Leonardo felt sick.

His skin prickled with goose bumps traveling from his wrists to the base of his neck; but he didn't shiver. The image still on the wide television screen was silent, but it might as well have been turned up full volume as the whirlwind in his head rose to a mind-numbing shriek. He was faintly aware of Mikey standing somewhere behind him, the screech of Don's chair as he too stood up to join him. But they blurred. He forgot what time it was.

As one of four brothers, Leo had long since grown accustomed to being awoken at all hours of the night, intentional or not, for one reason or another. But the touch of Mikey's gentle, albeit sudden, shaking held an urgency Leo had instantly recognized. Within seconds of hearing the youngest turtles hushed voice calling out his name through the darkness, Leo had sprang into an instant, wary consciousness.

Stepping out of his room he promptly caught sight of Donatello. His third youngest brother sat with his head in his hands, bent over the kitchen table. The avoidance of Don's gaze only increased the building dread that had begun to mull in the pit of his stomach. He hadn't bothered to glance around, the question leaving his mouth without thought.

"Where's Raph?"

It was difficult to see Mikey pull away from him, staring at the floor as he thoughtlessly chewed on his tongue. More difficult yet, to catch the slight clenching of Don's jaw, the mute pleading in his eyes that begged for him to go back to sleep.

To leave this all alone.

But Mikey had stepped ahead, pointing to the darkened silhouette on the television. Seven times the news clip played before Don suddenly snatched up the remote, shutting it off before slamming the controller hard down on the kitchen table.

Leo only snapped his gaze away from the screen once it sprang to blackness, the image disintegrating into nothing. For a few moments he couldn't move from where he had become rooted to the floor. Although the wide, black screen stared back at him, he could still see the shadowy figure leaping across its surface. He fought back nausea as an icy chill slowly crept up his spine. Swallowing thickly, he forced himself to focus instead on his two youngest brothers standing apprehensively before him.

As he turned and looked upon their waiting faces, he felt his heart drop. He had no answers for them this time.

Don inched forward, both of his hands extended carefully, as though he were trying to shush him. It had always irritated Leo when Don did that. Not that he didn't appreciate Don's approach when dealing with an irate Raphael or over-stimulated Mikey, but when Don spoke with his gentle, smooth, somewhat condescending voice, Leo understood it for what it was; a tactic the younger turtle had perfected through the years when his own emotions grew too overwhelming for him to cope with.

"Listen, jumping to conclusions won't accomplish anything right now. It's late. We should take some time to step back and analyze the situation. Nothing will change in a few hours. When Raph returns, we -"

"I'm going to find him."

"What?"

Leo pulled his gaze away from Don, even as he heard the calm slip from his younger brother's voice. The note of panic in his normally calm sibling sent a tremor of guilt through him, yet he looked away as he set his jaw in resolution.

"Leo, it's late." Donatello quickly stepped in front of him, even as he struggled to remain composed, "This video could be days old for all we know. You know that April's always saying how often she's recapping events long after they've actually happened. This isn't breaking news, I hardly think it was their top priority story," Don shook his head helplessly, "Raph's more than likely returning home anyway. Nothing good can be achieved by going out and confronting him now."

For a moment Leo only cast his gaze on Don, the haze silhouette of Mikey in the peripheral of his vision. There was sorrow. This he could see.

And something else.

Raphael had not only betrayed him. He had betrayed them all.

Fiery jolts of pain shot through Leo's veins, as though Raphael had taken his sais and stabbed them through his heart himself. He could feel his fingers trembling, and he quickly curled them into tight fists, locking his arms by his side. He tore his gaze from his brothers before they could glimpse the tears that now burned his eyes.

"All the easier for me to find him then."

His voice was hard, and he stepped around Don, their shoulders bumping as he returned to his bedroom. His heartbeat crashed in his skull, the darkness of the room suffocating him instantly. But he didn't allow himself a chance to pause, no time to second-guess.

His fingers curled around the hilts of his swords. He swallowed hard, straightening up as he strapped on his belt, and sheathed them into place.

He had retrieved his weapons many times before. He knew their glinting shimmer as their dark blades sparkled when he held them out effortlessly. And the distinct clack of metal hitting his shell had filled his head countless times.

Only this time was different.

This time, as the twin swords locked into place, an overbearing dread settled heavily in the pit of his stomach.

