TMNT: A Brother's Bond Chapter 1

Chapter 1: Mikey Come Back!
Mikey's nunchaku landed by his foot. Mikey was several feet away. Before he could help his younger brother Shredder had taken him.
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The day before...

"We need to split up," Leo instructed. "Raph you and Mikey--"

"I don't want Mikey, make Donnie take him!" Raph snapped.

"I don't want him either! Leo you take him," Donnie complained.

"If none of you want me then fine! I don't want you either!" Mikey snapped. He climbed down the fire escape.

"Mikey! Come back," Leo called.  As he tried to chase him down. "Great see what you guys did!"

"Not like you wanted him either," Raph said, following behind Leo. "You were sending him with me."

"Let's go find Mikey," Leo said, leaving the ally way.
----
Leo, Raph, and Donnie searched all over the city for Mikey. They even called April in case he showed up there. They slipped into the ally way that was closet to their lair. Donnie dropped to the ground.

"We have been at this for hours! We are never going to find him," Donnie complained rubbing his foot. Raph joined him on the cold ground, Leo remained standing. "What are we going to tell Splinter? We should have been back hours ago and the sun is going to rise soon."

Leo sighed "I guess we tell him the truth."

"The truth is a good place to start," A voice came from behind them.

They turned around it was Splinter. "What happened to Michelangelo?"

Leo sighed "We were splitting up, some Purple Dragons were about. Raph did not want to be with Mikey," Leo said pointing at his brother.

"Me! Oh, like you want him" Raph snapped jumping to his feet. Getting in Leo's face.

"At least Leo did not say he did not want Mikey," Donnie said standing up, trying to be calm.

"You said you did not want him either!" Raph pointed out, spinning around and then turning to Donnie

"My sons! Enough!" Splinter said stopping the three way word fight.

"We looked everywhere Sensei," Leo said finally. "We can't find him."

"I see," Master Splinter said. "Let's get back down to the lair. Michelangelo knows his way back. Leonardo can you call April? She can look for him during the day. We need to make a plan," he paused "Donatello," He said, turning to purple-clad turtle, "can't you track him on that T-Phone?"  

"I can't, he dropped it on the roof before he left." Donnie sighed showing him the T-Phone.

The three oldest followed their Sensei down the sewer and into that part they called home.

Raph dropped into the arm chair, Donnie sat down on the couch and Leo remained standing. Splinter looked at them, they were visibly tired and he could tell that they were truly sad that they had forced their youngest brother way.

Leo pulled out the T-Phone and called April "Hi, April," he mumbled, more than spoke.

"Has Mikey come home?" she asked, though she know the answer deep down.

"No," Leo barely spoke the words.

"I can go look for him," April said, knowing how they tended to stay in the sewer during the day.

"Thanks," Leo said and hung up.
----
April began to walk to streets for any signs of a mutant turtle. There was none. She went to Central Park, he could be anywhere, it had been hours and Mikey was easily the best at hiding. If he did not want to be found, then he would not be found. She sighed and sat down against a tree. Her phone rang.

"Hey Donnie," she answered, Donnie gave a small half smile on the other end upon hearing her voice.

"Any luck?" he asked realizing why he was calling again.

"No," April sighed. "I must have gone to every pizza place and comic book store in the city," she sighed again, "I can't really ask 'Hey have you seen any mutant turtles lately?'" Donnie let out a small laugh.

"Thanks for your help April," Donnie said before hanging up.

Splinter and his brothers looked at him with a slight glimmer of hope. Donnie shook his head.
----
Mikey rolled over. He woke up. For a moment we wondered where he was but then remembered. His brothers did not want him, so he left them. He found an old abandoned warehouse  somewhere near Brooklyn and spent the night. There was no way they would find him. At one point he lost his T-Phone, not that he cared if they ever found him. He was better off on his own. Why would he want to be with turtles who did not want him?

