Rated T

2003'verse

Kinda AU, but not really...

Leo smiled warmly as he saw Raph sleeping on the couch, Mike curled on top of him like a kitten, almost. He snuck out the door, trying not to strain his still-freshly-wounded-but-un-bandaged shoulder. He growled at the thought of it.

Karai had betrayed him.

Again.

He'd saved her!

And she'd fucking stabbed him!

He huffed out of his nose and ran into the woods, going as far as he could while still mapping out his route back to the house.

He gasped in pain as his injury pulled. He fell to his knees, crying out.

He did a few breathing exercises, calming himself as the pain died down as well. He got back up, punching a tree in frustration. He gasped again as a ton of fireflies arose. He gave a small smile.

One of the lightning bugs approached him, and he put his hand out gently, watching as it landed on his knuckle. He gave a small, quiet laugh as to not disturb them as tears gathered in his eyes. A memory flashed before his eyes.

Raph, Mikey, Don, and Leo all ran from the farmhouse. It'd been a few weeks since Leo had woken up, and his injuries were healing nicely. He didn't have his katanas, though, and he felt a bit empty inside. But now, he tried to forget about that as he followed his brothers into the woods. They said there was something they wanted to show him that they'd discovered while he was still recovering in the farmhouse.

He nearly ran into Mikey as they abruptly stopped. In the dark night, he heard them whispering something, and then Raph whistled. Immediately, thousands of fireflies revealed themselves, lighting up the entire space. Leo watched in surprise as some landed on his perfectly still figure. He smiled as his brothers laughed at their brother, nearly collapsing onto each other in laughter.

Leo snapped out of the memory when he saw the full moon reveal itself, coming out from behind the clouds. It shone on him, making the fireflies' glows seem to dull a little bit. He sighed. At least he'd been able to enjoy it for a few minutes.

"Leo!"

All of the fireflies immediately disappeared, turning off their lights. Leo sighed as Raph appeared from the depths of the trees. "What?" he growled, crossing his arms as he turned away.

"Leo, ya can't just disappear like dat!" Raph growled. "Ya know yer still confined ta da house!"

"So are you, Raphael!" Leo exclaimed, turning to his brother.

"I came out here ta drag yer sorry ass back!" Raph retorted. "Ya know how much effort it took ta get Mikey wit' his useless legs offa me?!"

Leo inhaled sharply, guilt quick consuming him. He hadn't even seen his brother, let alone be able to help him as his legs were broken. "I don't care. I was just getting some air."

Raph blocked his brother from leaving. "Nuh uh. We gotta talk. Ya been actin' weird."

Leo flipped over his younger brother, but Raph grabbed his left wrist after he'd landed, making him cry out. "I said no," Raph repeated in a dark voice, dripping with venom. "Start talkin'."

Leo kicked his brother, releasing his hold. "I'm fine."

"No, ya ain't! Ya changed, bro! Ya've been all mopey since our fight wit' da Shredda and - Karai..." Raph put a hand on his chin. "Dat's what's botherin' ya, ain't it?"

Within seconds, he was pinned against a tree, Leo's right forearm against his chest. He groaned as his ribs were strained. "Don' you ever mention that bitch in front of me, Raphael," he hissed.

Raph struggled against his brother's hold, his strength depleted from not having moved much since the fight.

"Do you hear me?" Leo asked in the same tone. Raph stomped on his brother's foot, breaking out of the hold.

"Yes," he answered as he stomped back to the house.

Leo sighed, leaning against a tree. That'd gone great.

One-Shot from DA. :) Review, please! BYE!

Shadow