Hello, my fellow readers! This is the second to last chapter I'm going to write before I leave on my trip for 2 weeks :'( But, I'm going to write the next chapter as soon as I can (if I find internet) and you won't be disappointed! I wanted to make it special before I head off, so this chapter is going to be one of my longest! You're all already so smart so I don't need to tell you what this one is going to be about. You're all practically mini Einsteins! Haha! So, read, enjoy, and the next chapter will hopefully be posted soon!
Raph and Donnie both instantly knew who the voice belonged to.
"Raph! Donnie! Sensei! Someone, help..."
Mikey.
Their youngest brother found his way home...but how? He was taken by Fishface no more than a day ago, and couldn't have escaped on his own.
Raph and Donnie were sitting in the lab, and when they first heard Mikey they knew something was wrong. The way Mikey said their names didn't sit right with them, and they had a bad feeling about it. And when he called for help, that feeling became even worse.
Almost like a mental agreement between the two, both Raph and Donnie hopped onto their feet and out of the lab. They followed Mikey's hoarse voice into the main room.
"Raph...Don- Donnie..."
There it was again. Mikey. But he sounded weaker this time.
"Mikey?" Donnie yelled, worry in his voice.
"Mikey!" Raph yelled a second later.
Raph was the first to find him. He turned the corner from the main room towards the entrance and saw him.
Mikey was face down and sprawled out on the ground in a small pool of blood...his blood. Raph noticed the deep gash that spread across his left arm, and it was oozing out more and more blood by the second. He was motionless and was barely breathing.
Raph didn't know what to do. He just stood there, taking in what he saw. His youngest brother, eyes that used to be full of hope and wonder but now closed, was lying in front of him, bleeding to death.
Raph then snapped his head back into focus, and called out, "Donnie! Donnie, I found im'! He's over here!"
Donnie then rushed over to where his older brother was, and then looked down at the sight of Mikey. Oh, his poor younger brother, injured and bleeding was right in front of him.
Donnie honestly couldn't believe it. He realized that the wound on his arm must have been deep, because a cut like that would surely cause him to lose all of this blood. But the poor purple banded turtle just stood there for a few seconds, unable to move, and too shocked to force himself to believe that what he saw was true.
But Raph quickly got Donnie to focus again.
"Donnie, are ya gonna help him, or are ya gonna let him bleed to death!?" Raph snapped.
He regretted it as soon as he said it. Donnie seemed to flinch at Raph's words, but then he sprinted to his lab, gathered supplies that would stop Mikey from bleeding, and returned to help his youngest brother.
Raph just stood there, feeling useless and guilty. He didn't mean for it to sound like that, he just wanted Donnie to help Mikey. Raph had no experience in the medical field and Donnie was the only one who did. He yelled at him just so he could get back into focus, so that he could save their brother...but he should have chosen better words to do it.
Raph saw his younger brother flinch when he said it, and he didn't think that Donnie wanted him to notice, but he saw pain in his eyes. Pain that was caused by him. His older brother, who is supposed to be there for him, and not against him.
Donnie kind of felt the same way as Raph did. Yes, he was affected by what Raph said to him, but he was Raph. Who could blame him? He always acted like this when things weren't to their advantage. But Donnie also felt disappointed in himself. He should have gotten the supplies sooner, instead of waste precious seconds of Mikey's life just staring at the scene in front of him.
But he couldn't think of that right now, he had to put his mind back on the major issue: Mikey is injured and he has to save him.
Raph, feeling completely useless, asked, "Is- is there anything I can do?"
Donnie, who was busy putting pressure on Mikey's arm wound, said, "Yes, actually. I need you to help me bring Mikey into the lab, so I can work on him in there. Now, pick him up like that...there you go," he said, as they picked up their orange banded brother.
Donnie was careful not to remove the cloths he was holding from the wound, for he did not want anymore blood loss. So he only carried Mikey with one hand, while Raph had to do most of the heavy lifting.
Mikey may seem like a thin turtle, but once you pick him up, you'll realize that you were wrong, considering all the years of pizza-eating he lived through.
Once Mikey was on the lab table, Donnie forced Raph out of the room.
"Go and tell Splinter what happened, and I'll try and fix Mikey. Hopefully, he'll be aright in no time," Donnie said.