He stepped out of the darkness, out to where his baby brothers still waited for him, and he remembered. His throat tightened as his eyes landed on Donatello. His gentlest sibling, and the only one who had never had to bear witness to the sight of a brother gearing up with the intention to hunt down another brother.

At least, Don had never seen the hunt from this side before. Leo could only hope Don had long forgotten the existence of such a painful history.

Focusing his attention on the entrance of the lair, Leo purposefully stepped forward. There was only one brother who truly deserved to be hunted down. Only one who would choose to a forge a path for himself of anger and deceit.

"You both stay here. I won't be gone long."

He paused as Mikey's tentative voice suddenly spoke out, "Wait, um, shouldn't we wake up Master Splinter?"

"No."

"But Leo-"

"I mean it." Leo shot his brothers a final glance over his shoulder, his voice slicing through the lair. He held their gazes, as though attempting to give them a small bit of reassurance. Yet he quickly turned away, afraid his face would deceive him and reveal the writhing turmoil of betrayal that sickeningly rose up from the pit of his stomach and caused his eyes to sting.

Resolute, he turned and stepped into the darkness alone.

"This is a score the Nightwatcher and I need to settle once and for all."

-oOo-

Even after Leo had left, Mikey continued to watch the empty doorway.

He secretly willed for either of his oldest brothers to come waltzing back in. Preferably Raphael, as even his late night obnoxiousness was preferable to Leo's dour attitude at the moment. At least then, just maybe there might a chance Raph could truly explain this entire mess.

Of course, neither of them did, and he was only shaken from his thoughts by the loud thud of Don, reoccupying the kitchen once more.

His papers and books were piled high in a haphazard heap as he quickly shoved them all to a corner. Mikey could see Don's agitation, the sharp, quick movements and he could hear the subtle murmur of swear words grumbled in the back of his throat.

Mikey's eyes wandered and stared longingly in the direction of Splinter's room. Only Don's harried presence kept him standing where he was, resisting the urge to wake his Sensei from the comforting depths of slumber.

He avoided looking at the gaping black hole of the television screen. The five second video clip of the Nightwatcher, caught in the unforgiving light cast out from a streetlamp, was stamped in his memory forever. Instead, he looked back over at Don, not quite sure what to do with himself.

He watched as Don finished shuffling all his work into a single stack, mutter to himself, then pull a sheet out from the middle of the stack, causing papers to go flying all over again. Mikey grimaced as his brother repeated this sequence three more times, never finding whatever it was he was apparently hoping to find. Although the younger turtle seriously doubted the solution to Leo and Raph's feud was scribbled somewhere in that mass of crinkled worksheets and countless numbers.

Hesitant, Mikey cautiously began to approach Don, not wanting his third and final brother to completely lose it, since apparently Raph and Leo already had. Mikey took comfort in knowing that Don was probably already applying his 200+ IQ into figuring out some impossible to understand, incredibly awesome, mad-scientisty solution that would inevitably save them all from this growing train wreck. He half expected the genius turtle to suddenly whip out some new high-tech gizmo that could contact the others, find out where they were and stop this entire disaster before it completely blew up beyond repair.

Mikey stopped walking.

Duh.

Without a word, he turned back to the sofa, scavenging through the cushions before he recovered his T-Phone and flicked it open. Although his eldest brother's instructions still rang in his head, he chewed on the inside of his cheek for only a second before he pressed the speed-dial button to Leo's own cell.

A shrill ring shot through the lair, and Mikey's head snapped up. His heart plummeted as he realized the noise was coming from Leo's room.

Figures.

"Um, Don?"

Mikey was quiet as he turned back toward the kitchen. Though Don wasn't typically the type to get spooked easily, Mikey was beginning to feel not much of anything was really making sense among his brothers tonight. It was better not to risk it. But he stopped, nearly jumping himself when he saw that Don had ceased his previous skittering about, and was now staring at him with a strange sort of intensity.

An unexpected chill ran up his arms, "What?"

Don didn't answer. He only continued to stare back at him, eyes wide and glassy. Mikey swallowed, hesitant. Don's mental and physical exhaustion was already blatant on his face from what seemed like endless days of his unshakable illness.

Mikey swallowed and pushed such dreary thoughts away, "So...what do we do now?"

Again, Don remained silent. He only turned his head, staring at the table with bleary, red-rimmed eyes, and Mikey regretted the question.

He knew how much his intellectual brother hated not knowing the answer.

Mikey tried to think of something better to say, but nothing came. He opened his mouth anyway, knowing something or other would eventually blurt out, as per his usual choice of action.

