Chapter 11

"Amazing rescue, Leo. Ten out of ten, definitely some of your best work." Raph snapped, rubbing his head and shooting his older brother a glare in the dim light the holes offered. His eyes still stung from the powder, along with the rest of his body. So he was grumpy and not nearly in any mood to tolerate much more of this. "Oh yeah, let's blind me before getting shoved into a freaking box! That'll make me feel so much better." The headache from hitting his head earlier wasn't calming down, much like his temper. Putting his hands over his eyes and taking a deep breath, Raph let out a furious sigh, his grip tightening over his face.

Alright. Calm down. Raph grit his teeth and let his hands fall from his head. Quit pouting and find a way out of here. You can beat the green off of Leo's face later. Speaking of… why hadn't Leo said anything? Usually his outbursts sparked at least some sort of reply.

Lifting his eyes, Raph frowned as he turned his attention to his brother. Leo's face was plastered with a focused expression, his hands searching through his belt and wrists. The eldest didn't even seem to be paying attention to Raph's complaints. Not that Raph could blame him for that, but he really wanted to. Leonardo's face contorted into frustration. Drawing his hands away from his waist, he shook his head, glancing up to Raph.

"I don't have anything on me. I must have used it all in the fight or dropped them." he grumbled, shaking his head. Raph just stared. Mouth open as he gawked at his brother, he didn't say a word, not taking his eyes off of him for a moment. Leo wasn't prepared for something? Especially a situation where they got caught? It was almost unheard of. Of course, Rahzar had stolen what weapons he could find, but for Leo to have nothing was a bit unnerving. Shaking his head quickly, Raph shifted his surprise into a glare, eyes narrowing.

"What do you mean you don't have anything?! You don't have a kunai or a lock pick or something?"

"We just had a long fight, Raphael!" Leo's snap came as a surprise. "Just because I'm the leader and I'm the oldest doesn't mean I have to be the only one that's prepared! I make mistakes too. I'm only me, Raph." Leonardo glowered back at him for a moment before pulling his eyes away. Raph didn't bother with a reply, honestly too surprised to form one. It wasn't like he had anything on him either. He'd spent half the night in the clutches of the Foot. There was no way they hadn't taken everything while he was out cold. Sighing, Raph glanced around the box, his shoulders sinking.

Even if Leo did have something, there wasn't much they could do from inside here. No access to the hinges or the lock gave them basically nothing to work with. The box was almost entirely smooth and sealed on the inside. Unless Leo had his katanas hidden away somewhere, they were hooped. Only thing they could do was sit and wait. Raph tried to ignore Leo's gaze as he tugged at the wrap on his wrists. He was exhausted, and sitting here like fish in a barrel wasn't making him feel any better. Neither was the hand coming for his face.

Raphael flinched back and almost lashed out, every nerve on edge and his whole body tensed as he prepared to defend himself… from Leo. There was no need for it all. Heat rushed to his face as he locked eyes with his concerned brother. Neither of them moved nor spoke for a few tense seconds. Leo had taken off his own wrist wrap, his hand extended towards Raph's shoulder, where the bite was still bleeding. Blue eyes flicked over his face before Leo drew back a few inches, showing the cloth in his grip to try and calm his brother's nerves.

"Easy, Raph. I'm just trying to help."

Raph glanced away, his hand clenching around his wrist. Leo wouldn't continue to try and help unless he was given permission to. Or unless Raph passed out, which at this rate, wouldn't be much of a surprise to anyone. Though Raphael's first instinct was to refuse and claim he could take care of himself, he hesitated. Accepting help meant he needed help, which meant he wasn't strong enough to handle his own problems. It made him feel weak. But before he could open his mouth, an old talk with Splinter came to mind, making him pause.

"I didn't need Donnie's help! I could've done it on my own, I'm not weak and wimpy!"

"Accepting help from others does not mean you are weak, Raphael. It does not mean you have failed yourself or anyone else. Taking help shows strength in yourself; it shows that you trust others enough to allow them to help you when you need it, and that one day, you will return the favor."

Tch. Trust one of Splinter's lessons to come to mind while I'm stuck in a box. Shoving away the snappy outburst he wanted to lash out with, Raph let go of a sigh, lowering his hands and looking away.