Mikey realized just how hungry he was. He went into the alleyway and found a quarter someone had left in what looked like the last pay phone in all of New York. Then he remembered he had no money to pay for pizza. Dejected he went back into the wearhouse. It was too bright out for him to sneak around. He was far from his home and he half hoped his brothers were not in the area looking for him down in the sewer. He dropped down into the manhole and walked a little ways until he was by the ally way by Sal's Pizzeria. He poked his head out, there was no one around, carefully he climbed out and quickly went to find a shadow to hide in.

He lived in a sewer. How bad could dumpster pizza be? Besides, he was very, very hungry. Just as he was about to flip open the dumpster he heard footsteps. A young looking boy stepped out. He had a box of pizza in one hand and a cellphone in the other. The boy dropped the pizza box on the ground and sat on an over turned milk create, and began to text. He was distracted. So was Mikey. He could see WHOLE pizza.

"Hey Mike!" an angry voice came. Mikey nearly jumped out of his shell and then he realized that Mike must have been the name of the boy. "Get back in here! I got a delivery for you!" The boy named Mike grumbled, placed his cell in his pocket, swore under his breath and walked back in, leaving the pizza box on the ground.

Before the human Mike could return, turtle Mikey raced across the alley, grabbed the box, and flipped across the alleyway back to his spot. The boy angrily left side door, strapped the pizza on the back of his bike and left.

Mikey opened the box and found three slices of cold pizza. He let out a dejected sigh; at least it was food. He thought he was alone, but he was wrong. Four Purple Dragons came down the alleyway where he was eating his cold pizza. They cracked a smile as they saw the lone turtle.

Mikey jumped to his feet; he spun his nunchaku over his head. He fended off two of the four. Without the help of his brothers Mikey was having a hard time, but he was holding his own.

The four Purple Dragons were circling around Mikey. He spun dizzily between them. He lost his footing and came crashing down to the cold hard ground. The larger of the Purple Dragons picked up Mikey and carried him off.
----
Leo, Raph, and Donnie climbed out of the sewer. They continued to look and re-look. They have been looking in the sewer all day and they had look through the city the day before. They hardly slept.

"Let's split up," Raph said mockingly "Leo you and Mikey-- oh wait! We can't," Raph snapped.  "You drove him off!"

"I drove him off it was my--" Leo's words were cut off when something, or someone, came crashing down from the roof.  

"Take this as a warning!" came a voice from above. Leo's heart began to beat faster. Mikey was lying at his feet and the Shredder was now on the roof top. Mikey struggled to his feet.

"Mikey stay back!" Leo instructed. The four Purple Dragons who took Mikey jumped down along with about a dozen more. What Leo and the others did not see was that Mikey was covered in blood and bruises.

"I can dothis," Mikey said sharply. He took few steps forward.  "Donnie!" he called to the brother who was now on his left side. "Watch out!" Mikey went to deflect the attack on his brother. He stumbled slightly but pushed the attacker back.

Leo and Raph were working hard on pushing back Shredder, but were having no such luck. Raph had gotten thrown into a wall and was struggling to his feet. Donnie and Mikey fought off the Purple Dragons to join Leo and Raph.

Mikey had the opportunity to attack Shredder and he took it. Stumbling forward slightly he swung his nunchaku, but Shredder got the upper hand on the weakening Mikey. With a forceful hand he sent Mikey flying backwards. The nunchaku in right his hand flew out.

Mikey's nunchaku landed by his foot. Leo looked down and then back up. Mikey was several feet away. "Mikey!" He called as he tried to make his way past the few remaining Purple Dragons to where Mikey lay. Raph was back on his feet and attempting to fight off his own Purple Dragons. Donnie had his back to Raph and helping fight off the others.

Shredder was approaching Mikey. He tried to stand up to defend off his attacker. Shredder bend down and picked him up.

"Mikey!" Raph called out. Before he could help his younger brother Shredder had taken him.

"He-he…lp" Mikey croaked. He struggled under the Shredder's grasp. The injuries he sustained during the two fights caused him to lack the ability to fight free. "Let…me…down…" Mikey mumbled weakly.

