I have returned to this wonderful, fictional world!

So you can say what you want about nothing ever being better than the original, but I personally love the new TMNT. I think they've taken all the best qualities of the old versions and just compacted it into this beautiful heap of awesome.

Anyway, I've always loved the complicated relationship between Raph and Leo. And though this wasn't written until after I'd seen "The Good, the Bad, and Casey Jones," the violence of "Slash and Destroy" still stuck with me. The new series can be intense from time to time, but the turtles rarely actually get really hurt.

And thus this one-shot was born.

Unspoken

It had been a simple lesson, but Leo remembered it well. They had been twelve or so when a mysterious thing had happened. All four turtles had suddenly become complacent and overly-confident, bored and uninterested in their studies. Perhaps they truly had reached the level of skill their exercises required, or maybe they were simply showing the first signs of their teenage years. Either way, soon the complaints were numerous and the effort minimal.

Of course, boredom inevitably led to shorter tempers and more chances to get into trouble. It wasn't long before Splinter grew impatient with their newfound attitudes. Something would have to be done.

They should have become suspicious the moment they showed up for training one morning and Splinter did not. But the complacency had settled around them like a cloud, fogging their minds. All they saw was a day off.

Splinter returned around lunchtime, carrying a small bundle in his palm. They barely looked up until he called them together, assigning Leo the task of extricating Donnie from his lab.

Once the four were huddled before their master, Splinter had revealed a turtle. It was utterly normal and unconcerned, possibly the least-enthusiastic creature on the face of the planet. For a moment they all stared, unsure what was expected of them.

At last, Splinter explained that he had found the turtle wandering around the sewers, and that he represented a beginning. The four had all begun just like this turtle. And that they had come a long way, but there was still a long journey ahead of them.

They had been warned to enjoy their day off, because starting tomorrow, their lessons would increase in difficulty and they would start private lessons to work on individual skills.

Splinter had dismissed them, handing the turtle to Raphael, who was closest, with the instructions to put him back out in the tunnels.

Two weeks later they had caught Raph feeding the newly-christened Spike in his room. He had tensed, ready to argue, but Splinter had no reprimands.

Spike could stay.

…

The lair was Spike's home for three more years. After the birth of Slash, no one said a word about the little, unmutated turtle to Raph, but it was sort of hard to think about anything else in the following days when they could do little other than sit around recovering from their wounds.

But even once the physical injuries were gone, it soon become apparent that some wounds had not healed.

Leo had thought his younger brother had finally gotten a handle on his anger issues. Now he was starting to fear he had been too optimistic. If anything, Raph had started to lash out more. And though he may have been the main target, Leo wasn't the only subject of his (often unprovoked) wrath.

Leonardo had always seen Raph's anger as a light bulb. It was distressingly easy to turn on, but that light could die just as suddenly. He never could have guessed the effect Casey Jones would have on the younger ninja. Granted, the beginning had been predictable, but once things had settled down, Casey managed to do something that Leo, Donnie, and Mikey hadn't accomplished in fifteen years- they talked. Like, really talked. After their sparring bouts ended, Raph and Casey would hang out and talk.

It frustrated the oldest turtle in ways he was almost ashamed to admit. How had some punk kid off the streets- potential enemy one minute, unexpected ally the next- been able to get through to him when his own brother had not? It had taken Casey six weeks to succeed. Leonardo had had fifteen years, yet he continued to fail.

"I guess it just… it bothers me," he struggled to explain, exasperated.

Donnie barely grunted, not even looking up from the machine he was tinkering with. Leo sat on a stool nearby. Through the partly-opened door he could see Mikey wedged between Casey and April on the couch, absorbed in a video game.

"I mean, doesn't it ever bother you?" Leo demanded after a prolonged moment of silence.

Donnie finally looked up, just as exasperated and impatient to boot. "Yes, Leo, I have wondered what goes through Raph's head from time to time, but I really don't have time for that right now. In case you've forgotten, we've now got another monster on the loose, intent on killing us."

"That's not Raph's fault…"

"I never said it was!" The purple-clad ninja slammed a wrench down on his lab table and for a moment, the noise from the living room quieted. When it sounded like the three had returned their attention to the game, Donnie said at a much lower volume, "I didn't say it was his fault. It's not a fault; it just is. But we've got to be prepared. The next time someone discovers our home, they may not turn out to be a friend."

He turned back to his work, and if he noticed his brother staring he didn't let on. Sometimes Leo forgot that he wasn't the only one who worried 24/7 over their family's well-being. Donnie had always been prone to over thinking things, but lately he'd spent more time cooped up in his lab, his work like a blockade to keep the others out so he could focus. Donnie had begun to work harder and sleep less, constantly distracted. And when he spoke again he sounded preoccupied.

