Silvermoon A/N: So! This is a new story I've been blessed to be working on with Poetique823 for the past...well forever, because we've been planning it since April or something. Anyway, we've teamed up to bring you guys an awesome drama of our favorite mutant turtles! Poetique has written both Mikey and Donnie's POV for this story, and I'll be writing Leo and Raph's. For those of you who are familiar with her writing, you should be ecstatic, because she does great things with Mikey and Donnie's characters. And if you haven't read her stuff, I seriously suggest taking the time to do so. She's a truly gifted writer and I promise you will absolutely LOVE every one of her works!

Disclaimer: We do not own TMNT or Nickelodeon, but we wish we did. Also, as the summary suggests, there are going to be some intense scenes in later chapters, so consider this a warning for you particularly squeamish readers.

Chapter One: Separated

"Mikey, move!" I snap, shoving my little brother out of the way for the tenth time. "You can't just keep standing there like some sorta slack-jawed idiot—"

"I got distracted!" he shouts, dodging another plasma blast.

"Distracted?" I snarl. "You're getting shot at! What could possibly distract you from that?"

"Will you two just shut up?" Leo yells from across the roof. He takes out another Kraang-droid in the wide arch of his katanas, and the busted head clatters to the ground, sparking. "We should loop back onto that other building—this one's getting a little crowded—"

The screeching electronic sounds of alien laser guns pierce the air as Leo swears under his breath and rolls to the right to avoid the blasts over his head. "Fall back!"

I growl and stick the closest bot in the chest with my sai. A spray of sparks follows the attack, and not a second later, the ugly little brain thing pops out and hits the ground running. I turn on my heels and follow my brothers as we scramble for higher ground. These freaks just keep coming!

I throw myself from the rooftop and latch on to the nearby fire escape, climbing up the metal rungs, skipping steps, and leaping onto the next building with a frustrated huff.

"What now, Fearless?" I mutter, glaring at my worn-out brother.

He wipes the sweat from his brow with the back of his hand. "We can do this," he reassures. "There were only a dozen or so left. Just stick close and draw them up here. We'll wipe them out and be on our way—"

But the whirring of helicopter blades stops my brother in his tracks. We all look overhead to see the aerial machine approaching, with more Kraang-droids and more guns. An exhausted groan emits from all four of us.

"Seriously?" Mikey whines. "Come on, man! Don't they have something else to do?"

"Besides reducing us to piles of goo on the side of the street?" Donnie grumbles. "No."

"Focus, guys," Leo presses. "We can do this."

"Of course we can," Donnie comments. "But I really don't want to."

"This is gonna take forever!" Mikey protests. "We're not even going to have time for pizza!"

Donnie arches a brow. "That shouldn't be your biggest concern at the moment."

"Will both you dorks just can it?" I snarl. "We can take these scrap heaps! Now let's go!"

Mikey groans dramatically. He has no choice but to follow us, but that doesn't stop him from complaining the entire time about all the things he'd rather be doing. I'm this close to smacking him upside the head, and I would if I didn't have fifty thousand Kraang-droids trying to fry me.

We switch rooftops. Well, actually we switch five rooftops. I slam my sai through the shoulder of an oncoming brain container and rip the blade across the main circuit, sending sparks and smoke sputtering from the machine while the pink lump of flesh squeals and makes a run for it. I kick the alien squirt right off the rooftop, turning around just in time to bash another head.

"Leo," I growl, rendering the robot in half with a jerk of my arms. "This is looking more like a retreat than a fight!"

"Yeah," Leo scoffs, breathless as he swipes his katanas and sends three more mechanical bodies to the ground in pieces. "Maybe a retreat's not such a bad idea."

I groan inwardly and plant my foot into the cold, hard chest of yet another Kraang-droid. I hate it when we retreat. It's like patting our enemy on the back and confessing that we're just not good enough. That's not what fighters do—that's not what I do—

"Raph!" Leo shouts. "Raph, we've got to pull back! There are more coming from the east—"

"I ain't pulling back yet!" I snarl, stomping a brain into the concrete with a satisfying squish. "Not till we get all these metal freaks and stuff their bodies in the trash compactor!"

"Raph," he warns. But I ignore him and go right on charging into the oncoming horde of Kraang. Leo can give up all he wants, but I'm not letting these meat-heads get away.

With limbs flailing and blades hacking and slashing, I throw myself head-first into the mass of metal and squealing pink flesh. My senses and thoughts blur into the black and red of adrenaline, until all I know is the movement. The coiling of muscle, the rush of blood, the quick draws of breath as I tear my enemy to shreds. And for a few moments, that's all there is.