He ended up giving a high-pitched shriek instead as the sudden, jarring ring of the payphone abruptly sliced through the air. Don's head snapped up as he instantly glared daggers, but Mikey was more than thankful for the distraction as he leapt at the phone without thought, snatching it up with a hopeful, "Tortuga Brothers Shipping Headquarters, you box it we ship it!"

"Mikey?"

The familiar voice allowed a wave of comfort to flood through him, "April! Oh man, are you a sight for sore eyes! Or ears…"

"Is Raphael there?"

Mikey stopped, "Huh?" he noticed that Don was now staring at him intently, so he pointed at the receiver with an informative, 'its April.' before returning to the question at hand. "Uh, no. He's gone. Did something happen?"

"That's what I've been trying to find out."

April's voice was laced with worry, and Mikey wondered how many times she ever called out of pure curiosity about the going ons of their lives. Though he supposed their lives weren't really all that interesting anyway. He figured if he was April, he wouldn't call himself either.

Mikey was snapped away from his musings as he realized that April was still talking, "I had to give a strange report tonight; I tried to call you guys before I went on air but no one picked up. It was about the Nightwatcher…is everything okay? Is Raph alright?"

Mikey hesitated, "Uh…"

"Hang up."

Mikey jumped as Don had suddenly stepped in front of him, motioning to snatch the phone away, although Mikey was quick to jerk it back away protectively.

"Stop it Don, its April. Hey-"

With an unexpected force, Donatello wrenched the phone from his younger brother's grasp, using his free arm to keep Mikey's outstretched hands at bay, "Hello, April? It's Don. Yeah, Raph's fine. Listen, we can't talk right now; I'll call you back later."

Mikey could hear April's surprised voice still speaking as Don hung up the phone with a bit more force than seemed necessary. His eyes widened as he pulled back, "What'd you do that for? Maybe she knew more than what she said on the report."

Don didn't answer, though Mikey resentfully didn't really expect one anyway. The inquisitive older turtle had the obnoxious habit of blocking out just about anything once he became too wrapped up in the weird inner workings of his own thoughts. So Mikey was surprised when Don responded with curt, "You got your nun chucks?"

He gave a hesitant nod, "Yeah…"

"Good."

Mikey watched as Don stepped over to living room, retrieving his bo from where he had propped it against the wall earlier.

"Uh…are you sure about this, bro?"

"We don't have much of a choice. Come on. Raph and Leo won't wait."

-oOo-

Don didn't know what exactly he intended on doing.

Not really.

But he had ordered Mikey out here with him and now he had the younger turtle all but following his every command at this point, so he knew better than to stop now and admit such things to his alarmingly obedient little brother.

He directed them to stop behind the dumpster of an apartment complex, crouching in the shadows as they paused to catch their breath. He hated the way Mikey look at him so expectantly, eagerly waiting and willing to go where Don directed.. It made his stomach squirm. He didn't know how Leo could stand it.

Gritting his teeth he peered around the side of the dumpster, eyeing the busy street blinking with lights a few feet away.

"We're going to have to separate. The statistical chances of finding either Leo or Raph are all but nonexistent, but we'll still have greater odds if it's two against two."

Mikey nodded, "Gotcha."

"You try to find Leo. He tends to scout the south side first, so start there. I'll search for Raphael. Keep your cell on in case I need to call you."

"I'm on it." With a salute, Mikey leapt up the fire escape, fading away across the rooftops, and almost instantly disappearing from Don's vision.

Donatello waited for a few seconds, re-evaluating his surroundings before sprinting down the alley, leaving the busier streets behind. It was easier to run on a solid surface than jagged rooftops and think at the same time, but he was soon forced to spring up to them anyway as the short alley met another busy road, and the bustling crowds of people grew too close for comfort.

Only once he was certain he had placed a good amount of distance between himself and his younger brother, did Don finally skid to a stop. Though he shivered against the biting wind, he ignored it as he reached into his belt and pulled out his T-Phone. A few select button pushing, and the screen for his GPS tracking app flared to life. He only berated himself that it was Mikey who had the idea to use their phones first. Still, it was probably the first time he was thankful that his younger brother had characteristically zoned out, thus forgetting Don's lecture on how to use this feature.

He could see Mikey's signal, swiftly careening off in some random direction. His eyes were quick to latch onto the second beeping light on the screen.

Raphael.

