His vision blurred as his mind became more and more foggy. He reached out blindly and grabbed for his shaking brother's hand, ending his ramble. "You're... strong. You... love t-them." His voice cracked at his strain whisper. "I... B-lieve in y-you." Leo felt his world sway again as he tightened his grip on his younger brothers hand, letting him know that he would stay with him as long as he could.
He watched the blurry form of Raphael slowly shake his head. "You might, but I can't. I can't!" He felt his brother begin to shake more and retightened his hold on the clammy emerald green hand.
"Everything's g-going to be o-ok." Leo promised as he felt himself beginning to lose the fight against sleep.
"We... we can still fix ya, Leo." Raph's voice cracked, "Just hang in there."
Leo couldn't hold his smile anymore as his body began to relax while more blood pumped out of his body. His hand slowly slipped off of Raphael's strained one as Raph pushed harder on the wound.
"Leo..." Raphael's voice became distant and fuzzy. "Leo no." He could still make out the small whimper that forced its way out of Raph's throat. Leo forced his mind to keep working. His little brother was suffering because of him, he had to comfort him, no matter how much pain he was in, his big brother instincts were fighting. Fighting against Death.
His world swayed again and he almost missed the next words that his brother had said after nudging him. "You're not g-gonna die... you won't."
Leo wanted to reply; wanted to allow his brother to cry into his shoulder, but Death was winning.
"Leo," His brother's voice cracked again. "You gotta... Leo, please..." The wound on his side was now numb, but he could still feel Raph push harder. He felt like he was floating and everything around him wasn't real.
Leo felt Death grip his heart in his cold scaly hand. He felt the need to follow him, his time was now. Then suddenly something wet hit Leo's cold face, forcing him back to reality. It took him a moment for Leo to register what was happening as another wet droplet his face. Then he realized that Raphael was crying. "Don't... D-don't die on me, ok?" He heard his brother plead as another tear hit his arm.
Leo couldn't move, couldn't respond, but he fought. Death back-pedaled at the suddenly rush of hope that was suddenly surrounding Leonardo.
Death laughed. "Hope...?" It hissed and then laughed again. "Hope." He shook his head, "You are strong, brave... you have many qualities that should allow you to keep going. You are much worthier to live then most people on the rotten, wicked planet that I have already taken so many from." Its black cloak continued to ripple, even with no source of wind. The misty fog that spread out from under its feet suddenly began to grow larger, suffocating the blue ninja. "But... you also have many, many flaws."
Leo blinked. He knew he had flaws, he knew he wasn't perfect. 'Splinter Jr.', 'The perfect son', 'Fearless Leader', and many other of his brothers' nicknames that he hated so much suddenly raced through his mind. He hadn't wanted his brothers' to see him that way, he had wanted them to see him as one of them. Not just the perfect leader that they were forced to follow, but as a brother. He suddenly realized that he didn't hate those nicknames as much as he thought, because the proved Death wrong.
"Oh yeah?" He asked, his voice echoing in the black space he was in. He couldn't tell if they were in his mind or already in the spirt realm. Yet, he could still sense Raphael in front of him. "Like what?"
Raphael's breaths became heavier. Leo flinched, even though his body didn't move as an air cutting scream filled the air. He tried to grab Raphael's hand again, in attempt to comfort him, let him know he was there, but he still couldn't force his body to obey his mind.
He was useless.
Another scream, this time weaker, made Leo choke. His brother needed him.
"Coward!" He heard Raphael gasp. "Things get rough and you just give up! You freaking coward!"
"Raphael!" Leo pried at his mind as he tried to force his body to work, to move, twitch, something! "I'm right here! Raph! Everything's ok!"
A chocked sob forced its way out of Raph's throat. "I hate you!" Leo would have cringed, but couldn't move, not even in his mind anymore. He felt Raph rest his head against his plastron. He felt the tears as they fell off of Raphael's face and poured onto him.
His body shook with sobs, and Leo wanted to cry to, but something forced his eyes to stay dry.
Leo jumped when Death placed a hand on his shoulder. Leo looked back at the dark figure and could barely make out a wicked smile underneath the hood of the black cloak. "Fear."
Leo shook his head slowly as Death made a deep laugh. "Your flaw is fear. Failure."
"Please..." Leo spun back to the direction of the presence of his brother. "Y-you're my only big brother... please."
Leo reached out for Raph, but found his hand starting to become transparent. "No... No!" Leo shouted. He spun around and tried to punch Death. He tried again, but missed again and fell to his hands and knees sobbing.
"You can't kill what's already dead." Death stated.
