. She only saw broken ceilings, several crates and a ladder. This was the perfect place.

She quickly grabbed her T-Phone and typed a message that she sent to Donnie. Her heart pounded so loud like a battalion of soldiers in a march, as she silently entered the building.

-'":;!?,.

Leo and Donnie

"How do you feel?" Donnie asked Leo while wrapping his arm with clean bandages.

"I'm fine, compared the last time." Leo stretched his arm and rotated his hand. "Do you think it may lead into amputation?"

Donnie looked flabbergasted as he almost blasted into laughter. "Come on, it's not. You wouldn't be able to move it if it needs to. Besides, the puncture did not touch any bone, but cut several arteries and veins. It means that you lost about one and a half pint of your blood, which can make you very much tired or nauseous. Gladly you didn't experience shock." You silly.

Leo sighed and massaged his injured arm, gently. "Thank goodness."

"You're not serious with that question, are you?" Donnie raised a brow.

"Of course, I am. Just by the looks of it, you know. It sends me the creeps."

Donnie chuckled before standing up. "Alright, so let's get started. But I warn you. You cannot force yourself to do something, particularly fighting. If the wound reopens, I cannot tell what will happen, but to be exact, you may pass out and become useless for the time being. So please, be careful. If ever you feel you need to throw up, inform me immediately. Your wound is serious, and extremely fatal. We cannot tell what will happen. We need be cautious. "

Leo bit his lips and turned his head down. "I know. Thanks Donnie. I appreciate everything." Leo smiled, as the both of them stood up and headed straight.

"Uh, Donnie." Leo bit his cheeks. Here it is.

"Hmm?" Donnie turned his head over his shoulder.

"I need to tell you something." The purple banded turtle stopped and faced his brother.

I need to start now. It's now or never. "Since I have an arm that's useless, I can't fight properly with it."

Leo hesitated with saying his intention. If they find out what's his real plan, they will totally kill him. A life at risk? A total wreck. But he had no choice.

"What are you trying to say, Leo?" Donnie's face became skeptical, a brow raised.

Oops. He couldn't easily fool around Donnie. He may figure out the real thing.

"You must be the one who will fight, while I am the one who will hold the T-Phone, so if ever Tiger Claw tracks us with our smells, I can use the dog whistle." Leo flashed a smile and a very serious look from his eyes. Donnie's eyes widened as he bit his lips.

"Is that a command from our leader?" Leo smiled a little. "Yes." Leo said, sternly, before smirking.

They both laughed shortly. Donnie handed his T-Phone to Leo and continued to walk.

"Let me ask you something," Donnie turned his head above and placed a hand on his chin. Asking isn't a bad thing to do, is it? Nothing would be lost if he'd ask something anyway.

"I know this is a very weird question to ask, but I really need to know."

"What is it, Don? Say it." Leo raised a brow, while taking a short glance at the phone's screen. He was waiting for April's text. She must find a shelter as soon as possible, before anyone else would know what was his plan.

"Are you...mad to us or something?" Donnie felt an extreme dose of awkwardness. Leo, his eldest brother, would be mad at them? Of course it was a really awful thing to ask, but from what he had seen about some hours ago, a little had been changed.

Leo paused for a while as his eyes narrowed. "No, I'm not." His brother was doubting him. A knife had crossed his heart and punctured it.

"I just...feel that you are, somehow." Donnie stopped and bowed his head, indicating the genius' insecurity. This had made Leo's heart thorn into very little pieces. He was not the only one who suffered hurtful things. So did his little brothers.

"Donatello," The blue banded turtle went nearer to his brother. He placed a hand on Donnie's shoulder gently and sighed. "Whatever happened to us that night, forget it. Just please always remember that... I love you guys, no matter what. I will do anything to protect you, even away from myself. I will stay the same, your brother and your leader, even I deserve nothing like that." He felt like he was being squeezed tightly. Almost he felt like, he couldn't breathe. His heart was crumpled, his chest was worn.

Donnie turned his head over his shoulder and smiled. At last, he heard his big brother's caring words and felt his calm charm, not the deadly grasp over him from the last time. He faced his brother and hesitated if he will hug him or not. Maybe he would swallow him whole, even worse than grabbing his neck and hanging it in the air.

Leo noticed his brother's hesitation. Another deep cut within his already wounded heart. He stepped forward and wrapped his left arm around Donnie's shell. You don't have to be afraid. I'll be with you, no matter what Donnie, no matter what. The purple banded turtle returned the hug and laid his chin on Leo's shoulder. He remarkably stopped his incoming blast of tears and replaced it with a tighter hug.

