(Minna, forgive mehhh!!! I couldn’t take the “every week has an update” thing since I have two running stories. And of course, I had and have to be responsible for the stories I wrote and changed the schedule. Updates are coming once every two weeks, still by Friday, and maybe on occasions I’d post two chappies! Yeeeyy!! And so, gomenasai and please enjoy!)

-Waashi (*>.<*)

...

(I Will Not Bow by Breaking Benjamin)

...

[Third Person’s PoV]

The two mutants made their way through the underground tunnels, climbing up and entering an abandoned alley. Spotting torn up and ragged clothes gave Raph an idea.

“Come on, this might be a good spot…”, Raphael waved as they neared the said worn out garments.

“Heh, alright!”

Spike grabbed the long, hanging, dark pieces of cloth, shredding them to his desired lengths and widths. He professionally tied their ends in knots, securing them in the most common places a ninja would put his belt, and his arm, elbow, and knee pads. After wounding them with his skin, he grabbed a thin but long black cloth, its ends were tattered. He then tied it around his eyes like a bandana. Opening his eyes, black seemed to have complemented the hazel hues he gained, popping out and turning quite intimidating.

Now he’s fully clad in protective gear—if you can consider rags and cloths to be tough enough for protection or its just so he looks cool and all—he takes up his mace and spins it around, as if he was born with it. He tosses it over his broad shoulders while taking long strides towards his comrade. Raphael could only gawk at the astonishing sight of his mutated pet.

He was sat upon what looked like a combination of a limousine and a regular car with a metallic carving or image at its nose. The thrill and excitement inside of him forced him to exclaim, “Wow! You look awesome, Spike.”

“Never liked the name Spike…”, he trailed off as he neared the mode of transportation Raph sat on.

Raphael was a bit taken aback and expressed a frown of confusion, while “Spike” yanked off the piece of metal resting at the top of it’s nose and placed it at the midst of his belt. It resembled a capitalized letter S—only having it look better with its curves in a zigzag.

“Call me, Slash…”

***

Reaching the top of a building, their silhouettes stood with the moon behind them. Their eyes mirrored and gleamed with justice, righteousness, and the will to bash someone's or something's head. Arms crossed, their poses can intimidate anyone who dared to face them—but let’s be honest, no civilian or thug is insane enough to fight a mutant as big and huge as Slash.

“Awesome! Let’s go, Slash!”, Raph ordered Spike, now named Slash. He pressed his feet against the cold concrete then lunged, jumping across the rooftops. Unknowingly, he leaves his associate behind, gazing upon his energetic and fast form.

Slash takes in a few moments of watching his enthusiastic ally, before he mused to himself aloud, “If Raph’s gonna be free tonight, we may need to loose some dead weight…”, evoking the memorabilia Raphael hung on his wall that he shredded out of loathe.

He lets out a subtle but maniacal laughter, fitting that whatever plans he had would pay him off in time. Then, seeming that his partner was drifting away from his view, he raced after him. Once he reached the eager hothead's presence, he hears him exclaiming words of amazement in the air.

“Yes, this is so cool!”, he shouted at the top of his lungs while catching his breathe. He jumps over a billboard, then added,“Just you and me, Raph and Slash the crime-fighting duo!”

“Yep! We’ll right the wrongs of the world…”, Slash agreed, landing above a small structure that resembled an abandoned apartment. “And wipe out whoever stands in our way…”

“Hold on! How are we gonna find that mutagen without a tracker?”, Raphael worriedly inquired Slash, tapping his chin with a finger.

Boastfully, Slash huffed and replied,“I got a nose for the stuff. I can smell it a mile away…”, sniffing the atmosphere, and furthermore, stopped when his nose detected a familiar yet unusual scent of mutagen nearby.

“Come on…”, he ushered the red clad turtle. “Follow me!..”

***

“We’ve got mutagen close by, just on the other side!”, Donatello informed his brothers as they sprint across roofs with a mutagen tracker in his hands.

Leonardo and the rest of his brothers—minus Raphael—bolted their way, chasing their intelligent brethren whom lead the way. As they came closer to the edge of the rooftops, the device reacted wilder than ever, simultaneously flashing lights and causing noisy sounds. Eyes turned and inspected the area, until the youngest spotted a peculiarly glowing container on the sidewalk.

