A big thank you to those who reviewed this fic! Here's chapter two. This is my first fic for the 2014 TMNT, so I'm still getting used to it. I was originally going to put this in one of my other fics, Brotherly Blunders, which is a collection of one-shots about the turtles, but I've written (handwritten) four chapters of this story so far, so I decided it needed to be on its own. Also it didn't really fit with the rest of the Brotherly Blunders fics. It's a little too different. So I'll stop boring you now and get on with chapter 2.

I hadn't intended this chapter to be so…I don't really know what word to use…I wouldn't exactly say heart-wrenching, but it definitely stirs up emotional responses. Especially the second part. At least to me it does. Poor Raph.

Ch. 2-Black Sheep

The air was dank and still as the two eldest turtles made their way through the sewers. It was so silent that Raphael could hear his heartbeat ringing in his ears. The two of them hadn't spoken a word since earlier. Finally a sigh broke the silence. Raph looked up and tentatively began to construct what he wanted to say. Unfortunately, that was easier said than done and eventually he just settled for a quiet "I'm sorry."

Leonardo just stared at him as they came to a complete halt. "You're sorry?" the eldest parroted disbelievingly. "You're sorry? They could have killed you! You could have died! All you can say is 'sorry'?" Leo rubbed his temples in frustration. "Raphael, I know that you're willing to take more risks than the rest of us, but if you ever do something that stupid again I'll strangle you myself!"

Raph stared quietly, trying not to incite his older brother any further. After a brief moment he spoke quietly, "Thanks. I mean…you know, for saving my life back there."

"I'm your brother. I'd do the same for any of you. You know I would." Leonardo replied automatically.

"I know. That's why I'm thanking you." Raph stated as he took a seat against the wall of the tunnel. Leo joined him and they stared up through the grates above to a dark, star-speckled sky overhead.

"You really scared me Raph." Leo whispered, sounding very unlike his confident leader-like self.

Raph sputtered for a moment. Then he smiled. "No you weren't, Fearless."

Leonardo glared at his younger sibling. What would it take to get it through Raphael's thick skull? They cared about him. More than the numb-skull realized. He dealt the hothead a very intense stare. "I mean it, Raph. They could have shot you. You could have been…" His voice faltered.

Raphael spoke up, "I know, bro. But I wasn't. You were there for me."

"But what if next time…"

"Next time," Raph scoffed, "Next time is next time. No sense worrying 'bout it now." The silence returned briefly before Raph went on, "I already said what needs to be said. Let's leave it at that."

Leonardo nodded and stood. Raph held out a hand and Leo hoisted his younger brother up off the ground. As soon as Raph was standing, his older brother pulled the muscular turtle into a one-sided hug. Raph stiffened and pulled away. "Come on. We have to tell Sensei about what happened. And don't worry, I'll make sure he knows it was my fault."

"No, I'm eldest, I'm responsible."

"Just let me handle it this time, bro. I got this."

Leonardo realized that there was absolutely no way Leonardo could argue with Raphael, if the look in his eyes was any indication. For a moment, it seemed to the eldest that his younger brother already had a theory as to what the Foot were up to. And Leo couldn't help but wonder what it was.

"But Sensei, I'm telling you Shredder can't be dead! If he's dead, why do the Foot need those kinds of mechanical parts? And who would they work for other than Shredder? Sensei, it has to be him!"

"Raphael, you are making assumptions on pure speculation. They are an overreaction created by your desire to protect your family. Such a response is overall understandable. I know you are angry, my son, but going off on a crusade against the remaining members of the Foot Clan will not accomplish anything!"

"Did you even hear a word I just said?! Shredder's out there somewhere!"

"Raphael! I will not allow you to address me in that tone of voice!" Splinter yelled, his eyes narrowed with anger.

Raph bristled with anger and retorted angrily, "What are you going to do about it?"

The old rat lashed out and struck his second son across the face with a slap that echoed through the room. Raphael slowly reached up to touch the burning side of his face where his father's hand had made impact. When he pulled it away, there was blood on it. Green eyes lingered on his hand until, finally, Raph glanced up and met his father's gaze.

Splinter saw the bleeding cut the side of his son's face and he examined his hand. Ah, his ring. He had forgotten he had it on. It was old and bore the mark of an ancient Japanese clan that had once battled the Shredder, but that was a story for another time. The rat realized that there was blood on the silver surface. He stared back up at Raphael and reached out, but the young turtle recoiled violently.

"Don't touch me." Raph growled, backing away until he reached the other side of the room. His hard green eyes glanced over at his brothers, "You don't believe me either, do you? Why should you? I'm just the stupid hothead, the family screw-up. Nothing I say matters, right?" No one said anything. Raph's teeth clenched. He felt as though the cold hand of truth had gripped his heart and crushed it into powder. Not that it mattered much. That was pretty much how he'd felt his entire life. For the millionth time the turtle inwardly wished that he didn't love his family so friggin much. Because if he didn't, all this pointless hurt would have ended ages ago.

