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Soulcatcher
part 18 final
TMNT 2k3

“Cut his head off,” Don said calmly, walking over to where Leo stood next to the shaman. He reached down and pried the amulet from the dead man’s hand.

Leo felt dazed and it took him a second to process what Don had said. “What?”

“It is the only way to be sure,” Don told him. “He has come back from an injury like this before.”

“Yeah,” Raph said, his eyes lighting up, “yeah. Pull that dagger out and let’s wait. When he wakes up we’ll force him to fix Don and Mikey.”

“The first time he returned he had acquired immense power,” Don said. “This time he may come back with supernatural gifts that we are not equipped to deal with. We cannot take the risk. Too many lives would be in danger.”

“Ya’ don’t even know if he will come back, or how long it might take. Ya’ wanna wait around in here for a couple weeks, maybe even a few months?” Casey asked.

“Shit!” Raph shouted, storming over to Alexie’s body and kicking it. “Fuck, fuck, fuck! Why did I have to throw that damn knife? This is my fucking fault!”

“It’s no one’s fault,” Leo said, his voice so low it was hard to hear. “Donny’s right. I’ll remove his head and then we’ll burn him. Burn him and the bodies.”

He walked over to the wall that Alexie had been trying to reach. When he pressed his hand against the section where he’d seen the trapped leaves, it slid upwards to reveal a narrow bricked in tunnel.

“Put the men’s bodies in here,” Leo directed.

Casey grabbed hold of the jacket on one of the men and dragged him to the tunnel while Don did the same with the other homeless man. Raph had gone to stand next to the still unconscious Mikey, his head bowed and eyes closed.

With everyone’s attention otherwise occupied, Leo bent over and pulled the dagger out of Alexie’s neck. Wiping the blood off on the man’s cape, Leo slid the dagger into his belt and took a deep breath before bringing his katana down to cleave Alexie’s head from his torso.

Gathering a handful of hair, Leo picked up the head and threw it into the tunnel. When he stepped back he saw that Don had collected Alexie’s body, tossing it on top of the two dead homeless men.

Using the remaining gasoline in his bottle, Casey drenched the bodies and then moved out of the tunnel.

“Raph,” Leo said softly. When his brother didn’t respond, Leo spoke a little louder. “Raphael. We need you to burn them.”

“Okay,” Raph said, swiping his forearm across his eyes. His shoulders sagged as he walked to the tunnel entrance and stood for a moment just staring at the remains.

“Please,” Leo said in a choked voice. “Just do it.”

Lifting the nozzle on the flame thrower, Raph opened it fully. Fire shot out to fill the tunnel from wall to wall, igniting the bodies. Raph kept the flame going until the tank was completely emptied, his eyes narrowed against the heat and beak wrinkled at the smell of burning flesh.

Casey placed a hand on Raph’s shoulder and gently urged him out of the tunnel once his fuel was all used up.

“Don, could you turn off that generator?” Leo asked. He tossed his flashlight to Casey. “Let’s get out of here.”

Leo walked over to where Mikey lay and picked up his brother, cradling him against his plastron. As though there were sensors built into the wall to detect motion, when all movement ceased the wall closed, cutting off the sickening view of charred remains.

Casey flicked on the flashlight just before Don killed the generator and plunged the chamber into darkness. With Casey leading the way, the group left the mausoleum, exiting into the cool night air.

They hadn’t gone far when Raph abruptly shrugged the gas canister off of his shell and fell to his knees.

“Goddammit!” Raph cursed. “This ain’t right!” He looked up at Don, his expression pleading. “Come on genius, think of something! There’s gotta be another way to get your soul out of that thing!”

Leo found that he too hadn’t the will to keep walking. Sagging to the ground, he hugged Mikey to his chest, burying his face in his brother’s neck.

“I have found nothing in my research Raphael,” Don said. “If you all wish it, I will continue to dig for answers, or perhaps we could locate another shaman who might know how to operate the amulet. Whatever happens, you should not mourn for me. This is not an unpleasant existence.”

“Not unpleasant?” Raph repeated incredulously. “It’s fucking miserable. He took something from ya’ Donny, something important. Something that means everything to us. I can’t stand the thought of living without ya’.”

The raw anguish in Raph’s voice cut straight through Leo. He knew then that he couldn’t survive knowing he would never again hear Mikey’s voice, his laugh, the sound of his singing. Life meant nothing without Mikey’s warmth, the precious joy he gave their existence, his energy and vivacious personality.

Just when he thought his chest might burst, Leo remembered something that Master Splinter had said to his brothers when Leo was himself close to death’s door.