The two of them understand each other. Both of them feel some pain, but in different ways.

They both released each other from the hug. They shortly glanced at each other and smiled; the smiles that greatly reduced each other's insecurities. Leo tapped his brother's shoulder and smiled that was full of reassurance. I will stay the same, Donnie. I promise. The duo continued to walk, and silence echoed throughout the sewers.

From Leo's hand, the T-Phone vibrated and its screen lighted. Leo quickly pressed a button and opened the message. He glanced shortly on his front to be sure that Donnie was not staring at him. It's good to be sure.

Hey, Leo. I saw a building and it's perfect, I think. I'll be waiting here, five blocks and a right turn from Byerly Building. I'll open my GPS for you to find me exactly. Good luck, and please, stay safe.

He smiled a little and wiped a drop of sweat from his forehead. Another job well done. Everything is according to plan, as of now. Leo only hopes that it would stay the same, as the time goes on.

-'":;!?,.

Raph and Mikey

"I'm not sure of our way, Raph. I think we should head back...south." Mikey stopped for a while and looked up at the concrete ceiling of the sewerage.

"South?! Are you crazy?! That's where we came from just a while ago and I bet, that psycho Tiger Claw is waiting for our heads to roll in front of him. So stop guessing directions or I'll be the one to tell you the right direction!" Raph blurted out and shot a killing glare at Mikey while threatening his brother with a punch.

"Well, I guess we need to find Donnie and Leo first before doing any kind of action. Not if we can call somebody to help us. That would be great." Mikey stopped and placed a hand on his cheek.

Raph's eyes grew large and stared at Mikey. "You're a genius, Mikey! You're the best! Finally you gave something very useful!" The red banded turtle playfully punched his brother's shoulder and quickly grabbed his phone.

"Really? I did?" Mikey's expression was skeptical as he pondered his thoughts of something.

"This is not part of the so-called plan, but five heads are better than one." Raph dialled someone from his T-Phone.

"Casey? Hey man, are you there? Come on, we need your help." Raph was starting to get desperate.

"Who do you think would answer? And what will we do, huh? Bust some purple dragon's head and make him scream like an-"

"Come on, Casey! It's not time for playing! Your own head would explode like nothing instead of a purple dragon's head, so listen to me!" Raph literally screamed at the phone.

"Whoa. Raph dude, chill. Alright, I'll listen. What is it anyway? Why do you ninjas need Casey Jones' help? Are the villains too much for you to handle that you even need to call me? "

Raph growled and frowned. "Mark my word, Casey. Once we beat this cat, I am going to add more gaps in your teeth."

From the other line, Casey laughed shortly. "I'll be expecting that, dude, but a cat? You need my help to beat a cat?! Gimme a break, Raphael."

"Look. We are currently wasting time in chatting about nonsense things. But this is not an ordinary cat. He is an experienced assassin and has a taste of death like a killing machine who is currently up to one of my brothers. He's from the Foot Clan, Casey. Sent by Shredder himself."

Casey paused for a while. "Where are you now?"

Raph smirked. "At the manhole, of course. I'm with Mikey."

The red banded turtle turned off the phone, ending the call, but before he was able to place the device in his pocket, a message was sent to him. He opened the text message. Mikey went beside him and read also the text.

Raph, here's what you gonna do. From where you are right now, head south and never turn at any directions. You two must be there within two minutes. Me and Donnie will just be there, waiting. If ever you need to fetch Casey from somewhere, please do it faster. Time is ticking.

What the- How did he know about Casey? Raph frowned and inserted the phone in his pocket. His elder brother was really...enchanted. How could he know about Raph's plan? Well, the explanations are either Leo was trained by Master Splinter so many ways to predict somebody's mind or he has a secret tracking device planted inside his brain that enables him to know where they are.

"See? I was right! I was right! We must head south, we must head south!" Mikey chanted and circled around Raph. "Hah! You see! Sometimes, you must let me decide."

Raph growled and closed his eyes tightly. "Stop or else my fist will head south of your face!"

"Okay, but admit it... I...was...right!" The orange banded turtle stopped and pointed out Raph using a finger, tormenting him, his own unique way to place Raph at the bottom.

Raph had no choice but to place his pride a little lower. "Fine! You were right! There, are you happy?!"

"Absolutely" The youngest turtle smiled, mischievously.

