Here we are, back another tuesday with an update! I hope you all had a new year, and can I just say that I am blown away by all the love this story is getting?! Like, thank you so much! Now just to be clear, the next few chapters are timed very close together, unlike the last ones. I will warn you when this happens, which it does a few times, but yeah, the chapters are going to be closer now that all the boys are here! Now on to my lovely reviewers…
To Arachnide: thanks for saying you like Klunk as a dog, I was honestly afraid I'd get flames for that. Hehe. and yeah, I re-read this chapter and I agree that there was too much accent on Raph, but in the rest of this I've tried to tone it down a bit (or a lot) and now I wish I could rewrite that last chapter...oh well. *shrug* I just want people to remember he has the accent, so we'll see. Thank you for reviewing!
To Effaraiz: thanks again for reviewing! I think google screwed up with the translation again but I'll do my best! I was eager for you guys to read Raph too, I feel like I know him better and that may or may not be because he's my favorite! Hehe.
To Donella Timbers: thank you for reviewing! And yeah, when I wrote this I googled how to write a brooklyn accent...ehehehehe. I get better through this I swear. Also, thanks for more support on Klunk being a dog! I know he's originally a cat but again, he's a therapy animals so.
To my first guest reviewer: yes, poor Mikey. And I won't say anything about his biological family, or I might spoil something! And though I DID consider keeping Miwa alive...I'm sorry to say that she is in fact dead. But don't you worry, Saki has a rather big part in this fic!
To Beakers47: yup! My precious marshmallow Raphael is here at last! Don't tell him I said that...heheheh. Yeah, he does take a while to figure out that this is where he belongs...but I can't spoil anything! Thank you for reviewing!
To my second guest reviewer: thank you!
To Cinnamon: ikr? I keep wishing it was tuesday and friday so I could post more stuff! Hehehe! But that's mostly because school hasn't started up again, luckily I'll still have time to post! Thank you for your review!
To SuperStarSykor58: I'm gonna reply to both your reviews at the same time because I'm…*drumroll* lazzzyyyy! So yeah! Mikey's past is very sad, and we get into it a bit more farther in the book when he has his own arch. And yeah, chapter seven is very interesting! You see a new soft side to Raph and a slightly timid side of Mikey! But don't worry, there's plenty of fluff too!
Disclaimer: I do not own the ninja turtles franchise, sadly.
And now without any more delay, the chapter! Enjoy!
"What are you doing?" a happy voice asked, Raph groaned inwardly and rolled his eyes, setting the tools he was holding aside. "Can I help?"
"I'm fixing dis bike I found', and no, you cannot help." Raph said, "don't you have something ta go do?"
"But Donnie's at the store with mom and Leo's being boring!" Mikey complained, "can't I hang out with you?"
"No." Raph said, looking at the younger boy.
"Why?" Mikey whined, "I wanna help!"
"Because!" Raph snarled, pulling the tools Mikey was reaching for away, "I'm doing dis an' I wanna be alone!"
"You're talking funny again." Mikey remarked, that was the last straw and Raph jumped to his feet, grabbing the younger boys shirt.
"Shut up!" he growled, staring into Mikey's terrified blue eyes. "I told ya I don' have any control ova dis an' you can jus' leave me alone!" Raph shoved Mikey away from him and Mikey fell back onto the grass, catching himself on his elbows. Mikey started crying and Raph felt the guilt creep up into his mind, but he turned away and started working on the bike again as Mikey got to his feet and ran inside.
"Stupid kid." he growled, "can' 'e jus' leave me alone?" a few minutes later the car pulled up with Tang Shen and Don inside. The car door slammed and Raph saw a pair of legs walking towards him.
"Raphael!" Tang Shen said angrily, "Leo just happened to call me, do you have any clue why?"
"No."
"No." Tang Shen echoed. "Really."
"Unless it's abou' Mikey." Raph conceded, "den I migh' rememba' somethin'." Tang Shen scowled.
"Inside. Now." she ordered, Raph frowned but got up again, setting the tool on the grass.
"I didn' do anythin'!" he protested, "he was da one who can' take no fer an answer!" Tang Shen ignored his protests and she followed him inside. Mikey saw Raph and squeaked in terror, fleeing the kitchen.
"Oh, now 'e don' wanna talk ta me." Raph said in exasperation, "stupid little kid." Tang Shen sighed, placing a hand on his shoulder.
"Raphael, what's keeping you from getting to know him? He only wants to be a brother." Raph jerked away, anger coiling in his gut.