Eyes snapping open, Leo looked up. “Raph! Remember what Master Splinter said? When he told you that the voice of a loved one can guide a lost spirit back to its home?”

Raph brow wrinkled. “What the fuck are ya’ talking . . . . Oh, shit!”

Excited, Leo said, “Take the amulet. Call to Donny’s soul. The shaman already started it in this direction, it just needs a little more guidance.”

The amulet dangled from Don’s hand and Raph reached for it. “Give me that damn thing.”

Plucking the amulet from his brother’s fingers, Raph first looked into the end that Brittany’s soul had escaped through. Then he lowered it until it was close to his mouth.

“Donny, Donny can ya’ hear me?” Raph asked. “Come on Donny, come out of there. I need ya’; I love ya’ Donny. Remember what we promised each other? Neither one of us gets to leave the other behind. Ya’ promised Donny. Ya’ kissed me to seal the deal. I ain’t letting ya’ out of it either. Come on lover, ya’ don’t wanna stay in there by yourself, all alone in the dark. I’m right here, just follow the sound of my voice. Ya’ can do it Donny. Please baby, I love ya’ too much to let ya’ go like this.”

Don stood next to Raph, seeming unsure as to what he should be doing. Leo was barely breathing as he stared at the amulet, silently urging Don’s soul to find its way out.

As Raph continued to whisper and cajole, a shimmer of light began to reflect off of his skin. Suddenly a glowing orb burst from the end of the amulet, danced in front of Raph’s face, and then flew directly into Donatello’s mouth.

Don’s head snapped back as though he’d been struck by something and then he collapsed. His body thrashed on the grass before going completely still.

Raph lunged at him, collecting Don into his arms. “Shit, he ain’t breathing!”

“Mouth to mouth, quickly!” Leo urged.

Clamping his mouth atop Don’s, Raph covered Don’s nostrils and began to blow air into his brother. It only took a few breaths before Don shuddered and when Raph lifted his head, Don drew in a long, gasping breath of his own.

Don clutched at Raph’s shoulder and slowly opened his eyes. A full body shiver raked over his form and then he smiled up at Raph.

“Donny!” Raph yelled gleefully, kissing Don’s lips, his cheeks, his eyes before returning to his mouth.

They shared a deeply satisfying kiss before their lips separated. “Did you really just call me ‘baby’?” Don asked with amusement.

“Shut up,” Raph said playfully. “I was desperate.”

Leo watched the scene with mixed feelings. He was more than happy that Don was back to himself again, happy that Raph had been fully reunited with the brother he loved.

But Mikey still lay limp in his arms, unresponsive to the activity around him. Leo looked into his brother’s face and felt totally helpless. Sorrow overwhelmed what should have been a joyful occasion. Mikey’s light was the only one Leo truly wanted to see, and it seemed he wasn’t going to get his wish.

“Leo,” Don said, drawing his brother’s attention. He was on his knees next to Raph, both of them now focused on Mikey. “It really is hypnosis. Why don’t you ask Mikey to come back to you as well?”

“Maybe a kiss will wake sleeping beauty there,” Raph offered. “He’s been waiting long enough for one of those, don’t ya’ think?”

Leo stared at them for a moment, not sure if he should allow himself some hope. Finally he nodded and settled Mikey’s legs onto the grass, circling Mike’s waist with one arm to keep his upper body off the ground.

Cupping the back of Mikey’s head, Leo gazed into his face, wanting nothing more than to see the blue of his brother’s eyes.

“Michelangelo, it’s time to wake up,” Leo commanded in his best leader’s voice. Then softening the tone, he said, “Wake up, Mikey. There are things I want to tell you; things I need for you to hear.

“I’m a fool, Mikey. I’ve been looking right at you without ever realizing that you were the one who completes me. I love you. I’ve always loved you, I just didn’t know it. Wake up so I can say it to you properly.”

He leaned down and pressed his lips to Mikey’s. It felt so right, as though their mouths were always meant to fit together. “Wake up, Mikey,” Leo whispered. “I love you.”

Once again he kissed Mikey, pouring all of his feelings into it. Then Leo heard Don snap his fingers.

Mikey jerked forcefully and nearly broke Leo’s hold. Opening his eyes, Leo saw Mikey looking up at him.

“Mikey,” Leo breathed out in relief. “Gods, I thought I lost you. I love you so much.”

Before Leo could lift his head, Mikey swung an arm around his neck and pulled him down again, capturing his brother’s mouth. When Mikey’s lips opened, Leo accepted the invitation and wound his tongue around his brother’s. Enveloped in an almost overpowering feeling of what could only be pure love, Leo let himself become lost in their kiss.

Then Casey cleared his throat loudly. “Ahem!”