He jumped up from his kneeling position, excitedly pointing towards the green canister. “Ooze jar in full effect!”

The blue and purple clad turtles shifted their field of vision to the direction of Michelangelo’s finger. The leader shows off a smirk of contentment. “Sweet… Let’s grab it and bag it. Looks like we didn’t need Raph after all…”, he claimed, taunting to make a move and take the mutagen.

Their youngest brother didn’t even bother to wait for Leo's movements and mimicked his actions, instantly advancing himself one step forward. Rumbling sounds entered the mood’s ambiance, growing audible in Fearless' nonexistent ears. He holds Mikey back with his arm to prevent him from proceeding. “Hold up! Somebody’s coming…”

A pizza delivery motor bike comes in the scene with an adolescent youth maneuvering the handles. His eyes suddenly noticed the unnatural glow coming from the fragile container. The vehicle comes to an abrupt stop, in front of the mutagen as the teen extended his arm to reach it.

“Cool… A free energy drink!”, he beamed at the glass receptacle.

“It’s still sealed, too!”, he added, glancing at the cork-like, metallic covers on each end with pink lights adorning its sides.

The crime-fighting duo—similar to how Raphael would put it—loitered at the brink of a different establishment, witnessing the current scenario. Raph withdrew a grappling hook, dangling from the back of his belt, and grasped tightly on to its rope to utilize it.

“All right, I’ve got this, Slash… Wait here…”, he beckoned him.

Whirling the rope's end that has prongs, he waited for the perfect momentum and tossed it to the border of the roof top of a tenement. As the hook's edges dug themselves deep into the concrete and bricks, he tugged the line to assure its sturdiness and if its clung onto the building. The rope allowed itself to be pulled—but not too hard—until its hold deemed to suffice. Raphael's slightly huge, green hands clutched themselves on the climbing tool's line, preparing for a swing.

Meanwhile, as if mirroring his brother’s actions, Leonardo holds on to the rope of his grappling hook and readied himself to dive in for the mutagen.

The male adolescent, however, disregarded whatever ruckus around him, strapping the canister on top of pizza boxes. He fished out his phone and ear phones, plugging them into his ear canal and blocking any distracting noise. He tapped the screen to play the blaring rock music, returning his mobile cellphone in his pocket. With the loud drumming beats and earsplitting cries, he repeatedly pulls on the motor bike’s handles as its engine roared to his movements. He fixed his gaze, setting it on the road, with a few nods caused by the song he listened to.

Everything was set, and so he advances his vehicle to the destination of his next delivery. Zooming past the structures where Raphael and Leonardo remained, they proceeded with their plans, swinging on their ropes. As they drew nearer to the motor bicycle, they both extended their arms and hoped they'd make it.

ZZOOOOOOMM!!!

Unfortunately, the youth's mode of transportation bolted faster than a blink of an eye. And as it moves along, the brothers immediately crashed into each other’s path with an intense wallop.

BBBAAAAAMMM!!!

“Oh!”, they both howled, shells banging against each other at collision.

Their tremendous impact weakened their limbs, causing them to tumble and roll over each across the asphalt. Unknowingly, the delivery guys doesn’t seem to be bothered nor tempted to look behind him, and pushes the pedal of the bike to run faster.

Finally, after several moments of uncomfortably tumbling down the road, they both lie flat on their plastrons—apparently tired of rolling around like a bowling ball.

Raphael was the first to get up, sending glares at Fearless. He panted for a moment before going all out at his brother.

“Hey, what are you doing?! I had him!”, the hothead barked, driving leers into his ocean blue eyes.

“You’re late, Raph…”

“What are you talking about?! You know what? Get out of my way!”

Donatello face palmed, hearing another endless quarrel between his two older brothers. This was soon to be a very, very loooooonnngg night.

He groaned. “Are they gonna argue all night?! The mutagen’s getting away!”, complains came flying out, and consequently, the obvious action to take right now.

“Dude, I can totally see Raph’s forehead veins bulging from here!”, Mikey exclaimed, entertained and disgusted at the same time.