"I don' need anotha' brotha'!" he shouted, "I don' need anybody!" Tang Shen obviously did not expect that and looked surprised as Raph stormed out. "I don' need you, ah don' need anyone!" Raph stormed out of the house and grabbed his longboard. He took off down the street before Donatello, who he had passed on his way out, could even mutter a greeting. "Ah don' need no one." he repeated to himself as he skated down the street, something caught his eye at the park and he stopped, placing a foot on the pavement and squinting. It looked weird, like some kind of container. Curiosity got the better of him and he picked up the longboard and walked over. It was sitting on a picnic table with a sticky note on the top. His green eyes narrowed and he squinted to read the writing, muttering it under his breath as he did so.
"Don' let life win da battle, draw a paintin' and write yer own story?" Raph took the lid off the small metal container. Inside were hundreds of new colored pencils. "Who da heck lef' dis here?" a small pad of paper was on the inside of the lid and Raph frowned. It couldn't hurt, if it was just sitting here, someone had to take it before it got rained on or something. Raph picked up a pencil and put it to the paper, he thought for a moment, and began to draw.
"What was that about?" Donnie asked, "mom, why did you start speeding after Leo called?" the teen placed the grocery bags on the table and started unpacking them, Noticing that Mikey was upset and mom furious.
"Don't be mad at him." Mikey was pleading., "I was bothering him and being super duper annoying."
"Who got mad at you?" Donnie asked, putting a jug of milk in the fridge.
"Raph." Mikey said miserably, absently petting klunk's head. "I wanted to help him fix that bike." Donnie whistled slowly through the gap in his teeth.
"He does seem to have a temper." he agreed, "but he's only been here for a few days. Give him some space."
"Where did he go?" Mom asked, who now looked more worried than angry.
"He took his longboard and took off down the street. Why?"
"The fourth of july celebration is tonight and I want him to come." was the reply, "Which way did he go?"
"It's only ten in the morning." Donnie said, "he'll be back, Spike needs to be fed at eleven thirty." they had all learned by now that if Raph liked anything or anybody, it was the small hermann's tortoise.
"That's true." Mom sighed, "alright Donnie, why don't you go mow the lawn for dad today?"
"Sure." Donnie shrugged, putting a jar of mayonnaise in the pantry, "will you guys finish this up?"
"Yes." Mom smiled, taking a box of crackers from his hand. "And watch for Raphael."
"Of course."
Mikey was playing wii sports when Raph came up the stairs. The teen swallowed his sudden nervousness with a somewhat casual, "hey dude" that probably sounded more like a squeak. Raph ran a hand through his hair and stood behind the couch, watching Mikey play. Mikey noticed he held a long metal box under his arm.
"Hey." Raph replied. "Are ya ok?"
"Fine dude."
"Good." Raph said, Mikey realised he was walking away, not even an apology? What was with this guy? Raph's door closed with a snap. When Mikey turned to see if it was some kind of trick he saw a small piece of paper had been dropped outside his door. With his natural curiosity already piqued Mikey walked over and picked it up, his mouth dropping open. It was a very well drawn picture of him and Klunk. Mikey glanced around, he was the only person in the family who really liked art. Had he drawn this in his sleep? With a shrug the blue eyed teen took it into his room and placed it on the desk.
"Was that Raph?" Leo asked, walking into the kitchen, Mom nodded. "He seems to be in a better mood."
"Yes he does." mom sighed, rubbing her forehead.
"Mom? What's wrong?" Leo asked, sitting down next to her, "Are you ok?"
"Leo, do you know about Raphael's parents?"
"No…" Leo said, "It's none of my business."
"Well, they got arrested for drug dealing two years ago, but now they're being tried with something worse, much worse."
"What is it?" Leo asked, "I mean, sorry, it's none of my-"
"No, it's ok, it's just… they might need Raphael to testify against them, and I don't know how to talk to him about it."
"Oh." Leo said, leaning on his hands. "That is kinda weird."
"No," Mom said, pursing her lips, "It's not that rare Leo, you, I'm sorry to say this, but your case is very fortunate. If Raphael's parents get out of jail after this they will fight to get him back, if they are found guilty…"
"Oh."
"Hey mom." Mikey said, coming into the room.
"Yes dear?" Mom asked, brightening, Leo marveled at her acting skills.
"Is it possible to do things awesomely in your sleep?"
"Uhm."
"Cuz I think I might be an amazing artist in my sleep!"
"You're a great artist." Leo butted in, "really."
"But I found this picture outside my room that I don't remember drawing!" Mikey exclaimed, "maybe I'm channelling the spirit of the guy I'm named after!" Leo looked at Mom, who shrugged.
"Actually," Donnie piped up from the family room where he was looking for something. "Some people can do incredibly complicated things in their sleep, one person claims to have committed murder in his sleep and he got off free of any punishment."
"Uh..."
"It's true." Donnie continued, sweeping his hand under the couch, "and another time-"
"I think that's enough." Mom said softly, Donnie looked in and apparently saw the terrified look on Mikey's face.
"Oh, yeah, I mean you could totally have drawn something in your sleep." Donnie said, blushing slightly as he straightened his glasses.
