Hello, readers! Sorry that this took all day to do, but I was kind of busy. And I want to thank all of you for your patience because I know I haven't been the fastest writer, but hey, I'm trying! XD This one is going to be about Raph's and Donnie's point of view, but it's going to overlap with the previous chapter. You'll understand more as you read on, don't worry! Remember to read, enjoy, and review! Read on!
"I thought he said it was on the East side of town," Raph said, as he and Donnie jumped over the rooftops of NYC.
The air was cool, as the moon swept over the sky, shining its light down onto the city. The buildings glimmered with light, from the inside, and the whole city lit up like the sun was upon it. When most places slept during the night, it seemed like New York City awoke, filling the night air with flashes of brightness.
"I mean, Mikey wasn't that clear about where it was. 'An old abandoned building on the East side of town.' Ya, that just about sums it up," Raph said. "We've been running around for hours!"
"Patience, Raph," Donnie said. "This side of town is big. It's going to take a while to find the specific building," he finished, completely confident with response.
There was a short pause.
"Are you sure about that, Donnie?" Raph said, as he halted.
There, right in front of them, was a building that had broken windows, chipped walls, and an unsteady foundation that caused it to tilt a little to the side.
"What, are you serious!?" Donnie yelled at his older brother.
"Shhh!" Raph ordered. "We have to be silent."
"Wow," Donnie started, his voice much lower. "You just sounded a lot like Leo."
Leo.
Raph flinched when Donnie said their brother's name.
That was why they were out here. To rescue their eldest brother from the dark clutches of the Shredder and his henchmen. Who knows what torture the Shredder has done, or is planning...
But Raph couldn't think about that. He had to have hope that his brother was okay. Mikey said they were held in this old building on the East side of town, and by the looks of this one, it might be it.
Ignoring Donnie's last comment, Raph said, "We should wait here for a minute to see if anything stirs." He paused, surveying the building before them. "There isn't any Foot ninjas in sight," he finally said. "Usually, they would be guarding the rooftops or even the entrance, but there's none."
"Do you think that maybe they meant for it to look like that?" Donnie asked. "Think, shellferbrains. They wouldn't want us to know that they were expecting us. After all, Mikey escaped and there was a really good chance he would tell us if he made it back, which he did. Do you think they would be waiting out here, like siting ducks, out in the open?"
"Hey, my head's not made to think, all right?" Raph said, playfully, trying to break the tension, as they waited for any sign of movement. "I'm not some snobby know-it-all who thinks he's betta than everyone else." He paused, and then mumbled, "Like you," which was loud enough to hear.
"Oh, really?" Donnie said, a grin spreading over his face. "Well, at least we both know who's the smart one, and not the one with anger issues that can't even say 'better' the right way. Or, don't you? Considering that you're also dumb."
"Hey!" Raph said, a smile clearly on his face.
Just then, a loud bang filled the air, and it came from inside the building. Both turtles snapped their heads in its direction.
Like instinct, Raph jumped onto its roof.
If Leo was in there, he had to know. He had to rescue him and kill the Shredder where he stood. He wasn't going to let him hurt his brother anymore...it was over.
"Raph!" Donnie yelled, just silent enough for him to hear, but not to alert whatever was inside. "Come back! Sensei just wanted us to find out where Leo was, not-"
But Donnie faltered in mid- sentence and his heart froze.
Raph jumped through one of the open windows and into the building.
"Raph!" Donnie yelled, as he jumped onto its roof, as well.
Feeling scared, anxious, and regretting what he was about to do, Donnie jumped in after his older brother. He didn't want him to be alone against the Shredder, Fishface, and Dogpound. He couldn't take them all on his own.
And what if Leo was hurt, or worse, when Raph got in there? He wouldn't be able to think straight when fighting the three of them...he would be thinking about Leo the whole time.
Donnie knew his older brother, and if he didn't go in after him, Raph would surely be hurt, captured...or something worse that he didn't want to think about.