"You're worried about Raph? Here's a crazy idea: Maybe you should talk to him."

…

"Raphael. Hey, wait up a minute. I want to talk to you." Leo had caught the younger turtle just as he was coming out of his room.

"What about?" Raphael sounded wary, and he couldn't blame him. When was the last time Leo had pulled him aside for a reason that didn't include reprimanding him for something?

"Let's take a walk, okay?" His words were careful, and his brother watched him for a moment before nodding.

They walked through the tunnels in silence for a while until finally, Raph said, "So, are we gonna talk or did you just call me out here so you could enjoy my company?"

"No, I mean, I guess I'm just… worried about you," he finished lamely.

The red turtle quirked an eyebrow, smirk in place, but Leo wasn't about to let him brush this off so lightly. "I'm serious, Raph. A lot has changed lately. Nothing's been the same since Spike-"

He stopped when Raph visibly flinched at the sound of Spike's name and turned away from him. "You want me to take the blame for that?" he cut in quickly. "Fine. Whatever. But let's not talk about it, okay?"

"That's not it, Raph," he protested softly. "I'm not trying to blame it on you. I know it's not your fault. What happened to Spike was an accident. But you haven't been the same ever since. I just… I don't know how to get through to you."

"You wouldn't get it." He sounded almost bitter.

"Try me." He could see the control his brother had on his temper quickly dissipating.

"I'm alone here!" he burst out at last.

Leo could do nothing but stare at that, confusion replacing his frustration. He struggled to form a coherent sentence- surely, no other leader ever had such trouble with words. "Raph- I… What?"

"You guys just don't get it. I'm not levelheaded like you and Donnie. I can't be happy all the time like Mikey… Spike was the only one who got it!"

He was breathing heavily and though Leo continued to stare blankly, his mind was reeling. It occurred to him just how rarely any of them listened to Raph's input. More often than not, his ideas were dismissed as being too rash, his actions seen as blind side effects of a mind taken over by anger. Perhaps Raphael had tried to talk to them… They just hadn't been willing to listen.

Leo was nearly overcome with a sudden self-loathing. So sure he knew best… how could he have been so pigheaded? His brother sounded so broken. Why did it have to go this far before he was willing to open his eyes?

"Spike was the only person I could talk to, and now he's gone…" His voice cracked. "I screwed up, Leo. The only reason he was so angry was because I couldn't appreciate what I had. Then you and Donnie and Mikey got hurt and it was my fault!"

Leo threw his arms around his brother, if only to shut him up. He wasn't sure how much more of this he could listen to. His brother stood stiffly in his embrace for one long minute. Leo wasn't sure if Raph was shaking because of anger or an attempt hold back tears, the stress of these long-unspoken words finally unraveling.

He stepped away, keeping his hands on his brother's shoulders, looking at him straight on. For once, his brother's eyes looked… bare. There were no more unspoken words, no more hidden emotions.

"Don't ever let anyone tell you it's your fault," he said firmly. "It's not. And don't worry about us. It's gonna take more than some mutant to tear this team apart."

Raph stared back, just as serious, before nodding. Leo took a deep breath. This was the hard part. He couldn't waver now.

"And… Raph? I'm sorry… if we haven't been there for you. You're right; you're not like us. But I'd rather have you be like you. So, you know, if you ever… need someone to talk to… we're here," he finished awkwardly.

He was finally rewarded with a small smile as Raph shrugged him off. "Thanks, Leo. But I think I already have. Found someone to talk to, that is."

"You mean Casey."

"Yeah. There's more to him than you'd think."

Leo hadn't realized it until now, but he was still on the fence about their alliance with Casey Jones. He couldn't help it. Master Splinter had pounded into their heads that they shouldn't trust easily, and he'd taken it to heart. But if his brother trusted Casey… Well, he guessed that was going to have to be good enough for him.

"I'm glad. Come on, let's go home."

Review please!

My god… I'm choking on how cheesy that ending was.

The part with Donnie was almost… accidental. His character seems to have gotten… sassier, I guess, in the past couple of episodes. He seems more stressed, and I'm sure April having a human friend hasn't helped matters any. But there was a second part to that. I realized recently that, even before the creation of Slash, the turtles have a lot of enemies who haven't been completely defeated. Slash's name has now been added onto a long list of villains that I'm just waiting to see again.

I don't own any aspect of TMNT, but I hope you enjoyed this one-shot!