TMNT: Life or betrayal: Chapter 3: Personal Space

“Mikey this is good!” Donnie explained eating the biscuits and gravy Mikey had made.

“It’s the sage!” Mike said smiling.

“The what?” Raph asked.

“Sage in the gravy that is what makes it good. That and all the butter in the biscuits,” Mikey explained.

“Mikey,” Leo said, “you should sit, your leg looks like it's in a lot of pain.”

“I am fine,” Mikey said as he stumbled.

Leo went over to Mikey to help him to a chair, “here, we can clean the dishes.”

“Thanks, guys.”

“Come, Michelangelo,” Splinter said helping him up, “you should relax a while.”

“Hai Sensei,” Mikey said flopping onto the couch before turning on the television. He sighed “ugh! I hate daytime TV! There’s nothing on.”

“Maury’s on,” Raph said sitting down next to Mikey.

Mikey groaned and rolled his eyes, “that show gets so OLD.”

“What!? That’s a great show!” Raph argued.

“We can watch it if you want, then. I don’t care.” Mikey put it on Maury for Raph.

“Well, it looks like you’re gonna owe me anyway,” Raph said.

Mikey blinked.

Raph held onto his stomach, “Your biscuits and gravy are tearing me up!”

Leo walked into the and sat down on the other side of Mikey, only to have him get up. “I'm gonna go read or something in my room.” Just as Mikey entered his room he could hear the sound of flatulence.

“Raph ew!” Leo snapped, waving his hand in front of his face. Just as Raph released another deadly fart. “EWW! You nasty freak!”

“'scuse me.” Raph said while laughing

Mikey laughed from his room, “I heard that from in here! And I am not making biscuits and gravy anymore!”

“I need air!” Donnie said as he entered Mikey’s room and sat down on the bed, “Can I stay with you?”

“Yeah, sure,” Mikey said without looking up from the comic he was reading.

“And while I am here I will check on your injuries,” Donnie said holding up his med kit.

“I knew there was another reason,” Mikey mumbled.

Donnie knelt down next to Mikey, “I still really don't think you should be training,” he said as he checked the stitches on Mikey’s legs, “at least not for a few days.”

“Yeah, you're probably right about that, but…,” Mikey sighed “I don't know. It just gets so boring around here when I'm the only one not training, ya know?” Mikey finally met his brother’s brown eyes.

“Yeah, I understand,” Donnie said standing up, “don't get me wrong, I think you performed pretty well today for being so injured…” he let his last words just hang there.

“Thanks, bro,” Mikey said giving his purple clad brother a forced smile.

“...however,” Donnie started, “I wouldn't want you to risk breaking any of your stitches or upsetting your head injury somehow,” he placed a hand on Mikey’s shoulder.

“Right,” Mikey sighed.

Donnie gingerly placed his fingers on his brother’s cheek to check the stitches there, “How about this?” he said looking Mikey in the eyes, “If I promise to stay here with you, will you promise to at least not go out on patrol tonight?” Donnie gave his brother a small smile.

Mikey looked at his older brother skeptically, “You promise you won't just run off and lock yourself in your lab the whole night?”

Donnie's smile widened, “Only if you promise me one thing.”

“What's that?”

“Don't make biscuits and gravy ever again.”

“Deal!” Mikey laughed, but stopped because it pulled at his stitches.
----

“This could go one of two ways: We stealthily break in and kill each of them in their sleep, given that they are asleep. If not, we will attack from above, meaning that we will enter the sewers, but stay on the pipes and rafters and attack from their ceiling. Either way, they will be unsuspecting,” Karai looked at the Foot soldiers in front of her.

“When do we attack?” the nearest Foot soldier asked.

“Midnight,” she said.
----
Raph whacked at the paddle buttons on the giant pin-ball machine. He was nearly at the high score. “Almost...” Suddenly, he felt a pair of hands clasp around his throat. He gasped for air, trying to reach for thie hands that held him.

Leo was kneeling in front on the television watching Space Heroes. He felt something graze his cheek. He looked up and saw a shuriken sticking out of the top of the television. Jumping to his feet he pulled his katanas out of their sheaths. Foot soldiers came down from rafters and surrounded him.

“Foot clan!?” he hissed.

Raph pulled a sai from his belt and jabbed Karai with the butt end of it, loosening her grip on him. In one motion, Raph flipped her over his head.

“Gah! You...bastard!” she wheezed and struggled to her feet. Raph turned around on her and jabbed at her with his sais.