-'":;!?,.

Raph and Mikey ran throughout the sewers, the sounds of their footsteps barely heard. They both grabbed the steel ladder, with Mikey at the front and Raph at his back. Michelangelo gently pushed away the manhole cover and slid it into his right, making a very feeble sound. He climbed above, with Raph following him. Raphael scanned the ground, to be sure no one was able to follow them aboveground. While he was double-cheking the place, Mikey was also doing his part. He also observed the surroundings, finding any signs of humans to interfere.

They both turned to each other simultaneously, and gave a thumbs up, to signal them that the coast is clear. Raph climbed up and stood beside Mikey. They waited for Casey to show up from somewhere.

After a few minutes of waiting, Casey appeared with a loud stomp that came from the nearest fire escape. "I'm all fired up!" Casey covered his painted face with a mask, probably used by hockey players, or only Casey himself. He's wearing his usual gear, several hockey sticks on his back and a sort of glove customized by him.

Raph stepped forward and fist-bumped with Casey. "Alright, let's go." The trio entered the manhole and ran, as noiselessly as possible. But of course, a big fat cross for Casey Jones. He's not good in stealth, or to be exact, he is not stealthy. They all headed to the direction where Donnie and Leo were waiting.

Raph quickly went beside Leo and examined his bandaged arm. Sometimes, he is being overprotective or rather, overreacting. "How are you feeling?" He asked whilst taking a glance with Leo.

"You don't have to worry. It's fine now." Leo shook off Raph's hand from his arm as gentle as he could. Not that he was being selfish, but he doesn't want to have all the attention to him.

"I'm not asking about the stab. I'm asking about you. " Raph said as he breathed out. He really hates this attitude of his elder brother. He is always hiding everything from them. Even his condition. He always pretends to be alright, and then just a moment, they could see him sick and all.

"What did I say just a while ago? You don't have to worry. I can handle this myself. Just trust me." Leo turned his back and creased his brows. What his brothers couldn't understand is that he only tries to protect them. He only tries to get them out of trouble. It does not matter that he'll be the one to suffer. He only cares for his younger brothers, and their safety.

"Fine. If you want to take care of yourself in that way, so be it. I won't be looking after you anyway." What's with him? I'm the one with anger issues around here. Raph turned his back as well and crossed his arms. "I thought, you wanted me to help you. That's what I'm doing right now, and you reject me."

Leo was once again, directly hit in his nerves. He couldn't believe that Raph was right. He was rejecting him. He flinched, and closed his eyes.

The two younger turtles sighed, and shook their heads. "Come on! There's someone hunting us! Please retain the peace among the two of you, or we'll end up as turtle sushis." Mikey went at the middle of the two 'raging' turtles and placed his one hand on Raph's shoulder and one on Leo's back.

"Why don't you tell that to the 'Fearless high blood leader'. I was not the one who started this." Raph turned his head an inch.

"Leo?" Mikey turned to the blue clad turtle and smiled a little.

Leo turned his head above and sighed. "Donnie, have you checked Raph's arm?"

"Uh, no, not yet of course." Donnie didn't need to be told what he needed to do. He went towards Raph and gestured, let me see.

Raph, on the other hand, did not refuse. He stretched out his arm and let Donnie observe it. "Actually, I don't need this. It was just a scratch. And a few tranquilliser, I think." Raph shrugged and rolled his eyes away from anyone's sight.

"Yup. Everything's fine with Raph. But just to make sure, I will put a little amount of antiseptics on your wound, okay?" Donnie slid his duffel bag from his side into his front and opened it. He grabbed a small white canister that was labeled, "Hydrogen Peroxide. Do. Not. Touch. This. Mikey." with a very rushed penmamship and turned the lid. He grabbed a cotton ball and clipped it using tweezers. He poured a small amount of hydrogen peroxide on the cotton swab. He then applied it on Raph's wound and placed it back into his bag.

"You're all set." Donnie stood up and gestured to Leo.

"Okay, so everything is fine. Be sure that all of you hold their T-Phones. Even you, Casey. Donnie sent a file in each that we will be using. Donnie and Mikey, go right. Casey and Raph, left. We must surround Tiger Claw and stay hidden as possible. Once I get out and raised a hand, that's my signal for you to activate the whistle. Got it?" Leo rolled his eyes to the right.

"Yes." Everybody, except Raph, said in unison.

"Raph?" Leo glanced over his shoulder.