As the orange clad turtle resumed his rant, a towering shadow appeared behind Donnie, darting his hand over the genius' mouth to refrain him from yelling. He hustled back to the darkness, dragging a helpless Donatello with him to who knows where?!

Even with Donatello's disappearance, Michelangelo continues to commentate the current situation below between his brothers. “Check it out. His head’s gonna pop!”, he added, imitating Raph's “bulging forehead veins.”

He turns around, only to find himself accompanying no one. Poor Michelangelo was left alone on the roof top, he wondered and worried about what has become of his third eldest brother that made him vanish.

[Raph's PoV]

“Fine! I’m going after it myself! I don’t need your help!”

“Fine! You sure you can handle a pizza delivery guy on your own?”, I retorted Leo's lofty remark, turning the back of my shell on him.

He just messed up the mission, and now he’s this Mr. I don’t need your help?! Screw him, I got Spi—Slash with me! We make a better team compared to them…

I spotted a gingerly clean trash can sitting idly by next to a lamppost. I charged it with sheer force, kicking it as it toppled aside, garbage pouring out of its containment.

He thinks he’s better than me?! Than all of us?! Well, I’m about to prove him wrong once Slash and I get that mutagen first. Just like how I’ll prove to that brat who I really am. THE TOUGH ONE…

Anger flooded my thoughts again, as I scaled the walls and reached the rooftop. Mysteriously, I met no one there, not even a glimpse of Slash.

I felt a bit anxious and nervous, but why the heck would I be feeling that?! Leo should be the one having those feelings and not me. I’ve got no regrets to be worried about.

I landed on the cemented floor, glancing back and forth for anything that resembled Slash but there was no sign of him.

“Slash?...”, I catechized the wind, the gentle breeze brushed itself against the tassels of my mask. “Hey, where’d you go, man?...”

SILENCE.

No answer.

Then, a sudden thump came from abaft, perking my head to face the giant turtle I was searching. His face was obscure, like the expression he had a few moments ago but a bit darker.

“What happened to you?”, I queried his prompt disappearance.

I examined his entire figure. Nothing seemed to be off that much, everything’s—wait. Why are there red drops of water on his fingertips?!

I stared at him, eyes focused to fathom what substance covered his appendage. “And why do you have… blood… splattered… on your hands?!..”, I horrifically asked, petrified to finally comprehend what it was.

Blood?! Where, when, how, and why on Earth did he get his hands stained with blood?! The heck?!

He doesn’t reply, then squeezed whatever was in his hand and averted his gaze. Alright, something’s definitely wrong… I don’t know what it is yet, but I’ll find out soon, I just need a sign…

“Raph!”

Well that was earlier than expected…

Mikey's worried face came running at me, yelling out of distress,“Donnie’s disappeared! He was right behind me when—", he glanced behind him and saw Slash.

‘Oh shell…’

He suddenly stopped talking and blinked a few times. His baby blue eyes grew large in size as he gasped. “Holy Chalupa… Another turtle?!”

‘Aw, sewer apples…’

He sees Spi—er… Slash! What am I going to tell him now that my pet’s mutated?!

I calmed myself down and began to explain. “Wait, wait, no. It’s Spike—I mean—Slash now… He got into the mutagen…”

He blinked his huge blue eyes at me, then turned to Slash. His hands trembled in shock, looking at Slash and clutching his head to comprehend what I said.

His eyes grew wider, shouting,“Dude, this is too much to process!... I’m… gonna—"

His head took off in the air, disappearing in an instant. A fountain of sparks and fire crackers followed, spewing out of his shell. Slash and I stayed silent, waiting for him to turn tranquil. Eventually, the explosives were parried thanks to Mikey's growing head from his body.

“I’m freaking ooouuuttt!!!!!”, he screamed, squishing his hands against his skull.

“Raphael,” Slash interjected. “You said it yourself. We don’t need these clowns… We got to hunt that mutagen down, now!...”

“But what about Donnie?”, Michelangelo questioned me. “We have to find him…”, he begged, bringing out his pitiful puppy eyes.

