A/N: Hey guys! Its been a while since I've updated this one! Thanks for all the feedback so far you guys! You're all awesome!

I OWN NOTHING!

Enjoy!

Chapter 5

This was the first time I'd entered the forest on my own, in the dark no less. And I had to admit, it was pretty daunting.

The last time I came out, I'd been with Raphael; he knew the overall layout of the forest by now, so he had no problem finding his way back to the farmhouse. I on the other hand, wasn't as familiar, and I got lost within minutes of setting foot beyond the border of trees. But despite being stranded in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by the trees, the darkness and the deafening silence, I wasn't afraid. My eyes were narrowed, and though my leg was throbbing from how fast I was moving, it didn't deter me as I pressed on, limping further and further into the dense forest.

My family was out there somewhere. And if it meant that my leg would bleed out or fall off in the process, I wouldn't stop until I found them, and beat whatever creature had taken them away from me.

But even so, it didn't exactly help that I had no idea where I was.

Just as I was starting to convince myself that I was utterly lost, I stopped suddenly as I heard the sounds of muffled screams. My eyes went wide, and my head snapped left and right in search for the source of the screams. Those screams sounded close…in fact, they sounded a lot like…

"…Mikey?" I gasped.

My baby brother was screaming out for someone. I could hear him…he sounded angry, something that was very rare for my most hyperactive brother. And he was scared…

Releasing a low growl from my throat, I doubled my speed as I marched onwards in the direction of my baby brothers' cries. Ignoring the increasing pain in my right leg, I limped as fast as my aching body would allow me to as I stumbled through a barricade of thick berry bushes…and I was met with a strange sight as I let out a faint gasp.

There was an old wooden shack stood in the center of a large clearing…and through the cracks and holes in the structure, I could see green, florescent lights glowing from the inside. What the heck was that? It couldn't be what I thought it was, could it…?

"Lemme go, Creep! I'll bash that mutagen straight outta ya!"

My eyes widened. That was Mikey again, louder and angrier this time. They must all be trapped inside that shack with that creature…had Mikey called it Creep? And had he mentioned something about mutagen? There was mutagen out here as well?! But where did it come from? There was no way the Kraang could have fund us out here and –

Wait a minute…my Elixir…I'd dropped it by the creek just before I heaved.

I'd forgotten all about it until now. Maybe that's how this 'Creep' monster had been created.

In that instant, I wanted to scream. I wanted to shout out every profanity I knew of. But most of all, I wanted to hit something, namely myself as I lowered my head, growling again in frustration. This whole mess was all my fault. I'd put my family in danger again because of my stupid mistake…because of my weakness…

Mikey's scream of terror snapped me out of my thoughts. My teeth ground together as I wiped those thoughts from my mind for the time being. My mistakes didn't matter right now; I could wallow in self-pity all I wanted later.

All that mattered was getting my family out of there alive before I lost them all for good.

Readying myself, I drew in a deep breath.

"Help!" I screamed as I started moving to hide behind a large thick tree trunk. "HELP!" I screamed again, louder this time as I waited, keeping my breathing quiet and even as I peered around the tree. Whatever that Creep thing was, it was obvious that its main targets were whoever wandered into the forest, lost or alone. I knew that if he heard my cries for help that he'd eventually come out looking for me. All I had to do was wait and pray that he actually took the bait.

Sure enough, the door of the shack opened up, and my jaw nearly dropped to the dirt at the sight of the Creep.

That thing was massive; his entire body was made up of intertwined vines and dead flowers that stuck out of the large blue overalls that he wore. And I also noticed with a faint gasp that he was wearing Casey's hockey mask. How did he get that? Had he…

…had he killed Casey and took his mask to wear as a trophy?

No, no he couldn't have. Casey was still alive, I was sure of it; that crazed vigilante was pretty hard to get rid of, that much I knew.

To my dismay, Creep didn't wander off into the woods like I thought he would. Instead, he just glanced around him as if he were looking for me. I cursed under my breath in Japanese. I'd hoped he would leave the shack unguarded so that I could quickly free the others and get out of there before he came back. But it looked like he was smarter than I thought; there was no way he was going to leave his hostages unprotected.