Until—

"Raph!"

Leo's voice shatters the illusion of my strength, and not a second later, a searing pain rips across my left arm. I gasp, falling from the heat of battle and into the sudden, sickening warmth of injury. Shock slips in, stealing my senses from me. I sway to the right, clutching my arm, and Leo swoops in to slice a good number of Kraang in half. Their bodies fall to the ground, spraying sparks and fluid. I stagger again, searching aimlessly for something solid to grab hold of when Leo reaches out for me. The breath is knocked from me when I'm hauled against his plastron. He snatches my arm, breathing heavily, fearfully.

He curses. "Raph, you could've gotten yourself killed," he growls, inspecting the flaring wound. My stomach churns at the smell of burnt flesh. "That laser blast was this close to hitting you in the head!"

I struggle to swallow, nose crinkling at the abhorrent stench. "I-I'm fine, Fearless. Just lemme—"

"No," he bites. "We're done. I'm not letting anyone else get hurt." His voice raises as he calls out to our brothers. "Mikey, Donnie!"

My vision sways and I groan, quickly slipping from his grasp. "Leo, I told you, I'm fine. I've had worse, and we've still got Kraang to bash—"

But he grabs me by the shoulders and drags me up, locking eyes. "Raph, no. This is not the time to argue. We've got to get home so Donnie can take a closer look at your burn."

"Leo—"

"Shut up and do what you're told, Raph!"

He shoves me back and I hit the concrete—hard. More plasma blasts light up the night sky above me, and I can hear Leo's strangled grunts and the clanging of his swords against the metal bodies surrounding us. My stomach twists into little knots as I fight to regain my composure.

"Gah—" I choke, struggling to pull myself from the cold pavement.

It hurts—oh man, it hurts—

Shut up! Just shut up and get back on your feet! Fight!

Why is everything…spinning…?

I think I'm gonna puke—

Leo yanks me up from the ground, catching my breath in my lungs.

"Move, Raph!" he snaps. "Mikey, Donnie, this way!" He tugs me alongside him, shoving my head down to dodge another barrage of shots.

"You okay?" he huffs. I swallow hard and grumble something indistinct in response.

Shoulda saw that one coming—

Why wasn't I paying more attention?

I'm gonna hear about this for the rest of the month…

"Yeah," he grunts. "Thought so."

The shrieks of Kraang-droids threaten to make my ears bleed. Leo helps me down from the ledge, and we drop onto an old fire escape on the side of the building.

"Here," Leo whispers, nudging me forth. "Through the window."

We both slip inside a busted, abandoned section of what used to be apartments before some fire broke out and ruined the structure. I gingerly lift my hand to my wound, but Leo smacks it away, shaking his head.

"Don't touch it."

"But it hurts," I growl.

He sighs, whirling around nervously, like he's expecting attackers to burst through the walls. He lowers his voice.

"Just…just wait until we get back home, okay?" He tilts his head sympathetically—a look that makes my gut turn. "How bad is it? Is it stinging or throbbing? Gosh, Raph, you should've just listened to me in the first place! Now we have to get you back to the lair and patch you up, and Master Splinter's gonna have a fit that someone got hurt!"

I flash him a scowl, lip curling just slightly over my teeth, but he doesn't seem to notice. He just keeps blabbering on, like usual.

"Ugh, maybe we should bind it with something," he mutters. "Is it bleeding? No, burns don't bleed. Do they? Do you think it's deep or—"

"Leo," I growl, eye twitching. "Shut up."

It's embarrassing enough to get hit during a fight, but now Leo's babying me like I'm about to drop dead. Honestly, getting blasted just isn't enough, is it? I've gotta take crap from both sides.

There's a thump overhead that makes Leo flinch, whipping out his katanas. It's not even his touchiness that's the most annoying—it's the way he's standing in front of me like I'm some defenseless thing that needs to be protected. I roll my eyes and twirl my sai in my good hand, but it isn't Kraang that come through the opening: It's Mikey and Donnie. They both stumble in, almost falling on top of each other as they scramble for solid ground. They're panting in exhaustion, slick with sweat and dirt and grime.

"Dudes, what happened up there?" Mikey gasps. He's bleeding from a gash on the side of his head, but the sticky red's already dried to his skin.

