Slash's Revenge Chapter 37 - Moving Forward, a ninja turtles fanfic

*Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles franchise.

*Author's Notes: Happy New Year, everyone! I've returned with the latest chapter of 'Slash's Revenge' and it's one of my favorites. I'll warn you in advance, this one is a bit intense as well as emotional.

I'd like to take a moment to express my immense gratitude to all my loyal friends, followers, and readers. I really can't possibly thank you enough for all your support and kindness. You are truly wonderful and I adore every one of you. Thank you, again and again and again.

I sure hope you enjoy this installment.

Chapter 37 – Moving Forward

He could've sworn his heart was about to burst right out of his plastron as he sat bolt upright in his bed. Gasping for air yet again, he wildly clawed and pulled on his sheets, but despite his death grip on them, the thin fabric somehow held up. Surprisingly, so did his plastron.

When he realized he was in his own room, the rampant thumping inside his chest slowed to a less lethal pace.

It was the same thing every time he closed his eyes.

Another nightmare.

Another reason to never go to sleep again.

Drawing several shallow breaths into his empty lungs, Donatello released his grasp on his bedsheets and leaned his back against the wall for support.

The last thing he remembered before falling asleep was Mikey consoling him and convincing him he needed to lie down for a while. Even though Donatello had stubbornly claimed he wasn't tired, once his head hit the pillow, he must have passed out from exhaustion, because he didn't recall anything after that. The fact that he hadn't even heard Mikey get up and leave the room told him just how out of it he had been.

Donnie glanced over at the clock on his nightstand to see that only a couple of hours had passed.

Two measly hours!

Still, he supposed it was better than no sleep at all.

Maybe…

He didn't feel the least bit rested, but at the same time, he was now wide awake. It was a vicious cycle.

Sleep. Nightmare. Wake. Repeat.

A small groan of discontent escaped his throat as he sullenly turned his gaze away from his clock.

That was when he caught a glimpse of a lone figure standing in the corner and he was immediately paralyzed with fear. With all the shadows cast over the room, it was too dark to make out who it was. All Donatello could do was tremble as the figure slowly started to move towards him.

The rational part of Donatello's brain kept telling him this was why he hadn't heard his little brother leave the room. Because he had never actually left. But the irrational part of his brain kept telling him to scream for help.

The more he thought about it, the more rational his irrational side sounded.

Scream!

Scream, you idiot! Scream!

Though screaming definitely seemed like a good plan, all the frightened turtle could manage to squeak out was his brother's name. "M – Mikey?"

"Guess again, Donnie boy."

That voice.

That revolting voice.

"No." This single word somehow conveyed all the horror Donatello was feeling inside. He instinctively pushed himself away from the approaching figure, but his shell bumped against his headboard. There was nowhere to go. He was trapped.

Once again, his heart was threatening to have an out of body experience as he stared into the glowing green eyes of the monster that haunted his dreams.

"S – Slash." Donatello choked on the word, as though just speaking it was a struggle. He had to swallow several times before he could find his voice again, but what little sound he was able to produce came out cracked and stammered. There was no hiding the fact that he was terrified. If his voice didn't give it away, his uncontrollable shaking sure did. "H – How did you g – get here?"

The timid question made the larger mutant laugh; an evil cackle Donatello remembered all too well. Oh how he hated that sound.

"Did you actually think I didn't know where your stupid lair is? You know, for a genius, you sure are dumb sometimes."

Donatello would've been offended by the blatant insult to his intelligence if he wasn't so freaked out. As it was, he just cowered beneath the enormous turtle. Slash was looming over him like a hungry spider eyeing up its next victim.

"Wh – What do y – you want?"

"I've come to take back what's mine."

This made Donatello whimper, but he scraped up enough courage to snort out, "The others will stop you!"

"Heh. I don't think so."

With that said, Slash reached down and grabbed Donatello by the injured arm, yanking him off the bed and throwing him onto the floor at his feet. The pain was instantaneous. Letting out a yelp, Donatello curled up into a ball and clutched his shoulder.

"You're long overdue for a beat down, Donnie boy." Slash drew his fist back, readying to commence pounding on the helpless turtle when Donatello cried out with a voice much louder than Slash had anticipated.

"HELP! HELP!"

Again, Slash laughed. Donatello took this golden opportunity to call out once again.

"SENSEI! MIKEY! LEO! RAPH! HELP!"

"Go ahead, Donatello. Yell for help all you want. They're not coming."

The smug expression on Slash's face struck fear straight into Donatello's heart. His family should have been coming to his rescue by now. Something was wrong.

Very, very wrong.

"What have you done to them?" An overwhelming sense of dread drenched Donatello's every word. He watched on in alarm as Slash's smirk grew into something much more sinister.