Good. Mikey was putting more and more distance between them. He could only hope the orange-clad turtle really would stumble across Leonardo, but for now Don knew he only had limited precious time left to find Raph not only first, but alone.

Location in mind, Don snapped the phone shut and sprinted forward once again. His temples pounded as he ran, the twinkling lights of the city below blurring around him in a barrage of white and yellow. A sharp wind whipped at his bare arms, the morphing of the seasons into a bitter winter evident in its piercing bite. Although he shivered, he shook it off as his eyes scanned the crowds. Yet his target seemed to remain ever elusive, just out his grasp. He continued on, ignoring the increasingly choking sensation squeezing his throat.

The night passed through its coldest hours and exhaustion rapidly began to clamp down on the already ill-begotten ninja. Dawn was swiftly approaching, and still the crowds refused to fully dissipate, the honking, screeching and blinking lights encircling Don with a suffocating grasp.

Confusion settled in.

The streets somehow looked identical, blurred together until he no longer knew where he had already searched. Every twenty minutes or so he would re-check the coordinates, Raph's signal slowly growing closer, and yet somehow always managing to evade his frantic search.

Perhaps Leo had already found Raph. Or Mikey had managed to stop him.

Were they all still wandering around, disjointed, at various places of the city?

Maybe Raph had returned to the lair hours ago. Maybe they all had.

Maybe they had left him.

Don grunted as he landed heavily on the ground below, retreating into the crooked alley in hopes for a temporary escape from the unrelenting wind. He crouched over as he squeezed his eyes shut, concentrating on his ragged breathing. With a grimace he forced himself to stand, the back of his shell lightly scraping against the gritty brick wall of the building as he peered out.

The faint glow of early morning was threatening to wash upon him. This was his final hope. Raphael rarely strayed this far from his usual spots, but having exhausted every other possibility the GPS had led him down, Don refused to leave without absolute assurance his brother was not there.

His pounding head and slight vertigo forced him to stay on the ground. He blinked rapidly and shook his head when his vision grew bleary from lack of sleep and deteriorating health. The idiocy of this entire plan punched him in the gut with every step he took. The fear of what awaited him at the lair was even more excruciating.

He turned down another alley.

Raphael stood twenty feet away, bundled in his coat, moving toward the sidewalk.

Don didn't think, he only ran.

In retrospect, he assumed it had been a combination of his natural instincts and ninja training which prevented him from calling out to his older brother and alerting attention to himself. Yet he could only attribute it to pure exhaustion and desperation having a choke-hold on his common sense which led him to believe that body slamming into Raphael in order to stop him was somehow a good idea.

Don was fairly certain he had never felt more physically insignificant in his life. He recalled bear hugs from Mikey with more power and force behind them than the fatigued tackle he had barely managed to impart on his burly older brother. At least it had gotten the job done.

Mostly.

Raph didn't so much as stumbled back from the sudden flying leap of his younger sibling. However, the sudden attack of a stranger from the shadows ignited an instantaneous defense.

He spun around, grabbing at his assailant and slammed Don forcefully against the wall, a powerful fist pulled back.

"Stop!" Don's hands shot up, shielding his face.

Raphael's eyes widened, "Donnie?"

He stood frozen, forgotten fist still clenched in midair as he stared in disbelief at the weary face of his younger sibling.

Don shoved Raph back, head still pounding from the sudden whiplash of having hit the wall with such intensity. He groaned quietly, struggling to reposition himself. His steps faltered Raph's hands shot out to steady him.

"We have to get away from the street." Don mumbled, still cross-eyed from the impact.

Raph hurriedly pulled them back a few paces, both of them knowing the last of the night's shadows would abandon them soon, a sting of fear lacing his words, "Donnie, what're you doin' here? Are you by yourself?"

The exhausted turtle shook his head, clearing his thoughts. He gripped Raph's shoulders for balance. "Leo…he's coming." He paused, his rampaging heartbeat having not quite caught up with his thoughts just yet, and he sucked in a deep breathe, hoping to quell the gasps.

"What?" Raphael had tensed beneath Don's cold palms, his tone spiking, "Now?"

Don nodded, though he quickly stopped when the motion only brought his dizziness to nausea inducing levels, "He saw…I have to tell you…"

"He saw what?" Raph's grip tightened as Don continued to shiver, "Is he here? Where's Mikey?"

"They…he's…"

"Don, what happened to ya? Breathe man, ya don't look so good-"

"Will you please shut up for one moment!?"