"Raph got hit," Leo explains, grabbing my shoulder as if I'm about to fall over. My brow knits and I turn my dagger-like glare to the floor, trying to focus on anything but the humiliation swirling in my mind. The wound is pulsing now. Heat and pain throb across the affected area, and the smell's only getting worse—

"Let me see." Donnie rushes to my side, lifting my injured limb to examine the blast mark. The sides of his mouth tug into a tight frown and he wipes the grunge from his brow. He's got bruises up his left shin and on his outer right thigh. Must've fallen pretty hard.

"It's not third-degree," he mutters, prodding at the burnt skin. I hiss and jerk my arm away from him. He eyes me warily. "But we need to get it taken care of before infection sets in." I stumble a little to the side, sucking in a hard breath through my teeth. Why am I so shaky? I've been hit before—

But not by a plasma blast—

Not burned—

Not in the middle of a fight you said you had control of.

I groan and grip the sides of my head in a frantic attempt to shut the thoughts off.

"You need to lie down, Raph," Donnie says earnestly. "I think you're in shock—or close to it." Both him and Leo help to steady me, but their concern only makes me feel worse.

I'm being suffocated.

I swat them away frantically. "Shut up—I'm fine. Now quit crowding me, 'cause you're just making it worse."

"Uh, guys," Mikey pipes from the window. "I know this is a bad time and all, but we've only got like ten seconds before the Kraang swarm the place. Any ideas?"

Leo huffs out a frustrated breath and snarls. "Alright, alright—we've got no choice but to retreat."

Just hearing that word makes me cringe. We shouldn't be retreating—we should be kicking their alien butts to the moon!

"We'll split up," Bossy-McLeaderPants continues. "I'll take Raph. Mikey, you go with—"

"I got Raph," he says confidently. Leo hesitates, his stern gaze flickering briefly between the two of us. I'm not really in a position to argue, and I know Mikey is less likely to annoy the crap out of me for getting shot, so I say nothing.

"You sure?" Leo asks, pressing. Mikey nods with fierce determination.

"Okay," Leo breathes. "I guess that leaves you and me, Donnie. We'll split up and lose them in the streets. Rendezvous back to our spot, got it? Whoever gets there first will wait in the sewers for the other team."

Shouting and the clanking of footsteps echoes overhead, dangerously close. Leo nods towards all of us.

"Alright guys, let's get moving." His eyes fall on Mikey and I, steeled with responsibility and concern. "Be careful."

Mikey just gives him a thumbs-up. "You got nothing to worry about, bro!" He snatches my good arm and tugs me towards the exit. I grumble something unpleasant, but follow nonetheless.

"Yo dudes!" Mikey shouts back, grinning. I already know by the look on his face that he's turning this 'tactical retreat' into some idiotic game. "Whoever gets there first gets the TV for a week!"

"Mikey!" Leo shouts. "This isn't a race, much less a game!"

"What," I join in, taking advantage of the opportunity to push my brother's buttons in any way I can. "You afraid you're gonna lose, Lame-a-nardo?"

"Don't encourage him, Raph!" he snaps back. We reach the window and heave ourselves onto the fire escape. "Mikey, seriously, just get there safely, and—Mikey? Mikey!"

But we're already out the building and leaping into the streets, leaving Leo a flustered, bossy mess behind us.

~T~

"We are so getting the TV for a week!" I gloat to Raph as we outrun the Kraang droids that are still two rooftops behind us.

"Yeah, sure whatever." He grumbles, clutching his injured arm to his chest as we jump down to the next rooftop. He's still pretty ticked about Leo telling us to fall back. I like trash-talking and kicking Kraang butt as much as the next turtle, but the odds were def not in our favor. Gotta live to fight another day, right?

"Aw, don't worry, Raphie. You can play Cracker Jack Kraang next time."

He snorts and smirks at me. "Yeah, and I'll even save you the pink squishy prize inside."

I laugh loudly. At least I was able to pull out a sarcastic banter from my testy older brother. Everything will be fine. When we get home, Donnie will patch up Raph's arm; Master Splinter will be glad we're safe; and more importantly, Raph and I will totally beat Leo and Donnie back to the rendezvous spot! It's gonna be awesome to have the TV for a whole week….well, as long as Raph doesn't make me watch those boring motorcycle shows. Man, I wish I would have added my chores to that bet, then I could—

My last thought is rattled as something roughly grips the top of my shell and yanks me backward. My yelp is cut short when a callous hand covers my mouth. I frown. Smells like leather and sweat. Twisting my neck, I see my brother has pulled me under a water tower. He holds me roughly to his plastron as we listen to Kraang droids clunk on top of the tower as they bound for the next building top. They continue tramping the rooftops in the direction they think we went. When we hear the last droid past overhead, Raph shoves me away from him, bending over slightly, curling his arm protectively against him. He must've aggravated it when he pulled me out of the Kraang's sight.