Remembering where they were, Leo and Mikey reluctantly separated.

“If ya’ guys are done with the PDA’s, I’ve got a girlfriend to get back to and your pops probably needs a ride home,” Casey said.

“Girlfriend huh?” Raph asked, allowing Don to help him to his feet. “Didn’t know it was official.”

“Well, ya’ know how it is,” Casey said, flushing red and rubbing the back of his neck.

“Yes we do,” Leo acknowledged as he pulled Mikey up and exchanged warm glances with him. “Or at least some of us do now.”

Don picked up his duffel bag and Casey grabbed the flame thrower as they started back to the Battle Shell. Leo wound his fingers through Mikey’s for the walk back, afraid that if he stopped touching his younger brother, Mikey would somehow slip away again.

After Leo climbed into the driver’s seat but before he closed the door, Raph stopped him. “Hang on a second, okay?”

Leo watched him curiously as Raph bent down and placed something under the front wheel. When Raph straightened, he gave Leo a thumb’s up and said, “Go ahead and pull forward.”

Closing his door but rolling down the window, Leo drove forward slowly and clearly heard the crunch of an object being crushed under the Battle Shell’s weight. He put his foot on the brake and waited for Raph to get in, glancing back to ask, “The amulet?”

“Damn straight,” Raph said. “Nobody is ever gonna use that thing again.”

Leo drove the Battle Shell to April’s shop while Raph and Don sat together in the back. In deference to Casey’s sensibilities, they kept the affectionate display down to holding hands and whispering to one another.

Leo’s shell cell rang part way through the drive and Mikey answered it. “’Lo April! How’s Brittany?”

“She’s back to normal!” April said excitedly. “Don?”

“Right as rain again,” Mikey said. “We got the guy and he won’t be stealing any more souls. Casey can tell you all about it; we’re headed your way.”

“I’ll let Master Splinter know,” April said. “Brittany’s resting in my office. I told her she had a fainting spell because she’s been working too hard and gave her the next couple of days off with pay. I’m going to run her home in my van; you guys still have a key to get in?”

“Donny does,” Mikey said. “Go ahead and take off, we’ll catch up with you tomorrow.”

After they hung up, Mikey turned in his seat. “April is taking Brittany home. She’s got her soul back too. April said to let ourselves in. You want us to drop you at your apartment, Casey?”

“Nah, I’ll wait for April to get back,” Casey said. “The whole thing with lost souls and shit might have freaked her out. Don’t want her to be alone.”

Mikey grinned as he turned back around but held his tongue. Leo had to chuckle; they all knew it was Casey who was ‘freaked out’ by the evening's events. Any excuse to spend time with April was a good one in Casey’s book.

“Leo, I have a question,” Don said, getting his brother’s attention. “When you came back with those bottles filled with gasoline, you told us to look closely for a chance to jump the shaman. You had to know that he would read that intent in your minds.”

“I did,” Leo said. “I was hoping that those thoughts would be strong enough to hide my real idea, which was to keep him pinned in with a ring of fire. The reason I thought it would work was because I was sure that’s how Mikey managed to sneak up on him. Alexie was so focused on the four of us, that he was unaware of Mikey’s thoughts.”

“Actually, I was thinking more about how impressed you’d be if I got Alexie,” Mikey said sheepishly. “I was imagining you rewarding me for being a hero.”

“Ya’ always did live more in fantasy land than in this one,” Raph said as they all laughed.

“Now I have a question for you, Donny. You gave Alexie your word of honor that we wouldn’t try to destroy him and then later you gave him a promise for safe passage. Yet you were the one to attack first. I was all set to uphold your word, why weren’t you?” Leo asked.

“The concept of honor is something that comes from the heart,” Don answered. “Without a soul, I couldn’t actually give my word of honor. It was just a bunch of meaningless words, but Alexie didn’t know that. He also didn’t know that I planned to attack him because he read intent from a person’s soul, and I didn’t have one. In a way his downfall is ironic; Alexie stole my soul thus enabling me to have the ability to trick him.”

“That guy wasn’t gonna keep his side of the deal anyway,” Raph said, sounding as though he were positive of that. “He’d have stolen Mikey’s soul too and claimed that he wasn’t harming him because Mikey was suffering from . . . uh, what’s the word I’m looking for?”

He glanced over at Don who smiled. “Unrequited love.”

“Yeah, that’s it. He said it himself when he said Mikey’s soul was perfect. He was practically smacking his lips over the nut ball. Same with Don’s. Ya’ notice he released Brittany’s first. Don’s word of honor was based on Alexie keeping his side of the bargain and he wasn’t gonna keep it,” Raph said with a forceful nod.

