I'm not so sure about this chapter. I feel like it's good, but I hesitated to put it out. Tell me what you think at the end please. I'd really appreciate it.

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Damn. The phone was ringing. Oh, the ringing. Leonardo groaned as he sat up in his bed and rolled over onto his plastron. He burrowed his face into his pillow and settled down even further. "Leave a message." He grumbled irritably, willing the caller to do so. The phone didn't stop ringing. With a sigh the eldest of the turtle siblings lifted himself up onto his elbows and glanced over at the caller ID. April? At three o'clock in the morning? He jerked upright and answered the call.

"April? Is everything alright?"

"Leo! Thank goodness you're there! You need to get here, fast!"

His eye-ridges furrowed. He had a bad feeling about this. There was obviously something wrong, so why wasn't April telling him anything? "April, what's going on?" A choking sound traveled across their connection and Leo was suddenly very afraid. "April?! April please talk to me!" He shouted, not caring if he woke his entire family.

"I need you to get over here now Leo. Casey just called, though I'm not sure where from. There's been...an accident."

Leo's heart dropped. "Is Casey okay?!" He asked insistently. His dark blues eyes flicked up and acknowledged his brothers and Father as they entered his room with sleepy and inquisitive stares. When they realized he was on the phone, they waited patiently, though they, too, looked worried. 

There was a long silence on April's end and then some sobs. Leo's jaw clenched and he repeated softly but just as urgently, "April, is Casey okay?"

"He's fine, Leo." She choked out, sniveling a little. "It's-It's Raph."

The ninja leader's stomach constricted and his face paled. He had a million questions, each more insistent than the next, yet his throat was tight and he couldn't voice any of them. "We'll be right there." He managed squeakily. When he turned to see the eager faces of his family members, Leo's throat ran dry. They hadn't heard and he couldn't bring himself to voice it. The news that something had happened to Raphael would only make them all lose their minds with worry. Better that he keep it to himself for now. "We need to go to April and Casey's, now! Donnie, bring all your medical supplies! Mikey, you help him. Master Splinter..." The two younger turtles had run off to do as their brother said with the greatest immediacy.

Splinter looked down into his oldest son's panicked eyes and felt ill at ease. Leonardo was hiding something from him, trying to shield him from something. He could feel his aged heart skip a beat. "It is Raphael, then?"

Leonardo stared in awe at his father. "How did you...?"

"Your brother is not as reckless as he seems, my son. He did inform me that he was going out tonight."

There were tears in Leo's eyes. "It's bad, Sensei. April sounded..."

A furry hand landed on Leonardo's shoulder and squeezed tightly. "We must stay strong, my son. Even in the face of deadly injury."

"Hai Sensei."

Three mutant turtles and a rat ran across the rooftops as fast as their feet could carry them. Unlike their usual patrols, they were in complete and utter silence. Inside, Leo knew that Donnie and Mikey already knew that something had happened to their brother, even if the two of them had yet to say so out loud. Raph wasn't with them and it was very early in the morning. They were rushing to April and Casey's apartment without really knowing exactly what had happened, yet they were frantic.  But perhaps the most telling fact of all: Raphael wasn't with them.

Donnie's heart was threatening to beat out of his chest. He clutched his medical bags even more tightly in his already white-knuckled hands. If something horrible had happened to Raphael they may already be too late. He shoved those thoughts to the back of his mind as Casey and April's apartment came into view. Don could feel all three of his family members tensing beside him. And he caught his big brother's whispered plea, "Please let him be alive."

Allowing his eyes to dart over in his big brother's direction, Don's heart clenched in pain. Leo looked horrible. The eldest turtle's skin was pale and his face was grave. Don shuddered. He would not want to be in Leo's shell at the moment. After all, before Raphael had left those two had been screaming at each other. What had been the last thing Leo had said? 'If you would just be more responsible for once' or something to that affect. It had always amazed Donatello how furious his two older brothers could get with one another and how much both of them managed to say that in the end carried no weight because they made up with quiet apologies and one-armed hugs. But what if this time there was no apology, no forgiveness? What if Raphael was truly in a bad way and there was nothing to be done? What if they lost Raphael forever? What would Leo do then?

That line of thought was coarsely interrupted as they dropped down on the fire escape outside Casey and April's apartment, opened the unlocked window and rushed inside. April felt the cold draft coming from the window and knew that they had arrived. Her face was pale, her cheeks were wet and her eyes were red and puffy from tears. Slowly, she turned to face them all.