I glanced between Slash, my pet and best friend, and Mikey, my brother and best playmate. We need to get that mutagen asap, but it would break our brother rule: “No turtle left behind.”

As much as I hate to admit it, but Mikey is right. Even if it was Donnie's fault why the lair was filled with rockets and why he almost blew up Spike, he’s still my brother. And brothers don’t leave their brothers behind.

I eyed my partner, looking into his hazel eyes that gave me an eerie feeling. “Sorry, Slash… My brothers come first, no matter what.”, I told him, shifting my gaze to a little brother beaming freckles in his smile.

We grabbed each others hands, concurrently, and tugged each other as a sign of trust. I figured Slash will understand me, since he knows how much my brothers mean to me. Whether they’d annoy, irritate, or vex me, they’re still a part of me. And I’d trade anything in the world to be with them.

‘Finally! Took yah long enough…’

I stopped. ‘Who said that?’

‘Er… never mind me! I’m just a random voice of a person oustide of your dimension~~ Woooo~~~'

‘Suuuurreee….’, I inwardly sweat dropped. Who in the world is this guy? Girl? I DON’T KNOW!

‘At least you’ve got your brother problems done… What about Alexa?’, the voice inquired me.

‘Forget that brat! I’m not apologizing! Period! End of story.’

‘Ehehehehehe… We’ll see… Lemme check what I can write to change that…’

‘WHAT?!’

‘NEVER MIND ME!!! Go back to the present noooowww~~ Wooo~~~'

Okay… Whoever that was, she was weird. It’s not like she’s an author of somewhat…

I gazed up to meet Slash's lips in a smile… or is it a smirk? He raised a nonexistent brow. “How about I make the choice a little easier for you…”

Then, his hands were clenched and tossed in the air. He forcefully throws them down, directly hitting Mikey's shell! “Aaarrrggghhh!!!!!”

“Mikey!”, I cried, jaws dropped at what I was seeing.

Slash didn’t look like he was finished, and withdrew sharp claws from his fingers. WHEN THE HECK DID HE GROW CLAWS?! ISN’T HE A TURTLE?! HOW DID HE EVEN HIDE NAILS THAT WERE TWO FEET LONG?!

He sliced them in the air, its sharpened edges grazed Michelangelo's delicate skin, tearing it wide open. Blood came bursting out of his flesh as Slash resumed his assaults. Mikey was already in bad condition, his eyes stayed conscious but I don’t think his body will soon.

The colossal reptile inclined his hands, nails drawn out, and readied himself to carve more wounds and scars on the orange clad turtle. I can’t bear to see my brother get hurt, nor could I bear watching Spike do it!

I moved my feet and sprinted towards Spike, colliding my body against his shell. “Spike!”, I bellowed, knocking him out of balance.

My weight was enough to make him stagger and stir about. It took him a few moments before he steadied his stance.

“What are you doing?! You’re trying to kill Mikey!”, I glared deeply into his eyes.

“I don’t want to fight you, Raphael. Just go… Leave me to my work…”, he stepped forward, gradually advancing towards me.

I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. Did Spike plan to do this from the very beginning of our mission? He wouldn’t have, but why is he doing this?

“Your work?! That mutagen warped your brain, Spike… This isn’t you…”

He neared my presence, snarling. “Told you, the name’s Slash…”

His arm flew in mid air, extending his nails. Consequently, he hacked them downwards to hit me. I tried to dodge his assault, but I wasn’t able to move in time. Thank goodness that his claws only grazed my left arm. Despite having minor injuries, the pain he afflicted was making me hiss at the hurt.

“Agh!”, I cussed, grasping my damaged arm.

Great, now I know what the brat is dealing with…

I ignored the fact that I was hurt and ran towards a bloodied Michelangelo. His arms, legs and shell all have scratches and bruises—the huge and life threatening kind. I’ve noticed that his bandana was missing from where it’s supposed to be.

Slash. He must’ve taken it while he was attacking Mikey. I didn’t even notice him do it.

I neared my almost unconscious brother, checking his vitals. “Mikey?! Are you alright?!”, I raised his head a bit to get him to slowly sit up.

“Ow… I’m good… I think?...”, he doubted.

