Red Requiem

Authors note:

A What If Scenario of the TMNT 2012 Episode Red Requiem.

What if it wasn't Splinter who died?

.

.

.

.

.

Splinter's heart shattered into a million pieces and his world came to a screeching halt. How had it come to this? Why? It should have been him! It should have been him! He knew his fate had come for him today. Yet it had not claimed him, instead his fate jumped its tracks and now his fate no longer belonged to him. His whole body was a mess of tremors as he bore witness to the gruesome and impossible sight before him. A sight that shouldn't be, a sight a parent should never have to witness. Yet here the sight was in all its tormenting and agonizing glory.

.

.

His enemy looked shocked and then mildly surprised at this impulsive turn of events. But the mild shock and surprise washed away with a look of pure malice. "I TOOK YOUR CHILD LIKE I TOOK MIWA BEFORE AND, JUST LIKE I TOOK YOUR WIFE! I NOW TAKE HIM, BEAR WITNESS TO THIS HAMATO YOSHI, FOR YOUR SON HAMATO RAPHAEL, IS DEAD!"

.

.

Without any hint of remorse or mercy he ripped his blades out of Raphael. Shredder grasped him by his mask holding him up a few inches above the rooftop, the red masked turtle hung limp and lifeless. Then with a powerful flex of Shredder's arm he lobbed Raphael off the roof like he was a bag of trash, cackling as he did so.

.

.

"RAPHAEL NOOOOOOO-" Splinter dived to the edge of the building trying to secure Raphael but missed his belt buckle by a centimeter. His eyes went wide and his heart galloped within his chest. His breaths became erratic as fresh tears dropped from his eyes and down after his son. His little Raphael….

.

.

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" April let out a wail, her body trembled with the amount of power she was conducting. Her gaze was fixated icily on the Shredder, if looks could kill Shredder would have been dead milliseconds ago. Her face was a scowl as her powers erupted from her, blasting forth with lethal amounts of force. Her powers collided with Shredder and it sent him hurling off the building and smashing into a dumpster truck below.

.

.

All the while, down below on the street wails echoed April's own. The wails of the three remaining ninja brothers mixed in harmony with April's shrill shriek. Leonardo, Donatello and Michelangelo all rushed towards their fallen brother, whom lie broken and still in the street.

.

.

As they reached their hotheaded brother's side it became all too evident the wound he sustained as well as the fall had been fatal. There were no signs to indicate that he had survived either his wound or the fall, not that it mattered if he did. Even if he had survived there was virtually no chance that he'd hold on for more than a few minutes before finally succumbing to his grievous injuries.

.

.

"No...No...No..." Leonardo uttered out numbly as he was the first to fall to his knees next to Raphael. Donnie and Mikey mimicked Leo's movement and they too fell to their knees. With gentle hands and delicate movements Leo turned Raph over onto his shell. His eyes were closed and his body felt lighter than before. Leo searched desperately for any signs of life, but couldn't seem to pinpoint any. He felt like he was going to faint.

.

.

"Raph….? Raph….? Bro?" Mikey's words were nothing more than faint and strained whimpers. He tried to rouse Raph with a soft shake of his shoulder. All he got in response was Raph's head slumping until his cheek rested against Leo's chest. "RAPH!" A pitiful cry escaped the freckled orange masked ninja, his baby blues misting over with thousands of tears. He promptly buried his face against Raph's shoulder, he broke down into hysterics. He could hardly breathe between his sobs and pleas for his older brother to wake up.

.

.

"Raphael…" The name of his hotheaded and impulsive brother finally crawled its way out of the depths of Donnie's vocal cords. The purple masked ninja just stared down at him, eyes wide and lower lip quivering. He reached out in uncertainty his hand hovering over Raph's motionless body. This was when the water works finally forced themselves to trickle down Donnie's cheeks.

.

.

Donnie hugged himself tightly and squeezed his eyes shut. He shook his head furiously, trying to get the image of Raph lying there still and broken out of his mind. This had to be a nightmare, but in his aching heart he knew it wasn't. This was their reality now… Raph was… he drew in a shaky breath before he opened his eyes and reached out and cradled Raph where he could. He just needed to hold onto him one last time if he was to keep his sanity.

.

.

"Raph…Raphie….Raphie…?" Leo 's voice returned from the silence it had once fallen into. Leo couldn't even remember the last time he had called Raphael by Raphie. It had to have been ages ago, back when they were all still so innocent and without a care in the world. The blue masked ninja repeated Raph's name over and over, his voice was low and hushed. It was almost as if he was trying to coax Raph into the realm of the awakened. Just like he did most mornings when it was time for them all to begin the day.