Squaring my shoulders, I held my breath as I silently drew out a shuriken from my belt. I was in no condition for it, but I knew that the only way to free them was to fight. Though it wasn't the first time I'd fought like this for them, nor would it be the last.

Finally letting out the breath I was holding, I threw the shuriken.

It sailed through the air, and imbedded directly into the back of Creeps' head. He immediately spun around, his pitchfork in hand as he seemed to glare in my direction. I stepped out of the shadows, glaring venomously at the mutant stood before me.

"Give me back my family, freak," I snarled at him.

'Freak' was a word that we almost never used, especially not by myself or my brothers. We all knew how much it hurt. We knew what it felt like to be called a freak, a monster, a thing that didn't belong in the world of humans. But we'd lived with it our entire lives. The hurt never left, but we'd learned how to hide it from others and just move on. However, the word rolled off my tongue with every intention of hurting that thing.

Creep visibly tensed, as if my words had physically struck him, but I didn't care. Because that was what he was; he was a warped, deranged, hideous freak that had taken my family away from me. And I'd cut deeper into whatever wound I'd already created with my sword if I had to.

Slowly, as the Creep began to stalk towards me, I reached out for my crutch and threw it to the side, my leg trembling and aching painfully the moment I put weight on it. I quickly shook off the pain, flexing my fingers at my side as I prepared myself for a fight. Reaching up, I grabbed the hilt of my Katanas and drew them out…

…and I looked down at the broken blade in my right hand.

Inwardly I shivered as the vivid memories flashed through my mind again. The katana had snapped in half after I'd shoved it through the chest of a Foot Bot…one out of the many others that had flooded after me one by one…until the final blow was struck by him…

I shook my head rapidly, shaking the memories away in the process as I took a defensive stance. No, I wasn't going to think about that, not now. I needed to focus. Focus on the Creep. Focus on ignoring the pain.

Focus on saving what was left of my family.

The Creep made the first move as he swung his pitchfork at me. I reflexively rolled out of the way as it stabbed into the ground instead. I stumbled backwards unsteadily, my leg burning like hell, but again I ignored it as I charged forwards to slice Creep in the arm. My swing was weak, giving Creep the chance to block it with ease with his pitchfork before swiping it at my chest, knocking me backwards again. I grunted in pain as I fell to one knee, already desperate to catch my breath and the fight had barely started.

Was I really that weak?

I looked up again to find that Creep was looming over me with his pitchfork raised above my head, and I had only seconds to leap back on my feet again and duck out of the way of his swipes. I was no longer on the offensive; I had to change tactics if I ever had hope of beating this thing, and if that meant dipping and dodging every attack, then so be it.

I was unprepared when the Creep managed to knock one of my swords right out of my hand, sending it flying through the air and far out of my reach. "Gah!" I cried. Great, now I was one weapon short. Again.

The Creep saw my distraction, and used that opportunity to throw his pitchfork at me like a spear. I flailed out of the way with a yelp, using my free hand to steady myself as I nearly fell on my face as the flying tool pierced the tree behind me instead. Narrowing my eyes, I leapt up from the ground and with a grunt, I sliced the blade across his face, knocking Casey's mask clean off it as he staggered backwards and covered his face with his over-sized hands as if he were in pain.

I was panting heavily now as I stood there, both from the pain and the burst of adrenaline as I clenched my katana with both hands. I was already tired, I was still very weak, and my leg was still on fire, but I wasn't going to stop. I wasn't about to give up because I was tired. I didn't give up when Shredder and the Foot Clan had me on the run, and I wasn't about to give up now.

Injured, sick, weak, it didn't matter. I could beat this thing. I could save my family.

Raising my katana once more, I charged for the Creep again as I readied my blade for the final blow.

But the Creep suddenly grabbed my arm, holding it in a crushing grip as the vines twined around my hand. Then he reached out to grab me around the face, muffling my cry of fear as my eyes flew wide open as I let out a yelp.