“Can’t kill somebody that’s already dead either, right guys?” Casey asked. “I mean, he got what he deserved. I know ya’ don’t like killing and I wanna say up front that we didn’t actually kill anyone.”

“Normally we do prefer to have the courts decide someone’s fate, but this wasn’t anything the law would have understood,” Leo said.

“The weird stuff’s gotta fall to us,” Raph added. “And boy oh boy, do we run across some bizarre ass things.”

They had arrived at April’s shop at that point. Casey offered to go up and get Master Splinter, so the brothers waited for him in the vehicle. As soon as Master Splinter stepped into the Battle Shell, his eyes fell on Don and his face was suffused by a wide smile.

“My son, you are whole again,” Master Splinter said, taking Don’s hands into his own.

“It’s good to be back Father,” Don said.

After Master Splinter was seated and buckled in, Leo waved good-bye to Casey and headed for their garage.

“Did everything go all right with Brittany?” Leo asked, glancing into the rear view mirror at his father. “Don gave us a little scare and I’m worried about the two other people whose souls were released.”

“Miss Brittany experienced some discomfort when her soul reentered her body,” Master Splinter said. “Miss O’Neil caught her before she hit the ground and with my assistance we positioned her so that she was on her back. Once her soul had settled back into its place inside of her, Miss Brittany began to breathe on her own.”

“Do you think those other two victims will be okay?” Leo asked. “One is an elderly man.”

“Yes, they will be fine, whether someone is with them or not,” Master Splinter. “Their souls will not return just to have them die. It is not the nature of a soul to give up its host so easily.”

Raph looked over at Don and squeezed his hand. “I still like my way of bringing Donny back around, even if he would’ve woken up on his own.”

They pulled into the garage and Leo parked the Battle Shell. When they disembarked, he said, “Mikey can help me lock up, why don’t you all go to bed? It’s pretty late.”

Don looked at him knowingly and Raph said, “You can bet we’re going to bed. If ya’ two want some sleep, I’d suggest ya’ pick a room far from Donny’s.”

The implication was quite clear, just as Raph meant it to be. Leo found it amusing to see Don blush; never having known his brother to be flustered by anything, it gave him a warm feeling inside.

As he entered the elevator with Don and Raph, Master Splinter said, “I am glad that my room is on the lower floor and far away from you boys.”

Almost as soon as the elevator’s doors closed, Mikey turned to Leo and said, “Wanna turn out the lights, climb into the back of the Battle Shell, and tell me how much you love me again?”

Rather than trying to come up with a witty response, Leo pulled Mikey into his arms and kissed him. Mikey’s churr was as gratifying as the kiss.

“I love you Michelangelo,” Leo said, staring into his brother’s alluring blue eyes. “Forgive me for not realizing it sooner?”

“Sure,” Mikey said. “I love you too, Leo. Probably always have. I think I did a lot of showing off just to get you to notice me, but you know, your attention went another direction.”

He looked down as he said that and Leo cupped his chin, lifting Mikey’s eyes back up to his. “My feelings for Raph weren’t real. I realized after this thing with the shaman started to happen that my feelings were an infatuation, something that stemmed from my need to have Raph follow my lead because he’s always fighting me. It was probably a response to the pheromones he was giving off too, due to his love for Donny.”

“Then you had to go and wait until I was at death’s door before you knew that you loved me,” Mikey said dramatically, though there was a touch of hurt underlining his words.

“I knew before then,” Leo said, kissing a corner of Mikey’s mouth. “I didn’t want to make another fool of myself, Mikey. I could only guess at how you felt; what if I was wrong? What if all you meant to offer me was brotherly support? The one thing I did not want to do was to alienate you. I would rather have kept my feelings for you to myself and continue to have a close relationship with you, than to make you so uncomfortable that you didn’t want to spend time with me.”

“We need to work on our communication,” Mikey said. “Wanna share a room with me? Mine’s bigger and farther away from Don’s.”

Leo laughed. “You have the biggest room because you laid claim to all of them when Master Splinter found the lair.”

“You snooze, you lose,” Mikey said.

“Opportunist. Speaking of which, you really need to learn not to count your victories before you have them. Crowing over Alexie before he was actually out cold got you into trouble,” Leo scolded.

“Ouch. I should have known you wouldn’t let that go,” Mikey said and then added with a mischievous grin. “I can count you as a win though, can’t I?”

Tightening his grip on Mikey, Leo leaned in close and said, “Yes you can. Want to go upstairs and see if we can outdo Raph and Don on the noise meter?”

“Yep,” Mikey agreed enthusiastically. “You know I love a good challenge.”

“So do I,” Leo whispered, “but I love you more.”

