Chapter 8-No More Running

Donnie's side…

Once he was outside, Donnie immediately spotted Leo standing a few feet away from Casey with his arms crossed and looking directly at him with a stern face.

"About time you showed up…You've been skipping your training lately…" Leo accused sarcastically whilst narrowing his eyes.

"I have a wounded brother to look after, remember?" Donnie reminded in an even tone before he stood with a battle-ready pose.

Leo said nothing in response to that before he readied his katanas and charged at him without warning.

/

30 minutes later…

Back inside the farmhouse, Mikey was awake again and drinking some water with a little help from April.

When he noticed that Donnie was absent after waking up, Master Splinter immediately explained to him that the purple-banded brother went outside to do some training with Leo and Casey to ease his anxieties.

"I-I hope Leo doesn't train Donnie too hard…" Mikey said worriedly after gulping down his last sip of water.

"I'm sure Donnie will be ok; Leo knows that Donnie's arm is still healing and would go easy on him…" April assured Mikey whilst placing a comforting hand on his shoulder.

Master Splinter, however, wasn't too convinced. Ever since the group arrived at the farmhouse, the old sensei had sensed a negative change in his oldest son's spirit. He would watch as Leo isolated himself more from his own family, train excessively despite having a serious stab wound to his shoulder, and he would snap at anyone who would try to talk to him. By now, Master Splinter was worrying over the possibility that Leo might lose his real self forever if he kept up with this kind of behaviour.

Then, suddenly…

"Master Splinter!" Casey's terrified voice was heard, snapping Master Splinter out of his thoughts, before the human male himself appeared at the top of the stairs panting and looking at the group with wide eyes.

"Mr Jones? What is wrong?" Master Splinter questioned calmly, even though he was slowly starting to feel nervous on the inside.

"It's Leo! He's attacking Donnie and he won't stop or give him a chance to fight back!" Casey explained in hysterics, shocking the others.

"H-He's what!?" Mikey stuttered in a terrified tone.

"Raph's doin' all he can ta stop him from attackin' him even more, but even he's strugglin' to keep him back…!" Casey added anxiously.

This was all becoming too much for Mikey to bear. First, the blame for Shredder's actions were slammed upon him, then he got seriously wounded by a black bear, and now his immediate older brother was being attacked by Leo in his name.

He had to do something to stop his oldest brother, and fast.

"I-I gotta stop him! Argh!" Mikey told the others before he tried to stand up, but the pain radiating from his wounds had stopped him.

"No, Michelangelo! You cannot move with your current injuries!" Master Splinter denied firmly as he steadied his son.

"B-But if I don't stop Leo soon, he'll hurt Donnie!" Mikey pointed out desperately.

"Mikey, you're badly hurt! If you keep moving too much-"

"I don't CARE what happens to me!"

April, Casey, and Master Splinter froze and look at Mikey in absolute shock and horror when they heard those words come out of his mouth and cut April's sentence off.

"It's my fault that this is happening in the first place, so I have to be the one to stop it and fix it!" He then told them guiltily.

"Michelangelo, you should take a moment to think about this…" Master Splinter pleaded.

"I can't run away from this, Master Splinter…Not this time…" Mikey replied firmly but in determination before he hobbled over to the staircase and disappeared down it.

Master Splinter, April, and Casey looked at each other with worry plastered on their faces before they too made a swift move towards the stairs.

/

Outside…

"Stop it, Leo! Please, I can't fight anymore…!" Donnie pleaded desperately, his body too worn and banged up to continue training.

The blue-banded turtle didn't verbally respond to Donnie, and instead just scowled at him with rage-filled eyes before he suddenly started charging towards him with his katanas still in his hands.

"Leo, no!" Raph cried out in horror as he tried to block Leo's way, but the oldest turtle jumped over him and kept going.

"Ngh!" Donnie grunted as he closed his eyes and braced himself for the attack that was about to come since he couldn't move due to his battered and bruised body as well as his still-healing arm.

"Rrraaaaaaaagghh!" Leo roared as he charged and swiped his katanas towards Donnie.

CLASH!

When he heard the sound of weapons clash against each other, Donnie opened his eyes and gasped in surprise; standing in front of him with his nun-chuck chain blocking Leo's katanas was Mikey!

"What the-?" Leo said before he blinked and realised that he was being blocked by his youngest brother.

"Miss me?" Mikey questioned sarcastically before he pushed Leo's katana away, making the oldest turtle back away from him.

"Mikey…!?" Donnie said first in shock.

"What are you doing here, Michelangelo!?" Leo questioned bitterly with narrowed eyes.

"…Stopping you from doing something that you're gonna regret for the rest of your life…" Mikey answered in a low tone.

"This has nothing to do with you, Michelangelo! Go away!" Leo shouted heatedly.

"It does if it involves my brother being in danger…! You were about to hurt Donnie, and that's not ok!" Mikey scolded his oldest brother.

"We were in the middle of a training session, and you just disturbed us!" Leo said accusingly.

"Because you were close to killing Donnie! Why didn't you stop!?" Mikey countered defensively.