"Dude, are you—"

"C'mon, the meet-up spot is just below this fire escape." He tersely cuts off my concern as he points over the side of the building we're on. I follow him as he slides down the railing of the fire escape. With his good arm he lifts the manhole cover, giving me a rushed gesture to hurry up. I climb down the sewer ladder first, as Raph follows right above me sliding the cover back in place.

Aside from the tunnels echoing our pants and heavy breathing, it's quiet as we wait for Leo and Donnie to join us. To the victors goes the TV!

~T~

We sit in the darkness, the silence broken only by our heavy breath and the dripping of the sewer pipes. Mikey fidgets beside me.

"Is your arm okay?" he asks quietly. I brush him off.

"It's fine."

"Are you sure? 'Cause it didn't look too great—"

"I said I'm fine, Mikey," I hiss. I keep my eyes on the manhole cover above us, waiting for the darkness to be punctured by the beam of moonlight that shoots down whenever the cover is removed. I wait…and wait…and wait.

But there's nothing.

"Where are they?" I growl, my fists bunching up at my sides. "Leo said to meet at the rendezvous point. That's this street, right?"

Mikey shrugs. "That's what it was last time."

My lip curls. "Then why are they taking so long?!"

"Maybe they took the long way," he mutters. "They were behind us, after all."

My nostrils flare with breath. "We shouldn't have listened to Leo about retreating," I seethe, pacing. "We could've handled it! What, are we scared of the Kraang now?"

"He only said that because you got shot—"

I whirl around at him. "My arm's fine, Mikey!"

He backs up a little bit, and I feel a pang of guilt at the look on his face. He sighs and leans against the wall.

"Fine, whatever. I'm just saying that he had his reasons. Besides, we were outnumbered anyway. Did you really want to stay on that roof fighting all night?"

I make a guttural sound in the back of my throat. "No, but that doesn't mean we can just…just run away!"

Mikey looks at me, eyes glinting oddly in the darkness. "You sure you're not just upset because you got hit?"

My fingers curl into fists at my sides.

Of course I'm upset. Why wouldn't I be?

But I'm not gonna admit it—especially now that he's brought it up. So I just slump against the tunnel wall and cross my arms, making a point to avoid any hints of the pain that's burning through the spot on my arm where the laser hit me.

Minutes go by, and the silence becomes maddening. It gets worse when Mikey starts humming to himself. I finally break and push off of the wall with a low growl.

"That's it, I'm going top-side to look for them."

His eyes widen. "But Raph, Leo said—"

"Do I ever care what Leo said?" I bite. I grip the rungs of the ladder and start climbing up, and with an exaggerated groan, Mikey follows.

~T~

I sigh as I jump from the dumpster to the fire escape. Forward flipping onto the roof, I only catch a glimpse of Raph's bandana tails before he jumps to a lower building.

"Hey, wait up, Raph!" I shout as I run the rooftops to catch up with him.

Maybe I should have stayed at the meeting spot and waited for Leo and Donnie…but then who would make sure Raph didn't get his other arm blasted with a laser gun? What if they're on their way to the rendezvous spot and then see we're not there? Leo will be worried sick and Don will want to look at that nasty burn on Raph's arm.

It doesn't take long for me to catch up to Raph. We continue to scan the streets and alleyways below as we backtrack, leaping from rooftop to rooftop. I pull out my T-phone and dial Leo. No answer. I try Don. Still no answer. There's a knot of fear doubling over in my stomach. Something's wrong.

No…no. I shake the doubt from my mind. They're totally fine, they just got caught up kicking some serious Kraang butt that's all. Their T-phones are just on silent or something. I smile briefly to myself. Yeah, nothing to worry about.

"Dude, we should just go back to the spot. Leo's gonna chew our heads off for not following orders. My brain will melt from boredom if I have to hear 'Leo Lecture' number 574," I jokingly shout as I hop from the Antonio's Pizza billboard down onto the roof of the industrial warehouse where Raph is. Leo and Donnie totally owe us pizza for all this extra running around.

"Shut up," he snaps. "I told you I don't give a flip what Leo said. Something ain't right." He sounds ticked off, but the uncontrolled pitch in his voice tells me his testiness is more from worry than anger with me. Something's gone wrong and he feels it too.