"But-" Raph started to say. He wanted to be in there with Mikey. He couldn't stand leaving his side, even if it was for a minute.
But Donnie interrupted him.
"I said go tell him. Now," Donnie ordered.
Donnie didn't want Raph to be in there. Mikey was losing more and more blood by the second, and he knew it.
If these were Mikey's last moments on earth, which was a pretty good chance they were, he didn't want Raph to remember him like this. All weak, bloody, and unconscious. Donnie wanted Raph to remember the healthy, bright and happy Mikey...not this.
Surprisingly, Raph followed Donnie's order and rushed out of the lab to tell their Sensei.
Raph busted open the door of the dojo, and rushed across the room to where his father was meditating.
Raph's loud and swift entering made the rat dart up onto his feet, for he sensed something was terribly wrong. When his son's frantic and worried gaze met his, he knew something was off.
"Raphael, what is the matter?" Splinter asked, fear in his voice.
"I- It's Mikey," Raph started. "We were in the lab when we heard him call our names, and when we found him, he was- he was..." Raph couldn't finish.
"What was he, Raphael?" Splinter asked, now completely terrified for what his answer might be.
"He had this deep cut on his arm, and there was blood...blood everywhere," Raph said. "Donnie's trying to fix him up now. I- I don't know if he's gonna make it, Sensei..."
Raph just lost it right then and there.
"I'm scared! I'm scared for him! And for Leo, for Donnie, for us! All of us!" Raph said, as some tears found their way down his cheeks. "Why? Why did- did this have to happin'! Why did this whole thing have to happin' to our family, huh?" Then Raph thought of something. "Why- why did you make an enemy of the Shredder in the first place!?" he yelled, his sadness and anger rising. "If you haven't had that rivalry, then none of this would have happened...this is all your fault!" he screamed, as he found his way to the ground with tears streaming down his face.
Splinter was shocked at this outburst. He knew his son was hurting from all of this, but never actually thought he would say something like that. The red banded turtle rarely said these types of things to his father, and it affected the poor rat, badly.
But his words found their way into Splinter's mind. Raph had a point.
If he didn't let the love of the woman, Tang Shen, get between them when he was still human in Japan, maybe all of this wouldn't have come true. He made Oroku Saki (the Shredder's real name) his enemy, just because he wanted Tang Shen for himself. If only he was nicer, or even understanding to Oroku...they surely wouldn't be in this situation now. And poor Splinter hated himself for it now more than ever.
Raph realized what he said to his father. This was his fault...No, it wasn't their father's fault.
Why did he say that? He looked up, and even though it was blurry from tears, he saw the pain in his father's eyes. Pain that would never heal. He probably just made his father feel bad about himself, and thought about how that comment would haunt both of them the rest of their lives if Raph didn't say something to apologize for it.
"I- I'm...sorry...I'm s- sorry..." Raph choked between sobs. "I- I didn't mean it...Please, forgive m- me father..."
He felt his Sensei's hand rest upon his shoulder, and saw him kneel down to face him.
"Raphael," Splinter said gently. "It is okay. But you are indeed right. All of this is my fault, and I need to fix my mistake."
"N- no, father," Raph said, who wiped his eyes, to get rid of any remaining tears. "I- I was just angry, and I said somethin' I shouldn't have. It's not your fault, Sensei. It's- it's the Shredder's."
"Thank you, my son," Splinter said. "Now, let us go se if your brother is alright," as they headed out the door of the dojo together.
To their luck, Donnie was waiting outside the lab door for them. But there was good news and bad news.
"The good news is that Mikey is stable. His wound on his left arm is bandaged, and healing pretty quickly. It'll only take a few days before the wound fully heals, but he could still fight before then, if he's feeling fine. Now, the bad news is that he lost quite a bit of his blood...I was surprised that he lived after losing so much."
A deadly silence filled the room.
Raph was the first one to beak it.
"Um, is he awake?" the red banded turtle asked.
"No. He's unconscious, but he's bound to wake up in a couple of hours. Until then, one of us has to watch over him," Donnie replied.
"I'll do it," Raph said, quickly, causing Donnie to jump.