"Don't make me leave him." Leo pleaded.
"Most have begged. Most have pleaded and cried." Death whispered, but his voice boomed around in Leo's mind. "I hate showing mercy. Pity." He explained.
"You're so stupid!" Raph's voice was now scratchy from all the yelling. Then silence. The silence tore at Leo as he waited for someone to say something. Finally Raph continued, trying to recompose himself at the same time. "I can't go on without you..." His voice now sounded mostly tired. "Please."
"I can't leave him! My family needs me! Please!" Leo begged. "It's not my time yet! I thought it was, but now... Please!"
"I was never born. I've always been here. I'm only a force." Death explained. "I have no heart. No way to understand the grieving of the pitiful living."
"Leonardo." Raph whispered before his presence began to fade. Leo sucked in a sharp intake of breath. He waited a moment but nothing else was said by the red-clad turtle.
Leo spun back towards Death as he waited to see what he would do. Death waited a moment as voices began to fill the ally.
"I found them!" Came a female voice, which quickly gasped and was followed by hurriedly footsteps. "Donnie!" She screamed.
Leo took a deep breath. "Everything is going to be ok now, you lost Death."
"I never lose." He stated calmly. "I've had a couple cheat me before, believing that they are eternal. But no one escapes death."
He began to vaporize and Leo quickly stopped him, "I'll see you again," He also stated calmly, "But if you come near any of my brothers, I'll-"
"You'll what? Kill me?" Death smiled, his mouth stretching so far that Leo could make out the gleam of his sharp teeth. Then he vanished.
Leo felt a hand pressed against his neck while another rested on his forehead. "He's still breathing." Donnie's voice stated.
"Raphie, wake up." He heard Mikey whisper near him. Donatello shifted next to him.
"We have to get them home, right now." Donatello quickly took control of the situation. "Mikey, you and Casey get Raph to the van, try not moving him as much as you already have to."
Donnie then turned his attention back to Leo and gently rested a hand on the shuddering plastron as Leo's lungs worked for each breath. He didn't dare remove the masks that were crusted onto Leo's side. "What did you get yourself into?" Leo faintly heard Don whisper. Donnie sucked in a deep breath and tried to shake the butterflies that were flapping rapidly in his chest. He carefully gathered Leo up in his arms and stood, earning a small groan from Leonardo.
Before everything faded away.
Leo blinked rapidly at the harsh light the poured down onto his face. His mind raced to provide him information on his surroundings. The white chipped ceiling was quite familiar and Leo smiled as he slowly took in his surroundings as being Donatello's lab.
He had cheated Death once again. He lived.
Leonardo moved to sit up but gave a loud yelp and fell back into the large white pillow that he had been sleeping on. He cringed and took large gasps as he tried to recompose himself and figure out where the pain had been coming from. It felt as if it was everywhere. Every inch of his body screamed at him for the slight movement he had tried to do.
His head pounded violently. Leo squeezed his eyes shut and tried to force the drums in his head to shut up. He took a couple of quick breaths, before forcing himself to slow them down and calm himself.
Leo's eye ridges furrowed as he took in every part of his body; he wiggled his toes and happily checked them off on his mental check list, as 'still in contact.' He next moved to his fingers and his breathe hitched when he couldn't move his right hand. He froze and tried again before letting out a painful sigh of relief as he felt them slowly begin to twitch. That was another check.
He was going to continue when he suddenly heard soft snoring next to him. Leo forced his eyes to open once again and turned his head to his left side; squinting his eyes at the figure and quickly figured out it was Donatello.
Leo smiled, he was going to have to lecture Donnie on sleeping in his lab again. He also made a mental note to tell Mikey to hide the coffee maker again. He then made a silent promise to Donatello, not to tell Raphael about this little predicament, knowing that Raphael would have a fit ab-
Leo gasped and quickly looked around the lab, straining his neck in the process. He ignored the pain and tried to sit up again, but was forced back down by the sharp stabbing pain in his side.
Leonardo's wide eyes finally landed on the flip calendar hanging on the wall above Donatello's desk. It had been November 3rd when Raphael had fled the lair with Leo quick on his tail. The large X on the squares indicated it was now the 6th.
Leo licked his lips and sunk lower into his pillow. He had been sleeping for three days. A lot could happen in three days. He couldn't help a shiver as he imagined the horrible image of Death, holding his younger brother in his arms.
His eyes began to cloud over, and he quickly tried to blink away the prying hands of sleep away, but lost the fight as he became lost.
Sorry for any spelling/captilization or grammr errors hoped you enjyed this chapter I <3 each and everyone of u!