On the roof of the warehouse, a reflective glare catches my eye from below, causing me to skid to a halt. I look down at the backside of the building, wondering if my eyes are just playing tricks on me, but then I see the gleam of light again.

Something's not right.

Using the downspout to twist my way to the ground, my feet land in something wet and sticky. I look down. It's blood.

Something's definitely not right.

As I walk around the industrial size dumpster that knot twists ten times tighter in my stomach. I can't stop the sudden gasp that escapes my lips. A smashed T-phone and twin katanas lay abandoned on the ground. Katanas, but no Leo. With a trembling hand, I pick up the hilt of one of his katanas. The blade is broken to nearly half its length.

This is so not good.

"Raph," my voice is a broken whisper, "Raph!" I shout louder this time as panic grips me. I take a few steps back before my shell collides with something.

"Whoa, easy Mike, I'm here." Raph says gruffly, holding me tightly by the shoulders. He'll know what to do and so will Donnie.

"Raph! I saw this light from the roof…then the blood…and then I found Leo's swords, but no Leo…and…and….where's Donnie?" I assumed Raph found Donnie, but when I look behind him I don't see my tall brainy bro anywhere.

Raph's eyes darken, and he pulls out two pieces of a broken bo staff that looks like it's been blasted in half with several darts sticking of them. With an angry growl, he slams them to the ground.

"Those pink slimeballs …" His hands clutch into tight fists at his sides as he glares into the distance. There is rage boiling just below the surface as his body trembles to contain it. "Mikey, go home. I'm going to get Leo and Don." His hands glide over the sais in his belt.

It takes me a moment to process what my hot-headed brother just said. As kick-butt as my big bro is, there's no way he can take out all those Kraang by himself. I stubbornly stand in front of him to block his exit. "What? No way, bro! I'm going with you."

"Shell, Mikey, I don't have time to freakin' argue with you. I don't need you getting in the way. Go home, now."

I see a glimpse of worry in his eyes before he blinks it away and replaces it with his usual bullheadedness. His shoulder shoves me out the way as he takes off in a sprint.

I huff in annoyance at being brushed off and I wordlessly take off after him. I don't have to run far before I notice my brother's pace begin to slow into a zigzagged path. I easily catch up to him, grabbing him by his good arm before he face-plants into the asphalt. His arm is sweaty and there's a visible tremor throughout his body. I keep a firm grip to hold him steady.

"Raph, please," I whimper, pulling gently on his arm. "Let's go home."

I can practically feel the resistance pulsing from him, so I widen my eyes until they feel watery. "What if you get hurt again? I can't find them by myself."

Pulling the 'scared little brother' card is a low blow, but it's the only thing I can think of to keep Raph from going all 'terminator turtle' by himself and getting hurt again. I blink my teary eyes, putting my pout into overdrive. "Sensei can patch you up, and then we can find Leo and Donnie together. Just…just don't go by yourself…please."

Okay, so some of this little brother act is for real. I really am worried about Leo and Donnie, and I'm really scared Raph will get shot with another laser gun—or worse. He isn't looking so good. I stare at his other arm. It's red and swollen with an angry blister that takes up most of the lower limb.

He stares at me with similar glossy eyes, but I think it's more from exhaustion and shock.

"Yeah…" He breathes out with a sigh as he rubs the side of his head, and his shoulders slump in defeat. "Yeah…okay, little brother. Let's go home."

~T~

"Hang in there, bro," Mikey says for the fiftieth time. I groan in response, unable to find the strength to stay mean as I stagger past the turnstiles.

"Sensei! Sensei, we need help!"

I wince at my brother's shouting. It's too loud…everything's too loud…

"Michelangelo, Raphael—my sons, what happened?"

I lift my head at Splinter's voice to see him rushing towards us, his face grim with worry. His hands slip beneath my arms as he helps Mikey lead me to the couch. I slump into the cushions with a shaky moan as my vision sways and tips.

"He got hit, Sensei," Mikey explains. "One of the Kraang shot him with their plasma guns."

Splinter's throat works as his hands glide to my wound. He closes his eyes for a moment to calm himself before addressing Mikey.

"Go get the First Aid Kit," he says firmly. "And some clean water."

I can hear Mikey's footsteps as he takes off for the lab, and Splinter gingerly lifts my wounded arm, eying the burn with fear.

"S-Sensei," I pant. "T-They took them…Leo and Donnie… The Kraang took them."