.

.

Except this time Raph would never wake up and this harrowing thought was what finally caused Leo to shatter. He lost any sign of composure, and let his anguish be known to all the stars in the galaxy. "RAPHAEL! RAPHAEL! RAPHAEL! WAKE UP! WAKE UP! PLEASE! PLEASE! YOU SHOULDN'T DIE BEFORE ME! I'M THE LEADER! LEADERS ARE THE ONES THAT ARE SUPPOSED TO SACRIFICE THEMSELVES!"

.

.

Leo's entire being seized with tremors as he lamented between his weeps and his fragmented inhalation and exhalation of air. He clutched Raph as close as he could against him and rested his forehead against Raph's temple. "Raph… Raphie…please….please…wake up. Say something….anything…or….or just open your eyes. Just please don't….don't go where I cannot lead you back home…" His voice died within him as he let himself break.

.

.

Leo mourned without restraint, without any fear. He just let himself go, not caring what anyone else thought. He let his strong façade shatter and just sobbed like a lost child. "I'm….sorry little brother. I'm sorry…if I could take your place…I'd do it in a heartbeat. I would die so that you could live…you'll never know how much we all love you Raphael."

.

.

As the three brothers mourned, Casey Jones looked on, frozen in place. His best friend and someone he considered a brother was dead. This couldn't be…how the hell did this happen!? As the memories of everything that he and Raph went through together played though his mind, rage consumed him like an inferno as he let out a low growl of hatred through clenched teeth. He spun around and flipped the switch for the garbage truck.

.

.

As he watched without remorse as Shredder was pulled in and compacted. "Oops." His voice held no remorse of what he had done, and why should he be remorseful? Shredder had taken away his brother in arms, his best friend and partner in crime. Shredder could rot in the depths of hell for all Casey Jones cared. He walked away and towards his mourning family.

.

.

It was at this point Splinter and April had traversed down into the streets. Splinter leaned on April to keep himself from collapsing to the cold and unforgiving pavement. Droplets of rain began to pelt down against the street of New York City. As Splinter approached his grieving sons, they shuffled a little so Splinter could kneel by Raph as well. Casey went over to April and allowed her to lean against him. The two human teens were crying silently as they looked upon their crestfallen mutant family members.

.

.

A breath caught in Splinter's throat and his breathing hitched as he placed his hand on Raph's cheek. He closed his eyes trying not to break down as well. His remaining sons needed him to be strong, he couldn't break in front of them. "Raphael my son…I…I shall miss you like the sun misses the moon. But in my heart you'll always stay." He just didn't understand how this happened, it all happened in the blink of an eye.

.

.

Splinter let his thoughts flow as he tried to make sense of it all. He didn't want to relive that unnerving and dreadful moment. Alas, he felt as though he had to, so that he may one day be able to have closure. As repulsive as it sounded, knowing exactly how someone died was objectively better than not knowing how it happened.

.

.

Splinter could remember limping his way over to April and Raphael as they thought Shredder was no more. And then Splinter heard Raphael's voice cry out in alarm, "FATHER!"

.

.

And then somehow Raphael had appeared behind Splinter and in front of Shredder. Raphael had taken the brunt of the blow that was meant for Splinter. And there was nothing he could have done to prevent this. Because of Raphael's impulsive gesture to save his father no matter the cost, he had altered Splinter's fate. Raph had lost his life and given Splinter a new path of fate, even though the mutant rat did not want it.

.

.

"Haha…you..g-guys..ca-care…a-about me…" A raspy and fragile voice that they almost didn't recognize caught their attention.

.

.

Everyone's widened gaze landed on Raph. His emerald eyes were open albeit only a fraction, he let out ragged coughs and took in low and uneven breaths. The light of life in his eyes had dulled considerably… even though he wasn't dead yet, there was no doubt he'd be gone in a matter of minutes.

.

.

"Raph!" Leo choked out as he removed his forehead from Raph's temple and stared down into his emerald eyes. "Raph please just hang on, Don-Donnie can get you patched up and-"

.

.

Mikey's sobs interrupted Leo's sentence, the orange masked turtle hugged Raph as tightly as he could without accidentally hurting him. "I'M SORRY FOR ANNOYING YOU! I'M SORRY FOR PLAYING PRANKS ON YOU. I'M SORRY FOR EVERYTHING! I'M SORRY SO PLEASE STAY!"

.

.

It was Donnie's turn to interject. His voice slightly raised, "Of COURSE we care about you… you…. COLOSSAL IGNORAMUS. Why else do you think we're all here, duh!" He wasn't saying it in a harsh or condescending manner. He was just pointing out the painfully obvious.