Oh crud.

I couldn't help it. I started screaming, though my voice was muffled by Creeps' enormous hand as he hauled me up off the ground with ease despite my struggles. He lifted his head to glare up at me…and my eyes widened further and I my screams and struggles increased at the sight of his glowing, distorted features as he roared up at me.

That thing…it looked like it came from my very nightmares.

In a fit of rage, Creep began to slam my body to the ground over and over without mercy as my katana, my only means of defense, slipped from my grip. I screamed again as the pain coursed through me like fire, and I swore I heard my shell and my bones crack every time I hit the ground.

When he'd had enough of that, he threw me away, sending me spiraling through the air like a limp and broken doll before I landed face first in the dirt with a painful thud. As I lay there, panting and wheezing, I swore I felt as if my body had been through hell and back again…again.

Fighting to open my eyes and stay conscious, I brought up my hand to find it scarred, numbed and bloody from how hard the Creep had gripped it. Dammit it stung, but then again so did every other inch of me…

But an icy feeling ran down my spine when I realized that my leg felt as bad as it had been before I even woke up.

Looking back at my leg, I realized with a faint gasp that my knee was bleeding heavily, the red liquid dripping through my knee-pad and pooling as it seeping into the dirt. Oh no. I really had pushed myself too far. I should've just gone inside the hut and freed the guys first instead of messing myself up even more. Fighting the Creep was a big mistake…

The Creep…uh oh…

I turned to look at the creature standing a few feet behind me, and I saw that the Creep had bent over and picked up the katana I'd dropped, and he looked over its gleaming surface like it was some sort of prize.

Then his monstrous gaze slowly turned towards me.

My blood ran cold and my heart sank deep into the pit of my chest as I realized what he was about to do.

Oh no, oh god, oh please no.

I couldn't fight him now, not like this; I couldn't even stand up anymore. I was literally defenseless against that thing now, more so than I had been the minute this fight had started. I could hear my rapid breaths of fear come out in ragged huffs as I started to panic.

I was going to die by my own sword. I'd failed to rescue my family. I'd failed them all again. I –

Wait…

"…for a ninja, anything can be a weapon…"

My fear slowly dissipated as the words of my father echoed within my memories. Blinking once, I turned back to find that my crutch was still lying there where I'd thrown it to the ground earlier. It was just a wooden stick, but it was the only option I had left. And besides, if a broom had worked as a replacement for a Bo staff for Donnie, then a wooden crutch could work for me too.

If I could just get to it before the Creep got to me…

Desperately I tried to crawl over to it, but I was making slow progress and with every move I made, my throbbing body only felt worse. I could hear Creep coming closer with my sword in his hand. I knew I was running out of time, and I was running out of strength.

I tried to get onto my hands and knees, thinking I could get to the crutch faster if I could walk. But I immediately fell back down to the ground with a loud cry of pain, clutching my knee as I ground my teeth together to suppress tears of agony.

God it hurt so much. I couldn't take much more of it…

But I had to keep moving. I couldn't give up. The others were waiting for me to save them. If I died now, they would all die too. I couldn't let that happen.

And even if they somehow managed to free themselves, I couldn't bear the thought of them losing me again, forever this time…

I couldn't let myself die, not like this, and certainly not now. I had to fight back.

I had to fight!

The Creep was getting closer. My heart beat faster as I dragged my battered body across the ground, my fingers clawing into the dirt with my determined efforts. I was using only what strength I had left in my trembling arms as I itched closer and closer to my crutch.

I was almost there. I was almost there. I just had to reach out and –

Creep raised my sword above my head, ready to put an end to me. But I wasn't about to let him.

I snatched the crutch, spun around so that I was lying on my back, and with a grunt I stabbed Creep violently in the face, sinking the end of my weapon deep into the creature's left eye. He reared back and let out a screech of pain, covering his face with his hands as he wailed on the ground helplessly.

I took my chance as I struggled weakly to my aching feet, pulling out my sword from the ground as I limped over to the shack. I left Creep to squirm in pain, not looking back or bothering to finish him off.