"Nothing they didn't deserve. Let's just say they shouldn't have taken what belongs to me."

Donatello shook his head in denial, desperately trying to convince himself that Slash was just trying to scare him. But still, the lair remained eerily quiet.

No footsteps to be heard.

No sound at all, other than Slash's harsh breathing.

Though Donatello was terrified of what Slash would do to him, he still forced himself up into a standing position, so he and the bigger mutant were face to face.

"What! Did! You! Do?"

Much to Donatello's astonishment, Slash stepped aside and motioned for him to go. "See for yourself."

This made the genius turtle even more frightened for his family. Why would Slash willingly let him go?

Unless…

As fast as his legs would carry him, Donatello hobbled towards the Dojo, where he knew the spare weapons were stored. If his family was incapacitated, he would need something to protect himself with. Not that his bo-staff had done him any good the last two times he had encountered Slash.

Perhaps the third time would be the charm…

Yeah, right.

Once inside the Dojo, Donatello was about to make a mad dash for the weapons rack when he spotted a familiar green form lying on the floor in front of the Shinto tree. The sight made Donatello's once frantically beating heart all but stop.

"L – Leo?"

Forgoing the weapons rack, Donnie instead rushed towards his brother and immediately dropped to his knees beside Leo's facedown body. He wasn't moving.

Leo wasn't moving.

Please be okay.

Donnie leaned over Leonardo's stock-still form and gave him a gentle shake, trying to rouse him. The skin was still warm to the touch, which was a good sign. "Leo! Wake up!"

When the blue-clad turtle didn't respond, Donatello felt as though the whole room was starting to spin. "LEO!"

Seizing Leonardo by the shoulders, Donatello carefully rolled him over onto his back and watched on in horror as his oldest brother's head lolled off to the side in an unnatural position. His vacant blue eyes stared straight ahead, unblinking. His neck visibly broken.

In a state of shock, Donatello just kept whispering the word 'no' over and over again while he shakily checked for a pulse, clinging to the false hope that this wasn't what it looked like. That Slash hadn't done the unspeakable, but there was no pulse thrumming inside Leonardo's wrist.

No breath escaping his lips.

No rising and falling of his chest.

There was nothing.

Reality finally sinking in like a massive stone, Donatello wailed out the word, "NO!" He then scooped up his brother's motionless body, pulling it close as he buried his face into Leonardo's plastron. Leo's head and limp limbs flailed lifelessly in Donatello's grip, dangling down towards the floor as the genius turtle gently began to rock him back and forth.

His precious brother was gone.

The sound of Donatello's sobs could be heard throughout the lair, conveniently leading Slash right to the grieving turtle's location. As he entered the Dojo and strutted towards Donatello, the spike-covered mutant made no attempt to hide his presence or his content.

"I have to admit, killing Leonardo was the most satisfying by far. I saved the best for last."

Pulling his face away from Leo's chest, Donatello peered up at Slash through tear-soaked eyes. His expression sorrowful and shattered; not at all angry like Slash had expected.

"Why?" Donatello gasped out, barely able to speak.

"I already told you, Donnie boy. They took something that didn't belong to them. And now that they're all dead, I'm gonna take you back home to your cage." There wasn't an ounce of remorse in Slash's voice as he spoke, like murdering someone's family had absolutely no effect on him.

This caused Donatello to twist his head from side to side in disbelief.

"No! You can't just leave them like this!"

"Watch me." Bending down, Slash cruelly ripped Leonardo's body from Donatello's arms and cast the deceased turtle aside as though he weighed nothing. The largest mutant then grabbed the genius brother by the wounded arm again and dragged him away kicking and screaming.

"No! Please! You can't do this!" Donatello writhed about in Slash's taut grip, desperately trying to free himself, but the stronger turtle just tightened his hold and started to shake him.

"Please! Let me go! Stop!"

"Donnie!"

"Let! Me! Go!"

"Donnie! Open your eyes!"

Donatello hadn't even realized his eyes were closed, but it was probably for the best. He didn't want to ever see Leonardo that way again. It was too much to bear.

"Donnie!"

The genius turtle continued to struggle in Slash's hold until it dawned on him that the voice ringing in his ear slits suddenly sounded off. The raspy tone was missing and the voice was calling him 'Donnie.' Slash never referred to him as just 'Donnie.' It was always 'Donnie boy,' 'Donatello,' or some kind of degrading insult.

"Donnie?"

Again, came the use of his nickname and the shaking came to an abrupt halt. For several long-drawn-out seconds, an unsettling silence rang out and the world seemed to stand still, giving Donatello's overstimulated brain a much-needed chance to slowly put the pieces together inside his head. Finally, he pried his eyelids apart, and just as the genius turtle had suspected, he was still inside his room.

There was still a turtle hovering over him, but a much smaller one than had been in the dream.