.

.

"Raphael!" April moved away from Casey and finally knelt besides Splinter and the turtles. She took in deep breaths before she spoke. "Raphael you're fatally wounded, you need to conserve your strength. We will get you to the lair and patched up, Donnie can fix you I know he can."

.

.

Casey joined them, kneeling down after April. "Yeah you're a tough turtle bud, you can make it through this. I mean c'mon Raph you've had worse than this, yo!"

.

.

Splinter about lost his composure but managed to cling onto it. He took deep breaths and then began to chant as he made symbols with his fingers. He poured all of his healing energy into the chant and tried to heal Raphael. But his efforts failed to produce any results. Splinter was just too exhausted from the battle. "I am…sorry my son."

.

.

Raph managed a feeble laugh and a pained smile. "S'alright… m'just glad that you're okay…fa-father." He drew in an unsteady breath of air, before he was overtaken by a fit of coughs and hissing gasps. He turned his head towards the asphalt of the road and blood splattered onto it. Blood from Raphael's mouth, there was no doubt about that. He must have internal bleeding and it wasn't a shock that he did. Anyone would if the Shredder had impaled them like that; and they were hurtled off the building but arrived alive at the end of the fall.

.

.

Anything Splinter wanted to say caught in his throat as he inhaled a sharp breath. He felt as though daggers had ravaged his heart and soul. Here he was watching one of his children die before him, and he could do nothing to help him. If he couldn't save him he at least wanted to ease his agony, yet he could not even give that. He felt Raphael shudder against the palm of his hands, he had placed his hands on his son's chest, attempting to heal him from the heart outward. But he couldn't... he was too exhausted to even conjure up the healing energy.

.

.

"He's not going to make it." Donnie confirmed what everyone was already dreading, he felt his guts twisting within him. He hated how blunt he was being about this, but he wasn't going to sugar coat it either. "He's already lost a lot of blood, and that wound probably raptured several major organs. The fall no doubt broke the back of his skull. To be honest, I don't even know how he survived the wound or the fall both."

.

.

"Heh…you could lied a little you know, Don." Raph let out another feeble chuckle and shivered violently. He could feel the warmth of his body seeping away, giving wake to a frigid coldness he had never experienced before. Though he still felt as if he were on fire, his wounds were throbbing with horrific agony. "M'so tired…" He murmured taking in shaky breaths as he rested his cheek against Leo's chest. The shimmering light of life that lingered in his emerald eyes dulled even more. Leaving them almost clouded over and lifeless, soon but not yet it seemed.

.

.

Tired….wasn't good, Donnie knew what this meant and he knew Raph wasn't long for this world. "I'm sorry Raph… I thought I could fix anything. But I can't… I can't fix you… forgive me I've failed you and our family." His words came as choked up whimpers and whines. He gazed down at his broken brother with shame and despair.

.

.

Silence fell over them all as Raph's erratic breaths took a turn for the worse. He trembled like the earth was shaking. He turned over and more blood heaved out of him and onto the road. He let out a growl of disdain and forced a deep inhale no matter how much his lungs begged him to release the inhale he refused.

.

.

Sharp and unforgiving pain blossomed within his lungs and he stubbornly made himself breathe deeply. He couldn't go, not yet… he refused to part without saying a few words to his family. At this moment in time was he ever thankful he was a turtle, no doubt it was his shell that shielded him from dying on impact. His half dead gaze settled on Mikey, "Mi-Mikey…"

.

.

Mikey sniffled as he stared at his fallen brother. "Ye-Yeh Raph?" The freckled turtle was shocked that he could even bring himself to answer Raph. He wasn't sure how he found the strength in him to speak, but he had.

.

.

"Mikey…I…just…" Raph's breathing hitched and he let out ragged coughs, his body shuddering again. "I just wanted to…tell you that you're a…gr-great little brother. And…I love you..." He trailed off to take in more air. He could feel his lungs becoming heavier and heavier due to the lack of oxygen he needed. "Please… take c-care of Chompy Picasso f-for me… he'll ne-need you now." There was so much more he was aching to say, but he knew he didn't have much time. He knew he had to keep his goodbyes short and sweet. He loathed the fact words he wished to say we're going to remain unspoken, but there was nothing he could do to change the fact he was soon to pass on.

.

.

"I will…" Mikey promised firmly, trying to keep himself in a somewhat composed manner. "I'll feed him, tickle him, pet him, take him on walks, bathe him and train him to be the ultimate warrior- every day."

.

.