"Yeah, whatever you say." He said, lamely.

"Good. After activating, go topside and then at the location I am going to send." Leo looked straightforward.

"What about you? What will you do?" Casey asked, raising a brow behind his mask.

"Tiger Claw is after...me, which means he cares nobody but me. I will show myself, then I'll run with you."

"After you, alone? I'm going nuts." Casey placed a hand on his head.

"Do you think this will work, Leo?" asked Donnie.

"It has to." Leo bowed his head down and clenched a fist. He had no choice, but to do something out of the line. If his plan wouldn't work, then, he would accept the loss. He didn't know what would Shredder do to him. But whatever it was, it may be connected to what happened the last night. Maybe some sort of revenge. But why did Shredder wanted only him instead of the whole family? Or Splinter? This was making his head go crazy. Adding to his insanity, was his unexpected aggressiveness. What the heck was happening with him? He only hoped that Donnie had the answers for that.

-'":;!?,.

"Once I get my hands to one of your brothers, Leonardo. I will not hesitate to crush him using my bare hands!" Tiger Claw scanned the whole sewers using his sense of smell and hearing to find his target.

Unbeknownst to him, the turtles and Casey were surrounding him, about yards farther from him. Only the whites in their eyes were visible in the dark.

"Why don't you try to look here?" A known voice that came from Tiger Claw's left was heard. It was from Casey Jones.

The mutant tiger quickly turned to that direction and drew his claws out. He smirked, and thanked his remarkable ability. He could see the turtle's silhouettes in the dark. Even though his vision wasn't clear than that of a real feline because of his human DNA, his eyes could still gather enough light from the surroundings and transfer it into his retina, which creates a good quality of image to his brain. These turtles couldn't fool him. He scanned their scents. An unfamiliar smell reached his nose- a human's scent.

"Oh come on! Over here!" Mikey snapped and yelled from the right side, without revealing his figures.

"Dude! That tiger must look over here! Every coolness can be seen from here!" Casey yelled after Mikey.

"Shut down, cave mouth! Everybody knows that looking at the right side of anything is the best thing to do! In fact, right means in Greek is, 'Correct belief' or orthodox!" Donnie's voice suddenly interrupted Casey.

"Oh come on, brainiac! Am I a computer to shut down? Don't you have a gap between your teeth also?" replied Casey.

"Don't even think about being a computer, Casey! You and a paper clip share the same IQ! Or maybe the paper clip is much smarter than you!" Donnie yelled and laughed manically.

Hidden in the dark, Leo facepalmed and growled mentally. They're starting to act like a bunch of little kids that lost their lollipops.

"You! Stick man! I'm gonna-" "Stop this at instance, or I'll suck a ton of candies in your mouths!" Raph snapped and smacked Casey on his head and created a sound that echoed in the sewers. Casey winced and growled. "Hey! You should also hit the windy brainiac!"

"Stop fooling around! I know you're out there, Leonardo. Show yourself to me or else-"

"Or else what?" Leo emerged from the darkness, where he concealed his figure for a while.

Tiger Claw raised a brow and turned to Leo. "I thought you're gone because of that painful slice. Good enough you were not." Tiger Claw averted his attention from the quarrel onto the blue banded turtle. He gestured at the turtle's bandaged arm.

Leo slid his right arm about an inch. "Oh, when did you learn how to worry?" Holy sewer tomatoes. Why am I talking like this? I gotta stop saying things like this.

From the corner of his azure eyes, he captured Tiger Claw's sneaky hand. The mutant tiger swiftly slid a gun from his pocket and aimed it to him. Leo quickly responded to his reflexes and dodged the shot. He launched a backflip and landed at Tiger Claw's back.

"I thought you wouldn't kill me." Leo mumbled and frowned.

"Well, I did not. You are still alive." Tiger Claw grinned and inserted the gun back in its holster.

"I think, I have no choice but to..." Leo turned his head left and right.

Tiger Claw raised a brow and placed both hands on his guns' holsters, preparing for any attacks.

"Now!" Leo yelled and landed a kick on the tiger's leg. After the kick, the other turtles and Casey, altogether pressed their T-Phones as the devices once more, released supersonic sounds that greatly affected Tiger Claw's hearing.

The mutant tiger shouted and placed his hands on both of his ears to cover them. He ducked and squeezed his eyes tightly.

"Go! Go! Move and head to the surface!" Leo told the guys. The team quickly ran away and headed towards the manhole cover. Raph and Casey were at the front, while Leo was at the back. He took a quick glance at Tiger Claw and glared at the mutant feline.

