Leo's 24
Don's 23
Mikey's 22
Raph's 20

Rachael's 22
River's 21
Oceania's 18

"I'm sick of ya always bossin' me, Leo," Raph raged, his green eyes blazing, and shoving a finger hard into Leo's plastron. "In case ya forgot, I ain't twelve anymore. I'm twenty and I don't have ta listen ta ya."
"But you act like it," Leo retorted, drawing himself up to his full height of five feet two, a full two inches taller than his scowling emerald skinned brother. "Always storming off in a rage, throwing temper tantrums and acting like a brat. If Master Splinter were here, he'd be deeply ashamed of you."

"Think we should interfere, bro?" Mikey asked, glancing at Don, who sat beside him on the lounge sofa. "They've been arguing for some time now."
"No, it'll blow over like it always does. Just watch the movie."

Hurt flickered on Raph's face at the mention of their deceased father, who'd passed away two weeks prior in a battle between the brothers and Hun, but it was quickly replaced by a snarl. "Then maybe me and my attitude should leave, Leonardo," Raph growled. "Clearly I'm not wanted or needed."
"You do that and grow up while you're at it! I'm fed up of being-second guessed by an overgrown kid and rectifying your mistakes. You're a disgrace to the clan, to the family, to everything Master Splinter tried to instil in us."
"Don't ya dare mention Master Splinter!" Raph yelled. "It wasn't my fault he got killed.
"Yes, it was. I told you to stay back when Hun advanced and you didn't and he managed to disarm you, had a knife pinned at your throat and Master Splinter tried to rescue you, but ended up being stabbed. It's your fault, Raphael. No one else's. It's your fault. Face the fucking reality. I have. You're a liability to this family and I'm done, so done with YOU. You can run off all you like, throw a tantrum. I don't give a shit anymore what you do." With that, Leo stormed off to his bedroom and slammed the door.

Blinking back tears, Raph ran to the garage, discarded his gear, his weapons and his bandanna, hopped on his bike and drove as fast as he could. He didn't care where he went. I just need ta get away, he thought. The rain pelted down hard on his emerald skin and thunder roared in the distance, but Raph didn't care. Leo's words had cut him to the core and he knew he couldn't stay at the lair any longer with the tension, the angry words, the constant bickering and Leo's "stupid rules." It's time ta forge my own path, Raph thought.

"Should we go after him, Don?" Mikey asked.
"Nope. The argument's nothing new. They had this fight last week and Raph left, returning after a few days. Leo will calm down and he and Raph will work things out."
"I don't know, bro, but I get this feeling that this time things are different and Raph's not coming back."
"He will, Mikey. Where else is he going to go, besides April and Casey, and they're away on their honeymoon."
"I hope you're right, dude. It won't be the same without Raph. And Leo's wrong. He's not a liability and we need him."
"He'll be back, Mikey," Don said, hugging him. "He always returns. He just needs to cool down."
"I hope it's soon. It's stormy out there and it's cold. He'll freeze."

A furious and upset Raph arrived at his destination, Rockaway Beach, near Queens an hour later and parked. There was no one about due to the severe weather and the time of night, 11 p.m. The rain was falling harder, but Raph ignored it, climbed off of his bike and headed towards the ocean. It was high tide and the waves were lashing at the shore and creating a tempest that Raph knew would be deadly to swim in. He'd be tossed against the rocks and would possibly die. I don't care anymore, Raph thought, as hot tears spilled down his cheeks. Leo's right. I'm a liability ta the family, ta the clan, I'm a disgrace, I caused Master Splinter's death and I don't deserve ta be alive. I should be dead and Master Splinter should be alive. I'm gonna end things now. It's the best thing ta do. I can't stand livin' with the pain, the guilt, knowin' I caused his death.

Raph waded further into the swirling water and dove in, allowing himself to be swept along by the turbulent waters. Raph closed his eyes and the current carried him along, until one particularly nasty current caused him to smash into the rocks, causing pain to radiate throughout his body. Battered, bruised and unconscious, Raph rapidly slid under the waters, seemingly destined to lie at the bottom of the ocean forever.

Rachael, a beautiful, twenty-two year old dark haired and dark-eyed mermaid, was on the way home from a weeklong visit to a friend, in a neighbouring kingdom, when she saw a peculiar object rapidly falling to the bottom of the ocean. Curious, she swam to take a closer look. "Be careful, Rach," her flounder friend, Nero, said. "It could be dangerous."
"Relax. I'm just taking a peek at it. Wow. It's a turtle. A giant turtle I've never seen anything like it before," Rachael said, reaching out and touching Raph's shell and his biceps. "Look at the muscles. So defined. Handsome specimen. Probably a boy. Poor thing looks like he's been through the wringer," Rachael added, looking at the huge cut on Raph's head.
"Is it dead, Rach? It's not moving?"
Rachael checked for a pulse and, finding one, said, "No, he's breathing, so he's probably unconscious. We'll need to get him home fast. In his condition, he's an easy meal ticket for the predators around here."
"Your dad's not going to like this."
"I'll worry about him later. Let's go."

Rachael slid an arm around Raph and swam as fast as she could with him, towards the palace where she lived. Her father, Aquarius, the king, ruled the empire along with his queen, Atlanta, and Rachael was the oldest of three daughters. The king had had a son, but he'd been killed by a great white shark ten years prior.

Rachael arrived at the palace and was pleased that no one was around. She headed to her room and placed Raph in her bed. "You'll stay here, turtle," she said. "I believe you're in a coma and hopefully, you'll wake soon."
"What if it's dangerous, Rach?" Nero asked.
Rachael studied the unconscious turtle and said, "I get a funny feeling he's not and that he could be a great asset to us. Are you staying over tonight, Nero?"
"I'd like that and will sleep here on the sofa."
"As will I on this sofa. He needs the bed. Goodnight, Nero," Rachael said, settling herself down on a couch and covering herself with a blanket.
"Night, Rach, and I hope you're right that the turtle isn't a threat."
The turtle's extremely handsome, Rachael thought, closing her eyes. And I'm sure he's harmless. I can't wait until he's awake, so I can find out more about him.

A/N This story is for my friend, Rachael :) Hope she likes it.