When Donnie jumped in and landed, he braced himself for whatever he was about to see...
But it wasn't exactly the sight that he expected to gaze upon.
There was Raph, in the middle of the room, safe and unharmed, with a cat at his feet.
"It was just a cat that knocked over a chair," Raph said to Donnie, depressingly, as the cat started hissing and ran into a corner.
It was a small room, full of old furniture and antiques, making it much like an old store. There was no sign of life, but the cat and the two turtles, not to mention a few dead plants in windowsills.
"Maybe it's really an abandoned building," Donnie said. "But we have to look around first, to see if it's really as it seems."
"Donnie, does it look like Shredder's evil lair to you!?" Raph shouted.
He had a point. There was no way the Shredder would take up refuge here. It was way too old, and the foundation of the building was far beyond repair and much too dangerous to live on top of.
"Don't worry, Raph, we'll keep looking," Donnie said, as they ran along the rooftops again, after they searched the building.
Raph had a pained expression on his face, like he just watched someone die right in front of him.
They didn't find Leo...
They have been searching for hours and hours into the night now, and they only found one building that fit Mikey's description. But it wasn't it.
It has been almost a week now, that the Shredder has kept Leo, and Raph wanted it to end. He didn't want his brother to be with him anymore. He wanted him to be home, with them, safe and not...he didn't want to even think about it. Raph knew what the Shredder was capable of, and if Leo has been with him for this long...who knows what the Shredder has done to him.
"Donnie," Raph started. "What if we don't find him? What if we're too late? What if, what if Leo's never coming back..."
Donnie was concerned about Raph. More concerned that he has been with any other of his brothers.
He knew that his older brother had a tough childhood. Always wanting to be alone, and not really wanting to do things with the others. And when he did, he wouldn't be as enthusiastic like the others were. Also, he seemed to be always angry, like life wasn't good enough for him. And over the years, his anger seemed to grow worse, like this dark thought was consuming him, but always kept it inside.
Nobody really seemed to get to Raph, or understand him. Donnie has tried to get to him, but he wouldn't say anything. He knew Leo must have tried to get to him too, considering that Raph always seemed like he wanted to punch Leo whenever he was around.
Donnie never really understood why Raph and Leo had this sibling rivalry. Maybe it was out of jealously that Leo was chosen as leader, or that Leo was his immediate older brother? He did not know, and it would probably be a while before he would.
They were his brothers. He didn't have to hide anything from them...but he did, and he still does. All of this plays into effect, now. Raph, recently, has always expected and thought the worst of everything. Now he thinks that Leo must be dead just because they found the wrong building. Donnie wanted to help Raph, but he really didn't know how.
"Raph," Donnie started to say. "It's okay, bro. There's a good chance that Leo's alright. We'll find him," and then, without thinking, added, "I promise."
Raph looked up at him.
It's not everyday your sibling promises you something so important, and Raph seemed to really take it to heart. He started to believe his younger brother, that maybe everything was going to be alright, after all. They've been in tough situations before, and always managed to get out of them. They'll get out of this one for sure.
He gave Donnie a quick smile and then looked back down, continuing to search for buildings.
Donnie immediately regretted it as soon as the words slipped out of his mouth.
'I promise,' Donnie thought, over and over again.
He couldn't promise Raph anything. Donnie didn't know how all of this was going to go down. Shell, he didn't even know if Leo was alive...the Shredder could have killed him after he found out that Leo helped Mikey escape.
But, at least Donnie made Raph feel a little better...even though he made a promise he might not be able to keep.
That thought still haunted his mind, but he tried to shake it out and focus on the task at hand.
They searched for what have been like an hour more...and then they found it.
On the edge of town, built away from other houses, all old an abandoned, a lone building stood.
It was a perfect place to hide. There wasn't many people who lived around here, and this is the only old- looking building in the area.
"See, I told you," Donnie whispered to Raph, as they crept towards it.
"We don't even know if Leo's in there or not," Raph countered.