Liar. Looking at all of the gashes and cuts on him, he does not look good. Even in serious situations, he still has time to act calm and peaceful when he’s the one who’s injured.

“You’re next, Raphael, if you don’t leave Michelangelo here!”, Slash ordered, but I ignored his heed.

I placed one of Mikey’s reddish arms over my shoulder. “Mikey, we gotta go! Now!”, pleading to him to run with me now to escape Slash.

He groaned in pain, the sticky blood drying on his epidermis. “Argh… I-I can’t move…”, he whined.

Forget what I complained about him being calm. I’m the one who’s got to be calm in this scenario. I’m the only one between the two of us who can move properly and run away from my pet’s insanely crazy clutches.

“I’ll carry you, then… Come on!”, I beckoned, pulling his arms around my neck and carrying him into a pack strap position.

His lips slipped out occasional groans but he cooperated with my actions and held onto my neck like his life depended on it—which it really did. I sprinted towards the next building's rooftop, running faster with every step to save my brother from Spike.

Speak of the devil, his form suddenly landed in front of us and barricaded our path. He held on tightly to his mace, throwing it in the air, preparing to strike us. I pulled out an egg-shaped bomb from my belt, readying to toss it at him.

And on cue, he thrashes his mace downwards. “There is no escape Rapha—”, but I was able to aim the smoke bomb right in his eyes.

Purple smoke came out of nowhere, enveloping the scene. I didn’t take any second chances of staying in place, so I sped out of the scene before the smoke lifts.

Carrying a tortured little brother, I left Slash to himself. While we were escaping, I heard his voice echo throughout the cold night, growling.

“Grr… RAPHAEL!!!”

His petrifying roar only made me flee even faster with one present goal in mind: find the rest of my brothers and protect them from Spike.

***

Mikey and I have been roaming from building to building for minutes but there’s still no sign of Donnie. Where on Earth did that genius end up in? He couldn’t have gone far. And if my calculations are right—which they’ve never been but I hope they are now—Slash probably beatened him to a pulp as well. He could be as weak as Mikey or even weaker. And that can never be a good sign.

My green eyes searched for a green turtle with a tooth gap, possibly injured. Not a moment too soon, Donnie came into my sight. He’s leaning against an elevated wall of a rooftop. His arms and legs both have gashes, but their not too deep. His face was filled with scratches and a few bruises on his cheeks. But what’s a bit unnerving, is that his eyes were closed.

“There he is…”, I uttered under my breath and raced to reach his side.

Mikey literally dragged along, still holding his hands tight around my neck. He’s badly injured, but he doesn’t let that stop him from getting a good grip.

I finally got close enough to the group’s brain. I knelt before him and held his shoulders. “Donnie?! Donnie!”, I called out to him, hoping that he’d regain consciousness.

Thankfully, he did. He gradually opened his eyes, trying to comprehend the pain surging through his body. I took a few looks around, just in case Slash was following us.

No signs of him, so far. Though my attention was drawn to an air vent nearby. Its seal was damaged with huge scratch marks. Slash. This must’ve been where he ambushed Donnie. If he’s already been here, then he might know that I’d come here to get Donnie.

“Ah…”, he groaned. It took him a few more moments to silence the possible turmoil inside of him. “What hit me?... It was like you, Raph… Only meaner and bigger… Angrier but, not quite as ugly…”

“It… It was Spike… He got into the mutagen.”, I explained. “I was gonna tell you guys, but-“

“S-Spike?...”, he repeated. Then his confused gaze landed on me, raising a nonexistent eyebrow. “Way to keep that mutagen safe, Raph…”, he sarcastically cheered.

I tugged his arm over my shoulder, adding more weight to carry, and helped him stand up. “Come on… We gotta find some cover…”, I ushered my brothers to move and find a good spot to hide.

“Three turtles down, one more to go.”

Leo. Where could he possibly be? He he could still be chasing that mutagen canister from the pizza delivery guy—wherever that guy took him. If he’s still out in the open, Slash could try and attack him. I can’t let that happen.

‘Leo, wherever you are, I hope you can hear me. We need to find you right now before Spike does and tries to hurt you. We’re coming for you, brother.’