I had to get to my family first. They needed me.

Finally, I reached the old shack, panting and sweating from the effort as I leaned heavily against the doorway. In the corner of my eye, I saw a wooden table against the wall on my right with lit wax candles encircling a glass vile in the center, almost like a shrine of sorts.

It was my Elixir. Why would the Creep make a shrine for a bottle of mutagen?

"Leo!" I heard April cry, and I felt relief course through me at the sound of her voice. Thank god she was safe.

I looked up and noticed that they were all tied up in strange, thick vines. Casey and April were against the wall on my left, and Donnie and Mikey were hanging off the floor on my right (though Mikey was hanging upside down). They all seemed to be alright apart from a couple of bruises, and for that I was glad. But worry began to rear its head again when I couldn't find Raphael anywhere…

And that was when my eyes fell upon the mass of grass and moss at the back of the shack, where Raph's mask lay on top of a lone flower. My eyes widened. "What the heck is that?!" I cried.

It had better not be…It couldn't be…

"It's Raph! Long story," Donnie confirmed, wriggling weakly in his restraints. "Quick! Get us outta here!"

Though my head was still reeling and my heart was still thumping in panic against my chest at the news that that thing was actually my brother, I quickly nodded once at Donnie. Narrowing my eyes, I took my katana in both hands and hacked at the vines holding Donnie and Mikey above the ground, and they sprawled to the floor in a mess of plants and limbs. Once they were free, I quickly turned to April and Casey and freed them as well, making quick work of their binds.

I slumped down to my knees, wheezing heavily again. My body was battered up again, and my leg was still mercilessly burning the longer I stood without the help of my crutch. That beating from the Creep didn't exactly help me much either –

Wait…oh double crud.

The sound of a loud, rumbling growl gained our attention as we all turned to the doorway, only to find the Creep now standing upright, anger replacing his earlier pain as he glared at us all. The crutch fell from the hole I'd created in his face as he began to stalk towards us.

We all let out a scream of terror. Donnie, April and Mikey leapt to their feet, grabbing whatever they could from the wall of the shack and using it to barricade the door. As Mikey hammered a nail into a plank of wood to seal the door shut, (which I knew wasn't going to work, but by this point I was too tired to bother to point it out) Casey stood by my side and put a gloved hand on my shoulder. Still panting, I weakly looked up to meet his concerned gaze.

"You okay, Leo?" he asked me.

I nodded once, despite it being the lie of the century as I forced myself to my feet, my katana poised before me as I glared at the door. Casey did the same, readying his hockey stick as the others closed in around us with their weapons out before them as we all waited in silence for the Creep to try and break his way in again.

I could practically smell the tension in the room as we waited. I looked back to make sure I wasn't standing on Raph…or whatever was left of him.

My anger nearly boiled at the thought of whatever that freak had done to my little brother, and what he could have done to the remainder of my family…my whole world.

Hang in there, Raphie, I assured him in my thoughts. We'll save you. I swear it…

There was a crash of wood from our right, and April and Mikey screamed as a giant, plant-like hand burst through the wall, followed by the rest of the Creep's upper half as he glowered at us with murderous intent. We all screamed again, knowing that at this point we were pretty much doomed.

"AAOOOOOOO!" Casey howled as he hammered the Creep across the face with his hockey stick with brute force. That is, until Creep grabbed the stick and snapped it in half with agonizing ease. "Ah, dude!" Casey cursed in annoyance as he stepped back again.

"BOOYAKASHAAAA!" Mikey hollered as he ran around Casey and whacked his nunchaku across Creep's face, following up with a skilled flip and a kick to the head, which I couldn't help but admire with pride.

With Creep distracted by Mikey, Casey quickly grabbed two shovels from off the side of the shack, and used one of them to slice off Creep's left arm with ease. After that, the rest of us went all out on him, slapping, slicing and hammering him with everything we had in a desperate attempt to just kill it. The barrage of attacks ended when Casey slammed Creep in the face yet again with the shovel as a disgusting smelling slime oozed out of him, and he slumped forwards limply.