"Well, let's just get on the roof, and look inside, okay?" Donnie asked.
"Fine," Raph said.
They looked around for any Foot ninjas, which there was a few, but they took them out with ease, and then swiftly climbed up the building. With the knowledge of Foot ninjas lurking around, Raph and Donnie knew that this was the place.
Leo was inside and so was the Shredder. They just knew.
They climbed up onto a landing, and noticed a few windows on the wall.
"I'll take a quick look of what's inside," Raph whispered to Donnie.
Donnie nodded, fearful that if he said something, it would be heard.
This was it. The moment of truth. Either Leo was in there, or he was not. They had searched for countless hours, and hadn't found a single clue of where their missing brother was held. Now there was a chance. Now they would know.
Raph leaned over towards the window, and he braced himself for whatever he was about to see...
But he didn't brace himself enough.
What he saw made his heart shatter and his stomach flip.
Leo was strapped down in a chair in the middle of the room, with deep gashes all over his shoulders and arms, with a painful look cast upon his face. Fishface was next to him, holding a bloody knife. Dogpound was not far from the scene. And there was none other than the Shredder, standing in front of Leo, observing his henchman's work.
Raph was completely shell- shocked. He couldn't belive it. He just stared at the scene in front of him, feeling useless, guilty, and scared. His eldest brother, Leo, was helpless and in pain. Pools of his blood ran along the floor underneath him, and Raph noticed Leo looked paler than usual. He saw that his wrists and ankles were bleeding from the cord, in which he probably tried to break free...but failed.
Raph couldn't make himself do anything, so he just crouched there, peering through the window at it all.
Then, Raph looked back up into Leo's face...and saw that Leo was looking straight up at him.
Raph didn't know what to do. He wanted to do something so badly, but he didn't know. All he could think of was to give Leo something to hope for. He wanted him to feel better and know that they were out to rescue him...so Raph smiled.
And the odd thing was...that Leo gave a quick smile back.
"Raph," Donnie said. "Raph, what do you see? Is Leo in there?"
Raph couldn't keep the news from his younger brother for too much longer, so as much as he wanted to keep smiling at Leo, he turned away from the window and faced Donnie.
"Well?" Donnie asked, with eagerness.
Raph didn't say anything right away, for he was still somewhat in shock from what he just witnessed.
He didn't want Donnie to know what he saw, but he had to tell him. He had to know. Even though Raph wanted to protect Donnie from things like this, he knew that telling him was the right thing to do.
So he told Donnie everything, from Leo and his gashes, to Fishface and the knife, to the Shredder and Dogpound, and how they saw each other and smiled.
Donnie's face darkened when he heard this. Leo was losing too much blood, by what Raph described, and he probably couldn't hold out much longer without medical treatment. Unfortunately, he knew they wouldn't give it to him...
"Donnie," Raph started. "There, there was so much blood..."
"Raph, it's okay. We're going to-" but Donnie was cut short.
From inside, they heard a painful, loud scream that they realized came from one thing...their brother, Leo.
Both Raph's and Donnie's hearts skipped a beat, and looked at each other in shock. The scream lasted an eternity. Almost immediately after, they both scrambled for the window, and what they saw made them sick.
The Shredder had Leo's left arm grasped in his hand and he was holding up a bloody blade...and Leo was deeply cut all the way from his left shoulder, down across his forearm, and ending at his wrist.
The Shredder then let go of Leo's arm, and turned to face him again, like what he did was nothing.
Donnie wasn't surprised to see both Fishface and Dogpound so shocked, for they all knew the Shredder had gone way too far.
Both turtles couldn't believe it. They just couldn't.
Raph got teary- eyed, as he saw his older brother's pale face, look at his, now, bloody arm. Raph could tell that Leo went into shock, for he didn't say or do anything for several minutes.
But during that time, the Shredder did something that made Raph want to jump in there and beat the living daylights out of him. And he was quite surprised that he didn't do it, too, for the Shredder just laughed right after he cut his poor brother. It echoed off the walls and found its way up to the turtles. Then, surprisingly, Fishface and Dogpound got over their shock and started laughing with him.