Leo's heart fell to the pit of his stomach. Raphael was nowhere to be seen. April was in here alone. He felt as though icicles were forming on his lungs and slowly spreading to his heart. April wouldn't be away from Raph if he was hurt. Unless...

Don could hear his heartbeat pounding in his ears as he made the same deduction Leo had, though ultimately faster. His voice hitched and cracked as he forced out two words: "April, where?"

April's breathing became erratic, her chest heaving with intense sobs. Her breathing whirred in and out in harsh, uneven gasps. It took every ounce of what little control she had left to point at the door of the den. Donnie, Leo, and Sensei stared at the door, terrified of what they would find beyond it. A loud snivel and whine of denial made them all turn to their youngest family member. Mikey's entire body was shaking in fear and anguish. Before they could do more than whisper his name, he was moving forward. They all rushed to stop him, desperate to spare him the pain, but he pried away from their gentle hands and whispered words. His family watched with heavy hearts as their most jovial brother froze in the doorway with a look of horror upon his face. Leo went forward and wrapped an arm around Mikey's shoulders, to steer his baby brother away, but he, too, was soon frozen to the spot.

A call of 'Raph' left his lips, so faint and airy that it might have been the breeze. Perhaps it had been, he wasn't sure. All he could do was stare. He swayed a little, his hand jutting out to catch the doorframe and pull himself back onto his feet. The next thing he knew, Michelangelo was no longer beside him.

Mikey scrambled across the room, bumping into furniture and tables and not caring in the slightest. In the doorway, Leo swallowed painfully at the sight. He could hear Donatello gasp over his shoulder, and suddenly the brainiac had whooshed past him, making a beeline for their injured brother's side. Leo's feet were glued to the spot.

Casey Jones cradled Raph's head in his lap, balling his eyes out. Snivels and shakes racking his entire frame as he whispered over and over, "Why? Why? Why?"

Blood was everywhere, the red life liquid had pooled around them. There was so much of it. Casey's hands were slick with it and his clothes were darkly stained.

Donnie stared at the unmoving form of his brother on the floor. He couldn't be too late. He just couldn't be. There had to be something he could do. He refused to believe that he'd lost his bother forever. His fingers rose to press against his brother's neck but there was no movement, no sign of life. He keened and pulled them back.

Mikey pulled his eyes away from Raph to glance over at the brainiac and saw the look in Donnie's eyes. A soft call of denial left his lips and he shook his head, tears welling up in his baby blue eyes. He wailed their brother's name to the sky. Devastation flooded them all.

Splinter pushed past Leonardo into the room and knelt at his son's side. "Raphael..." he whispered, his voice sounding old and weary. His thin, gnarled fingers hovered over the horrendous gash in his child's shell. Tears came to his eyes. There was head trauma, dark bruises littered the strong emerald green frame, and blood poured from the crack that traveled almost all the way down to the center of his plastron. The old rat could not even bear to think about the amount of force it would have taken to split the shell open in such a manner.

Finally, Leo's spirit crumpled. He fell to his knees with an unearthly cry. Tears ran in torrents down his face. Not trusting his feet, he dragged himself over to his brother's body. He threw his arms around Raph's neck, pressing up against the still form. He didn't care about the blood. He didn't care about the rest of his family watching. All he cared about was his brother. His little brother. His brother who had been so cruelly ripped from him. Intense sobs and endless keens shook him. Never again would he feel the warmth of Raph's smile. Never again would he know the thrill of competing with his immediate younger brother. Never again would he hear Raph's snicker and teasing. Never again would their brother's fire ignite their souls. This was the end. This was the last time he'd ever be able to hold Raphael in his arms. But this time there was no warmth. The fire had left them and the world was cold.

A few hours ago they had been fighting. He couldn't even remember why anymore. It was over something trivial, it no longer mattered. How he wished he had been able to hug his brother before Raph had left. He hadn't even told the hothead to be careful. He hadn't even said goodbye. And now Raphael was gone. He was too late.

For the first time in his life, Leo wanted to give up. He wanted to surrender himself to grief. But he knew he could not. There was a family that would be relying upon him. They needed him if they ever wanted to go on with their lives. But how?! How could there be life without Raph?! How?! Another wave of misery overtook him and he felt cold tears travel down his cheeks, dripping down onto his brother's bloodied chest. In a voice so low he spoke words meant for Raphael's ears alone. Apologies for all their fights and for failing him, declarations of undying love and eternal remembrance, and a promise to protect what was left of the family that the hothead had held so dear. As though something had been lifted away by his words, there was an odd peace that settled over them. Leo's fingers brushed the cold cheek tenderly as he wore a wan smile. His brother was at peace.