Wait a second…that stuff coming out of the Creep…was that puke? Better yet, was that my puke? The Creep was created from the mutagen within the stuff I'd chucked out of my system that morning?! At the thought of that, I immediately felt sicker.

I fell to my knees as again as we all panted breathlessly, hoping beyond hope that we'd finally finished him off. He didn't move for several seconds, his drooping form hanging from the hole he'd created in the wall. The longer he remained motionless, the more confidence we had in thinking we'd defeated him.

But that hope quickly faded as his eyes began to glow again.

I gasped in horror. Oh triple crud.

He ripped his way through the wall, tearing away the shovels that Casey had stabbed into his shoulders as he stomped towards us. He brutally shoved April and Casey against the wall, and made a grab for Mikey and Donnie before I could get up to stop him. Drawing his arms back, he then threw them straight through the roof of the shack and sent them flying outside again.

"Guys!" I cried as I finally heaved myself onto my feet, my breathing still labored. Looking up weakly, I watched as the Creep picked up the arm Casey had chopped off, and he simply stuck it back onto his body, the vines and leaves (or whatever that thing was made of) twined themselves back together.

I let out a heavy, tired sigh of frustration. He could heal himself too?! Was there actually any way to beat this thing?!

He lifted his right hand without warning, and he swatted me to the wall like a fly. My shell hit the table, jolting the shrine and nearly tipping the mutagen medicine over.

Creep suddenly looked panicked as the bottle wobbled on the table.

I quirked a brow in confusion at his startled reaction. Why was he so concerned about a bottle of mutagen?

…wait a second…

I let out a gasp of realization as I turned to the bottle. I grabbed it and held it out to the Creep, moving it from side to side in a taunting gesture. He moved along with it, almost as if he was desperate to get it back.

That told me all that I needed to know.

The mutagen medicine was the source of the Creep's power. He absorbed the mutagen to sustain himself, to keep him moving. That's probably why he'd taken my brothers captive, and why Raph had turned into a plant, and probably why he wanted to kill me, too. He wanted the mutagen within our blood.

Without us, the Creep's only source of sustenance would be the Elixir.

Well, there was no way I was going to let this creature to continue to hunt us down.

My eyes narrowed, I turned over to April as she rolled back to her feet dizzily. One look was all it took for her to understand what she had to do, and she nodded her head once. Returning the nod, I tossed the bottle over to her, and she caught it with ease. Turning on her heel, she bolted out the door of the shack, with the Creep close on her heels as they ran out into the woods.

Gathering the last of my strength, I hobbled out of the shack as fast as I was able to, just as April tossed the bottle over to Donnie and ran back inside to get Casey. As Mikey and Donnie played 'keep away' with the Creep, who helplessly attempted to take back the bottle with little luck, I dropped my katana to the grass and used both hands to grip the pitchfork imbedded into the tree, and I hauled it out of the trunk.

Time to get rid of the Creep once and for all.

Donnie threw the bottle over to Mikey, but before Mikey could make a run for it, thick vines from the trees overhead wound themselves around his wrists, holding him in place even as he struggled and cried out in fear. With Mikey trapped, the Creep grabbed him by the head and snatched the bottle from his hands.

I gasped as Creep's body began to glow again. Was he about to absorb Mikey too?!

No! I wouldn't let that happen! I wouldn't lose another brother!

"Donnie!" I called as I practically loped over to him with the pitchfork in my hands. He was already moving along with me, lacing his fingers together just as I jumped up. With a heave, he threw me up in the air. As Creep suddenly spun around, I let out a loud yell as I sailed straight into him, the fork poised before me as it smashed through my bottle of Elixir.

The mutagen spilled over him as I pinned him to the tree using his own weapon, and the vines released Mikey as he fell backwards onto his shell. I was too exhausted by that point as a staggered shakily away from the screeching creature, but I would've scoffed; karma was a real pain in the ass.

As I backed away and fell to my knees again, April and Casey reappeared from the shack moments later with chains, and they quickly wrapped them around the Creep, securing him tightly to the tree despite his struggles. I let out a long breath of relief.