***

Still no sign of Leo. Slash is probably on our tails, tracking us down with his nose. I can feel my strength fading and replaced with weakness. The weight of my brothers are beginning to pull me down. Mikey seems to fall deeper into unconsciousness again, occasionally resting his heavy head on my shell. Donnie, on the other hand, can’t walk anymore. He’s limping around and pulling his feet to where I would lead him. He seems like he’s getting tired, too.

At this rate, we might not be able to find Leo in time. But I can’t just leave them behind. What if Slash decides to pounce on them again? If he hurts them more than they already are? I will not let that happen. If there’s anything that I know about having bros and becoming strong is that we all stand together, no matter what.

“Argh…”, Mikey groaned at the back.

I glanced over my shoulder. “Mikey?”, I queried the freckled reptile.

His hands automatically slipped down from my neck, so did his body. He plopped himself on the floor, his shell first then his face was next. He tried to get up, pushing his arms against the concrete.

“Leave me behind… I don’t think Slash can do anymore damage with me…”, he choked out, coughing right after.

Why is he going to let himself get left behind? Doesn’t he know that he’s covered in specks of blood? He needs medical attention. I’m injured as well, but a few scratches on my arm isn’t that critical compared to his.

I interjected. “But what about our rule-“

“Don’t worry, bro…”, he cajoled. He crawled over some wooden crates stacked on each other. “I’ll try and hide over here… You two go ahead and find Leo…”, he waved towards us to leave.

“You’re right… We have to warn Leo…”, Donnie added.

There wasn’t anytime for the three of us to argue. So I ended up agreeing with the two of them. “Okay…”, I considered Mikey's suggestion.

The damaged nunchaku-wielder inched closer to the boxes. Before he enclosed himself between them, he coughed. “Go… *cough* Hurry… I’ll be fine…”

“Alright… Stay safe, little brother…”, I replied, bidding him farewell—for now.

“I will… *cough* *cough* Ow…”

Now, it was only Donnie and I left to look for Fearless. Distancing ourselves from Mikey, I was able to catch a glance of him stacking the boxes as a wall of protection. Hopefully, it’s enough for him to avoid Slash's field of vision.

***

“Can’t… make it… I’m… too weak…”, the genius complained.

Oh come on! Not you, too, Donnie!

He’s become completely weak and tired of ambling around with his broken staff. His right arm isn’t in the best conditions. It looks like its sprained. He’s gonna need some rest, asap.

“You go on without me, Raph… Leo needs you…”, he adds, sitting himself on the concrete. He stretches his legs across to relax them and prevent them from getting strained.

“’No turtle left behind’, that’s our rule…”, I reverted to get himself back up on his feet.

Regardless of my reply, he slouched even further on the floor. He breathe like every single one could be his last and his eyelids sometimes twitched. Now, his shell was lying on the roof, unable to advance any further.

He raised his chin up, panting. “But I just… I can’t do it, Raph…”, he trailed off. “Just go find Leo…”, he finished, wiping off the beads of sweat adorning his forehead with his movable arm.

‘He can’t go on, not like this.’, I thought.

I knelt down before him, pulling out a few pieces of cloth from my belt. Thank goodness that I'm always prepared with my belt. I’ll never know what I'd do without it. I’ve always got something stashed in it.

“Hm… Okay, fine. But at least let me tie off your sprained arm…”, I damped off the sweat drops from his face.

I stretched out a long piece of fabric, unraveling it. I carefully looped it through his arm, letting the cloth loosely support it. His face looked like he was in discomfort, his eyes shut and cringed while I was trying to tie the fabric around his arm.

I casted a quick glance, checking if his expression changed. “It might hurt, okay?... Here,” I grabbed one of my sais from the back of my shell.

Without any permission, I shoved its handle between his teeth.

“Bite down on this…”, I instructed.

The pain he was expressing disappeared, although replaced with an annoyed and disgusted look. “Egh!... Tiss leyk leder en shwet!...”, he grumbled.

I didn’t bother to look at his irritated appearance, but I responded. “Your welcome.”

I tied the ends of the fabric behind his nape in a square knot, securing the made-up arm support in place. I gently fixed his arm to feel comfortable with the support.