Donnie saw that Raph really wanted to watch over his youngest brother, and as much as he wanted to do it instead, he didn't dare protest. Raph has been through a lot, and if looking over Mikey was something that would help him, then so be it.
"Alright, Raph," Donnie said. "But when he wakes up, come and get us. We all need to hear what happened."
"Who the shell would do this to him!?" Raph blurted out, unexpectedly. Clearly, he wasn't thinking hard enough. He was still upset about, well, everything.
"Raph, think. Who is the only person we know who uses deadly, sharp blades?" Donnie said.
Then it suddenly dawned on Raph that the Shredder was the one who gave him that cut.
"Oroku Saki. The Shredder, Raphael," their Sensei said.
"You know," Donnie said depressingly, "the Shredder must still have Leo."
Silence filled the room for a brief moment as they all realized what Donnie said must be true.
"Or- or worse..." said Raph.
"Don't think about it, bro. None of us know if Leo is dead or not," Donnie tried to reassuringly say, but failed.
Raph and Splinter flinched at the word 'dead,' and Donnie noticed. He didn't mean for that, it just slipped. Donnie looked down, not wanting to meet the eyes of his brother and father right now.
"We're sorry, Donatello," Splinter said. "We just don't want it to be true, and from all that has happened, he just might be..."
"C'mon, Sensei. Don't think that way," Raph said. "Besides, I should be looking after Mikey. I gotta make sure he hasn't already woke up," as he changed the subject to shift their minds away from the hopelessness they all had.
-TMNT-TMNT-TMNT-TMNT-TMNT-TMNT-TMNT-TMNT-TMNT-TMNT-TMNT-TMNT-TMNT-TMNT-TMNT-TMNT-TMNT-TMNT-TMNT-TMNT-
Mikey saw nothing but black.
It didn't matter where he looked, it was just darkness. Nothing but the haunting, pitch black walls that seemed to be concealing him from whatever was in front of him.
There was something heavy resting upon his eyes, which he realized were his eyelids. Why did he feel so weak? So tired? So out of it?
Poor Mikey couldn't recollect the previous events that happened. He wanted to remember so badly, but he just couldn't. All he could do was lie there, wherever he was, and regain some strength so that he might find out where he is.
He couldn't really feel his body. It all felt numb to him, like he was really, really cold.
Cold.
Then he remembered.
The cold blade of the Shredder slicing through his left arm. Cold, felt so so cold. Leo punching the Shredder. Going through the manhole cover into the sewer. Leo staying behind. Finding his way back home. Calling his brothers. Blood, so much blood...
Leo.
What was the Shredder doing to him now? Ah, shell...he had to get to him. With or without the help of his family. He saw what the Shredder could do, and he didn't want his eldest brother going through his torture anymore.
Mikey gathered all of his remaining strength and forced his eyes open. He had to find out where he was if he wanted to get to Leo.
He saw stone walls, lights, lots of lights, and felt as though he was lying on a table. This place looked strangely familiar...it was Donnie's lab!
His brothers got to him after all. He turned his head to check his surroundings, and saw the one who he, surprisingly, missed the most of all...his older brother, Raph.
It seemed as though Raph was deep in thought, and hadn't noticed that Mikey was awake.
"R- Raph," Mikey said, quite surprised to find his voice so hoarse.
Raph quickly snapped back to reality as he heard his name come from his injured brother's lips.
"Mikey! Mikey, bro, you're okay. You're okay..." Raph trailed off. "Hey, Mikey," Raph started. "I- I'm sorry for everything. I didn't mean what I said before, and-" but he was cut off.
"Hey, i- it's okay, bro. I understand," Mikey said, reassuringly.
Raph smiled, and actually genuinely smiled. Mikey has rarely seen Raph really smile before, and it kind of freaked him out. But he felt calmer the longer he looked at him, and soon smiled back.
Raph then got up from his chair next to Mikey's table, and said, "I'm gonna go get Donnie and Sensei. They'll be glad to see ya, bro," then exited the room.
Since Mikey didn't really feel like he hurt so bad, thought it might be a good idea to sit up. He only gotten on his elbows, when a shooting pain coursed through his left arm, where the cut was. He let out a whimper of pain.
He then put less pressure on his left arm, and put most of the pressure on his right to help him up. Surprisingly, the pain lessened, as he sat fully upright on the table.