Raph managed a grin, "I know he'll be in good hands with you…" His clouded gaze shifted from Mikey to Donnie. "Don…thanks for… for always patchin' me up whenever I was reckless an' got myself injured. I know if it was possible you'd fix me up now…I can forgive you just this once you big brainiac." A fatigued chuckle left him. How bizarre, here he was the on that was dying and one would think he'd b receiving the comfort instead of giving it out. "I love you bro, keep everyone hea-healthy an' strong, okay Don? And for shell's sake tell April how you feel about her." He teased him playfully with a wink of his left eye.

.

.

Donnie couldn't help but blush in utter embarrassment and he took a deep breath. "I…. I'll do whatever it takes to keep everyone healthy and strong. And I… I'll try to tell April how I feel."

.

.

April's already red face due to crying became even redder. It was obvious what Raph was hinting at, April pretty much knew how Donnie felt. They just hadn't formerly confessed to each other yet.

.

.

Speaking of April, the red-headed girl watched as Raph gazed in her and Casey's direction. April tried to give him a smile but only managed to give him an odd crooked one. Casey couldn't even manage a smile, only grief was expressed upon his face.

.

.

"April…Case…thanks….for being apart of our family….an' for acceptin' us when no other humans would." Raph felt palpitations in his heart, breathing was turning into more of a struggle for him. "I wish we coulda hung out more April….and Case…I'm glad I got to know you. Please don't forget about me an' everythin' we've been through. I love you two, you're family to us."

.

.

April didn't know what to say. So all she said was, "Raphael…you'll always be like a brother to me…I'll miss you."

.

.

Casey blurted out, cutting April's words off. "I'll never forget about you, how could I!? A friend and a brother like you only come around once in a lifetime. I… I don't want...I DON'T WANT YOU TO DIE! WHO ELSE AM I GONNA WRECK THE SCUM OF THE CITY WITH?" He couldn't keep his sorrows in forever and began to cry freely. He couldn't accept the death of his best friend, how could he? How could Raph be so calm about all this?

.

.

How could Raph accept his own death when no one else here could? How was he not quivering with fear? How could Raph accept this? "HOW? HOW CAN YOU JUST ACCEPT THIS? HOW CAN YOU STILL BE GRINNING AND JOKING AS IF WHAT HAPPENED AIN'T HAPPENED, RAPH?" Casey slammed his fist into the concrete beside Raph.

.

Raph could feel himself slipping away as Casey began to scream at him. The screams fueled the ever-burning fire that was threatening to flicker out within him. All he did was smile brokenly at his bone headed pal. "Trust me Case…I don't wanna accept it…but there ain't nothin' that can be done. Nothing to do but to accept it." He trailed off and closed his eyes as weak breaths tumbled out of his open mouth. Blood began to trickle freely from the corner of his mouth.

.

.

What brought Raph back to awareness was the feeling of Splinter's hand wiping away the blood off of his face. He opened his eyes and stared at his father in exhaustion. "I…I'm sorry f-father… I…I didn't know what else to do… he was going to kill you…I couldn't…" His lungs constricted as he was gripped by another coughing fit, this time it was more violent than the others. He felt his brothers gently keep his body still as it convulsed. He couldn't stop is body from convulsing, he felt trapped within his own body. Unable to do anything to steady himself… was this the end? Was he about to die? It sure as shell felt like it. But no…he came out of it gasping for air.

.

.

Splinter hushed him as if he were a tot again, gently stroking his cheek in fatherly comfort. Raph took in more gasps and finally regained some sort of control over himself. He was too stubborn to quit now, he needed to finish his goodbyes, he'd accept his death only when he finished saying what he wanted to say. "I…love you dad…"

.

.

Tears and rain matted the fur of his cheeks, and Splinter couldn't stop the cry of anguish from leaving him. He was beginning to break, he didn't know how much longer he could keep himself steady. "I love you too, my son. As a father I am supposed to cherish and protect my children, I am sorry for being unable to protect you as you protected me."

.

.

"No…don't…think that you failed to protect me. You've protected us our whole lives…it is only right that we protect you as well." Raph managed to speak even though he was exhausted. He could feel the darkness and cold that was death, creeping ever close like it too was a ninja. His eyelids were so heavy… he lost himself for a few moments.

.

.

Almost letting death take him right then and there, he didn't know if he could fight it anymore. He had been fighting to stay alive even before he was launched off the roof. His heart skipped several beats and he let out a feeble whimper, panic washed over him. He couldn't breathe… he couldn't breathe anymore…he couldn't intake air. He was dying…this was it… he'd be gone at any moment now.

.

.

