Hey guys, so here's the last part of Old Friendships Never Die. I'm also halfway done with Feeling Rueful, but I still have half to go! Thanks for reading everyone!

Ch. 17-Old Friendships Never Die Pt. 2

Mikey's POV

The days pass slowly now. I've immersed myself in my search for Raphael. Every night we patrol the streets searching for some clue as to his whereabouts. I refuse to believe that Raphie is dead. I just don't believe it. I-I can't.

My brothers are in pain. I can see it. Even though they try to hide it from me. At any other moment I would be trying to cheer them up. But not now.

Now is not the time for jokes or laughter. Not now. Not while our hope is wearing thin.

Sensei keeps a candle burning in the dojo. Several times he has tried to contact Raphael spiritually, but so far, there has been nothing. I'm not sure whether that's a good thing or not. It could mean that Raph isn't dead so his spirit can't be reached, or it could mean…

My heart is heavy. I cannot remain aloof in this situation.

A frustrated yell came from the dojo.

I shot up off the couch and dashed into the room.

Leonardo's hands were bloody and raw. He leaned all his weight against the punching bag, one arm in front of his face.

I didn't have to look to know there were tears rolling down his face. I rushed to his side and pulled him away from the bag slowly, keeping one arm around his shoulders so that I could guide him away gently. Leonardo kept sobbing. I cooed gently and sat him down with his back against the wall. I wrapped my arms around him in a comforting hug.

I can't even count the number of times Leonardo himself has comforted me in much the same way.

As we hugged, Splinter and Donnie burst into the room looking concerned. I sent them an 'I got this' look and they nodded with understanding.

It was my turn to comfort and reassure. To convince my brother that everything would be alright. The way Leo always did. The way Raphael always had.

I hugged Leo tighter. Fear filled my heart. Leo seemed to feel my distress for he reached out and returned the hug. His sobs began to die down. He looked at me, his eyes red from crying so much over the past few days.

"Mikey I—"

"You don't need to explain, Leo." I stated. "We all feel the same."

Leonardo accepted that with a nod. Donatello and Splinter watched silently.

"But we can't give up on him." The others looked at me with sad, pitiful eyes, like I was a little child who didn't understand the finality of death. For a moment I was shocked beyond the capacity to produce sound. Then my eyes narrowed with anger. "You can't seriously believe that Raphael is dead!" I yelled, my fists clenching and unclenching.

Donatello approached me, his eyes narrowed. "What would you have us believe Mikey? It would be cruel to prolong our suffering by maintaining false hope!"

"It isn't false hope!" I exclaimed, my ears disbelieving. "How?" My eyes began to cloud with tears, "How can you just assume that Raphael is dead? We have no proof! No verification! Only Shredder's word. You honestly believe him?"

"Then what would you have us believe Mikey?" Donatello repeated, exasperatedly.

"How should I know? I'm not the genius, bro." I shrugged, saying the first thought that came into my head, "Maybe Shredder's holding Raph somewhere and letting us think that he's dead."

Leo, Don, and Sensei exchanged glances.

"That's…plausible." Leonardo stated, slowly.

Sensei frowned. "Shredder does not usually take prisoners without a reason."

"But…If he had a reason?" Donnie asked.

Splinter raised an eyebrow. "If he had a reason," Splinter's frown deepened, "Shredder has the power to detain anyone he wishes for any length of time. He also has the power to decide how long or short a prisoner will be of use to him."

The atmosphere grew thick with tension.

Finally, Leo broke the silence. "Well, we have to find out for certain. I have to know. I won't force any of you to come along. It could be dangerous."

"I'm going." I stated immediately.

His blue eyes met mine with an understanding stare.

"So am I." Don concurred.

All three of us turned to Master Splinter. He gave us all stern glances. "As long as you insist on getting involved with the Shredder I cannot let you go alone."