Leo, Raph, and Donnie tried to follow Shredder, but he was moving fast. They followed him down in to the sewer and lost him as he crossed the path of a train and disappeared.
----
Dejected the three oldest brothers returned to their home. Splinter was pacing the room. He looked up, he saw three of his sons. Splinter did not need to ask any questions. He could tell by their injuries that they had fought the Shredder.

As they entered their home Leo wordlessly handed Splinter Mikey's lone nunchaku, hung his head and walked away. Splinter looked at his youngest son's weapon in his hand. It was stained in blood. Most likely Michelangelo's. He looked at his sons. They all seemed lost even though they were home. The lair was quiet.  

"How--how--" Leo muttered. "Oh Mikey, I'm sorry," he let out a breath. His heart was pounding.   They had been looking for Mikey for two days. They were looking for him because the drove him away. They made him feel unwanted. Leo walked blindly around the lair. He almost walked into Donnie twice and Raph three times before he went to his room. It was like he was walking into a wall and could not turn around; he just kept walking, bouncing back and walking, never going any further. Once he was in his room, he found the remains of the water balloon Mikey had launched at him the day he went missing. Leo picked up the pieces of the water balloon. He looked at them. They were orange. He placed the back of his hand over his eyes and tried not to cry. He was the leader, the oldest brother, he was supposed to be strong. He could no longer help it. He did not hate Mikey.  

Raph made his way across the lair knocking the armchair down in the process. He saw Mikey's T-pod and threw it across the room, not caring if it broke. He finally reached his destination after breaking a vase and kicking another chair. He slammed the door shut and used a chair to stop it from being opened from the outside. He sat down on his bed and stood back up. Crossing his arms he let out a low growl, causing Spike to look up from his piece of lettuce. "Sorry Spike" he mumbled to his pet turtle. "Been a rough two days." Spike just simply took another bite of his lettuce. "Bet ya want to know what's going on here," he said talking to his turtle. Raph sighed and told Spike everything. "I didn't mean what I said to Mikey," he muttered. Raph was lying in bed with Spike on his plastron. "It's just sometimes…" he voice trailed. He looked at Spike. "It's just…," he repeated. He took a sai and hummed it into the door. A few tears started to silently slip out from under is mask. "Don't tell anyone," he told Spike. "I don't hate Mikey."    

Donnie grew restless. He could sit still for hours on end tinkering away with his inventions. Now he could not find any way to concentrate. Not working on inventions, not reading his science journals. He loved Mikey, he is only younger brother. Sure he could drive him crazy, but that is no reason to hate him. He picked up the invention he was working on. It did not have a name--Mikey liked naming them, he was Dr. Nameinstein. He walk to his room. On his way he kicked something. He was not paying attention. He looked down. It was the T-pod. Sighing, Donnie bent down and picked it up; it was broken. It was his own invention but Mikey named it. Donnie went into his room buried his face in the pillows and allowed himself to cry. He did not hate Mikey.

Master Splinter retired to his room. He placed Michelangelo's nunchaku on a small table by his futon. He then retrieved a candle and lit it, placed it by the weapon. That night he fell into a troubled sleep. "My sons," he murmured in his sleep. "How could this have happened?"
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Leo woke up the next morning. He went to the kitchen and Raph was attempting to cook breakfast. As good of a fighter as he is, that is how bad of a cook he is. Donnie was desperately following behind cleaning up after him. "Wait Raph! That's a--" before he could finish, the egg Raph was attempting to use became a cloud of smoke. "--a Ninja Smoke Bomb," he hung his head.

"I don't get it!" Raph snapped. "He makes it look so easy! You crack an egg, it cooks, you eat it. Why is it so complicated?"

"It would seem you may not want your brother sometimes, but you need him sometimes as well," Master Splinter told his three oldest sons.

"Whatever," Raph snapped, knocking over a kitchen chair as he left the kitchen. Raph slammed his door shut.