Hello, and thank you for choosing to read my story. This is a prequel for my story Cuts and Bruises, currently in the works, so if you like this then go check it out. This story is told from Leonardo's POV only, so I will not be putting that at the beginning of each chapter for it will most likely never be from anyone else. One last thing, I'm not sure if I want to leave this as a oneshot or turn it into a story, so please give me feedback, it'd really mean a lot to me. Well, enjoy and review!

Cling. My Katana bangs loudly against Raphael's twin Sai. He snarls at me as we spar, his low, hardy growl mixing in with sounds of grunts and metal clashing against metal. My brother's emerald green eyes glare at me viciously, tempting to break me in half like a saw. I refuse to shatter, though, because whoever snaps at the words or looks of others is a coward. A coward with zero honor.

Raphael kicks my plastron roughly, sending me flying backwards.

When I drop to the ground with a loud groan, my opponent chuckles softly, taking a few steps forward until he's looking over me. "Not so strong now, are ya fearless?" The taunting tone Raphael uses to speak to me in is irritating. When sparring, one should not attack the other verbally, only physically! Why is it so hard for Raphael to understand that?

I jump up, coming nose to nose with my second in command. "Shut it, Raphael," I hiss lowly.

With a smirk playing on his large, green lips, Raph backs up, twirling his blades carefully. "Someone ain't very happy. Did big bad Raphie give wittle Leo a boo-boo?" The pouty lip he makes at the end just adds to the treacherous mocking.

Across the room, Donatello and Michelangelo spar, with Splinter helping them with their posture and swift, stealthy movements.

Glancing back at Raphael, I glare, my shoulders slumping down in annoyance. With a Sai grasped in each hand, Raphael bobs his weight from foot to foot, a challenging gleam in his dark green eyes.

I heave a long sigh before getting into a proper stance, readying my swords.

3...2...1...

Raphael lunges at me a little too suddenly, giving me absolutely no time to think.

We fall to the ground together, rolling across the carpets until I have him pinned beneath me.

Teeth baring, my hands hold Raphael's wrists down. My fingers wrap around his wrappings and his eyes widen in what looks like fear.

Fear? No, couldn't be. Raphael doesn't get scared, not since we were children. The last time I've seen him show any emotion other than anger was back when we were eight and a loud thunderstorm had roared overhead.

Me and my brothers had been playing together in the pit, just as we always did when we had a break from training. The tv was on, playing SpongeBob, though none of us had been watching.

Everything was calm on second, and then not the next. Directly over head, lightening shone down through the storm drain, thunder following quickly after. With us being Bennett the surface, with nothing but brick walls surrounding us, the thunder echoed louder than it did above.

We'd all ran to our father in fear, and Raphael hadn't stopped crying until he was being cradled gently in Master Splinter's arms. He was always a crybaby when we were tots, and nothing but our Sensei's touch could calm him.

My little brother, oh how stubborn he his, yet how sensitive. I've always been able to see it in his eyes, the uncertainty that hides there, masked behind a face paint of anger. I wonder if he realizes that his anger is nothing but an illusion? I wonder if he knows that he has other emotions too, and he just shoved them aside? I wonder if I asked him if he'd open up and tell me?

But most of all, I wonder what just startled him?

I leap away, stabbing my katana S back into my scabbard and offering a hand to pull Raphael up. He doesn't take my hand, though, he just glared at me as he gets up.

As Raphael stomps out of the dojo, probably to his room, I can't help but watch him. What was all of that about? Why had he been so dramatic right there? Did I hurt him? Perhaps I pinched a nerve? No, I couldn't have, all I'd done was clasp his wrists. So, what just happened?

"Leonardo?" Master Splinters voice booms from across the room, and I turn my head to meet his worried eyes. "What happened?"

"H-he got startled when I touched his wrists and...I don't really know what happened." I felt out of breath for some odd reason, as if all the oxygen had been sucked out of my lungs, leaving me gasping.

Sensei's eyes widen, but quickly decrease back to their normal size, and then down to a grim narrow. "Donatello, Michelangelo, you are dismissed. Leonardo, come with me," my Father's thick Japanese accent orders my brothers away, leaving the two of us alone, leaving me with nothing to do but follow him into his bedroom.

The only light in the room is from the stumpy candlesticks, sending a thick layer of smog into the atmosphere. The oily smell floods my nostrils, and I inhale it deeply, allowing the scent to linger for a few extra seconds before exhaling it. Clouds of smoke surround me as I kneel before my father, who sits with his hands on his knees.

I imitate his posture, and stare deeply into his eyes, waiting for the deepening silence to break.

"His..wrists?" The words weave together like thread, crested in a sense of elegancy. This question is simple, and it spikes me interest.

"Yes, his wrists. Is there a problem?"

Splinter stands and begins pacing, stroking his long, filament beard. "I am afraid so, Leonardo."

My heart begins to race, skipping a beat every two or so, my blood pressure skewering in ways it most likely shouldn't. I can't help it though, I'm nervous. What's going on with Raphael?

Just when I thought I couldn't take the anxiety much longer, my Sensei stopped and looked down at me. "Your brother..is a suffering victim of self harm."


I urge my eyelids to shut, but they disobey, staying wide open as I stare up at my ceiling. Or, maybe it's the wall, or even the floor. I don't know, I'm mixed up. Ever since I found out..I haven't been the same.

It's been a week, and I'm beyond worried for my brother. I should talk to him. It beats sitting around in my bed, trying to come up with every possible answer to why he would self harm. I'm sure he'll tell me, I can get him to open up. We're best friends, we always have been and always will be. If I ask him a question he'll open up to me.

Raphael..has always been an open book to me. Ever since we were young. We've always been closer to each other than we are with Mikey and Donnie, nothing's ever stood between us.

Though, he does get frustrated with me a lot.

And we do bicker frequently.

And, now that I think about it, Raphael will ignore me at all costs.

So, are we brothers? Or just plain strangers?


What are your thoughts? Should I continue my Cuts and Bruises Prequel, or leave it as a oneshot? Please leave a review, I'd appreciate it! Have a nice week everyone! ;)

-RaphSai03