"Sensei, Shredder's after you. It isn't safe…"

Splinter cut his eldest son off abruptly. "Leonardo, Shredder has already taken one family away from me. I will not allow him to injure this one. If there is a chance that your brother is alive then we must do everything in our power to rescue him. Even if it means I must confront Shredder once more." The rat's eyes were hard.

"I'll get on the computer now. If I can narrow down the number of bases where they could be holding Raph, it'll save us time."

"How long will that take?" Leo asked.

Donatello's eyes narrowed. "A day or two max."

Leo frowned. "That could be a day or two Raphael may not have."

"I'm afraid we have no choice, my son." Master Splinter stated. "If we do not proceed with caution, we will only endanger ourselves. And that we cannot afford. I refuse to risk losing any more of you, my sons."

Third Person POV

Two days passed. The turtles were just about ready to leave when they heard strange footsteps proceeding down the sewer tunnels towards the lair.

The turtles and their master retreated to the lair and turned off the lights.

A large, bulky figure entered and glanced around. The turtles pounced, grabbing onto the creature from all sides. Whatever it was, it was bigger and stronger than they were and it threw them off.

Master Splinter shot forward in the dark and landed a few good hits, sending the stranger falling backwards against the stairs.

Michelangelo turned the lights on abruptly.

The turtles stared.

"Slash?" Leo stated, surprised. "What are you doing here?"

Mutagen colored eyes glanced over at Leonardo. The blue-masked turtle noticed that the larger turtle's eyes were red.

"Raphael's in trouble." The ninja-leader stated, not even waiting for Slash to give him an answer to the previous question. "We don't know where he is. Shredder claims to have killed him, but—"

Slash's eyes widened in shock. He cut Leonardo off, his eyes narrowed. "He's not dead."

For a moment the turtles and their Sensei stared. Slash did not seem at all surprised by any of the information Leonardo had just given him. What's more, his assertion seemed so certain. It contained no trace of doubt whatsoever.

When no one said anything further, Slash went on. "Shredder hit Raph with his latest weapon, an electro-shock generator. The voltage alone should have killed him."

Leonardo's eye-ridges furrowed. "You sound as though you were there."

Slash frowned. "I was." His jaw clenched. "Raph-jumped in front of me and took the hit."

The Hamato clan stared with wide eyes at the larger turtle. For a moment there was only silence.

Until Splinter spoke slowly, "You said it should have killed him. Raphael is alive?"

Slash turned to face the old rat. "He's alive."

Don's eyes narrowed. That didn't exactly reassure him much. "What's his status?"

Slash frowned. "Tired, weak and injured, but very much alive. Rockwell says he'll be alright."

Leonardo's eyes watered with relief. Michelangelo already had tears running down his face.

Donatello snapped into doctor mode. He wouldn't be satisfied until he'd examined Raphael's injuries for himself. "Take me to him."

"We will all go." Master Splinter stated.

Slash nodded. He had expected as much.

Slash showed the turtles and their father to the Mighty Mutanimals' lair. Leatherhead and Pigeon Pete greeted them in the main room, their faces grave.

"Leatherhead!" Michelangelo yelled, hugging the mutant alligator tightly.

Leatherhead smiled. "Michelangelo."

The other turtles nodded brief greetings.

"Slash has told you what happened." Leatherhead stated.

They nodded again.

The giant alligator mutant put a comforting hand on Michelangelo's shoulder.

"How is he?" Slash asked the alligator mutant.

"Rockwell is with him now. He'll know better than I."

Slash nodded and gestured for the turtles to follow.

They proceeded down the wide hall of the warehouse. When they reached the chamber at the very end, Doctor Rockwell emerged from the doorway.

He glanced at the turtles.

"How is he?" Slash asked once more.

Rockwell sighed. "About the same as the last time you asked me." When the only answer he got was silence, Rockwell continued. "The scorching on his shoulder and the mild burns will take a few weeks to heal. Right now he needs rest and recovery time. Personally, I wouldn't recommend any visitors, but he's been asking after you since he woke up."

Slash nodded and began to head towards the door. The turtles followed.