The End

Description
Soulcatcher
part 18 final
TMNT 2k3

“Cut his head off,” Don said calmly, walking over to where Leo stood next to the shaman. He reached down and pried the amulet from the dead man’s hand.

Leo felt dazed and it took him a second to process what Don had said. “What?”

“It is the only way to be sure,” Don told him. “He has come back from an injury like this before.”

“Yeah,” Raph said, his eyes lighting up, “yeah. Pull that dagger out and let’s wait. When he wakes up we’ll force him to fix Don and Mikey.”

“The first time he returned he had acquired immense power,” Don said. “This time he may come back with supernatural gifts that we are not equipped to deal with. We cannot take the risk. Too many lives would be in danger.”

“Ya’ don’t even know if he will come back, or how long it might take. Ya’ wanna wait around in here for a couple weeks, maybe even a few months?” Casey asked.

“Shit!” Raph shouted, storming over to Alexie’s body and kicking it. “Fuck, fuck, fuck! Why did I have to throw that damn knife? This is my fucking fault!”

“It’s no one’s fault,” Leo said, his voice so low it was hard to hear. “Donny’s right. I’ll remove his head and then we’ll burn him. Burn him and the bodies.”

He walked over to the wall that Alexie had been trying to reach. When he pressed his hand against the section where he’d seen the trapped leaves, it slid upwards to reveal a narrow bricked in tunnel.

“Put the men’s bodies in here,” Leo directed.

Casey grabbed hold of the jacket on one of the men and dragged him to the tunnel while Don did the same with the other homeless man. Raph had gone to stand next to the still unconscious Mikey, his head bowed and eyes closed.

With everyone’s attention otherwise occupied, Leo bent over and pulled the dagger out of Alexie’s neck. Wiping the blood off on the man’s cape, Leo slid the dagger into his belt and took a deep breath before bringing his katana down to cleave Alexie’s head from his torso.

Gathering a handful of hair, Leo picked up the head and threw it into the tunnel. When he stepped back he saw that Don had collected Alexie’s body, tossing it on top of the two dead homeless men.

Using the remaining gasoline in his bottle, Casey drenched the bodies and then moved out of the tunnel.

“Raph,” Leo said softly. When his brother didn’t respond, Leo spoke a little louder. “Raphael. We need you to burn them.”

“Okay,” Raph said, swiping his forearm across his eyes. His shoulders sagged as he walked to the tunnel entrance and stood for a moment just staring at the remains.

“Please,” Leo said in a choked voice. “Just do it.”

Lifting the nozzle on the flame thrower, Raph opened it fully. Fire shot out to fill the tunnel from wall to wall, igniting the bodies. Raph kept the flame going until the tank was completely emptied, his eyes narrowed against the heat and beak wrinkled at the smell of burning flesh.

Casey placed a hand on Raph’s shoulder and gently urged him out of the tunnel once his fuel was all used up.

“Don, could you turn off that generator?” Leo asked. He tossed his flashlight to Casey. “Let’s get out of here.”

Leo walked over to where Mikey lay and picked up his brother, cradling him against his plastron. As though there were sensors built into the wall to detect motion, when all movement ceased the wall closed, cutting off the sickening view of charred remains.

Casey flicked on the flashlight just before Don killed the generator and plunged the chamber into darkness. With Casey leading the way, the group left the mausoleum, exiting into the cool night air.

They hadn’t gone far when Raph abruptly shrugged the gas canister off of his shell and fell to his knees.

“Goddammit!” Raph cursed. “This ain’t right!” He looked up at Don, his expression pleading. “Come on genius, think of something! There’s gotta be another way to get your soul out of that thing!”

Leo found that he too hadn’t the will to keep walking. Sagging to the ground, he hugged Mikey to his chest, burying his face in his brother’s neck.

“I have found nothing in my research Raphael,” Don said. “If you all wish it, I will continue to dig for answers, or perhaps we could locate another shaman who might know how to operate the amulet. Whatever happens, you should not mourn for me. This is not an unpleasant existence.”

“Not unpleasant?” Raph repeated incredulously. “It’s fucking miserable. He took something from ya’ Donny, something important. Something that means everything to us. I can’t stand the thought of living without ya’.”

The raw anguish in Raph’s voice cut straight through Leo. He knew then that he couldn’t survive knowing he would never again hear Mikey’s voice, his laugh, the sound of his singing. Life meant nothing without Mikey’s warmth, the precious joy he gave their existence, his energy and vivacious personality.

Just when he thought his chest might burst, Leo remembered something that Master Splinter had said to his brothers when Leo was himself close to death’s door.