“There… You’re all good… But,” I looked around, spotting if there was a huge tortoise in the area. Luckily, there’s no sign of Slash.

Spike. What happened to him that made him turn into… Slash? He’d never do this, not to my brothers. But he did and he messed with the wrong set of bros, because I’m their brother. And as their brother, it’s my responsibility to protect them and keep them safe from harm’s way.

Even though he’s not around, I can’t help but worry about Donnie. I know that I’m no doctor, but I’m pretty sure that he isn’t supposed to be as pale as yellow green.

“Where are you gonna hide?...”, I catechized him, inspecting if there’s a good place for him to stay hidden.

He carelessly tossed his gaze around, then settled in front of air-cooling machines. “Maybe behind these air conditioners would do…”, he implied. I darted my gaze to where his eyes were and saw that it could be a good hiding spot.

But what got me a bit nervous was how wide the space between them was. Despite having them installed next to each other, there are some openings where a person can peek through. I scrutinized another nearby spot where he can conceal himself. My eyes landed on a tool shed, not so far from where we stood. An idea kicked in.

“Alright, but there’s a shed over there just in case he sees you…”, I pointed towards the miniature tool quarters where he can secrete himself.

He followed my gaze, then nodded in agreement. “Thanks… Now, go find Leo…”, it sounded more like a plea than a command, but I understood it very well.

I nodded in reply. I rose up from my sitting form, then lightly patted his good arm.

“Take care, Don…”, I bid my intelligent brother farewell in search of another, Leonardo.

Now where can I find the soever fearless leader of the team at this time of the night? He’s the only one that’s left that isn’t bombarded by Slash. I just hope that he’s doing alright, maybe even better than us.

“Psst…”, something from afar cussed and drew my attention. “Raph! Raph!”, it called out my name.

That voice sounds like Leo's! Wait, it must be Leonardo.

I spun my head in different directions, seeking for the source of its sound. “Huh? Leo?...”

“Down here!.. I need your help…”, it wheedled, wanting me to draw nearer. His voice repelled from a fire exit close by.

I jumped down, landing a rooftop nearer. “Leo?!..”, I repeated, hoping he’d reply.

“Down here…”, he echoed, coaxing me to land on the fire exit.

I took a few more jumps before reaching him. I clung to the fire exit's handles, balancing my weight. I heaved a sigh of relief. It felt like I dropped a butt load of weight off my shoulders for ages.

Thank goodness that he’s finally here. And to top it off, he found us first!

“Leo! Am I glad you’re finally here…”, I greeted him. I glanced over both of my shoulders to check if Slash was around. Fortunately, he wasn’t.

I focused my green eyes on Leo’s oddly white ones. Huh, he must’ve had his third eyelid on.

“Look, we’ve got a big problem in our hands… A big mutant problem… Spike, he mutated into a huge turtle…”, I explained to him, thinking that he’d believe me and make a plan, asap.

Surprisingly, he chuckles.

WHY THE HECK IS HE LAUGHING?! WHAT’S SO FUNNY ABOUT SPIKE MUTATING AND TURNING EVIL?!

Then, he stops his fits of laughter. “Heh… That’s funny…”, he emerged, head first, out of the shadows.

Shockingly, his head came out of the dark a few feet higher and was shaded into a sea green hue instead of his classic green hue. His laughs heightened in the air as he fully revealed his form.

Ohh… Well now I know why he was laughing…

‘Aw, sewer apples…’

“I actually believed you, Raphael…”, he pressed his lips into an intimidating smirk.

...

THINGS ARE ABOUT TO GET BLOODIER BY THE MINUTE…

…

AND AS THE TIME GOES BY, SLASH LOSES HIMSELF TO AN UNSEEN FORCE…

...

(A/n: 5,447 FREAKING WORDS!  So to inform you guys, updates are coming once every two weeks. Why? Because I am no machine or robot and I am a human like you—or some of you, at least—so please bear with me. Classes are coming in 16 days, just so you guys know, in case I don’t update on time again. Anywho, click the star for a vote so more people could read this thing I called a “fanfic book”, and don’t hesitate to comment or share this as well.)

-Waashi😉😇😘