"Donnie needs to learn how to defend himself properly whilst he's injured! If he's not going to improve on that, then he's a dead turtle walking!" Leo told Mikey without caring about Donnie's still-healing arm.

Mikey, Donnie, and the others looked at Leo in shock and horror when they heard those words.

"How can you say that!?" Mikey questioned angrily.

"Yeah! Donnie's arm hasn't fully healed yet, and if you keep pushing him too hard, it will never heal at all!" April pointed out firmly.

"Shut up, April! You're not a ninja and you're not involve in this training session, so stay out of this!" Leo shouted rudely.

"Hey! Don't talk ta her like dat, Leo!" Casey scolded, his eyes getting close to seeing red.

"No, Casey, stay back!" April told him firmly.

"Get up, Donnie…NOW!" Leo commanded harshly, ignoring Casey during the process.

"No, Leo! Donnie won't be fighting you…I am!" Mikey told Leo bravely as he stood in between him and Donnie.

"Michelangelo…!" Leo warned darkly, now getting very annoyed with his youngest brother.

"I'm not running away! You want me to be a better ninja, right? Well, here I am!" Mikey said firmly.

"…So be it, then…" Leo replied with a sigh.

"Alrighty, then…but first…" Mikey said with glee before he suddenly dashed towards Leo.

Leo blinked before he noticed that Mikey was standing behind him, and then he realised that one of his katana swords was missing from his hand.

"Missing something?" Mikey questioned teasingly as he waved Leo's katana in the air, shocking Leo.

"D-Did he just take one of Leo's swords out of his hand!?" Raph questioned, stunned and surprised at what Mikey just did.

"Yeah…That was a smart move; even Leo didn't see it coming…!" Donnie answered, complimenting his little brother's actions.

"Give it back, Michelangelo!" Leo demanded sternly.

"Let's even the playing field a bit…Then, you can have it back, deal…?" Mikey said whilst looking at himself in the steel blade before he readied himself for the fight by standing in a defensive pose.

"Fine, but I will get my sword back from you, one way or another…!" Leo replied firmly as he readied his sword.

Then, within seconds, Mikey charged towards Leo with a roar.

Leo readied himself as Mikey got closer before he swiftly dodged his charge and slashed his katana towards him. Mikey immediately saw this and swung his katana to block the attack, but it only threw Leo's katana off course and cause it to slash his upper right arm.

"Ngh!" Mikey grunted at the pain, but he endured it and kept a firm face to prevent Leo from seeing his weakness before he went in for the attack again.

The others, including Raph, watched all of this with scared and worried looks on their faces. They did not expect Mikey to challenge Leo in the condition that he was currently in, but Leo had pushed his buttons too hard and too many times for the youngest turtle to avoid this dilemma.

Suddenly, Donnie noticed patches of red developing on Mikey's bandages, and they were slowly getting bigger as he continued attacking and dodging Leo. This made Donnie go wide-eyed with worry when he figured out why this was happening.

"Mikey, stop! Your stitches are tearing!" He shouted, surprising and shocking the others.

"I'm fine!" Mikey shouted back in denial before blocking Leo's katana with his own.

"No, yer not! Yer bleedin' out, bro!" Raph countered, now feeling more concerned for his youngest brother.

"You don't need to prove anything to us anymore, Mikey…! Please, just stop!" Donnie shouted desperately.

"Try telling Leo that!" Mikey yelled back before dodging another attack from Leo.

Mikey swung his weapon towards Leo, who dodged it swiftly, but he wasn't quick enough on the third swing as he felt a sharp stinging sensation on his right arm. When the blue-banded turtle stepped back with a hiss and looked at his arm, he saw blood trickling down it from a slash wound made by one of his own katana swords.

"Lucky shot…" Leo said bitterly with a glare towards Mikey before he charged towards him again.

Mikey was able to dodge and block the first three attacks, but a dizzy spell suddenly struck him and caused him to lose his focus for a moment. This gave Leo the advantage to strike him hard, and he did just that by slashing his brother's left upper thigh, causing the young turtle to fall on one knee in pain.

"Just give up, Mikey…You're just embarrassing yourself, and all of us…!" Leo said without any emotions in his tone.

"No…I won't stop…Not until I BEAT YOU!" Mikey breathed out in a rage as he slowly stood back up and then charged towards Leo again.

This surprised Leo for a moment before he quickly snapped out of it and readied himself for Mikey's upcoming attack. As the youngest turtle got closer, Leo noticed the anguish and rage in his little brother's eyes, which he had never seen in all his life of knowing him. Nevertheless, the blue-banded turtle readied himself as Mikey got closer to him.

"Why isn't he stopping?" April questioned with worry showing on her face.

"He's gone berserk!" Casey cried out with wide eyes.

"Michelangelo's heart…there is so much anger, sorrow, and pain within it…it is blinding him…" Master Splinter said anxiously and in concern for his youngest son.

By now, Mikey was starting to tire out, but he was still attacking Leo whilst in a rage by slashing his sword in every direction.

"Why are you even fighting me, Michelangelo!? No matter what happens, you will never make me change my mind about you!" Leo questioned angrily.

