A Turtle's Heart

Regroup

The boys watched Draxum carefully as he moved backwards. They knew he might attack, they were ready.

Just as they thought, Draxum waved his hand and more vines shot out of the ground.

However, unlike the thought, all the vines charged straight at Raph.

The vines wrapped tightly around the enraged snapping turtle as he tried to fight them off, slowly being overpowered by the number of vines there were.

Raph's brothers began attacking the vine in an effort to help their older brother. Leo slicing at as many as he could, Mikey using his kusari-fundo to pull vines away from him, Donnie using his tech to cut through some and bluntly pound them until they let go.

Draxum frowned and moved his hand again, making more vines sprout out of the ground and try to grab the boys. They turned to fight off the vines around them, leaving Raph to his own. Luckily, they had gotten enough off him that Raph could fight off the rest and free himself.

"Guys, we have to go for the boss, fighting these vines is getting us nowhere!" Raph shouted to his brothers, eyes still white and locked on Draxum.

"How are we supposed to do that if we can't go anywhere! We are kinda preoccupied!" Donnie called back, glancing at his older brother.

Raph thought for a moment, trying to think of anything other than the loud voice in his head that screamed to pummel Draxum for what he said.

"Keep these occupied, give me an opening and let me get up there!" Raph yelled, punching another vine away from his face. His brothers nodded and continued to fight the vines.

Donnie swung his bo staff, pressing a button and making a rocket boost fold out of the end of the titanium built tech. He hit the vines around him and Raphael, clearing him a path to Draxum. Raph took it and darted forward, slamming his fists together and making an entire body shield around himself, making him huge.

The red clad turtle brought his foot down on the yokai, shouting his signature "like a boss" as he did so.

Draxum threw his arms up, pulling the vines away from the other three brothers to cover and protect him. When Raph stomped on the large roof of vines the ground around Draxum cracked and sank down under the weight.

"Come out you coward!" Raph growled, crouching down and tearing at the vines with his large mystic hands. When he finally got the vines away, all there was was a hole in the ground.

"No! Gah! He got away!" Raph bellowed, lowering his shield and turning to his brothers, eyes still white.

Just as he let his guard down, Draxum sprung up again. The yokai rose from the ground behind him and grabbed him, wrapping the snapper tightly with vines and receding into the ground with the struggling turtle in tow.

"RAPH!" Leo shouted, running forward and grabbing at his eldest brother to no avail.

"Leo! Go! Take the team home! Do not come after me unprepared!" Raph yelled back as he descended into the ground. Leo slammed his fist in the dirt in frustration. He had let his brother be captured. What kind of brother was he that he couldn't keep him safe.

"Come on guys, you heard him, we gotta go get him!" Leo stood up and turned to his other two brothers.

"Leo he said not to go after him," Donnie reiterated Raphael's words.

"No, he said not to come unprepared. We are getting our brother back, come on, let's go regroup and get ready," Leo stated. Donnie nodded, looking at his youngest brother in orange who clung to his arm anxiously for their oldest brother.

"Leo, what are we going to tell Y/N?" Mikey finally spoke up as the group began walking down the path towards the exit to the park.

Leo stopped walking and so did his brothers. Mikey looked between his older brothers with worry.

Everyone was silent for a moment. They hadn't thought about it. Y/N would probably be mad that Leo hadn't been able to save Raph. Leo clenched his fist at the thought, guilt filling his mind.

"The truth. They have to know, we have to tell them, don't worry Mikey, it's my fault, I'll fix this," Leo answered, more assuring himself than his little brother at the moment.

The rest of the trip back to the lair was uncomfortably quiet. Donnie typed away on his wrist tech, Leo walked ahead of his older twin, and Mikey clung to Leo's arm so not to disturb his soft shell brother.

When they arrived in the lair, April and Y/n were anxiously waiting in the living room.

"Guys! Oh thank goodness you're okay!" April jumped up as Leo entered the room, Mikey hanging onto his arm. Y/N stood up too, bitting their nails as they watched Leo and Mikey enter. The Donnie... no Raph.

"Leo, where is Raph?" Y/N walked over to the group, their footsteps quick and light.

All of the turtles cringed at the question. Even Donnie stopped typing for a moment and took a breath before returning to what he was doing.

Mikey looked up sadly at Leo, who nodded and turned to Y/N.

"He was taken by Draxum,"

...

"What?! How could you let him get taken! Leo! What the hel-" Y/N yelled, dread filling their thoughts.

"Y/N calm down! We are going to get him back I promise!" Leo interrupted, putting his hands out to try and calm them down. Mikey let go of his brother's arm.

"You're right there, we are going to get him back! Why did you even come here first? You should have gone after him! No, you know what I'm glad you came down here, i am coming with you," Y/N spoke faster than Leo could process their words. When they finished, everyone looked at them shocked before Leo spoke up.

"Y/N you can't come! Raph would kill me if I let you put yourself in danger like that!" Leo protested.

"Yeah? Well we won't have a Raph to get mad at you if we don't go save him! And I'll be damned if I don't try to save my boyfriend! Forget that!" Y/N insisted. They pushed past Leo, not letting him get another word in, and out of the room.

Leo looked at Donnie who shrugged and returned to his wrist tech. Leo groaned and followed Y/N out, determined to at the very least, convince them to get some gear to keep themself safe.