Despite feeling incredibly weak and drained which he realized must be the cause from his mass blood loss, he felt rather fine. His arm also hurt when he put pressure on it, but if he stayed clear from doing that he'll probably be fine.
He then made it his mission to stand. So, he placed both feet on the ground and put pressure on both of them, to try and support his body. Big mistake.
His legs gave away, as he stumbled forward. He felt so weak, that even if he tried he couldn't stop himself from falling. He expected to hit the ground, but instead found himself a few inches from it.
His brother, Donnie, caught him just before he landed.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa," Donnie said to Mikey, as he got him back on the table. "I don't think you're ready to stand just yet. You suffered from a major blood loss from your wound. You're going to have to wait a little longer."
"D- Donnie," Mikey said. "I'm so happy to see you, bro."
"Me too, Mikey," Donnie said, as he smiled.
Then Mikey's eyes drifted to Splinter, who was next to Raph, as they both came in the lab. They both walked over to him.
"Michelangelo, my son, I'm glad you're awake," Splinter said, his voice full of relief, but with a hint of sadness that Mikey noticed.
"I- it's okay, father," Mikey said, reassuringly. "I'll be better i- in no time."
"I missed you," Splinter said.
"Me too, Sensei," Mikey said back.
"Now, Mikey," Donnie said. "Do you remember where Fishface took you?"
"Is Leo alive?" Raph asked.
"Did the Shredder hurt you, despite your arm?" Splinter asked, right after Raph.
"G- guys, too many question a- at once," Mikey said, quite overwhelmed.
"Sorry, bro," Raph said. "Lets start out from the beginning. What happened between you and Fishface on the roof?"
Mikey then remembered the night where Fishface knocked him out with his nunchuks and took him. But he remembered something else that night that made him shiver.
"F- Fishface knocked me out with my nunchuk I think right before you guys g- got there," Mikey said. "A few moments l- later, I heard you scream, Raph. I- I was worried, and wanted to s- see if you were okay, but I- I couldn't do anything...W- were you hurt bad?" Mikey asked, voice full of worry.
"Um..." Raph started, but then stopped. He didn't really want to tell his youngest brother what happened to him. He felt it was kind of embarrassing that he was bit by Fishface a second time, said and did stupid things from the poison, and painfully learned how to walk again. Raph's face darkened, and Donnie noticed this.
"Raph was bitten by Fishface, but I got him back to the lair, gave him the antidote, and he recovered quickly," Donnie said, who got a look of thank you Donnie, I owe you one from Raph.
Donnie nodded slightly, so that Raph would know that he understood. If he experienced what Raph went through, he really wouldn't want his other brothers to know about it, too.
But they all focused their attention back to Mikey, and Donnie then said, "Fishface threw me off the roof, but I managed to grab onto a windowsill," he explained. "Raph turned his back to Fishface to come and help me, but that's when he bit him. I managed to climb back up on the roof, but when I got up, Raph was on the ground, and Fishface was already too far away from us. I- I'm sorry I couldn't get to you, bro."
"N- no, Donnie. I understand. R- Raph was poisoned and you couldn't l- leave him. You made the right choice," Mikey said.
Raph felt completely awkward right now, so he stayed silent.
Splinter, on the other hand, asked, "Well, do you know where Xever took you?"
"W- well," Mikey started. "I was thrown into this cell, but I- I didn't know where I was. I managed t- to get up and walk around, and t- then I saw him. I saw L- Leo." Everyone stayed silent, anxious for what Mikey would say next. "H- he wasn't breathing when I ch- checked. I- I thought he was dead..." Mikey trailed off. "H- he had a large, d- deep cut on his head, but it w- was dried blood, so I thought I was too late," Mikey said.
He skipped the part where he started to cry because he didn't want them knowing, but all of them knew he did. Shell, they would have started crying too.
"T- then," Mikey said. "Leo started breathing, a- and I was so relieved. He- he then woke up, a- and I could tell he was g- glad but also worried to s- see me."
"Probably because he knew you were with the Shredder," Donnie said.
"Y- ya," Mikey continued. "Of c- course he denied he was hurt. H- he said he was fine, b- but I knew he wasn't. I wonder wh- what the Shredder did t- to him..."
