- All warnings in the first chapter

Sorry this took a while, in summer I switch from a part-time to a full-time job and it takes a bit of getting used to. Due to that, this chapter wasn't entirely written in one go- I hope it doesn't sound weird because of it.

Once again, to guest: Thanks for following the story, I will try to keep improving. And sorry, that typo was my phone's keyboard deciding the word Mikey doesn't exist xD.

"Hope is like the sun, which, as we journey toward it, casts the shadow of our burden behind us."

She wasn't sure, it could have been just a couple of minutes since Leo spoke, but the beeping seemed to have a strange effect on time, as she had the feeling it had been hours. The brothers surely found the sound hopeful, but for her, it was just a reminder of what had to be done.

Finally opening her eyes, she wondered if there were any words to describe how much the scene in front of her was both beautiful and so very sad.

Michelangelo's heavily bandaged body lied on a cot in Donatello's lab, very still, the shallow breathing barely reflected. The fact that all the endless energy that characterized Mikey was nowhere to be found seemed to be painfully obvious for Donnie, who, instead of looking at the injured turtle had his blank gaze locked on the heart monitor.

Raphael, on contrary, was leaning forward from his seat beside the medical bed. His eyes carried an intense fire- although its fuel wasn't anger but worry and determination- and stared at the youngest turtle's face as if that would somehow help him. Not only his expression, his gesture too, both of his hands gripping Mikey's, silently screamed his little brother to wake up.

Leo was looking at the unconscious form too, but, unlike Raph, he seemed to be examining it. She followed his eyes through the different bandages on Michelangelo's body, around his head, his middle and the left thigh, finally stopping on the cast on his right leg before turning her gaze to the floor. Rather than what was hidden and wrapped, what disturbed her the most were the multiple bruises scattered around Mickey's upper half and the color of his skin that, under the white lights of the laboratory, looked so pale that green was barely distinguishable. By the time she looked back up, Leo had comfortingly placed a hand on Donnie's shoulder with an unreadable expression and she caught herself thinking that Mikey would have read through that mask- Leo's attempt to look strong to support his brothers- in no time.

But the most incredible thing about this scene couldn't be perceived through normal eyes. She had watched them, astonished, the first time she noticed how even the auras of the brothers seemed to protect each other, specially Mikey. But that wasn't all: at the moment, the blue, red, purple and orange were almost glued to each other, and the aura of the three eldest seemed to be trying to pull the colour of death away from their youngest.

She could've sat there in wonder if it hadn't been for the feeling she was being observed. After a glance, she gasped: Master Splinter was looking at her from the doorway. Past the initial panic, she realized that rather than knowing she was there, he must have sensed her presence- none of them could possibly see her, none was marked by death, none- but Mikey. However, being invisible to Splinter's eyes didn't bring much relief: she couldn't help but feel like an intruder.

She quickly averted her gaze, ready to go back to Michelangelo's mind but, as she was about to connect with the young turtle's inner world, she gave in to the unreasonable urge to take another look at the old rat-man: he was now behind Leonardo, one paw on his shoulder and the other softly placed upon his injured son's arm. Despite the comforting gesture, Splinter's eyes were full of concern and sadness- so much that she wondered if he somehow not only noticed her presence, but also knew what she was. She almost bit her lip thinking how the rat seemed so much older than just a couple of days ago, and only the fact she had shifted her focus to reach Mikey's mind stopped her.

Grasping someone's inner self was usually harder than leaving their core but Michelangelo's essence was so pure it was easy to find; besides, it wasn't even remotely the first time she entered the littlest turtle's imagination, she was almost used to it. Soon enough, her fingers were brushing the cool green skin of the turtle toddler slumped in the cardboard throne. And just like that, she was "touching" his soul once again.

However, she wasn't ready for the frase that met her, together with a small smile- "You're back."

"The boundaries which divide Life from Death are at best shadowy and vague. Who shall say where the one ends, and where the other begins?"

Actually I have been drawing a cover for this, hoping to add it with the chapter that will clear all doubts about who is she- which is probably the next one or the one after it.

Anyway, you know the deal, let me know how was it, pretty please!