"No." A barely audible voice stated.

Raphael stared. Leo…?

"No, it's not right. You shouldn't feel that way." Leonardo stated, his sheer certainty making Raph hope that maybe, just maybe Leo finally understood.

The red-masked turned away from them and muttered. "I've felt that way for as long as I can remember. Nothing's gonna change now, Leo."

"What makes you say that?" He asked. And just like that he had turned it into a private conversation between the two of them. Raphael no longer cared about the others in the room. As much as he tried to deny it, Raph wanted his older brother to understand.

"Do you believe me?" he asked softly.

Leo took a little bit of time to answer. Finally he stated slowly, "Well, I think that maybe you're letting your emotions—"

That was it. Raph's control broke. "There! You see! You don't understand. You never will! I gave you a chance to. But all you guys ever do is shoot me down. Nothing ever changes." He said fiercely growled furiously and stormed down the hall to his room, slamming the door behind him.

Raphael didn't join them for dinner. Even when Mikey sat outside the door vowing that he would sing endlessly until Raph came out, the red-masked turtle did not show his face.

Master Splinter did not eat. Instead he stared off into space. He had never struck one of his sons in such a way before. Guilt ate away at his heart and be began to regret the way he had treated his second son. Finally, after much deliberation he stood and headed down the hall. The old rat was so focused that he paid no heed to the three pairs of eyes that followed him closely as he went. He knocked softly, but when he received no answer, Splinter opened the door and entered cautiously.

Raphael sat on the bed, his carapace to the door. Splinter's deep brown eyes studied the way his shoulders heaved. His breathing was labored.

The rat's eyebrows furrowed. He went around the bed, his eyes examining his son from the front.

The whites of Raphael's eyes were bloodshot. The right side of his face from the cheek bone to the chin was covered in blood from the cut that had dried there. Bright green eyes stared blankly at the wall in front of him. As the old rat stole a quick glance in the wall's general direction he realized there were small blood stains on its surface. Splinter's gaze slowly traveled downwards to Raphael's hands. They were covered in shallow cuts and scrapes, fresh blood oozing slowly from the abrasions.

Splinter said nothing, but instead went over to his son's dresser and quickly located the bandages that Raphael kept in the top drawer. He had a seat beside Raphael and began tenderly dressing the light wounds on his son's hands. Still, there was only silence.

Raphael said nothing, all the while avoiding eye-contact. Finally, after a long moment, his dulled, green gaze glanced down, watching emotionlessly as his father tended his wounds.

After he finished with Raphael's hands, Splinter licked his handkerchief and was about to try and wipe some of the dried blood off his son's face, but Raph turned his head away. "Raphael," the fatherly rat began sternly, but his son cut him off.

"Why is it always me?" The red-masked turtle said, his gruff voice sounding resentful, the resentment brought about by hurt.

Splinter reached forward, once more trying to clean he wound on Raph's face. A huge emerald green hand caught his wrist in a death grip, and at long last they made eye contact.

"Answer the question." Raphael growled.

The old rat had frequently witnessed Raphael's bouts of anger and flares of temper, but never had he seen such hostility in those sensitive green orbs.

Sensei chose his words carefully, "Because you are the one who makes it so." He stated calmly.

Raph broke eye contact and shoved his father's hand away, turning his carapace to the old rat that had raised him. "Get out." He growled. But this time, his anger was only a defensive reflex, an outer sheath to hide his hurt.

"It is no fault of your own, my son. You are…"

"I said get out!" Raph repeated more forcefully.

Splinter's eyes dulled sadly as he pulled away. He placed a gentle hand on his temperamental son's shoulder softly before turning and leaving the room.

Hours later, Raphael sat alone surrounded by silence. Dulled eyes glanced at the clock. It was almost one in the morning. Good.

So they don't believe me because they think I'm overreacting. They think I'm just too emotional. I'm just too unreliable. I'm the black sheep. So, I'm the one who makes things difficult, huh? Well I'll go out there, prove I'm right and then we'll see just who was making things difficult! Black sheep or no, I'm a part of this family. And I sure as shell am not gonna let them bring me down again!

The huge red-masked turtle snuck silently into the dojo and retrieved his sais.

I may not know where Shredhead is hiding, but I'll find out. And I'll do it on my own. Nothing is gonna get in my way. This begins now.

Review please! For those of you that I have heard from thank you very much for your support of this fic! It's pretty hard for me to write in this verse, but I'm learning. Tell me how you liked it! Does it live up to expectations?