Hey all! As pennance for my inability to update regularly, here's a little oneshot plot bunny that's been bouncing around my head for a while. I'll probably retype this at some point, but I need critisicim. So, my only Hetalia/TMNT fanfic...

Lichtenstein: Moony does not own Hetalia,

Bishop: Or Ninja Turtles,

Italy: Or PASTAAAAAA!

Me: The bloody hell are you three doing here?! You aren't even in this story!

Independance

Raph was in an uncharacteristically bad mood. Considering that he was Hamato Raphael, certified hothead and grouch of the family, that was saying something. He sat, his head on his knees, on the edge of a rooftop, overlooking Central Park. It was a beautiful view, but he wasn't in the mood to take it in. In fact, he wasn't in the mood for much of anything.

'Stupid Leo. Has to be so freakin' high and mighty all the time. Pain in my shell.' He thought darkly, recalling his brother's almighty attitude and lecture of earlier that evening. He could only think to himself, over and over, that he was through taking orders from that self righteous, pompous jerk.

Across the city, another turtle sat, similarly silent. His blue mask tails snapped in the slight breeze as he sighed softly, looking out across the city.

'Where did I go wrong with him? Why does he hate me so much, after everything I've given up for his sake?' He let out a frustrated growl, kicking a loose stone several feet across his roof. He was leaning his shell against the support for a small water tower, utterly exhausted by the run that had taken him so very far from the Lair. Even farther from Raph. If it was possible for more distance to stand between them.

Two figures had quietly watched the fight between the brothers, from the safety of the shadows. The taller figure spoke first.

"Heh, these guys remind you of some people you know, Arthur?" He had bright blue eyes, framed by his glasses, and a huge smile. His aged brown aviator jacket hung loosely around him, a number 50 on the back. The shorter man chuckled softly.

"Two chaps I know do come to mind, Alfred." He spoke with a British accent, his green eyes and pale face framed by a short, well kept mop of blonde hair. "Looks as if they're close to making the same mistake those...people...made, eh old boy?"

"Duh!" Alfred laughed, "I think we'd better stop that from happening, don't you, bro?" Arthur smiled at Alfred,

"I couldn't agree more."

' Stupid Leo and all his damn rules. Screw him. I'm a grown up now, I don't need him hanging off my shell an' bossin' me around.' His train of thought was interrupted by a bright, cheery voice behind him.

"Hey there, dude!"

He spun with a few choice curse words, on his feet, sai drawn and ready. The intruder didn't even flinch.

"Who the shell are you?!" Raph shouted angrily, glaring at the man, who looked at him curiously.

"Might tell you if you put away the fork thingies, buddy. I just wanna talk." He grinned widely, "See, no weapons." He waved his hands around as if that would prove his point. Raph had a feeling that this guy was a little like Mikey, for lack of a better description.

"They're sai, dumbass, an' I ain't in the mood ta play nice." He growled.

"Dude, relax! I just wanna talk to you about something!" The dirty blonde held his hands up in surrender, his glasses reflecting the faint light that reached the roof from the city below.

"In case you didn't notice, ya idiot-"

"Alfred."

"Huh?"

"My name is Alfred. Feel free to, I don't know, use it?" The man crossed his arms in front of him, still smiling. Raph rolled his eyes.

"Fine, Alfred. Didn't ya notice that I'm a giant turtle?"

"Do I look like an idiot? Wait, don't answer that." Raph could not believe this guy. He had to be totally nuts. He turned to leave. "You're making a mistake, you know. With your brother." That stopped Raph cold.

"How do you-?"

"The yelling could have woken up half of New Jersey." Alfred raised an eyebrow as Raph blushed a bit, then channeled his embarrassment into anger.

"Yeah, well, what do YOU know about it?" He snapped harshly at the man. Alfred was silent for a few seconds before replying.

"Well, for one, I made that mistake. Back when I was young and stupid." At Raph's disbelieving look, he continued, "When I was little, my big brother Arthur looked out for me. He made sure that I was always safe and happy, even before looking after himself sometimes. But I wanted independence. So I hurt him. Badly." He sighed, "We used to be so close, but know there's a wedge between us, keeping us apart. I'll never be that close to anyone again, and it's my own damn fault, too." He looked at Raph, who stood looking at him in shock.

"B-but he wouldn't let ya grow up! He was smotherin ya!" He whispered, and Alfred knew that the turtle was talking about his own brother.

"Yeah, but when I look back on it now, I realise that he had my best interests at heart. He only wanted me to grow up, really grow up, before I took off on my own. I only realised how much I'd hurt him years later, after the damage was done." Alfred looked at Raph sadly, "Don't let that happen between you and your big brother, Raph. Believe a guy who knows; you'll regret it for the rest of your life." Raph was blinking at him, then he whispered,

"Oh, shell. I'm such a jerk." He looked around, "I really should fix this before it gets worse, huh?"

"Yeah, I'd say that's a plan." Alfred nodded, even as Raph took off into the night.

"Excuse me, dear chap. Might I have a word?" Leo was startled into standing by the soft voice, with its British accent. He took in the short man who was looking at him with green eyes, and decided to play it safe, on alert and ready to fight.

"Um, sure, I guess..." He murmured.

"Jolly good. I'm Arthur, by the way."

"I'm Leo. Uh, forgive me for being so blunt, but why aren't you freaking out? I mean, most people do when they see me." Arthur let out a soft chuckle.

"Believe me, young man, I've seen much stranger things than a big, talking terrapin." He inclined his head a bit, "Shall we sit down?" Leo nodded, and they sat. "Now, I happened to hear you and your brother fighting earlier. Am I right in assuming that you're the oldest?"

"How did you guess?" Leo smiled wryly.

"Ah, well, it's easy to recognise a fellow eldest sibling. That's actually what caught my notice; you and your little brother sounded just like me and my little brother. You, trying to get him to calm down and think before running off like a bloody fool, and him telling you to sod off."

"You've got a rebel brother, too?" Leo looked at him in surprise. Arthur nodded.

"And I had one too many fights with him over whether he should listen to me or not. After a point, he wanted more freedom than I gave him, and started to resent my leadership. We ended up fighting, worse than ever before, and not speaking to each other for a great many years. It took me all that time to realise that I could not protect him from the world if he was ready to take his place in it." He looked at Leo with something between sadness and frustration, "I couldn't keep him safe, and I hated that, but he needed to learn to make his own way, and his own mistakes. I didn't let him grow up."

Leo was silent for a minute, then he sighed.

"You really know what you're talking about, don't you?" Arthur laughed merrily.

"After all these years? I should hope so." He watched Leo stand.

"I really should try and find my brother, so we can patch this up." Arthur nodded.

"You be sure that you do. Otherwise, you might find yourself one day with far too many regrets to count. Right then, off you go! Cheerio, old chap!" He smiled at Leo's awkward little wave as the teen ran off into the night.

Arthur and Alfred watched as the two turtles spoke on a rooftop, some ways away. Both smiled as the teens shared a hug, then faded into the shadows of the city that never sleeps.

"You know, Alfred, I rather wish it was that easy for us." Arthur sighed, stretching. Alfred laughed.

"Yeah, right, bro. Whadda ya say we grab a beer? My treat."

"Smashing plan, but it's referred to as a pint, little brother."

"Yeah, unless you get it in a bottle."

"Uh, you savage colonial."

"Arrogant monarchist." The younger countered. Then they both laughed heartily, heading for the nearest pub they could see, side by side, brothers despite all their differences.

Sooo, yeah. Let me know what you think. Keep in mind that I wrote this at, like, silly o'clock in the morning. Cheers.