His amber eyes widen. "What?"

"I got the stuff, Sensei!" Mikey comes barreling back into the room, sloshing cool water onto my leg as he skids around the couch.

"W-We gotta go find them…before…before something bad happens…" My mind drops into that black pit of worry and fear that I try so hard to stay out of, and my thoughts immediately melt into visions of pain, torment and death. They could be dying right now, and we're hiding down here, whining over some stupid injury when we could be—should be—fighting to find them. I clench my fists at my sides, irritating my burn, and I try to sit up.

"Raphael," Splinter chides, gently coaxing me back down. Mikey sits beside him and hands him a clean towel. "Your injury needs attention. You will be of no help to your brothers in this condition."

"B-But they're gonna get hurt," I growl. "We can't leave them to—Gah!" I hiss, teeth clenched, as Splinter begins to wash my burn with cool water and soap. Mikey helps hold me still while I twitch and grunt in discomfort.

"It's okay, Raph," my little brother whispers. "We'll find them. But we have to take care of you first, so just lie still, alright?"

My breath comes heavy and fast. My nostrils flare and I clamp my eyes shut, tensing my body against the unwelcome sensation, and while I endure a good ten minutes of it, it's nothing compared to the sting of the alcohol. My back immediately arches and a whimper gets stuck in my throat. Waves of heat flush through my system and black dots begin to punch holes in my vision.

"Keep still, my son." His voice does little to soothe me, but it helps when he begins to smear some sort of healing ointment over the area. I force out another string of labored breaths before resting my head back on the cushion. Sweat is slick on my brow, and my entire body is buzzing with heat and anxiety.

"Michelangelo, hand me some wrappings."

I keep my eyes shut and listen to the crinkling of plastic being torn from the package of fresh bandages. Splinter gently lifts my arm again and starts to loosely bind the wound. While they both tend to me, I can't help but to relive the same moment over and over again. I can see it all like a movie in my head: The Kraang's onslaught, Leo shouting, the blast searing my arm and knocking me back. And finding my brothers' weapons, broken and abandoned in the city streets…

A groan slips from me, but it isn't caused by the physical pain.

This is all my fault. If I hadn't gotten shot, if I hadn't been so reckless, we wouldn't have had to retreat, to split up, and we wouldn't be here cleaning my stupid arm.

It's all my fault.

"Where did you last see your brothers?" Splinter asks softly after my sounds of discomfort have lessened. I crack one eye open to find that he's finished bandaging my wound and is now placing the medical supplies back in the box.

Mikey's blue eyes are misty. His steady gaze holds mine and he gently traces his fingers down my good forearm in an attempt to soothe me.

"We had to split up," he says slowly. "There were too many, and Raph got hit. Leo…he told us to meet up at our rendezvous point and wait for one another. Raph and I…we got there first…but Leo and Donnie never showed up."

A sting runs up my nose as I listen to my little brother. He's trying hard to keep himself together for my sake, but I can hear the fear in his voice, and I can see the concern in his eyes. He blinks a few times and clears his throat.

"We went back up to check and make sure they were okay, but we couldn't find them. And then I…I saw Leo's katanas in one of the alleyways. They were broken, and there was blood, and then Raph showed up with Donnie's bo staff and I—"

"Stay calm, Michelangelo," Splinter hushes, steadying Mikey with a hand on his shoulder. "Panic and fear will only cloud your mind, and your brothers need you to remain alert."

"But they're gone, Sensei," I mutter. "And if we can't go find them now…we might lose them for good."

Splinter exhales and lowers his gaze. I know he's worried, but I can tell he's trying his best to stay strong for us. I can't imagine how scared he must be, knowing that Leo and Donnie are out there like prisoners, alone and defenseless. My fingers twitch and clench into fists against the cushions at the thought.

"We will save them, my sons. You must believe that." He hesitates for a moment, his heavy gaze flickering between each of us in some attempt at comfort. With a sigh, he finishes packing up the supplies and picks up the box, standing to his feet. "I must go meditate on what lies before us. But for now, sleep, and gather your strength."

The sound of his footsteps begin to fade, and from the living room, his last words echo through every fiber of my being.

"Your brothers are going to need it."

Poetique823 A/N: Hope you guys enjoyed the first chapter of "Psychosis"! Be sure to leave us a review, let us know what you think! We have some awesome things in store for this chapter, so stay tuned! XD

Silvermoon A/N: I don't know about you guys, but I'm super excited for this thing to take off. Dark and gritty, angsty feels, here we come!