"You wanna know why!?" Mikey cried out as he charged at Leo and clashed swords with him again.

"It's cos I'm sick and tired of you blaming me for every single mistake that happens on missions!"

Clash!

"Also, I wasn't the one who hurt Master Splinter in that rocket ship, the Shredder did!"

Clash!

"WHY WON'T YOU OPEN YOUR EYES AND SEE THE TRUTH!?"

Leo didn't know what to think. He was still angry at Mikey for getting in his way, but at the same time, he had this nagging feeling in his mind telling him that he should stop and take in what his youngest brother was saying. Also, he too could see that Mikey was beginning to waver due to the still-bleeding wounds on his body, despite being covered up by bandages.

So, in a swift move, Leo did a feint and punched Mikey hard in the stomach. The wind was instantly knocked out of Mikey and the young turtle stood back a few steps before he suddenly became dizzy and collapsed to the ground, dropping the katana in the process.

Leo took a moment to catch his breath before he walked over to Mikey, picked up his other katana, and stood over the youngest turtle whilst looking at him with anger-filled eyes.

"I've warned you not to get in my way, Michelangelo…Now, say goodbye!" He said venomously as he raised his katanas and aimed them at Mikey's neck.

"Leonardo!" Master Splinter shouted to try and snap his oldest son out of his rage, but to no effect.

"No, Leo! Don't!" "Stop, bro! Dis ain't you!" Donnie and Raph shouted afterward.

"Leo, please! Don't do this!" "C'mon, man! Stop!" April and Casey then shouted in desperation.

When Mikey looked up, he saw Leo standing above him with his katana swords pointing close to his neck. By now, Mikey's eyes were filled with tears as he was starting to accept that this was going to be the end for him.

"G-Go ahead…Do it…One move and I'm gone…just like you want…" He pleaded sadly with tears falling down his face.

Leo looked at Mikey with his eyes still full of hatred and anger before he took a quick glimpse of himself in the reflection of one of his katana blade. When he saw his face and the blood of his youngest brother on the edge, he froze before his eyes changed from angry to shocked.

'W-Wha…What am I…' He thought as his body suddenly started to shake slightly.

The expression on Leo's face was hard for Mikey to read when he noticed it changing; was he angry, or was he horrified?

"L-Leo…?" Mikey croaked out tiredly.

Leo immediately withdrew his swords away from Mikey and swiftly turned around to avoid eye contact with his brother. What was he supposed to say to him? He had just realised that he was very close to killing his own brother!

"Get him out of my sight…Now!" He demanded firmly to the others without turning his head around.

The group didn't need to be told twice as they hurried over to Mikey's bleeding and battered body.

"Mikey…?" Donnie called out as he gently gathered his immediate younger brother into his arms.

"You ok, bro?" Raph asked as he looked over Donnie's shoulder to see his brother's face, which was still looking at Leo sadly.

"…I-I'm sorry…I-I…" Mikey tried to say to Leo in a heartbroken tone before he blacked out in Donnie's arms.

"Mikey!?" April called out anxiously when she saw him faint, with Raph, Master Splinter, and Casey looking on with worried expressions on their faces as well.

"Calm down, he just passed out…" Donnie reassured the others calmly after checking Mikey's pulse, which was slow but steady, before he assessed his wounds.

"Let's get him back inside…We need to re-stitch his old wounds and treat his new ones…" He then said with a sigh.

The others nodded before Raph stepped forward and carefully took Mikey from Donnie's arms and into his own before he stood back up and quickly walked towards the farmhouse, with the rest of the group following him from behind.

However, Master Splinter remained where he stood as he looked at Leo with a frustrated but disappointed look on his face before he spoke.

"Leonardo, turn around…I wish to speak with you…"

"I want to be alone right now, Master Splinter…" Leo replied in a slightly firm tone without turning around.

"Leonardo-"

"I'm not in the mood to speak to anyone right now, Master, so please leave me alone!" Leo firmly cut off his sensei with tears developing in his eyes before hastily walking away from him and heading towards a tree near the lake.

Master Splinter looked on in shock; in all his life of knowing Leonardo, he had never heard him talk back in such a harsh way. However, the old sensei could sense the shame and guilt strongly radiating off of his oldest son's body and realised that he was not in the best mental state to be spoken to, so he decided to respect his request and head back inside the farmhouse until the blue-banded turtle had calmed himself down.

"What is wrong with me?! Did I really try to…" He hissed quietly to himself with his head in his hands.

It was then that memories of the turtles' fight with the Shredder suddenly flashed into his mind. One of them included a scene where the Shredder electrocuted Master Splinter, who had taken the hit for Mikey since the youngest turtle couldn't move with his broken legs. Leo remembered seeing Mikey's face being full of so much shock and horror when that happened, and yet he allowed his anger and resentment towards the Shredder to be released onto Mikey because he misjudged the way it all happened in front of him.

"S-Shell, I'm…I-I'm a monster…W-What have I done…!?" Leo stuttered in despair before he covered his face with his hands and broke down.