"You're going to regret this, turtle!" Tiger Claw screamed, and watched the turtles' escape.

-'":;!?,.

"Did you know that it's daytime? We were almost caught by someone roaming the city!" Raph blurted out and leaned on Leo.

The blue banded turtle leaned back on Raph and stared sharply. "Of course, I know! Why don't you use your brain to hide away from people's sights?"

Raph leaned back once more and crossed his arms. "Gosh, you think that's so easy? Yeah, easier said than done."

Leo leaned back as well, this time nearer on Raph's face, that made an inch distance between their beaks. "Hard to do? What's your use being a trained ninja? Be able to sneak from us during midnight to bust some skulls?" Leo rolled his eyes at Casey and glared daggers at him. Casey replied with a shrug.

"Hep, hep, hep! Stop this commotion! We have someone on our tails, remember?" Mikey, once again, went between the two and separated both of them. When will this misunderstandings end?

As everyone expected, Leo and Raph glared at Mikey, with their eyes burning with flames. This made the youngest turtle to step back and let the two to solve their quarrel themselves. If steam could be produced by turtles, definitely both Leo and Raph had it. "Ooookay.. I understand."

"Why don't you try to do it yourself? Try to cross the street with thousands of people without being seen."

"Why would I do that? It is not in our mission."

"Are you doubting your own skills, teacher's pet?"

"I am not. Don't call me as a teacher's pet."

"But you are."

"Am not."

"You are."

"Never."

"You. Are."

"Alright! Please minimize your voices! I couldn't even hear myself!" Donnie screamed and frowned the deepest. The two eldest turtles were startled by Donnie's outburst.

"Uh, guys. I think we're in heck trouble..." Mikey said, while his voice was trembling. He pointed at the manhole cover, which they all saw was moving, inch by inch. All eyes narrowed with fear.

"MOVE!" Leo yelled, as they all rushed to grab the steel bars of the nearest fire escape. They all climbed above the rooftops and leapt on one building onto another.

A raging Tiger Claw came out of the manhole with claws ready to strike anything that would block its path. He growled, like a real tiger that has escaped from the wild. Cars in the streets crashed with each other because of the panic from the drivers. Yells and cries of people that heard the growl dominated the whole place. Sirens of police cars were also heard, as the police tried to calm the people down.

"I can't believe how ugly that tiger gets when he becomes angry." Casey said, while he was running with the turtles.

"Yeah! Just by looking at his fangs, I already thought that those sharp teeth may tear my... our shells apart!" Mikey followed.

The five of them ran as fast as their feet could muster, but not all of them were in good condition. Leo had the very hard time to cope up with the speed they needed, particularly because of his punctured arm. He was at the back of the line, still struggling as his strength quickly minimizes and tiredness follows. Added to his exhaustion, was the hot glare of the sun that burned his skin and depleted his water supply inside his body. He turned his head at his back, which made his heartbeat in extreme. Tiger Claw was barely three meters away from him and at any second, the tiger might soon grab him. He had no choice, but to scream for his life.

"Guys! Help!" He yelled, followed by heavy pantings. His clear vision slowly became obscured and his head felt like a balloon. Man, I think I am going to faint. His stomach seemed to rise and the pizza he ate this breakfast played in his gut. He also felt that he was tasting something bitter inside his mouth.

The others did not hear his shout immediately. The other bad thing was, they were at the other building, whilst Leo, was being chased by Tiger Claw. Few more steps, he might fall to the hard ground with thousands of different painful things that would erase his existence. His vision was too blurred for him to notice the danger. He couldn't think for any more options. His head was too light for him to use it. He tried to shout the last time before he would fall into unconsciousness.

"Guys... Help!" He coughed, and a very silent voice came out harshly, as his eyes rolled at the back of his head. Everything went black and shallow, as the darkness covered the bright sunlight. No one among his brothers bothered to turned their backs. Maybe they didn't even hear him.

He didn't even had the chance to think I failed.

-'":;!?,.

A/N: Gosh, I'm sorry for stopping here! I just wanna see you hanging on the cliffs of the Great Canyon with a finger supporting your lives. *evil smile, and then evil laugh*

Only if you can see, destiny helped me in writing this chapter! There were T.V. shows and references that I became inspired of, and then...boom! Even though I have experienced a total heartbreak. :3

"How am I going to name this?!"- Mikey