Sleep. Nightmare. Wake. Repeat.

"Mikey." Donatello stared up at his baby brother with big, frightened eyes. Even though the wounded turtle knew it had been another bad dream, it didn't stop him from trembling in fear.

It had been so real…

Too real…

"Wh – Where's Leo?" In a state of sheer panic, Donatello was about to leap out of his bed when his younger brother and father gently yet effectively pinned him down. For reasons they could not understand, Donatello didn't completely freak out at this, just putting up a slight struggle in their grasp. The wounded ninja then looked up at his father with a shocked expression. The intellectual turtle had been so distraught, he hadn't even noticed his latest nightmare had attracted a crowd. A prompt scan of the room revealed that his whole family had come to his aid, including the oldest turtle now approaching his bedside.

"Leo!"

"I'm right here, Donnie."

Tears sprung from the genius turtle's eyes as his gaze rose to meet Leonardo's very much alive one. "Y – You're okay!"

Sensing that Donatello needed a moment with Leonardo, Master Splinter helped his injured son sit up and quickly stepped aside to let the oldest turtle move in closer. Sure enough, the second Leo got within reach, Donatello wrapped both arms around his eldest brother and pulled him into a fierce hug, despite the pain it caused him. Leonardo gladly returned the embrace, being careful not to squeeze too hard.

"Of course I'm okay, little brother. How about you? That was some nightmare." Leo nuzzled his cheek against the side of Donnie's head, partly to reassure his brother and partly for selfish reasons. It felt good to have Donnie seeking comfort from him for the first time in so incredibly long.

Donnie's response was to lean in further to the embrace and let out a small whimper. The nightmare had clearly rattled him to the core. Far more than his previous ones. Leonardo was curious to know what had gotten his wounded brother so worked up, but he didn't dare ask. Donatello was upset enough as it was. The leader in blue didn't want to say or do anything that might further traumatize his sibling. Especially not after what had happened in the kitchen earlier.

Unfortunately, Donatello wasn't the only traumatized turtle in the room. Having just witnessed his smartest brother in the throes his nightmare, Mikey's hands were still shaking like crazy. He had tried numerous times to snap his big brother out of his dream state to no avail. And so, he had done what any sane turtle would've done: screamed at the top of his lungs.

"I'm sorry for scaring everyone. I didn't know what else to do. He wouldn't wake up." Guilt was written all over the youngest turtle's flushed face as he sunk his top teeth into his pouty bottom lip.

"Do not worry, my son. You only did what you thought was best for your brother."

Mikey smiled at this.

Thank goodness for Sensei.

Just seconds after Michelangelo had called out for help, his father was there to talk him through how to properly handle the situation. If not for Splinter, the smallest turtle may have shaken the stuffing out of poor Donnie. Mikey just hoped he hadn't hurt his genius brother in the process of trying to calm him down.

"We should check his injuries. He was thrashing around pretty bad. Hopefully he didn't pop his arm back out of socket." It was strange hearing happy-go-lucky Mikey take on the role of the resident physician of the family, but it was even stranger to hear headstrong Raph agree with his baby brother.

"Mikey's right, Donnie. We'd better look you over." Raph walked towards the bed, closing the gap between him and Donatello to less than a foot. This threw the rest of the family for a bit of a loop, because ever since bringing Donnie home, Raph tended to keep to the back of the room, out of the way. Almost like he didn't belong. It was sad, but understandable, given the circumstances. They all guessed Raphael's sudden willingness to approach Donnie's bedside was done so out of brotherly concern. Watching Donatello hysterically flail about on the bed had them all a bit unnerved.

As much as Leo wanted to keep comforting his second youngest brother, he, too, agreed with Mikey's recommendation. Donnie didn't need any kind of setback at this point. Not when he was still fighting off the infection in his leg.

The turtle in blue gently tried to pull out of the hug, but Donnie refused to let go. Leo shuddered to think what awful thing had happened in the nightmare to make Donnie hold on so tight. It couldn't have been good, that much was evident. Then, came Donnie's meek voice, tragic and full of sorrow.

"I'm sorry, Leo."

"For what?" It was a question Leonardo wasn't sure he wanted to know the answer to, but he asked nonetheless. If he was going to help Donatello get better, Leo needed to understand what was going on inside his genius brother's head.

"For letting you down." The heartbreaking words were muffled by the scutes of the oldest turtle's plastron, but still loud enough for all to hear.

First to react, Raph immediately backed away from the bed as his own words began to repeat in his mind…

"You're always screwing everything up, Donnie!"

"You're supposed to be the smart one, but you ruin everything you touch!"

The red-masked turtle was certain he only had himself to blame for what Donatello had just said. He had planted those seeds of doubt inside his brother the night of his abduction.