Rockwell let out a sound of protest. "Wait just a minute! He's been asking for Slash, not you four."

Donatello growled. "We're his family. We have a right to see him!"

"I never said you didn't. But he needs minimal excitement. His heart is under enough strain as it is."

The color drained from the turtles' faces. Leo and Mikey exchanged confused glances. Donnie's eyes narrowed, though he seemed as though he knew what they were talking about.

Rockwell glanced at Slash. "I guess you haven't given them the details of his status."

"I thought it would be better coming from you."

The monkey mutant sighed, then turned to the turtles. "Raphael suffered an electric shock at an incredibly high voltage. For a while his heart rate was erratic. It was quite some time before it stabilized. Still, excitement is not advised."

The turtles nodded.

Leonardo glanced at the others. "I suggest that we let Slash go in first since Raph's been asking for him." The other members of the Hamato clan nodded, though Donatello still looked a little reluctant. Leo turned to Slash. "Perhaps you can ask him if he's interested in seeing us. Or at least let him know that we're here."

Slash nodded. Rockwell stepped aside and let the large turtle through to the door.

Slash stepped quietly into the room. Raphael lay with his head to the side, his eyes closed. The larger turtle's heart clenched. It hurt to see Raph injured, but it hurt even more knowing that it was his fault. He frowned.

When Slash returned from his thoughts he found two tired green eyes staring intently at him. "Hey. How you feeling?"

"Been asking for you." Raphael answered, deliberately avoiding the question.

Slash's eyes narrowed, but he decided to move on and leave the subject alone. "I went out. Got your brothers."

"Brothers?" Raph echoed sleepily. "They're here?"

"Yes, they want to see you. Unfortunately excitement is the last thing you need at the moment." Slash paused.

Raph's eyes narrowed. "I…don't know whether I'm ready yet or not. Suppose they expect me to apologize…"

"Raphael, I doubt that they're even still thinking about that." The larger turtle stated soothingly.

"Send 'em in." The hotheaded turtle stated.

"Raph, are you sure you want to…?"

"Send them in." Raphael repeated more forcefully.

"Don't get excited. I'll let them in. But if your heartrate begins to skyrocket…" Slash stated, wagging his finger at Raph mock-threateningly.

"I know, I know." Raph said. "Just let them in."

Slash nodded. He returned to the door and opened it slowly. The turtles and Master Splinter looked up. "He wants to see you." Slash stepped backwards and motioned them to come in.

The four of them entered the room in single file. Donatello rushed to Raphael's side. He glanced over the injuries, which were well cared for, and then he motioned the others to come closer. At moment Raph's eyes opened and he stared at Donatello.

"I'm sorry Don." He stated. Donatello's eye-ridges furrowed.

"For what Raphie?" the brainiac asked, his voice soft and gentle.

"For knocking the wall down on you."

Donatello's eyes filled with barely-restrained tears. "Oh Raph that-that wasn't your fault you can't—"

"I'm sorry Don." Raphael repeated, his tone indicating that that was the end of the conversation.

Donatello nodded. He decided it was counter-intuitive to argue with Raphael in this state.

Splinter approached Raph's side. "My son." He exclaimed, putting a gentle, soothing hand on Raphael's forehead. The old rat ran his hand down the side of his second son's face gently. Raph sighed and pressed gently into his master's hand. "You had us all very worried, Raphael."

"I know Sensei. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to. Though I told you I'd be gone a couple of days, so you shouldn't have been too upset."

Sensei frowned. Raphael could sense that there was something they weren't telling him.

"Alright, what happened?"

Splinter glanced down at the floor. He spoke slowly. "Shredder sent us a message my son. He said that he had information regarding your whereabouts."

Raphael was frowning up at his father, prompting him to say more.

"Shredder claimed that he had killed you, my child." Splinter's hand rested on Raphael's shoulder. His grip tightened as he went on. "He had your mask. And your sai. I hate to admit it, but for a short while, we believed him."