It was finally over. We won.

"That's what you get for messing with my mask, freak," Casey growled as April finished tying Creep to the tree and dusted her hands off in grim satisfaction.

"That should hold him," Donnie said, "Now come on! We've gotta get him back to the lab!"

From where I sat in the dirt, I looked up at my taller brother. "You really think you can save Raph?" I asked, praying that he would say yes. He had to. I may have doubted Donnie's ideas and his skills before, and it was one of the biggest mistakes I've ever made. In fact, it was me who'd encouraged him to keep going back when we were younger, telling him that if he put his incredible mind to it, he could do anything.

Donnie could do anything…right?

But there was doubt within his eyes as Donnie looked back down at me. He frowned. "…honestly…I don't know, Leo. I just don't know…" he barely whispered as he cast a desolate gaze back at the struggling abomination against the tree. I lowered my head, my grip on the pitchfork tightening as I fought to restrain rage, though I swore I could hear a crack of wood beneath my palms.

Despite the fear of knowing that I may never see my hot-headed little brother again, I had faith that Donnie wouldn't give up on Raph. And neither would I. There had to be a way to save our brother. There had to be. If that blockhead could survive an alien invasion, if he could put up with sitting by my side for three months, then I was sure he could survive this too.

And no matter what, I would stay by his side. Just as he did for me…

It felt like hours, and there was a lot of struggling and curse words in both English and Japanese floating between us as we fought to haul the Creep through the woods, but we finally managed to knock the creature out (thanks to a very ticked off April) long enough to get him back to the farmhouse and into the barn. Between Casey and me, we carried the limp plant-like body of Raph up to the top floor of the barn along with the others who dragged up the Creep.

One we'd settled Raph to lie on a stack of hay and restrain the Creep, Donnie wasted no time in hooking them both up to an IV tube. When April had asked him what that was for, he quickly explained that if Creep had managed to suck the mutagen out of Raph, then there was a possibility that Donnie could do the same to Creep and then transfer the mutagen back into Raph's body again…at least, that's what he hoped would happen.

He was still very unsure if he could save him. But I had faith. I knew Donnie could do it. I knew he could.

Whilst Donnie continued to drain the Creep of mutagen, whose struggles and angry roars had started to lessen as he slumped weakly to the floor, April sat by my side on the stack of hay opposite Raph's motionless body and tended to my own injuries. Predictably, it was my leg that had suffered the worst damage since I'd pushed myself so far back in the woods whilst I fought the monster, but a few thick bandages (and a little bit of pained cursing coming from me) ensured that I wouldn't bleed to death at the very least.

Once that was finished, April sat back and let out a soft sigh. We both looked over to where Donnie worked diligently on resuscitating Raph, his tongue protruding from the side of his mouth out of old habit as he remained intently focused on the task at hand. On the other side of the floor, Casey and Mikey were sat up against the wall with Mikey's head leaning against Casey's right shoulder as he dozed, though his face was scrunched up with worry.

Casey's arm was draped around Mikey's shoulder as he rested his cheek upon the top of his head and slowly drifted off as well. I also noticed that he had Raph's mask held tightly in his left hand.

I smiled softly at the sight. I was glad that Casey was the one offering Mikey some comfort after all of this; being kidnapped by a swamp monster in the middle of the woods at night was bad enough…but the thought of losing Raph, after everything we've already lost, was far scarier than any monster from even our darkest nightmares…including my own.

April's hand softly came to rest on my shoulder, and I turned to meet her sad, tired gaze. She knew exactly what I was thinking, and of course she felt the same. She was scared for our brother. Scared that Donnie wouldn't be able to save him in time. Scared that we would lose another member of our already broken family…

My arm wrapped around her shoulders as I brought her close to my side. "…he's gonna make it, April," I whispered firmly. "Donnie can do it. He has to."

April said nothing, but I felt her nod against my shoulder as we sat there in the silence. It was then that I realized that I was doing exactly what April had done for me back at the house, before we realized that Raph wasn't coming back. I was offering her the same strength and comfort that she had given to me.