Donnie walked out of Mikey’s room, “Really you two, really...the Foot are here!?”

“Wow you really are the smart one!” Karai sneered.

Donnie swung his bō, knocking a Foot back.

“Mikey stay back!” Leo command.

“I can do this!” Mikey shouted, barely dodging a kunai. He struggled to stay on his feet, seeing as a Foot ninja swept his leg. Mikey went crashing down to the ground and struggled to his feet.

Karai helped Mikey to his feet, “It’s the least I can do since you lead us here.”

“Mikey what is she talking about?” Leo demanded.

Despite Karai's assistance, Mikey countered and roundhoused her in the face, knocking her to the ground momentarily.

“I don't know, bro,” he said as a Foot came from behind him, but he swung around and cut his throat with his kusarigama and then kicked him away.

Karai, regaining her composure spang to her feet, ready to swing a kunai at Mikey, who was fighting a mob of several foot soldiers, but she was tripped up by Donnie's bo staff. Her kunai flew from her hand as she fell and landed several feet away from her.

Donnie unsheathed his naginata, flipped her onto her back and held it to her throat, “How did you find our lair?!” he growled.

Karai growled and kicked Donnie in the groin. He cringed, but held onto his weapon

Karai slipped away enough to retrieve her kunai, leapt to her feet and attempted to charge at Donnie, but found her weapon caught between the moto and yoku of Raph's sias and then her wrist, and was then flipped and thrust into a cluster of her own men. Before she could get up, Leo had his foot pressed to her chest and the blade of his katana pointed to her throat.

“How did you find us!?” he growled.

Karai smirked, “I'd tell you, but you'd never believe me.”

Leo pushed his katana closer to her, “Try me,” he challenged.

“That sweet brother of yours sang like a bird in captivity,” Karai said.

“What?!” Mikey cried.

“Mikey? I don't believe you,” Leo snapped.

“Oh?” she smirked.

“He might be an idiot, but he's a loyal idiot!” Raph snarled.

“Oh yeah? He agreed to tell us where to find Hamato Yoshi in exchange for his safety,” Karai said looking at Mikey. Leo, Raph, and Donnie gawked at him.

“W-what? I...I would never do that!” Mikey stammered.

Karai snickered, “Please, you were singing like a bird to those Foot soldiers.”

“What are you talking about?!” Mikey gasped “I-I specifically told the Shredder and all the Foot soldiers that I would die first! Besides, you never let me go; I was rescued!”

Karai scoffed, “You really think it would have been that easy to save you if the rescue hadn't been fixed?” She laughed and broke free from Leo's hold in a swift movement, escaping from the lair.

Ignoring Karai’s escape, the three oldest brothers glared at their youngest one.

“I did not tell them where we live!” Mikey shouted. “I did not suffer Shredder's beatings just to tell them where Splinter was!”

“Karai was here. With Foot ninjas. In our home!” Leo shouted, stepping closer to Mikey.

“We are not safe here anymore in our own home, Mikey!” Raph growled.

“You messed up big,” Donnie said, shaking his head sadly.

“You guys gotta believe me!” Mikey begged, “I-I would never do that to Sensei...or you guys!” Mikey attempted to hug Leo, but he was firmly pushed back by his oldest brother.

“Raph's right,” Leo glared, “we are not safe in our own home now. We need to go elsewhere,” he sighed, “and it would be in all of our best interest if you weren't there, Michelangelo.”

“What...what are you saying?” Mikey chocked out, tears filling his blue eyes and spilling onto his orange mask.

“We're saying that you're a fucking traitor,” Raph said, jabbing a finger into Mikey’s plastron, “and you need to get as far away from us as possible!”

“I'M NOT A TRAITOR!” Mikey cried, “How could you say that guys?”

Raph went to push Mikey, but Leo held him back.

“You need to leave, Mikey,” Leo said firmly, “NOW.”

Mikey looked to all their faces. Leo's firm, Raph's angry, and Donnie's hurt but firm as well.

“Sorry Mikey...you gotta go…” Donnie whispered.

The tears began to flow more freely form his bright blue eyes. Mikey made his way slowly to the lair’s exit, but he stopped. He turned to his brother who refused to look at him. “I love you guys,” he whispered.

Mikey found he could walk no farther; he was blinded by his tears. He slumped down, brought his knees to his plastron and cried.

"I would never betray you. I would die for you. I could have died for you at the hands of Shedder.”