Raph barely noticed that Donnie turned away, soon after Leo was cut.
The vision of Leo's weak and bloody body and the Shredder's blade was still fresh in Donnie's mind, even when he looked out onto the street. He wanted to erase the image, but it wouldn't go away. Every time he closed his eyes, he would clearly see it, and knew he wouldn't forget it for quite a while.
Donnie knew that even if that wound healed, it would turn into a scar. A painful reminder of the Shredder and what he did to poor Leo on this night. Something that will never ever leave him...
But, Raph couldn't bring himself away from staring at poor Leo. He felt so much sadness and so much guilt for what happened. He never knew why, but he always felt responsible for everything that went wrong, even if it wasn't his fault. But, he somehow managed to make them his fault.
If only he went in there and stopped the Shredder, or if he got there fast enough and didn't stop at the other building, then maybe Leo would be okay...he wouldn't be in this condition, all bloody and beaten.
Raph couldn't stand seeing his brother like this, so he found the will to turn away, and looked back at Donnie.
Donnie was quite surprised that Raph didn't barge in there, especially after the Shredder started to laugh. Donnie flinched when he heard them laugh, and was quite pained by it all. Leo...he was hurt bad, and there was nothing they could do about it, without risking their safety.
"Donnie," Raph whispered, as he listened to the evil laughter coming from inside. "What are we gonna do?"
"I, I..." Donnie faltered. Honestly, he didn't know what to do.
But he realized that the laughter died down.
"Raph, the laughter stopped. They might be talking. Let's lean in and try to hear," Donnie ordered, regaining his focus.
Raph nodded, even though he really didn't want to look back in there.
So, both turtles pressed their ears up to the glass, and listened contently. There was nothing at first, and they thought that maybe they were too far away to hear, but they made out none other than their own brother's voice.
They were surprised that they could hear him so clearly. Donnie knew that the room was big and open- spaced, so Leo's voice must be echoing off the walls, and coming towards them.
"S- Shredder," they heard from Leo. "I- I'll tell you."
Both Donnie's and Raph's heart froze ice solid. He wasn't going to tell him, was he? He couldn't! He wouldn't! Leo never gives in. He never quits...but maybe the Shredder pushed him to his breaking point.
"Leo, no..." Raph said.
"Why..." Donnie trailed off.
Then they heard him say it. The very thing they dreaded he would say to the Shredder all along: "T- The location of my father."
Raph threw his head away from the window, and Donnie did the same.
"He, he wouldn't, would he?" Raph asked.
"The Shredder...he really pushed Leo hard. Leo, Leo held out for this long, but why now?" Donnie said.
There was a short pause.
"Donnie," Raph said in a stern voice.
Donnie looked up to see Raph pull out his sais.
"Raph, what are you-" but Donnie stopped, for he realized what Raph was going to do. "No, Raph! You, you can't. I won't let you."
"I don't take orders from my younger brother," Raph said, as he silently lifted up the window.
"You will!" Donnie said, tears forming in his eyes. "I- I will go with you!"
"Leo's not gonna tell em' where our home is," Raph said. "And I'm gonna make sure of it. You, Donnie, will go back to the lair, tell Splinter, and come and get us."
"No, Raph," Donnie said, with tears falling down his cheek. "You could get killed!"
"It's a price I'm willing to make, bro," Raph said, as he looked into Donnie's eyes for what looked like to be the last time.
"Raph-" Donnie started.
"No, Donatello!" Raph said in a much stricter voice. "You will go back without me..."
He paused for a moment, and said in a much softer voice, "I love ya, bro."
And with that, he fell down through the window and inside the building, his sais grasped tightly in his hands, prepared to face the fight of his life.
Well, I hope you're all anxious for what happens next! Don't be a hater! I want to keep things exciting for you all. I hope you all liked it, and I want to tank you all for reading! I'll try and update soon!