I couldn't help but smile a little at that. Being the 'pillar of emotional support' so-to-speak had been I role I'd fallen into ever since I was young, long before I asked to be the leader.

It looked like I was falling back into that rightful role again.

A few hours had passed, and April had stifled her own sadness and anxiety in order to tend to Casey and Mikey as they slept. Eventually, she too succumbed to exhaustion as she fell asleep with her head pillowed on Casey's lap. Donnie was still hard at work, making sure that Raph was stable and that Creep stayed exactly where he was, though I noticed that he wasn't moving anymore and his body had shrunk a great deal after so long.

And all the while, I stayed where I was. I refused to move from Raph's side. And even when his body suddenly started to convulse violently as it fought to mutate back to its original form, I clung on to Raph's leaf-like hand with everything I had as Donnie pinned him down with his arms pressed against his chest to keep him steady.

I was scared. We were both scared that everything was going to go wrong. I could see it in Donnie's eyes and he could see it in mine. But I wouldn't let Raph go. I wouldn't let him down. And even if Donnie's plan proved to fail and if Raph were to die that night, I would stay by his side and hold his hand until he breathed his last.

I loved him too much to let him die alone.

I don't know how long it had been or when it had happened, but I must have eventually passed out at some point because when I opened my eyes again, I found that my head was pillowed on the hay stack that Raph lay upon, and my hand was still firmly gripping his...which was when I noticed that his hand had returned to the normal, rough three fingered hand that had brought me out of the darkness.

With a gasp, I lifted my head so that I could wholly take in Raph's state. His body was fully reformed, back to the big green reptile that we all knew and loved. The only thing that he was missing was his ragged red mask.

Grinning widely as I let out a shaking breath of relief, I fought the urge to cry as I looked up at Donnie, who stood on my right with a weary yet relived smile spread across his face. He'd taken his mask off his face and let it dangle from around his neck instead, and there were dark bags underneath his eyes from lack of sleep. His shoulders were sagged and I could see that he was struggling to stand upright, but his smile never left. He'd stayed up all night to save our brother…and he'd actually done it.

My smile grew wider as I reached out with my free hand and grabbed Donnie's shoulder, tugging him down so that he was on his knees and hugging him close. "You did it, Donnie," I said softly. I then tightened my grip as I nuzzled my cheek against his.

"…I never doubted you, Donnie. Not for a second." And I meant every word of that. Despite our fights in the past, I had never, ever doubted my little brother.

Donnie went very still at my words. I heard him sniff, like he was suppressing tears, before his arms came around me with gusto. "…t-thanks, Leo," he stammered. "…for everything."

I smiled against his shoulder. "No problem, little brother. Now all we have to do is wake up the others and wait for him to wake up again, right?"

Reluctantly, we pulled away as Donnie nodded, and I allowed him to stand up again and readjust his mask around his eyes. He then extended his hand out to me. "You've done well tonight too, Leo," he said with a warm smile, one that spoke of relief and gratitude. "But you might wanna step over here instead; I've got a feeling Mikey might run you over to get to Raph when he wakes up."

I rolled my eyes and let out a chuckle. "Either Mikey or Casey I'll bet," I joked, and I reached out to take Donnie's hand, firmly grasping it.

Slowly, I reluctantly let go of Raph's hand as Donnie helped me to stand up and hop over to the mountain of crates at the other side of the room; though I knew now that he was going to be alright thanks to Donnie, there was still the fear that if I let him go for a moment, he'd vanish.

I guess that's how Raph felt when he was watching over me for three months...

"YES!" Donnie cried, and I lifted my head in surprise at his shout. Dammit, I must have dozed off again. Once I rubbed my eyes to clear the tired haze, I saw that the others were gathered around Raphael's prone form…and I gasped in delight when I saw that he was finally awake.

Thank god. Our brother was going to be okay after all.

Mikey peeked through Donnie and April, his eyes wide as he gazed down at Raph's mask-less face. "Oh no! Raph! Look at him! It's terrible!" he cried, covering is face with his hands in mock despair. I rolled my eyes at that, but I smiled nonetheless; it was just Mikey being Mikey after all.