Leo's focus shifted to the wounds upon Raphael's body and any sense of peace was suddenly whisked away, replaced with bitter rage. His hands shook and his heart cried out for vengeance. For the first time in his life, Leo truly wanted to cause someone pain. He wanted someone to blame for his brother's painful and premature demise. He wanted to run someone through and rip out the blade, leaving a hole akin to that in his own heart. Raphael was dead and gone. And someone was going to suffer for it.

"Who?" Leo growled as he released his bother's body and rose to his full height, his vicious eyes staring directly into Casey's very soul.

The human shook a little as he stared into Leo eyes.  He knew that look. He had seen it Raph's eyes often enough to know what it meant. "Leo..." He began, but the ring of katanas being unsheathed cut him short.

"Tell me now."

"Leonardo..." Master Splinter said softly, reaching out to put a hand on Leo's shoulder. The eldest turtle hissed and twisted away.

"They killed my brother!" He cried.

"He was our brother too." A quiet voice whimpered from off to the side. Leo whirled around to stare at Michelangelo. The second their eyes met, Leo saw in his little brother an echo of the pain-induced fury in his own heart. All the life in Mikey's eyes was gone, the light and the innocence had left. There was only pain, anguish and anger. The youngest turtle looked at Casey and demanded, "What happened?"

Casey turned his back to them to hide another wave of tears. "It was just a couple of Shredder's henchmen. Raph said to retreat, that we couldn't handle 'em. He wanted to call for backup. But—"

They all looked up at him. His shoulders began to shake and he put his head in his hands. "I didn't listen. I told him we could take 'em. I should've listened to 'im! I shoulda listened! He wouldn't be—"

"You don't know that Casey." Don whispered, though the words sounded hollow.

Casey shook his head and went on. "No, ya don't understand. It got harder and harder to fight. We couldn't find a way out of it. He said...he said that staying and fighting was a mistake. And he said—that he had to t-take responsibility for it. We were gonna retreat. He was about to throw down the smoke bomb but t-that's when..." Casey turned back around and his eyes fell upon the fracture in Raph's shell. "They showed up out of nowhere, from behind us. R-Raph—he shoved me out of the way. They-they broke his shell."

If you'd just be more responsible—responsible—responsible—responsible...

Leo's mind echoed over and over. He could feel his heart breaking. Raphael had been responsible. The hothead had made a choice and taken responsibility for that choice. Tears stung his eyes. His brother had paid the ultimate price.

"Who?" Don asked. "Who broke his shell?"

"The Pig and the Rhino." Casey whispered gravely, but he looked back up at them. "But the crack wasn't that bad. Raph was still fighting them off. I tried to help him, but the others were holding me back. T-they held him down, pinned him to the rooftop." Tears were running in rivulets down Casey's face as images flashed before his eyes. "I-it was T-T-Tigerclaw that cracked his shell the rest of the way."

"They held him down while Tigerclaw struck the final blow?" Leo asked, his voice a deep, dark tone.

Casey nodded wordlessly. April slowly went over and wrapped her arms around him. The turtles looked at each other with murder in their eyes. Splinter, too, exuded a deeply unsettling aura.

Mikey's cry of pure fury echoed out into the night. Leo and Donnie stared. Mikey's knuckles were white as he clenched his nunchucks in his hands. "I will end them."

Leo placed a hand on the youngest turtle's shoulder. "We will do it together, Mikey."

The Foot had snuffed out their fire and taken someone dear to them. It had broken them, that much was true, but it had also left them cold. Without their fire to warm them there was no more compassion or mercy, there was only pure, unbridled, animalistic rage. Their brother's loss left no qualms nor questions. They would destroy their enemy with no remorse and no regret, with no more concern than that of squishing a bug or swatting a fly. They would fight with honor and hold their heads up high, for their enemies would die with none. There would be no pleasure from the deaths of those that had caused their sibling's death. All of them were wise enough to realize that revenge would not ease the ache in their hearts, nor would it bring their brother back to them. But it was time to take action. To restore balance to the universe and to prevent the powers of darkness from taking any more life than they already had.

Leo knelt down to cup Raph's cold, bloodied cheek. "Rest in peace, brother. The Foot will be disbanded. I promise."

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How was it?