"Awesome!" Mikey exclaimed, throwing his hands in the air, "oh, and also, Raph came back with a weird metal box." Mom looked alarmed.
"He did?"
"Yeah huh!" Mikey confirmed, "he went into his room to feed Spike I think."
"Do we have any extra lettuce" Raph's voice called down the stairs, "Spike don't like these pellets." a few moments of silence later Raph walked in. "Uh, hello? Any lettuce?"
"Oh, in the fridge." Mom said, shaking her head. "Sorry Raphael, uhm...what was in that box?"
"What box?" Raph asked, crossing over to the fridge, he looked through the drawers and took a few leaves of lettuce.
"The one you came home with." Mikey said, "the shiny metal one."
"Oh." Raph shrugged. "Nothin', just something I found at da park." he saw Mom's face, which looked skeptical and sighed. "look. do ya really think I wanna get arrested? I know what juvie is like and I don' really wanna go back."
"I knew it!" Mikey shouted, "you have been arrested!"
"Ah shut up." Raph mumbled, walking back up the stairs to feed his pet. Mikey frowned.
"Aww man, I didn't get to tell him about my new superpower." he complained, Leo laughed.
"Superpower?"
"Yeah! I'm the...uh...call me...sleep man!" Mikey stuck a heroic pose and looked at the counter, "Are those cookies?"
"For the celebration." Mom said, playfully ruffling Mikey's hair, "you can wait."
"Ok, Sleep man, away!" Mikey shouted, running out of the room. Leo shook his head as Donnie walked in with the book he'd been looking for.
"Sleep man?" Donnie asked skeptically, "I can't see that going down very big in the comic book industry."
"I can." Leo said thoughtfully, "superpowers, can do things in his sleep so the world is always safe, and sleep powder so the villains don't see him coming!" Donnie laughed and even mom chuckled a bit. Then she turned when she heard the door open.
"Yoshi, you're home early!"
"It's a holiday." Dad said innocently, "besides, I don't have to be there every day; I'm the owner not the chef."
"You are too a chef." Mom said, "you just own the restaurant."
"Let's agree to disagree." Leo advised, "I don't want any more unnecessary arguments today."
"When did you become the peacemaker?" Dad asked, "aren't you the one who hid Donatello's glasses last week?"
"That was you!?" Donnie asked in outrage, turning to Leo, who backed up.
"Dad!" he protested.
"oops." dad muttered, "sorry Leonardo." Leo ran from his foster brothers angry glare and walked into the back yard.
Raph sat in his room with Spike on his lap, Mikey was jumping around the house saying something about 'sleep man' and Leo was in the backyard. Raph had seen him go there from the game room window before Mikey came charging up the stairs.
"You don't mind, do ya spike?" he asked, petting his pet on the head gently, "you don't mind that I have a temper." blink blink. "Yeah, I thought ya'd say that." Mikey stopped yelling and Raph heard his footsteps on the stairs, then a gentle knock sounded on his door. "Come in?" he said, the door opened, Hamato Yoshi walked in. "oh, uh, hi. You're home early."
"It's a holiday." Hamato Yoshi replied, sitting on the edge of Raph's bed. "I wanted to ask you something."
"Ok." Raph said curiously, watching the man's face, he knew how to tell if people had a secret or were lying, nervous etc. and Yoshi was very nervous.
"It's about your parents." Raph felt a chill. No, not again.
"Are they...getting out?" he asked, half hopeful. But then thought, did he really want to see them again?
"They might." Yoshi sighed, "but it's about a new trial, there is evidence they may have been involved with more than drugs."
"They coulda been." Raph tried to sound clueless, "how should I know?" Yoshi sighed. "I was fourteen when dey got arrested, I don' know nothin'." his accent always got worked up when he was nervous, or lying. Which sucked.
"Raphael." Yoshi said, looking into Raph's eyes, Raph looked down at spike.
"I'm tellin' ya, I don' know nothin'." he repeated stubbornly, folding his arms, Yoshi got to his feet with a sigh.
"I was just coming to tell you that police may come to ask you questions; I am not the one to ask. We are going to the park at six, I suggest you be ready." with that the man left and Raph looked up as the door closed.
"Dey promis'd dere was no evidence," he whispered to spike, "what coulda da cops found out now?"
OOOOOH! Yeah, the first arch in this book is about Raph, I am a bit ashamed to say that but I promise the other guys have highlights as well! There's even a chapter within Raphie-boy's arch that he's not a big part of! But you'll see that in a few chapters...next time we get to see the fourth of july celebration! And if you have any guesses as to what Rap's parents might have done, go ahead and guess! I'll enjoy seeing the guesses and I promise not to spoil anything when I answer your reviews! Please review and thank you for reading!
Until friday
-Jelly