Donnie's brows quirked in confusion as he looked at Mikey. "What do you mean? He's perfectly normal," he said.

Rolling her eyes at our younger brother, April retrieved Raph's mask from Casey after he'd offered it to her, and with a smile that rivaled an angels' she tied it around its rightful place on Raph's face again. "How about now, Mikey?" she asked.

Narrowing his baby blues, Mikey bent over and pretended to inspect Raph's face intently, before letting out a breath of relief as he nodded. "Whew! Yeah, waaaay better!" he grinned.

Pouting sourly, Raph brought up his left hand and pushed Mikey's face away from him as he finally sat upright, groaning tiredly. "…what…the heck…is going on?" he mumbled in a daze.

As April moved to sit next to Raph on the hay stack, Casey instantly jumped forward on Raph's right to explain before she could. "A crazy swamp monster sucked out your mutagen, and turned you into a plant, dude! It was awesome!" he laughed, beaming down at his best friend. I could tell that behind his very twisted sense of humor, he was just a glad to see that he was going to be alright again.

"But I used this IV tube to drain all of the mutagen out of the Creep and back into your body," Donnie added, fiddling with the IV as he began to pack up the equipment. He turned back to Raph and flashed him a gap-toothed grin. "Cool, right? Killed off the infection like a bad case of Shell-acne!"

Raph's brows raised as he looked up at Donnie, and there was pride in his green eyed gaze that I knew that, being Raph, he wouldn't be able to properly voice. "…cool, thanks Don," he said, still sounding pretty drained. Donnie only smiled at him kindly and shrugged in response as Raph turned back to Casey. "…so, what happened to the monster?" he asked, eying the area around him warily.

"It got turned back into swamp goo. Pretty wicked, right?!" Casey snickered, pointing to the jar filled with what used to be the Creep; now there was nothing left of him but the disgusting slime in the jar, and the giant blue overalls that Donnie had cast aside and planned on burning later.

I narrowed my eyes at the remnants of the Creep. Good riddance to that monster.

April shook her head at Casey's morbid glee at the demise of the Creep as she turned back to Raph, laying a concerned hand on his own. "Donnie worked all night to save you," she said. Then she looked away. "…Leo never left your side."

I saw Raph stiffen slightly in surprise, and as April stood up to help Donnie put away the IV, Raph slowly turned around to face me where I sat on a wooden crate behind where he lay. Our eyes met, and I knew in that moment exactly what my little brother was thinking…what he was remembering.

I only smiled at him, a smile that spoke more than my heart ever could. "That's what brothers are for," I said, using my crutch to get back on my feet again as I limped over to my stricken brother, who quickly returned my smile with an understanding one of his own.

Behind Raph in the corner of my eye, I could see Mikey practically bouncing on his toes with his hands covering his mouth to stifle his glee. I shook my head again with a smile as I held my hand out to Raph.

"We've gotta heal up, Raph," I said as he reached out and took my hand, allowing me to help him up. "We have a city to take back!" I grinned determinedly.

Raph returned my grin with a near manic one of his own as we performed one of our handshakes. He must have figured it out already that I wasn't that whining weakling that couldn't even cross a creak earlier that morning. I was back to my old self…well, almost.

I still had a long way to go before I was fully recovered. We all did, but they'd all had a three month head start. Now all I had to do was catch up to them, find a way to really get back on my feet, to build myself up again, pick up my shattered pieces and become that strong, fearless leader that I had been two years ago.

And all the while, I knew I wouldn't be alone.

Beaming brighter than the sun itself, Mikey leapt onto the hay stack and struck a dramatic pose that would make any anime character green with envy. "I give that a big, fat, sloppy, wet…BOOYAKASHAAAA!"he hollered at the top of his lungs.

For once, as I wrapped my arm around Raph's shoulders, I couldn't agree more with my little brother.

Booyakasha indeed.

A/N: BOOYAKASHA! Leo's comming around again, guys! I hope you liked it, and I'll see you again in the next chapter!