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"Leo! Bro, you're alive! You're alive..." Mikey trailed off as he took in this amazing feeling.
His eldest brother was breathing! For a long time, it seemed as though he was dead. His chest wasn't moving and he had no pulse...
But he's not dead. He's right here. Leo is alive.
He couldn't believe it. He was so overfilled with joy at the fact that his brother was breathing, that he pretty much forgot about the dark and gloomy cell that he was in.
"Okay, okay. Leo's back, he's alive," Mikey said to himself.
But Mikey wanted Leo to be up.
He couldn't stand being in that cell with an unconscious brother, feeling completely alone. He hated when he was alone, and that probably was caused by the fact that he grew up in a house-full of brothers, where he always had someone to talk to.
For a long moment, he thought he was going to be the only living turtle in that cell...
But, luckily, he wasn't.
So, he bent down over Leo's side and started to say, "Leo? Leo, can you hear me? Can you open your eyes for me, bro?"
But Leo was deep in his own mind.
He felt as though his head was back in the pool. He felt the cool stiffness of the water, and saw his brothers again. Each one.
Leo didn't know that this already happened. His mind was remembering his last time in the pool, and all of it felt new to him, like it was happening right now.
He then felt his body relax and his heartbeat slow down, in which he closed his eyes and thought, Not a bad place to die.
Then he felt absolutely nothing. He couldn't see, taste, feel, or smell anything. But all he saw was black, just complete darkness.
Is, is he dead? Is this what it is to be dead? But, if he's dead...then how could he still think?
But then he heard something. It was distant, but to Leo, it was loud and clear.
"Leo? Leo, can you hear me? Can you open your eyes for me, bro?" the voice said.
It sounded familiar...wait. No, it couldn't be. Could it?...Mikey?
No. It was a trick. His mind was playing games with him. He was dead, and he knew it...but, was he really? Leo did not know. He felt his body loosen up, his heartbeat slow, and felt himself leave the water, only to feel nothing. This, this didn't make any sense.
"Leo? Leo, please, bro. Wake up!"
There it was again. Mikey.
Was he just imagining it, or- or was he actually alive?
No. He chose to leave this world. He chose to die for his brothers...he didn't want to live anymore. He was done, just done with life. He was going to die protecting his family.
Even though Leo had a suspicion that he was alive, he wished he wasn't.
If he was alive, then the Shredder would find new ways to torture him, and he didn't want to be tortured anymore. Leo was afraid that he was going to break to the Shredder eventually, but he didn't want that to happen. He wasn't going to let that happen.
He wished and prayed that he was dead. It was something that he wanted more than ever right now...to die.
So, he relaxed as much as he could, and even though he couldn't really feel it, he tried to slow his heartbeat down to the point where it couldn't go on anymore.
Mikey felt his brother's heartbeat slow down even more.
"No, no, no! Leo! Leo, please, bro, don't do this to me again, not now! Leo, Leo don't go..." Mikey started to trail off. "Leo, I need you, bro. I need you now more than ever. So, please, just- just hang on..."
Then without thinking, he said, "Leo, I can't live without you...Donnie needs you, Raph needs you, Sensei needs you...and- and I need you, Leo. You- you can't leave me...You have to be here, for us, for me. I love you, Leo. I love you..."
Leo heard this, all of this.
He didn't know if it was real or if it was fake...but he believed it. He believed those words to be true. His brothers and his father needed him. He couldn't die, not now. And even if his youngest brother was with him right now, he couldn't leave him forever...it would crush him.
Then Leo realized something.
Yes, he wanted to die to keep his family's location a secret...but was that the whole reason?
No. He mainly wanted to die to get away from all of the pain and suffering he endured and will endure in this world. It hurt, being dunked into that pool all of those times, and do you think he really wanted to go through something worse? No.
Dying was taking the easy way out. It was letting your body finally be at peace, and there would be no more pain. No more. And it might have sounded good to Leo before...but it was just plain wrong now.
Leo realized that dying young was a selfish, selfish move. He was doing this mainly for himself, so he didn't have to go through anymore pain...but what does that make of his family?
His brothers and his father would be in pain from losing him, and they would be hurting while he was at peace. How selfish was that? Very.
There are people who care for him in this world, and he was not about to lose them...he was not about to let them suffer down on earth, while he was at peace, when dead. No. He was going to live. He had to.
He had to live, for his brothers, his father, and most importantly...himself.
So, just as about he was sinking into death, he powered together all of his strength, all of his will, and all of his might that he had...
and opened his eyes.
"M- Mikey?" Leo managed to croak, for he was feeling very weak. He opened his eyes a little bit more, and saw that his orange-banded little brother was sitting down next to him, gazing at him in shock.
"Leo?" Mikey asked. "You're- you're not dead?"