Raphael's green eyes moved upwards to meet his father's inquiringly.

Leonardo spoke up, and Raph's eyes came to rest on him. Raph seemed surprised, as though he hadn't even realized that Leo was in the room. Leo spoke slowly, his voice heavy with emotion. "It wasn't until Mikey beat some sense into us that we decided to find out for ourselves. Luckily, Slash was able to stop us before we went on an angry rampage."

Mikey shifted his weight from foot to foot nervously. Raph glanced at the youngest and smiled. Michelangelo smiled back and approached the bed, taking Raph's hand. Raph squeezed his younger brother's hand gently. "Thanks for not giving up on me, little brother."

"I'll never give up on you, bro."

Slash watched the four of them with a small smile on his face. Looks like Raph was gonna be just fine. He was back where he belonged. With his brothers and his father.

Raphael noticed that Slash was smiling. But there was something strange about the smile. It was almost…sad.

"Slash?" He asked. Their green eyes met. "You okay?" Raph didn't even need to ask. He already knew the answer.

The other turtles glanced back and forth from their brother to Slash. Leonardo's eyes narrowed. He could tell that Raphael was not happy about something. And Raph wasn't supposed to be getting excited.

"How many times do I have to tell you that it wasn't your fault?" Raphael said tiredly.

Slash frowned. "It was my fault."

"No it wasn't." He stated calmly.

"If I'd been more vigilant you wouldn't have gotten hurt."

Raphael sighed, exasperatedly. "And if I had been more vigilant the wall wouldn't have nearly killed Donnie."

"But that wasn't the—"

"It was exactly the same!" Raphael yelled.

Everyone in the room stared at him with wide eyes. Leonardo stepped forward and put a hand on Raphael's shoulder. "Calm down Raph. You shouldn't be getting excited."

"I have every right to get excited." He stated evenly, pushing himself up off the table. He was on his feet before anyone could object.

Raph walked slowly and a bit unsteadily over to Slash and stared up into the mutagen-green eyes of his friend. Just as he was about three large steps away, he stumbled. Slash reached out and caught him, worriedly.

Raph smiled at his own progress. "Not bad for a guy who's been knocked out for a week."

Slash frowned at him. "You shouldn't be stressing yourself. Your heart—"

"I'm fine." He insisted. "You saved my life. If it weren't for you and your team I would have died."

"But I was the one who…"

Raph put a hand on Slash's shoulder. "It doesn't matter what happened before hand. You straightened it out. You saved my life. That's what matters. I'm proud to call you brother."

"Raphael…"

"You know…back when you were trying to kill my brothers, I told you that you weren't Spike. That you'd become a monster."

Slash pulled away and turned his back to them.

Raphael put a gentle hand on Slash's carapace. "I was wrong. You are Spike. You're the best friend I've ever had. You're as much my brother as they are. You deserve it just as much as they do. And you've proved it many times over. Therefore, I'll protect you the same way I protect them. With my life if need be."

Donnie and Mikey exchanged surprised glances, and Leonardo was straight-faced. He realized that Slash had changed, but he was still wary. After all, Slash had tried to kill them.

Slash turned around and stared at Raphael with wide eyes. Then they narrowed. "Why do you always find the need to sacrifice your wellbeing for others?"

"Because I care about them." Raph answered, without hesitation. He moved back over to the bed and lay down. His eyelids were getting heavier and his voice sounded tired. "Because they mean more to me than my own health and safety. Because I'm willing to do anything to protect those I care most about. That includes you, Spike. I mean—" He paused and looked away, embarrassed by the slip-up.

Slash smiled. "It's okay Raphael. You can call me Spike if you want to."

Raph smiled tiredly. "Thanks…Spike." His eyes closed and he fell into a sleep with a peaceful smile on his face.

Slash's smile widened. "Sleep well…Brother."

Raph's brothers and Sensei smiled at the scene and decided to leave the room. Raphael was in good hands. He was going to be just fine.

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