Eyes snapping open, Leo looked up. “Raph! Remember what Master Splinter said? When he told you that the voice of a loved one can guide a lost spirit back to its home?”

Raph brow wrinkled. “What the fuck are ya’ talking . . . . Oh, shit!”

Excited, Leo said, “Take the amulet. Call to Donny’s soul. The shaman already started it in this direction, it just needs a little more guidance.”

The amulet dangled from Don’s hand and Raph reached for it. “Give me that damn thing.”

Plucking the amulet from his brother’s fingers, Raph first looked into the end that Brittany’s soul had escaped through. Then he lowered it until it was close to his mouth.

“Donny, Donny can ya’ hear me?” Raph asked. “Come on Donny, come out of there. I need ya’; I love ya’ Donny. Remember what we promised each other? Neither one of us gets to leave the other behind. Ya’ promised Donny. Ya’ kissed me to seal the deal. I ain’t letting ya’ out of it either. Come on lover, ya’ don’t wanna stay in there by yourself, all alone in the dark. I’m right here, just follow the sound of my voice. Ya’ can do it Donny. Please baby, I love ya’ too much to let ya’ go like this.”

Don stood next to Raph, seeming unsure as to what he should be doing. Leo was barely breathing as he stared at the amulet, silently urging Don’s soul to find its way out.

As Raph continued to whisper and cajole, a shimmer of light began to reflect off of his skin. Suddenly a glowing orb burst from the end of the amulet, danced in front of Raph’s face, and then flew directly into Donatello’s mouth.

Don’s head snapped back as though he’d been struck by something and then he collapsed. His body thrashed on the grass before going completely still.

Raph lunged at him, collecting Don into his arms. “Shit, he ain’t breathing!”

“Mouth to mouth, quickly!” Leo urged.

Clamping his mouth atop Don’s, Raph covered Don’s nostrils and began to blow air into his brother. It only took a few breaths before Don shuddered and when Raph lifted his head, Don drew in a long, gasping breath of his own.

Don clutched at Raph’s shoulder and slowly opened his eyes. A full body shiver raked over his form and then he smiled up at Raph.

“Donny!” Raph yelled gleefully, kissing Don’s lips, his cheeks, his eyes before returning to his mouth.

They shared a deeply satisfying kiss before their lips separated. “Did you really just call me ‘baby’?” Don asked with amusement.

“Shut up,” Raph said playfully. “I was desperate.”

Leo watched the scene with mixed feelings. He was more than happy that Don was back to himself again, happy that Raph had been fully reunited with the brother he loved.

But Mikey still lay limp in his arms, unresponsive to the activity around him. Leo looked into his brother’s face and felt totally helpless. Sorrow overwhelmed what should have been a joyful occasion. Mikey’s light was the only one Leo truly wanted to see, and it seemed he wasn’t going to get his wish.

“Leo,” Don said, drawing his brother’s attention. He was on his knees next to Raph, both of them now focused on Mikey. “It really is hypnosis. Why don’t you ask Mikey to come back to you as well?”

“Maybe a kiss will wake sleeping beauty there,” Raph offered. “He’s been waiting long enough for one of those, don’t ya’ think?”

Leo stared at them for a moment, not sure if he should allow himself some hope. Finally he nodded and settled Mikey’s legs onto the grass, circling Mike’s waist with one arm to keep his upper body off the ground.

Cupping the back of Mikey’s head, Leo gazed into his face, wanting nothing more than to see the blue of his brother’s eyes.

“Michelangelo, it’s time to wake up,” Leo commanded in his best leader’s voice. Then softening the tone, he said, “Wake up, Mikey. There are things I want to tell you; things I need for you to hear.

“I’m a fool, Mikey. I’ve been looking right at you without ever realizing that you were the one who completes me. I love you. I’ve always loved you, I just didn’t know it. Wake up so I can say it to you properly.”

He leaned down and pressed his lips to Mikey’s. It felt so right, as though their mouths were always meant to fit together. “Wake up, Mikey,” Leo whispered. “I love you.”

Once again he kissed Mikey, pouring all of his feelings into it. Then Leo heard Don snap his fingers.

Mikey jerked forcefully and nearly broke Leo’s hold. Opening his eyes, Leo saw Mikey looking up at him.

“Mikey,” Leo breathed out in relief. “Gods, I thought I lost you. I love you so much.”

Before Leo could lift his head, Mikey swung an arm around his neck and pulled him down again, capturing his brother’s mouth. When Mikey’s lips opened, Leo accepted the invitation and wound his tongue around his brother’s. Enveloped in an almost overpowering feeling of what could only be pure love, Leo let himself become lost in their kiss.

Then Casey cleared his throat loudly. “Ahem!”