"I- I had a reason to live, bro. You, Raph, Donnie and- and Sensei," Leo said, reassuringly.
Then a small smile swept over his face. "I knew it! I just knew you wouldn't leave me, bro! You- you came back!" Mikey shouted in excitement and joy.
"Keep your voice down, shellferbrains," Leo said, playfully. "I have a terrible headache though," he said as he felt his head throbbing. Then he remembered the deep cut made by the Shredder a few nights ago...wait, if he's still with the Shredder, then Mikey must be too!
Fear spread through Leo, who didn't want his conclusion to be true. He didn't want his youngest brother to be with the Shredder, because who knows what he has done to him or what he plans to do.
Leo cared so much for his youngest brother, and he always felt like he had to protect him the most out of them all. Besides, Mikey was the youngest of the four, and he didn't understand some things that his older brothers understood, and he needed help getting through them.
"M- Mikey, are you hurt?" Leo asked, his voice full of worry for his youngest brother's well-being.
"No, Leo. I'm fine. My head hurts a bit, but I'll be good," Mikey answered, honestly. "Are you feeling okay, Leo?" he quickly asked, wanting to make sure he was alright, too.
"Ya, Mikey. I- I'm feeling fine," Leo lied, feeling incredibly fatigued and not being able to have enough strength to even stand.
Leo didn't want Mikey to worry about him.
He probably had enough things on his mind, already, and didn't want to add another thing to the pile. Even though Leo felt as weak as he ever felt, he refused to tell his youngest brother. He could suck it up and deal with the pain, himself. He didn't want to bother poor Mikey with it.
But Mikey saw right past Leo's lie. He knew his older brother was hurt, bad, but he refused to tell. That is always what Leo is like. He pretends he isn't hurt, when he actually is. This bothered Mikey, and made him a little angry that he wasn't telling him the truth.
"Leo, obviously you're not fine. You're hurt, and anyone, including me, could see that, bro. Let me help," Mikey pleaded.
"Ya, alright Mikey," Leo said hesitantly, not trying to sound like he was in too much pain.
Wanting to change the subject, Leo asked, "Mikey, are- are we with the Shredder?" as he allowed himself to be helped onto the wall, where he sat with his shell against it.
"Oh..." Mikey said as his face darkened. "Ya, we are. The Shredder, he has us locked up in a cell."
"Us?" Leo said, bewildered. Only Leo was there with the Shredder, only him. Not, not Mikey..."How d- did you get here?" Leo asked, still pretty weak.
"Well," Mikey started. "Raph, Raph said something that really upset me...it was about you. He said that you could be dead for all we know, and I just ran out of the lair..."
Leo immediately knew that Raph would handle his absence in this way. He has known him his whole life, and knew he says and does things he regrets during tough situations. He understood how his immediate younger brother felt...Leo would have probably acted the same exact way as him if he were taken, instead.
He felt bad for Raph, right now. He was going through something that nobody should ever experience, and so were his other brothers, including his father. But Leo always felt as though him and Raph were the closest out of all of his brothers. He didn't know why, but they had something that him and his other brothers didn't.
But he loved all of his brothers equally, and right now, Leo had to be there for Mikey.
"M- Mikey," Leo said. "You know R- Raph didn't mean that, don't you? He- he was just upset."
"Ya, Leo. I realize that now," Mikey said, depressingly, as he stared at his eldest brother's eyes. "But, I took it the wrong way, and when Donnie and Raph tried to talk to me after that, I went to the surface. I couldn't take them anymore. They- they just didn't understand what I was going through...but you would. I knew you would, Leo," Mikey continued, looking at his blue-banded brother for help.
"M- Mikey," Leo started. "Of course I- I understand, bro. If any of you were taken, besides m- me, I would feel the same way," Leo said as he placed his hand on his youngest brother's shoulder. "B- but you should realize that they w- were trying to help you, though," he quickly added.
"Ya, Leo," Mikey agreed. "I understand why they tried to talk to me, and I should have listened to them...or I wouldn't be in this mess."
"I- It's okay, Mikey. But tell me how you got here," Leo said.
"Well," Mikey started. "I wanted to find you, Leo, so I took off to the surface to search for you. We needed you, bro. We were falling apart without you..."
Leo totally understood. If any of his brothers were taken, it would be like a huge part of their hearts were missing. And nobody would want to go through that.
"I- It's alright, Mikey, but keep going," Leo said.
"So, I tried to find an old abandoned building, or something that might have looked suspicious, I guess. I didn't really know what I was looking for, but I looked for any sign of you," Mikey continued. "Then, I realized that Raph and Donnie were chasing me, and I didn't really want them to talk to me anymore...so I stopped and when they got close enough, I threw a smoke bomb and escaped them. But, as I was running through one of the alleys, I tripped, and it cost me more time than you think to get away from them. I went back on top of a different building, but then I was knocked down by- by Fishface..."