That was until he heard a voice slice through the darkness and the darkness began to shatter around him into pieces. He could feel his chest being pressed on, forcing whatever little blood he had left to force his lungs to work and to bring air to his oxygen deprived brain. He could hear someone telling him to hang on just for a little bit longer. It didn't take him long to realize who was trying to keep him alive even if for a bit longer.

.

.

"Leo…" His voice was so hushed that he didn't know if he had actually said it or thought it. No… he wasn't going to die not now. He had to say goodbye to Leo… he'd said goodbye to everyone else and he'd be damned if he didn't say goodbye to his older brother. With what little stubbornness and what little fire of life that flickered inside of him, he opened his eyes for what he knew would be the last time.

.

.

He could see his brother's sapphire eyes were glistening with tears, his expression was that of fear and disbelief. It would seem Leo wasn't ready to say goodbye or accept that he was watching his little brother fade in front of him. "Raph…"

.

.

Raph stared deeply into those sapphire eyes, he could feel the agony that his brother was experiencing. He reached up with trembling hand and place it against Leo's cheek. "I…I love you…big bro."

.

.

"I know, I love you too little brother." Leo choked out brokenly. He felt his tears being wiped away by Raph's fingers. "I…I…I'm not ready to say goodbye…" He admitted with a dejected sob. "I don't want to say goodbye… I can't…I…"

.

.

Raph broke now as tears escaped his emerald eyes. He didn't want to say goodbye either…he was terrified. Now that death was hovering over him and ready to take him, he was terrified. "Leo…" He couldn't keep the terror out of his voice.

.

.

Leo embraced him in a gentle hug, "I've got you….I've got you." He reassured Raph as best as he could manage. "It's okay….it's okay…"

.

.

Raph could no longer register anyone else around him but Leo. "I'm scared…Leo…"

.

.

"I know…" Leo replied as he held him close. "I'm here for you…Raph…I won't leave you alone."

.

.

Raph tried to return the embrace, but he just couldn't seem to get his limbs to work. So he just settled for keeping his hand pressed against Leo's cheek "I'm cold…Leo…"

.

.

Leo didn't need to be told this. He could already feel how cold Raph had become, it was as if Leo was cradling a pile of snow. "I know… it'll be over soon, Raph…"

.

.

"M'so…tired…" Raph's voice was scarcely a whisper at this point. "So…tired…"

.

.

"It's okay Raph…it's okay to go. You can let go… it's okay….we all love you, Raphael."

.

.

That was the last thing Raphael heard before he drifted away, his hand slipped down Leo's cheek and landed with a dull thud against his crimson coated plastron. His spirit left his body and vanished into nirvana, leaving his body cold and lifeless. The ever-burning fire had finally flickered out...

.

.

Leo could feel his brother wither away, like a wilting red rose in his arms. He swallowed down a sob in his throat. So many words left unsaid… so many things between them left unmended. He didn't want to believe he was gone. "I'm sorry… I'm sorry I'm so sorry…"

.

.

Splinter took in a deep breath, he could feel Raphael's spirit leave him. But even still he wanted to confirm it, his gaze landed on Donatello. "Donatello…?"

.

.

Donnie nodded, knowing what Splinter wanted before he even said it. He reached over and placed his fingers against Raph's neck. No pulse, Donnie wasn't expecting one, but even still it felt like a suckerpunch to the gut. He moved his hand and placed it against Raph's chest feeling for a heart beat, once again nothing. He straightened himself into a sit and said those awful words that nobody wanted to hear, yet they all needed to hear. With a dismal shake of his head, he closed his eyes and delivered the words in grief. "He's…gone."

.

.

The Hamato family would never be the same again. They were fractured without the pillar of strength Raph provided for them. With heavy hearts and tears staining their cheeks, they fled into the shadows - hiding away from the cruel world that had mercilessly severed Raphael from life.

.

.

Raphael had sacrificed himself for his father…

.

.

And, something came to pass that no parent should have to do, yet it had come to this conclusion.

.

.

Splinter had to bury his child.

.

.

.

Authors note: If you're wondering how Rap survived the fall when Splinter didn't in the show its because Raph is younger. He has more muscle and he's stubborn as hell. Splinter was old, he had accumulated old wounds through the series and those old wounds combined with Shredder stabbing him through and the fall it what led Splinter to die on impact. If Splinter survived a thousand foot drop into a chasm then Raph can survive being stabbed through and thrown off a building. Well at least survive for a little while. So yeh, if you were wondering how he was still able to clutch onto life if only for a few precious minutes more, that's how. Also you'd be surprised what someone can live through even if it's only a while longer.