Remembering where they were, Leo and Mikey reluctantly separated.

“If ya’ guys are done with the PDA’s, I’ve got a girlfriend to get back to and your pops probably needs a ride home,” Casey said.

“Girlfriend huh?” Raph asked, allowing Don to help him to his feet. “Didn’t know it was official.”

“Well, ya’ know how it is,” Casey said, flushing red and rubbing the back of his neck.

“Yes we do,” Leo acknowledged as he pulled Mikey up and exchanged warm glances with him. “Or at least some of us do now.”

Don picked up his duffel bag and Casey grabbed the flame thrower as they started back to the Battle Shell. Leo wound his fingers through Mikey’s for the walk back, afraid that if he stopped touching his younger brother, Mikey would somehow slip away again.

After Leo climbed into the driver’s seat but before he closed the door, Raph stopped him. “Hang on a second, okay?”

Leo watched him curiously as Raph bent down and placed something under the front wheel. When Raph straightened, he gave Leo a thumb’s up and said, “Go ahead and pull forward.”

Closing his door but rolling down the window, Leo drove forward slowly and clearly heard the crunch of an object being crushed under the Battle Shell’s weight. He put his foot on the brake and waited for Raph to get in, glancing back to ask, “The amulet?”

“Damn straight,” Raph said. “Nobody is ever gonna use that thing again.”

Leo drove the Battle Shell to April’s shop while Raph and Don sat together in the back. In deference to Casey’s sensibilities, they kept the affectionate display down to holding hands and whispering to one another.

Leo’s shell cell rang part way through the drive and Mikey answered it. “’Lo April! How’s Brittany?”

“She’s back to normal!” April said excitedly. “Don?”

“Right as rain again,” Mikey said. “We got the guy and he won’t be stealing any more souls. Casey can tell you all about it; we’re headed your way.”

“I’ll let Master Splinter know,” April said. “Brittany’s resting in my office. I told her she had a fainting spell because she’s been working too hard and gave her the next couple of days off with pay. I’m going to run her home in my van; you guys still have a key to get in?”

“Donny does,” Mikey said. “Go ahead and take off, we’ll catch up with you tomorrow.”

After they hung up, Mikey turned in his seat. “April is taking Brittany home. She’s got her soul back too. April said to let ourselves in. You want us to drop you at your apartment, Casey?”

“Nah, I’ll wait for April to get back,” Casey said. “The whole thing with lost souls and shit might have freaked her out. Don’t want her to be alone.”

Mikey grinned as he turned back around but held his tongue. Leo had to chuckle; they all knew it was Casey who was ‘freaked out’ by the evening's events. Any excuse to spend time with April was a good one in Casey’s book.

“Leo, I have a question,” Don said, getting his brother’s attention. “When you came back with those bottles filled with gasoline, you told us to look closely for a chance to jump the shaman. You had to know that he would read that intent in your minds.”

“I did,” Leo said. “I was hoping that those thoughts would be strong enough to hide my real idea, which was to keep him pinned in with a ring of fire. The reason I thought it would work was because I was sure that’s how Mikey managed to sneak up on him. Alexie was so focused on the four of us, that he was unaware of Mikey’s thoughts.”

“Actually, I was thinking more about how impressed you’d be if I got Alexie,” Mikey said sheepishly. “I was imagining you rewarding me for being a hero.”

“Ya’ always did live more in fantasy land than in this one,” Raph said as they all laughed.

“Now I have a question for you, Donny. You gave Alexie your word of honor that we wouldn’t try to destroy him and then later you gave him a promise for safe passage. Yet you were the one to attack first. I was all set to uphold your word, why weren’t you?” Leo asked.

“The concept of honor is something that comes from the heart,” Don answered. “Without a soul, I couldn’t actually give my word of honor. It was just a bunch of meaningless words, but Alexie didn’t know that. He also didn’t know that I planned to attack him because he read intent from a person’s soul, and I didn’t have one. In a way his downfall is ironic; Alexie stole my soul thus enabling me to have the ability to trick him.”

“That guy wasn’t gonna keep his side of the deal anyway,” Raph said, sounding as though he were positive of that. “He’d have stolen Mikey’s soul too and claimed that he wasn’t harming him because Mikey was suffering from . . . uh, what’s the word I’m looking for?”

He glanced over at Don who smiled. “Unrequited love.”

“Yeah, that’s it. He said it himself when he said Mikey’s soul was perfect. He was practically smacking his lips over the nut ball. Same with Don’s. Ya’ notice he released Brittany’s first. Don’s word of honor was based on Alexie keeping his side of the bargain and he wasn’t gonna keep it,” Raph said with a forceful nod.

