Different As It Always Will Be

Phase I:

Chapter Eight: Convulsion of Reflection

Blood boiled in his veins as he clutched his sai so tightly that his knuckles started going pale. He could hear the stomps of his footsteps echoing down the tunnels, but he didn't care who he scared. He made his way into the dojo, several of the victims they saved exited. They all knew from experience that if he was in there by himself, they better make way or they might end up his sparring partner...which was a very bad idea.

"I am going to kill all of them, do you hear me? All of them! I am going to split them all in half!"

It was funny in a crude way how quickly he could from wanting to take them all out all by himself, to wanting Donnie to be able to get a shot at the...the things that hurt him the way they had.

"He wants back at them! Just like us..."

Raphael's own words haunted him. He had seen the fight that his brother had put up. He had felt the uncontrollable power right underneath the tight skin that was pulled across his brother's gaunt frame. There was absolutely no restrain in Donnie's words or actions. He just lacked the strength that he used to have. The strength that he would build up again to avenge himself.

His fists met his punching bag hard. The constant pounding with the occasional kick was supposed to him calm down, but it did quite the opposite. He was working himself up, his heart beating faster and faster. Steam was coming off of his head, smoke out of his ears and nose. He was getting angrier and angrier.

"I hate them," He whispered hoarsely. "I hate them. I hate them!" HIs voice grew louder and louder. "I hate them!" He almost screamed.

He heard the crack before he felt it. Raph buckled, clenching his teeth in an effort not to cry out. He hoped he hadn't broken his wrist, and he had received worse injuries during his various battles, but this hurt like fire and brimstone.

Unbinding his wraps, Raph inspected his wrist, trying to move it. It was already starting to swell, and his hands were shaking. It moved slightly though, and he was certain it wasn't as bad as it felt. He walked into the kitchen, and opened the refrigerator to pull out a bag of ice. They kept them stacked out of the mere necessity for them.

"What have you done to yourself?" The sound shocked him, and he jumped. So much for his ninja skills. The lizard tail flicked him, the piercing eyes flickering. "You have to stop doing that."

"Shut up Lisa," Raph growled, not wanting to talk to anyone, meanwhile the feisty new mutant right now.

"Testy, testy," She shook her head as she grew serious, her mouth drawn. "I'm glad you found your brother."

"I don't want to talk about it," Raph closed his eyes.

He was shaking, trembling as they pulled him out of that cramped cell. The lights were blaring in their faces, and he wanted to cry. Raph really wanted to cry. It smelled so bad, and Raph could barely hold onto his brother because he was so slick with blood.

"Raph?"

Gazing at the young girl, he was thankful that she hadn't been there long enough to know what the Kraang could have really done. She was one of the firsts that they had collected after the capture of his brother.

Splinter had assumed that the collection had started right before the Kraang took Donatello, but most of it happened afterwards. They only knew that because of the stories the survivors told. They were all victims, but survivors...they were the ones that lived. Raph didn't even know how they took care of them all. He was pretty sure Splinter would take credit cards and run them up, just so that they could feed everybody. So that April and Casey could run to the surface and get the medical supplies they so desperately needed. So that they could survive.

Survive. It was what they had to do. For everything that they had all been through, they had to survive.

"Raphael," The voice was much deeper this time. It was his father.

"Sensei," Raph nodded, not bowing as Leo probably would have.

"Lisa was concerned. You would not answer her after she called out several times. You have been standing here far too long, my son."

"I didn't even notice."

Splinter stroked his beard. "So I can tell. What is troubling you?"

"You know what," Raphael felt like the question was stupid.

"Donatello. Your brother. He is home. When he recovers, we will be celebrating."

"But Sensei-" Raph wheeled around, fire in his eyes. "We have to take out the Kraang! We have to right the wrong!"

Ignoring his son's outburst, Splinter just nodded. "And we will. But right now we have to heal. We all have to heal," Looking at his temperamental son, Splinter tried to smile. "Come, Raphael. Let us come and see your brother."

Following his father closely, Raph tightened his wraps against his wrists. He had no right to complain about the pain, not with the amount of torture Donnie had been through. To be honest with himself, Raph felt bad about everybody else, but Donnie? Donnie was his brother.

He regretted all the things he did to him. Sitting on him, teasing him, messing up some of his experiments and blaming it on Mikey. It was he did to show how much he cared. But it was such a poor way of showing it...

Stepping through the door silently, Raphael tried to compose himself. An oxygen mask was held over his brother's face, tubes running up his arms, and a thick blanket covering his torso. His eyes were flickering, like he was dreaming.

"See Raphael? Your brother is resting. Your brother will be well."

Little whimpers started coming out of Donnie's mouth, his face contorting. His eyes were squeezed closed, tears dripping down from them. "No...this cannot be...my brothers..." The words were almost fragile, like they were coming from a million miles away. "This world...this...fut...nightmare...I won't ev...'bandon you..." Like mist disappearing into thin air, so did what Donnie was saying. He choked, his body going rigid, and it seemed like his eyes were rolling around in his skull.

And in just a moment, Raph was horrified. His brother began twitching, then shaking and convulsing. The movements were violent as foam began pouring out of Donatello's mouth. Rockwell was right by his side, yelling out at him, but he could hardly hear what he was saying.

Raph only knew one thing. His brother was dying, and there was nothing he could do about it.