How old would you be if you didn't know how old you are?
-Satchel Paige
BTW: This up-date is dedicated to Eridani23 cause they reveiwed! And that made me so happy!
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"What?" Michelangelo replied disbelievingly from the bed.
Buddy turned over and began to get up with help from 15, and once he was standing, he looked at Michelangelo again.
"Were you sent here from the base complex? Because if you are, I will not go back peacefully." He said in a dark, serious voice.
"Base Complex?" Michelangelo parroted back in confusion. 'Is he messing with me, is this a joke?' he wondered fearfully.
Slowly Michelangleo rose from the bed and smiled tenuously at Buddy before letting out a small and nervous laugh, "I get it, ok... Hahahaha," he said weakly, "You were angry at us, so you left us and came here, and now you're playing a joke on me...But seriously Rapheal, it's not a funny." Michelangelo's eyes were shining with fearful tears when he finished speaking.
And oppressive silence hung heavy in the room, finally 15 spoke up in a quiet, but angry voice, "I don't know who you are, but I don't trust you. My brother hadn't had an attack that bad since we first got him from the complex." She hissed out.
A word spoken by the female turtle piqued Michelangelo's interest, "Brother?" he whispered studying Rapheal once more. Could he be mistaken? 'Probably', he thought, 'But how many mutant turtle are there running around New York City, he is Raph. I know it!'
Buddy spoke up breaking Michelangelo's train of thought, "Yes, Brother. This is my family, 14, my older brother, and 15, my older sister." He hesitated before he continued on, "Look, I don't want to offend you and I know we all kind of started off on the wrong foot, but the fact is, is that you were found in a dumpster. And you do look pretty worse for the wear right now...jeez, what I'm trin' to say is if ya need help here we are," he finally spit out, a hint of brooklyn accent seeping into his speech.
"Volunteer us why don'tcha, Buddy?" 15 snorted looking a little put out. "We don't know jack about this guy and you're just inviting him in? He caused you to have an episode, a really bad one, and you're willing to trust him after that?"
14 cleared his throat and added in, "She's got a point little bro, we don't know where he came from, it would be awful naive of us to accept with out questioning him." 14 tried his best to keep a fight from breaking out between his overly excited sister and twitchy younger brother.
A weak and nervous laugh broke through their bickering, "Ahaahaa...I think I get it, this is a joke right? ...But seriously Rapheal, cut it out."
The Turtle Trio paused in their debate over Michelangelo's trustworthiness. 15 looked at the stranger with curious eyes, but said in a firm voice, "His name is Buddy."
Shaking Michelangelo peered over at them and began to sob, "No, it's Raphael. IT'S RAPHAEL!" He half fell back onto the bed crying out, withering around as if his demons were eating him alive.
Watching Michelangelo's fit, 15 shook her head and looked at her brothers, "Jeez...You know the way this guy is acting I don't think we'll really have to worry about him for to long, I bet he'll commit suicide within the hour!"
"15!" 14 and Buddy scolded in unison.
"What?" She said making a face in their direction, "I was only making an observation... Just look at him!"
Clucking his tongue at her, Buddy moved over to clam the fitful stranger, "I don't think this turtle is going to be much of a threat 15, look at the physical shape he is in, and right now he is obviously suffering from some kind of mentally trauma..." Buddy sat on the bed and attempted to quiet the thrashing turtle down.
"There, there, it's OK guy. We won't kill you." He said soothingly, looking pointedly at 15.
The Michelangelo froze and looked up in to the face of his dead, but not dead, brother, but not brother. Tears welled up in his eyes as he gazed up at him. In one sudden movement he threw himself up against Buddy's Plastron, and sobbed loudly, in both relief and uncertainty.
Looking up at his siblings with wide eyes, 14 shrugged his shoulders and shook his head. 15 simply cocked her head and smiled. The strange turtle's sobs began to rescind, and Buddy who was still being used as a security blanket asked hesitantly, "You... ah, gotta name?"