“Can’t kill somebody that’s already dead either, right guys?” Casey asked. “I mean, he got what he deserved. I know ya’ don’t like killing and I wanna say up front that we didn’t actually kill anyone.”

“Normally we do prefer to have the courts decide someone’s fate, but this wasn’t anything the law would have understood,” Leo said.

“The weird stuff’s gotta fall to us,” Raph added. “And boy oh boy, do we run across some bizarre ass things.”

They had arrived at April’s shop at that point. Casey offered to go up and get Master Splinter, so the brothers waited for him in the vehicle. As soon as Master Splinter stepped into the Battle Shell, his eyes fell on Don and his face was suffused by a wide smile.

“My son, you are whole again,” Master Splinter said, taking Don’s hands into his own.

“It’s good to be back Father,” Don said.

After Master Splinter was seated and buckled in, Leo waved good-bye to Casey and headed for their garage.

“Did everything go all right with Brittany?” Leo asked, glancing into the rear view mirror at his father. “Don gave us a little scare and I’m worried about the two other people whose souls were released.”

“Miss Brittany experienced some discomfort when her soul reentered her body,” Master Splinter said. “Miss O’Neil caught her before she hit the ground and with my assistance we positioned her so that she was on her back. Once her soul had settled back into its place inside of her, Miss Brittany began to breathe on her own.”

“Do you think those other two victims will be okay?” Leo asked. “One is an elderly man.”

“Yes, they will be fine, whether someone is with them or not,” Master Splinter. “Their souls will not return just to have them die. It is not the nature of a soul to give up its host so easily.”

Raph looked over at Don and squeezed his hand. “I still like my way of bringing Donny back around, even if he would’ve woken up on his own.”

They pulled into the garage and Leo parked the Battle Shell. When they disembarked, he said, “Mikey can help me lock up, why don’t you all go to bed? It’s pretty late.”

Don looked at him knowingly and Raph said, “You can bet we’re going to bed. If ya’ two want some sleep, I’d suggest ya’ pick a room far from Donny’s.”

The implication was quite clear, just as Raph meant it to be. Leo found it amusing to see Don blush; never having known his brother to be flustered by anything, it gave him a warm feeling inside.

As he entered the elevator with Don and Raph, Master Splinter said, “I am glad that my room is on the lower floor and far away from you boys.”

Almost as soon as the elevator’s doors closed, Mikey turned to Leo and said, “Wanna turn out the lights, climb into the back of the Battle Shell, and tell me how much you love me again?”

Rather than trying to come up with a witty response, Leo pulled Mikey into his arms and kissed him. Mikey’s churr was as gratifying as the kiss.

“I love you Michelangelo,” Leo said, staring into his brother’s alluring blue eyes. “Forgive me for not realizing it sooner?”

“Sure,” Mikey said. “I love you too, Leo. Probably always have. I think I did a lot of showing off just to get you to notice me, but you know, your attention went another direction.”

He looked down as he said that and Leo cupped his chin, lifting Mikey’s eyes back up to his. “My feelings for Raph weren’t real. I realized after this thing with the shaman started to happen that my feelings were an infatuation, something that stemmed from my need to have Raph follow my lead because he’s always fighting me. It was probably a response to the pheromones he was giving off too, due to his love for Donny.”

“Then you had to go and wait until I was at death’s door before you knew that you loved me,” Mikey said dramatically, though there was a touch of hurt underlining his words.

“I knew before then,” Leo said, kissing a corner of Mikey’s mouth. “I didn’t want to make another fool of myself, Mikey. I could only guess at how you felt; what if I was wrong? What if all you meant to offer me was brotherly support? The one thing I did not want to do was to alienate you. I would rather have kept my feelings for you to myself and continue to have a close relationship with you, than to make you so uncomfortable that you didn’t want to spend time with me.”

“We need to work on our communication,” Mikey said. “Wanna share a room with me? Mine’s bigger and farther away from Don’s.”

Leo laughed. “You have the biggest room because you laid claim to all of them when Master Splinter found the lair.”

“You snooze, you lose,” Mikey said.

“Opportunist. Speaking of which, you really need to learn not to count your victories before you have them. Crowing over Alexie before he was actually out cold got you into trouble,” Leo scolded.

“Ouch. I should have known you wouldn’t let that go,” Mikey said and then added with a mischievous grin. “I can count you as a win though, can’t I?”

Tightening his grip on Mikey, Leo leaned in close and said, “Yes you can. Want to go upstairs and see if we can outdo Raph and Don on the noise meter?”

“Yep,” Mikey agreed enthusiastically. “You know I love a good challenge.”

“So do I,” Leo whispered, “but I love you more.”

The End