Chapter Six

Big Trouble

Before long everyone arrived back at the lair, Michelangelo walked behind the others feeling worried and ashamed, Raphael was very angry and kept saying how his face stung, and the fact that it was blistering badly.

When they got in at the main entrance, Splinter was in the kitchen washing up some bowls as he and Pandora had shared some ice cream earlier that evening.

Pandora had been in the bathroom cleaning her teeth when her parents and Uncles arrived and at once she ran over.

"Mummy! Daddy!" she squealed.

Raphael froze as he saw Pandora run over, wondering what she would say when she saw his face.

As the little reptile ran over, she saw how Raphael looked and she stared up at him.

"Daddy!" she said "You're hurted!"

Raphael knelt down to his daughter and opened his arms to which the little reptile ran into them.

"I'm alright Little Geisha!" he smiled despite the fact that he was in pain.

"Here I'll kiss it better!" said Pandora and she reached up and started to kiss his face to which Raphael hissed in pain as his skin was touched.

"Pandora, sweetie." Mona instantly stepped in and picked up her daughter "That's really sweet, but touching it will make it worse."

"But you always said kissing it made it better." said Pandora "And I want to make Daddy better!"

"Don't worry Little Geisha!" Donatello stepped in "You can help me in my medical room," he looked at Raphael "I'm going to need to dress those blisters!"

"Well can we do it now, please!" Raphael growled with impatience but also frustration over the pain.

Donatello nodded "Come on then!" he took Raphael's arm and lead him to his medical room with Pandora and Mona following, whilst Leonardo went to get Master Splinter.

Michelangelo meanwhile stood in the middle of the lair, he wasn't sure whether to follow Donatello or go with Leonardo, in fact he felt like going to his room to think.

But he didn't have long to decide as Splinter and Leonardo soon came out of the kitchen together

and walked towards the medical room.

Making up his mind to follow his sensei and older brother, Michelangelo held his breath and walked towards the medical room where he saw Raphael sitting on a medical bed with Pandora next to him holding his hand and Donatello was placing what looked like a face mask on his face with only his eyes and mouth peeking through.

All the time, Raphael hissed and winced in pain but Pandora kept holding his hand.

"There there daddy!" she said soothingly "I'll look after you!"

Raphael smiled weakly at his daughter just still continued to wince.

"I'm gonna kill that Cobra!" he growled, he then moved his eyes to Michelangelo who stepped back slightly.

"Hey Bro!" the orange masked turtle said nervously, he hesitated slightly then looked at Raphael's mask "Wow! Looks like the robot masks we used to play with as little tots!" he commented, trying to defuse the situation.

"Shut up!" Raphael snapped.

Michelangelo gulped.

"Raph..." he said.

"Why don't you ever take things seriously!?" Raphael said "I told you to stay close, and what do you do? You start jumping around and mocking the Gila and Cobra and almost got me killed!?"

Splinter looked at Michelangelo and narrowed his eyes.

"Michelangelo?" he asked in a serious voice, Michelangelo's heart sank as he heard that voice, it was the voice of 'Whatever-you-have-done-you-are-in-trouble'

The other turtles and Mona looked at Michelangelo with curious frowns as well, Pandora meanwhile looked worried and curious and Splinter felt it was the best interests for Pandora to leave the room to which Donatello lifted the little reptile off the medical bed.

"Little Geisha." he said "Why don't you go to your room and play for a little and one of us will come in to read you a story."

"Okay Uncle Don." said Pandora "Is Uncle Mikey in trouble?" she looked up at the worried and guilty looking Michelangelo who just chuckled.

"It's okay kiddo!" he said "You run along now! I'll see you later!"

Donatello then gently guided Pandora to the door and the little mutant looked back at her Uncle before walking out and to her bedroom.

As soon as she was gone, Splinter turned to look at Michelangelo.

"Care to explain what happened?" he asked.

Michelangelo opened his mouth to speak but Raphael instantly began to pour out what had happened on the rooftop with Cobra and Gila Monster.

"They almost killed me!" he ended "And it was Mikey's fault!"

"Raph!" Mona gasped.

"If he had just listened and not acted like an idiot! I wouldn't look like a freak or worse, dead!"

"But Raph!" Michelangelo said "I thought I had them!"

"Well you didn't!" Raphael shouted as she slid off the bed and stepped towards Michelangelo to which the other turtles and Mona stepped in to stop Raphael and protect Michelangelo.

"Raph!" Donatello said "Calm down!"

"You never listen!" Raphael continued to shout at Michelangelo "You never take anything to heart or seriously!

Splinter's mouth fell open as he listened yet each time he tried to speak Raphael kept talking over him.

"You think everything is a joke!" Raphael continued to rage at Michelangelo "You goof around during training! You take nothing to heart! You almost got me killed! And I'm taking no more crap from you!"

Michelangelo stared at his brother in shock, and his words began to pound at him harder than any punch or kick a Foot Ninja, Purple Dragon or even the Venomous Five would give him, and even stung worse than the Cobra's venom.

"Mikey..." Leonardo then spoke "Is it true? Is what Raphael said true?"

Michelangelo looked at his older brother, tears were starting to sting his eyes and his throat hurt like he had swallowed a giant pill and his heart was beating so hard he could almost feel it in his stomach.

"Well?" asked Splinter also looking at Michelangelo.

Michelangelo took a few deep breathes, then he spoke.

"Alright! Alright!" he wailed practically making Mona and Donatello jump slightly "yes! What happened is true! But I never intended to put Raphael in danger! I love him too much! I truly believed that what I was doing was going to help! And true it backfired, but the V5 are dishonourable!"

"And thus why we should have stuck to my plan!" Raphael shouted "And you didn't! Thus we ended up in shit! And me almost not coming home to my mate and daughter!"

"Well you're home now aren't you!?" Michelangelo shot back, he was starting to feel the anger and frustration boil within him.

"That's not the point!" Raphael shouted "Unless you start to take things more seriously I don't wish to go on patrol with you!"

As Raphael spoke those words, the others, including Splinter gasped, and Michelangelo just stared in shock.

"Raph..." Mona breathed.

She looked at Michelangelo who looked ready to explode, but he just breathed out and gritted his teeth.

"Fine!" he growled he then turned and walked out of the medical room, Donatello reached for him but Splinter held up his paw to stop him and Michelangelo left the room, tears finally erupting from his eyes and soaking his mask.

"Best leave him be..." the old rat said softly, he then turned to Raphael to was being coaxed back onto the medical bed by Mona.

"Try to get some rest." he said "And calm down, you both need time to reflect on this..."

Oh dear...looks like there's tension between Raphael and Michelangelo.

Stay tuned for more coming soon!