The turtle abruptly stopped sobbing and stared up in disbelief at Buddy. "You know my name, Raph, please don't act like this it scares me..." He whimpered.
Raising an eye ridge at the turtle, Buddy shook his head, "That's the second time you've called me that, my name is Buddy. And in all honesty—I don't know your name, I don't know you."
Michelangelo gasped, and pulled back angrily looking at 14 and 15. "What have you done to him?" He demanded.
"Done?" 14 asked, "We've done nothing to him."
"Lairs!" Michelangelo jumped up and dove blindly at 14. Catching 14 off guard, they rolled around brashly, Michelangelo throwing blind half hearted punches at 14. Not knowing quite what to think of this unpredicted attack 14 tried to gain a hold on the crazy turtle. As 14 grappled for a hold on Michelangelo, 15 snuck around the pair and balling her fists up tightly, she brought them down upon the back of the aggressors' neck. Instantly he went slack and laid heavily atop 14, tears dribbling down his face.
"What did you do to my brother?" De moaned looking into the eyes of 14 below him.
Pushing him off, 14 stood up and looked down in pity at the turtle, "We did nothing to him, I'm sorry, but you must be mistaken. We would never harm our baby brother intentionally." He said in a soft voice while bending down to look the stranger in the eyes.
Michelangelo realized with a start that this turtle really believed with conviction, in all he was telling him. 'Baby Brother?...' he wondered looking towards Raphael.
"I think you are the ones who are mistaken, that turtles over there," Michelangelo said in a soft voice, while pointing over at the disturbed looking Buddy, "is my older brother, Raphael. He disappeared a month ago, we thought he was dead."
Standing up and walking over to the weakened turtle Buddy held out a hand to help him up, as Michelangelo grasped it he said, "You look familiar, like maybe I've seen you before, but I'm not your brother. They," he gestured at 15 and 14 , "are my family, the only family I can remember, the only family I've ever known. If I really am your brother like you say, then you will respect that."
Noticing the crestfallen look on the turtles face, 15 interjected, "But if you don't have a family now either, then you can be part of our—as long as you don't wig out on us again..."
Michelangelo looked blankly at Buddy before slowly asking, "You don't want to part of our family anymore?"
"Our?" 14 inquired curiously.
Looking over at 14 as if he'd seen him for the first time Michelangelo slowly replied, "Our--our brothers, and Father." looking back at Buddy he plead in a small voice," Please Raph, I know you got really angry at us, but things have changed, and everything is fallen apart since you left! Please don't leave me."
"My name is Buddy, not Raphael," Buddy firmly replied.
"Buddy then!" Michelangelo cried desperately, the panic seeping back into his voice," please just come home. We'll call you whatever you want, just come home--don't leave us."
"OK. just don't freak out again. Would it make you happy if we ALL went to inspect this other so called 'family' of Buddy's?" 15 offered her voice sharp and begining to sound dangerous.
She didn't trust this overly emotional stranger, turtle or not. She briefly considered that maybe--just maybe This Stranger was telling the truth and Buddy was actually Raphael, she cracked a smile at that thought, Raphael now that was a funny name...She stared intently at the distruat turtle, Buddy had a point, he didn't look like he would be any threat, but she knew better then to assume. She'd been through too much, to blindly take anything for granted. He may say he knows Buddy, but how do they know he is telling the turth? Buddy certainly wouldn't! For goodness sake, he could barley re-call what had taken place the majority of his imprisonment at Area 51.
"Yes!" Michelangelocried breaking 15 from her train of thought," You all can come, we just need you back...Buddy."
"So where exactly is your home located, uh... what's your name?" 14 asked realizing for the first time that they had never bothered to learn the Turtle's name.
"Michelangelo, but my brothers call me Mikey. And it's down, underground...kinda of." Micheangelo replied looking slightly nervous.
Buddy glanced over at his siblings gaurded faces before deciding to taking charge,"Well, then I think we better get there before the night is through then," he replied firmly.
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