Maybe well before that…

Though Leonardo had been trying to pull out of his brother's grip just moments before, he tightened his hold around Donnie. "You have never ever let me down, Donatello."

Slash's words were quick to dispute Leonardo's claim…

"What a disappointment you must be to your fearless leader."

"I've seen the way he looks at you. Like you're nothing but a disgrace."

"You and that stupid stick of yours ruined Leonardo's chance of ever having the perfect ninja team."

"B – But I've ruined your perfect ninja team."

Leonardo's eyes widened and he glanced over at Raphael, who suddenly looked like he was about to blow a gasket. The two oldest brothers knew exactly who had said such a thing to Donatello. The very same turtle who beaten him to a bloodied pulp.

Biting back a growl of disgust, Leo did his best to console his distraught brother. To persuade him that he was anything but a letdown. "That isn't true, Donnie. You complete my perfect ninja team. Without you, there is no team."

Donatello shook his head 'no,' clearly not convinced that Leonardo was speaking the truth. In the intellectual turtle's mind, Slash's words continued to contradict everything Leonardo was saying…

"It's no wonder Leonardo can't stand you."

"I'm sure he's thrilled you're gone."

"I wouldn't be surprised if he ordered the family to quit searching."

"He never wanted you for a brother, you know?"

Pushing away from Leonardo, Donatello was suddenly staring at his brother the same way he had in the kitchen, just before he had rushed out of the room. Slash's cruel words were messing with his brain.

"If I'm such an important member of the team, why did you just leave me to die? Is it because you never wanted me for a brother?"

The accusation felt like a tanto to the gut, but Leonardo ignored the pain, more laser focused on helping his wounded brother see the truth.

"That's Slash talking. I would never say that. I love you, Donnie. More than you'll ever know. I would gladly give my life for you. And if I could've taken your place and spared you this torture, I would've done so in a heartbeat. You've gotta know that."

Donnie's eyes filled with tears he stubbornly refused to let fall as he backed several inches away from Leo. "But you quit searching for me."

Now, it was Leonardo's turn to shake his head. "No, we didn't. We spent every night scouring the rooftops and every day losing our minds with worry. We were lost without you. I was lost without you. If I never wanted you as a brother, why did every moment you were gone feel like the worst moment of my life?"

"I – I don't believe you." Although Donnie's words asserted he didn't believe Leo, his flickering eyes suggested otherwise. His defenses were crumbling down faster than he could build them up, leaving him vulnerable. It was just the opening the leader in blue needed.

"Listen to me, Donnie. I know I'm hard on you sometimes, but it's only… it's only because I care about you." Leonardo paused to swallow, before adding, "You deserve better than this."

"Better than what?" Donnie's voice was hesitant, like he didn't know what to think anymore. His watery gaze drifted down to his knees, but Leo lifted his head up so their eyes met once again.

"Better than living in the sewers with three idiot brothers. You could be so much more, and sometimes, I feel like I'm the one holding you back. I'm scared of losing you, Donnie."

For a moment, Donnie's breath caught in his throat and his mouth fell open, speechless. But a couple of inhales and exhales later, Donatello found the voice he had temporarily lost. It was barely louder than a whisper, but it got the point across, loud and clear.

"You're not gonna ever lose me, Leo. I love you, too." The words had no sooner left Donatello's lips and Leonardo had wrapped his arms back around Donnie, holding him tighter than he probably should have, but he didn't hear any protest from his second youngest brother.

"Awww!" Mikey couldn't take it anymore. He had to hug someone and he had to hug someone now! And so, he haphazardly threw his arms around both Leo and Donnie, drawing them into a sloppy three-way embrace. "I love you guys so much!"

Raphael silently watched on from the back of the room through a thin layer of tears. Though he was happy that both Leo and Mikey seemed to have made significant breakthroughs with Donnie, the hotheaded turtle couldn't help but feel a pang of grief over the fact that his own breakthrough would probably never come.

His father had said as much…

"Too much damage has been done."

To be continued…

*More Author's Notes: So, this update was a bit of an emotional roller coaster ride. Poor, poor Donnie. If I had nightmares like his, I'd never want to close my eyes again. OMG! Slash is one terrifying turtle. Thank goodness this was just a dream.

As always, if you want to see more of this story, please take a moment to favorite, follow, like, reblog, review and/or comment on it. I'm eager to know what everyone thought of the chapter. Plus, it's always nice to receive positive feedback on something you've worked so hard on.

Thanks so very much for reading my stories. I'm incredibly grateful to all of you.

Oh, and to my 'TMNT Shell Shot' readers out there, I plan on posting a new one-shot soon. Just a heads up, this 'Shell Shot' ties right in with 'Slash's Revenge.' I really hope everyone checks it out.

Thanks, again.