Reconnecting

A/N: This little plot bunny came to me last night, and I thought it would be cool to write it down now while I have it in my head. I really like the relationship between Raph and Slash, so I figured it would be neat to write a one shot about how they have reconnected after "Battle for New York." I hope that you enjoy this little story.

Disclaimer: TMNT and all related characters are property of Nickelodeon. I only own the plot and nothing more.

Summary: Raph and Slash have a talk about what happened after the Kraang invasion and where they should go from here.

Raph sighed as he took in the remains of what had once been their Lair. They weren't able to move anywhere else yet, so they had decided to stay in their old home for the time being until they could relocate to a new one. Slash and his friends had decided to stay with them while Jack Kurtzman went to his old apartment and decided to bunk there.

"Man, this place has changed," Slash commented.

"Yeah, it's definitely not like it used to be," Raph replied. "Stupid Kraang."

"Well, they're gone now, so it's gonna be okay. You'll find a new home."

"I know, but just the thought that we can't live here anymore sucks," Raph said. "This has been our home since I can remember. It's gonna be hard to leave it."

"I know, brother, but you'll always have the memories," Slash told him. "I remember when you rescued me. I had been flushed down a toilet by some little kid who didn't know better, and I was scared. But you picked me up and begged your dad to keep me because you didn't want me to suffer. Splinter allowed it, and I'll never forget how happy I was to hear that I was allowed to stay."

"You remember that?" Raph asked him.

"Of course I do," Slash replied. "I remember a lot of things, Raph. Those memories will stay with me forever, just like your memories of your home will stay with you."

"You're right," Raph said.

"So why did you guys leave?" Slash asked.

"We had no choice," Raph answered. "Leo had been attacked by Shredder's army, and he was badly hurt. We were in no shape to fight, so we had to get out of there. Donnie even tried that Turtle Mech he'd been workin' on, but it didn't do a lot of good. I didn't want to leave without findin' you, but I knew we had to go. When Donnie took us here to gather one item, I grabbed a picture of you. I figured lookin' at it would help me get through everything and give me the strength to go on, and it did. Every time I looked at your face, I knew I had to keep going and that you'd want me to."

"You're right about that," Slash said. "You were right to leave with your family. They needed you."

"But I needed you with me, too!" Raph protested.

"I know, but I was doing good work here," Slash told him. "I gathered my friends and Jack recruited us to help stop the Kraang in your place. He was desperate to find you guys, but I couldn't find any trace of you no matter how hard I tried. I thought maybe the Kraang had wiped you out, but then I remembered how strong you guys were and how you'd never let that happen, so I figured you had to be away from the city in a safe place. I wanted to look for you, but I was afraid I'd compromise your position, so I decided against it."

"It would have been great to have you there, Slash," Raph said. "I really could have used your support."

"That bad, huh? Slash asked.

"Yeah, it sucked," Raph answered. "Leo was out for three months, and we didn't know if he'd ever wake up from it. Those were the worst moments of my life, Slash. I really tried to be strong for the others, but there were times where I just broke down because I couldn't handle it. I tried to take Leo's place, but I wasn't him, and I knew it. I knew that if I continued to lead the team, it would be a disaster."

"But it wasn't," Slash reminded him. "You held them together and took over because you knew Leo would have wanted that. What happened when he woke up?"

"I led the training and helped him get better," Raph answered. "It definitely wasn't easy, but we came out of it okay."

"And what was his reaction when he saw you leading the training sessions?"

"He was proud of me," Raph replied. "He said that he always knew I had it in me to lead if I put my mind to it, and he said that if he didn't get better I could lead the team in his place because I had the makings of a good leader. I told him I didn't want it, but he said that we had to consider that possibility that he wouldn't get better and that we had to think of a different plan if that happened."

"He did get better though."

"Yeah, but even he doubted that he wouldn't. I've never seen Leo so down about things, but when it came to his knee injury, he just wasn't confident he'd get better. After we got captured by the chimera, he snapped out of it and helped us because he knew he had to."

"I can understand why he'd doubt himself though," Slash said. "I felt the same way after my team got captured in TCRI. Luckily, Rockwell helped us out, and we managed to escape and keep fighting. But I really felt low that time. I felt like Leo was right and that I had no right to be a leader."

Raph smiled. "But you proved him wrong," he said. "I think the two of you could learn from each other."

"I think so, too," Slash said. "Is he okay though? I mean, I know you said his knee is better, but what about his mind?"

"What do you mean?" Raph asked him.

"Does he still have nightmares about the attack?"

"Not as much as he used to," Raph answered. "He had them a lot at the farm, but after the vision quests we went on, the nightmares lessened. I don't know if they'll ever fully go away, but he definitely has become stronger and more confident about things."

"And that's why I always admired him, Raph," said Slash. "I always thought he was good at focusing on a task and seeing it through. After you guys left, I knew I had to do my best to create a team just like you guys because I knew you would want me to. So I found Rockwell, Leatherhead, and Pete and figured they were as good as any other mutants I could find. So I dubbed us the Mighty Mutanimals because it sounded like a good name, and I remembered how Leo was obsessed with Space Heroes and being a hero himself."

Raph laughed. "It figures you'd remember that," he said, punching his former pet playfully on the shoulder.

"Well, it worked, didn't it? We managed to take out the Kraang for a while and disable them somewhat before you boys got back. Working together really made me realize how important you guys are to the city and how it sucked without you there."

"We're here now though, and the Kraang are gone," Raph declared.

"Yep. So now the question is where do we go from here?"

"I guess we just have to take it one step at a time and wait and see what comes. I'm just glad we're back and that you're okay, Slash. I've missed you."

"I've missed you, too, Raph," Slash said. "I've missed all of you, and I'm glad you're all safe and sound. It'll be just like old times, right, brother?"

"Yeah, you're right, buddy, except this time you don't have to chew on a leaf all of the time."

"You may not believe it, but I really liked those leaves. Do you still have them?"

"I think I may have one left over. I saved it after you mutated to have something to remember you by. Do you want it?"

"Nah, you can keep it," Slash said. "But is there any way you could get me some more?"

"Sure," Raph answered. He went to the dojo and picked some leaves off of the tree that was miraculously still standing despite the Kraang's assault.

"Pizza's here!" Mikey called out.

Raph and Slash went to the living area and grabbed some slices of pepperoni pizza. Slash put some of the leaves on top and ate happily. Raph smiled, remembering how Spike used to chew on those leaves all of the time. Things had changed now, but one thing that hadn't changed was that Raph had his best friend back and as long as Slash was around, Raph knew that things would be okay for all of them. Even Slash remembered the good times he'd had in the Lair and though things weren't the same, he knew that as long as he had his family back, nothing could stop them from helping others in need.

The End

A/N: So that's the end of this little tale. I hope you liked it as I had a lot of fun writing it. Feel free to leave a review and have a shelltastic day.