Raph smirked at the thought of Leo denying he was hurt. There's Fearless for you! At least his personality was still in tact...but the last thing that Mikey said made him frown. He too wondered what torture the Shredder did to his poor brother...
"T- then," Mikey said. "The cell door o- opened, and the Shredder picked L- Leo up and threw him outside on t- the floor. L- Leo yelled and I could tell he was h- hurt bad." Mikey frowned, remembering Leo's pain. "I- I yelled at the Shredder to- to stop, but he lunged at Leo and p- pinned him against the wall w- with two blades at his neck. T- then Dogpound grabbed me from b- behind, and I tried t- to get out of his grip, but h- he was too strong for me. Then the Shredder. He- he..." Mikey faltered. He couldn't go on.
"What, Michelangelo?" Splinter asked, with fear.
Gathering courage, he said, "H- he gave me a choice. E- either tell him where y- you guys were and Leo got to live, or- or not tell him where y- you guys were...and L- Leo died."
Everyone's face darkened, as they thought about what Mikey just said.
"Why- why would he do that!?" Raph yelled. "That sick, that sick-" but Donnie cut him off.
"It's alright, Raph," Donnie said, placing a hand on his shoulder. "Now, Mikey...what did you do?"
Mikey continued, saying, "L- Leo said not to tell him where y- you guys were. He- he said he would be alright...when I- I knew he wasn't going to be. The Shredder yelled a- at him, and then turned to me again, a- asking what I was going to do. B- but before I could do anything, L- Leo spit in his face, which m- made the Shredder let go of him. L- Leo got up, and I- I managed to free myself f- from Dogpound. W- we ran out of the building, b- but the Shredder was right behind us. W- we couldn't outrun him, and- and Leo was slowing down. H- he was still hurt pretty b- bad, and couldn't run very well. L- Leo then said that I had to go home w- without him...I- I didn't want to. But- but he ordered me to. T- then the Shredder snuck up b- behind us, and sliced me with h- his blade." Mikey shivered, remembering the blow. "I- I kind of dodged out of the w- way so I didn't get the full b- blow, but it looks like it was en- enough to make me lose a lot of b- blood. I- I remember Leo saying my name, and t- then he quickly turned to the Shredder, and- and punched him in the f- face, causing him to- to fall. I- I saw Leo fall to the ground right af- after. I guess the punch t- took a lot out of him. But, L- Leo got back up, and o- ordered me to go down the m- manhole cover and g- go back home without him. So I- I went down, and found my way back h- here where you guys found me."
Everyone was silent when Mikey was done. They simply didn't know what to say.
Raph then said, "So Leo stayed behind? But, but why?" his voice full of sadness and confusion. "He could have went with ya back home, couldn't he have?"
"N- no, Raph," Mikey said. "B- by the time Leo would have g- gotten in through the manhole c- cover, the Shredder would have saw u- us go down. It was one or none, b- bro. The Shredder w- was just too fast for us. W- we knew only one of us was going t- to make it back...and L- Leo made it clear it was going t- to be me who made it."
"I- I hate myself for it, R- Raph," Mikey said. "I should have l- let Leo go, instead..."
"No, Michelangelo," Splinter said, reassuringly. "Leonardo is the leader of your team. He made the choice to sacrifice himself instead of you, and you had no choice but to follow his orders." He sighed. "I miss Leonardo...and I feel that it was my fault for his actions. I told him when he was young, to always take care of you three, and he promised. Sometimes I forget some of the deadly consequences of that promise..."
"Sensei," Donnie said. "It wasn't your fault. That's just how Leo is. He will do anything to get us through."
"Mikey," Raph said. "Did you see where you were being held?"
"Ya," Mikey said. "I- It was this old, abandoned building o- on the East side of town. But, but I don't know exactly where."
"Well, it's something," Raph said. "I'll tell ya what we're gonna do. We're gonna go up there, find Leo, kill the Shredder, and take him back home. Who's with me?"
Everyone nodded in agreement.
They were going to save Leo.
Well, my amazing readers, this is officially my longest chapter I have done! I hoped you liked it, and please review! I'm sorry I'll be gone for 2 weeks, but I'll try to find some internet, okay? Don't worry though, the 2 weeks will be over before you know it! I love you all, and I'll try to update soon!