"Fishface? Wh- what did he want with you?" Leo asked, curious.
"He told me that the Shredder wanted another turtle, and when he said 'another' I realized that he must have had you, Leo. That's where you've been the whole time. But, then he took one of my nunchuks, and threw it down on my head. It must have knocked me out because all I remember seeing was black, and I woke up when he threw me in here," Mikey finished.
This concerned Leo, a whole lot. 'Another' turtle. Why the shell would the Shredder want another one of his brothers? They already had Leo, but why Mikey too?
"D- do you remember anything w- when you were unconscious?" Leo asked.
"Now that you mention it, I do remember hearing some screaming. It- it was Raph who screamed, and I don't know why, but after that, I heard nothing else, bro. I hope Raph is okay...I hope Fishface didn't hurt him too bad," Mikey said, with worry in his voice.
Mikey didn't want Raph to be hurt or, or something worse. He was his second oldest brother, and he was worried for him.
These thoughts also occurred in Leo's mind. He loved Raph, and would never wish harm on him. He hoped he was okay, and that Donnie fixed him up...
"I- I agree, Mikey. But we j- just have to hope for the best, bro," Leo said, reassuringly.
"Ya, Leo..." Mikey trailed off. "Hey, hey, bro?" Mikey asked, after a moment of silence.
"Ya, Mikey?" Leo said.
"If- if we don't make it out of here...I just wanted you to know that-" but Mikey was cut short by the sound of the metal door creaking open.
"Ha," boomed the Shredder's voice. "It turns out that you are still alive, for now," he said, as he gestured to Leo. "I thought that you might have died. It would have been a shame...to let Bradford be the cause of your death instead of me," as he moved towards Leo.
"Just w- wait, Shredder," Leo said, trying to sound strong. "Y- you'll be the one who's d- dead, instead of me."
"You really think so?" said the Shredder, who made a swift grab to Leo's shell and picked him up.
Leo winced in pain as the Shredder picked him up so fast. His whole body hurt, and he let out a shaky breath as he was dangling from the ground.
The Shredder took notice of this, and so he threw Leo outside of the cell, and onto the floor.
"Ahh!" Leo screamed, even though he didn't mean to. He didn't want the Shredder to know what hurt him, but Leo was making it too easy for the Shredder to find out. Everything just hurt, and he wanted the pain to go away.
Mikey, who watched the scene in front of him, stood up and stared the Shredder in the face.
"Don't you dare lay another finger on my brother!" Mikey screamed.
This shocked all three of them: Leo, the Shredder, and Mikey.
Leo never would have thought that Mikey had the courage to stand up to the Shredder like that. As much as he appreciated Mikey sticking up for him, he was also very scared about what the Shredder might do to him.
The Shredder was as shocked as Leo. Nobody would ever dare say something against him. He was all powerful, and could easily kill the pathetic turtle where he stood.
Mikey was also very taken aback by this. He isn't normally the type who sticks up for others. He was just, just Mikey. It shocked him most of all simply because he never knew he had the courage to say something like that.
After a brief moment, the Shredder said to Mikey, "Fine. I won't lay another finger on your brother...but you never said anything about a blade!"
"No! Wh-" Mikey tried to say, but stopped.
It happened all so fast.
The Shredder dived at poor Leo, took him again by his shell, threw him up against a wall, and had two razor sharp blades that were just centimeters away from Leo's neck.
Then, before Mikey could do anything, two large arms found their way around poor Mikey, and held him back. They were none other than Dogpound's.
"Dogpound! Let me go! Let me go!" Mikey screamed. He twisted and turned with all of his might, but Dogpound was just too strong for him. So, Mikey gave up, and was held in a painfully tight grip by his enemy.
"Now, turtle," the Shredder said to Mikey. "I will offer you a choice. Tell me the location of Hamato Yoshi, and I will let your brother live. However, if you fail to tell me, I shall kill him, and you will be left with nothing."
Mikey was in shock.
Leo or his family? He couldn't choose! He wouldn't choose! It was all too much...how could he do this?
"M- Mikey," Leo said, his voice full of pain. "Whatever happens, d- don't give in, bro. D- don't tell him...I'll b- be okay."
"Shut up, turtle!" the Shredder yelled at Leo. "Now, what is your choice?" he said back to poor Mikey.
Mikey just stood there, saying nothing.
For once, he was torn between two of his most beloved things in his life.
His brother, or his family.
What will Mikey choose? Leo or the rest of his family? I want to see what you all think will happen, even though I already have an idea in my head. I hoped you all loved it, and I believe this is the longest chapter I have written so far! Read more, my friends, and I will update ASAP!