Donatello wrenched himself back; his hands clenched in fists that he knew meant nothing. "I need you to listen to me. Leo's been looking for you all night. But he's not thinking straight."

The words weren't coming as Don needed them too. They felt scattered. Uncontrolled.

His mind clouded with confusion, fear; he could feel the words bubbling up, only to lodge at the last second in the back of his throat. There was only pure exhaustion, more sickness filling his mind. He could see the clip on the television replaying in his head like a nightmare, the face of Raphael right before him, and yet he couldn't seem to be able to piece them both together.

He knew Raph wouldn't wait long. Either the annoyance of being yelled at or the concern for Don's pathetic state would prod his older brother into action and Don would lose his chance.

Don exhaled slowly.

One more try.

He opened his mouth, the words cut off abruptly by the sudden shimmer of metal slicing the air between them. The shuriken hit its mark with precision, wedged deep in the brick wall opposite the two brothers, and both their heads snapped up to its wielder.

Don's felt his stomach drop to his stomach, "Leo…"

"Hey!" Raph had jumped back, hands already balled in tight fists as he glared up at the eldest turtle, "Have ya lost your goddamn mind!? Waddya think you're doin'!"

Leo leapt from the rooftop, landing squarely in front of Raph, forcing him to take another step back. Although his body remained cool and composed, his eyes screamed with accusation and hurt.

"I told you to remain in the lair." His gaze never once waivered from Raphael, even as he spoke directly to Don.

"Leo, please. Wait."

"How could you do this again?" Leo's shoulders bristled as he blatantly ignored Don's pleas, his voice hardening as Raph visibly began to pull back defensively, "After what you put everyone through last time? What you put me through?"

"What are ya flappin' your gums about Leo?" Raph growled. His fingers twitched near his belt as Leo began stepping toward him, "What the hell is goin' on?"

"Did you think no one would find out? That you could really hide this forever?"

"Leo!" Don suddenly sprang forward, hoping to block his brother's path as the dread grew deeper and deeper with every word Leo spoke, "Please don't say-"

Leo side-stepped Don with ease, the weariness of the night having no apparent effect on his conviction. His gaze remained glued on Raphael, "What's so special about the Nightwatcher that you would abandon your family?"

Only now did Leo pause, his fists trembling by his sides. As he lowered his voice, a sharp glistening of tears reflected in his eyes, and he hissed venomously, "Are we just not worth it to you?"

A sudden panic rose in Don's throat as Leonardo's words shot a sudden understanding to Raph's face. The recognition of the situation was met with the swift glistening of twin sais, instigating the hasty draw of katana blades. "Ya wanna play this game again?"

Donatello's eyes snapped up, around, anywhere. But there was nothing he could use.

Nothing to help him.

No one who would listen.

He watched in terror as they both sprang forward. A blur of red and blue. An imminent collision that would ignite a chain reaction of sheer destruction, and set into play a destructive series of events from whence Don wasn't sure his family could survive.

A deep inhale, and no clue what he was hoping to accomplish, Don frantically raced blindly between them, not entirely sure what he would do once caught in the midst of their battle.

Brace for impact.

A less than graceful thud as a sudden intruder filled his vision. Donatello found himself defended from his own reckless attempted intervention, spun out of harm's way even as an all too familiar voice rang through the air.

"Cool it!"

Michelangelo stood firm, arms outstretched, buffering. The abruptness of his arrival was startling enough to force Leo and Raph to skid to a halt on either side of his palms. Mikey was panting slightly, eyes wide, and Don could see how his fingertips trembled as they remained outstretched, holding their two oldest brothers at bay.

A pang of guilt sliced through Don when he saw how tired Mikey looked, the stress a foreign bombardment on the youngest turtle's face, and Don berated himself for not leaving his little brother back home.

When he met Mikey's eyes he realized he hadn't been the only one afraid that Raph and Leo wouldn't have stopped.

"Just chill out!" Mikey snapped in a way that sounded more relieved than anything. His arms lowered cautiously before he suddenly pointed skyward.

Only now did the three other turtles seem to grow remotely aware of the full morning glow washing over them, its early rosy mist wrapping them in a hazy sheen. Mikey stepped forward, and without question pulled Don's arm over his shoulder. Instantly Don's legs gave out; the sudden support all he needed for his strength to flee him entirely. He leaned on Mikey without restraint.

Mikey glanced back, shooting his other brothers a fierce glower.

"You guys can bash each other's skulls in later! But we gotta get back! Like, now."