"…Sorry. Guess I'm a bit jumpy tonight."

Leo didn't seem bothered in the least. He seemed glad as he took the hint, offering Raph a warm smile in response and shifting close enough to start his work on patching his brother up. Raph held back a wince as Leo began to wrap up his shoulder. Hopefully that would control the bleeding enough to keep him awake while they waited for a rescue. Raph restrained himself from making a sound while Leo worked, glancing up only when Leo spoke.

"I don't blame you. I'd probably be the same way, we all would. You've had a pretty rough night."

Damn right, I've had a rough night. But now you're stuck in it with me, so I guess I can't really complain too much… maybe. Raph didn't bother saying that, just closing his eyes and letting Leo do his work. They were gonna have to sit and wait for help, even though he really didn't want to. While the leader patched up his arm, Raph took a glance out of one of the holes in the side of the box. He couldn't see much, besides a few Foot standing guard and Rahzar's ugly feet.

At the same time, there was a certain amount of rising tension in the room. Rahzar was stiff, his legs shifting uneasily as he guarded their trap. Raph narrowed his eyes and glanced to the side, feeling a shiver run down his spine. Something was definitely off. He couldn't see Shredder anywhere, which made him feel at least a little better. They wouldn't die right this second, which was nice. But he wouldn't put it past the master to pop out of nowhere and start stabbing the box.

Turtles in a box, fish in a barrel… huh. Not so different. Not something I really like the image of, but whatever.

As he watched, however, Rahzar's whole body stiffened up. The mutant dog suddenly burst out with a roar and lunged forward, just as the green and orange blur that was oddly familiar sped past. Raph heard Leo sigh softly as the turtle outside let go of a 'BOOYAKASHA!' that outdid Rahzar's growl in volume. Raphael turned and looked back to Leo just as the lights went out, and something sounded like it was sparking.

"So about that rescue?"

"I didn't exactly expect Mikey to try one on his own. And since I can't hear Donnie, I'm guessing he did exactly that." Leo muttered, tilting his head as he tried to listen to the commotion. Rahzar was sounding more and more frustrated, and by the sound of Mikey's little giggles and taunts, he was having the time of his life. Raph couldn't help but grin. As excitable as their baby brother could be, there was no doubt that he would always be counted on to save their butts when they needed it.

Rahzar's yelp was like music to his ears. Raph leaned close to the side of the box as the fight went on, trying to see something, but everything was black. There was nothing to see with the low moonlight. He winced as Leo finally tightened the bandage and tied it off, his brother pulling away just as the box shook with the impact of Rahzar and Mikey battling it out. Michelangelo's taunts had gone quiet, but Rahzar's growls hadn't.

"Get him, Mikey!" Raph yelled encouragement, letting his shoulders relax as he heard Mikey's happy reply. A quiet Mikey meant either he was asleep (even then, it was rarely silent), or something was wrong. So long as Michelangelo kept making noise, whether it was chuckles, taunts or yells, he was okay.

"Hnn-agh!"

Unless it was that noise.

Raph felt Leo go tense beside him as Mikey cried out. He could feel his own muscles clenching as he listened, and his eyes narrowed in anger. How dare Rahzar hurt his little brother? There was thumping on the lid of the box, as if Mikey was kicking at it in an attempt to get away. He obviously couldn't though. Raph listened as Rahzar stepped back, his claws clicking on the floor as he moved away from the box, the sound of Mikey's grunts and struggles just beside him.

"Stupid runt…"

Out of nowhere, there was the sound of something slamming into the opposite wall of the box. Raph jerked back with a shocked yelp, his eyes wide before he basically shoved Leo out of the way, reaching out to it. It felt like a pencil, just made out of metal.

Bo shuriken. Thank you, Mikey!

Obviously, this wasn't just for their use. Raph frowned, glancing back towards where he could hear Rahzar. Feeling the wall of the box, Raph located one of the holes and peered through it, his eyes narrowed. He could just barely make out Rahzar's form beside the box, Mikey's dangling from his claws just beside him. Suddenly realizing what the bo shuriken was for, Raph brought it into his teeth, cupping his hands around his mouth and lining up with the small hole.

"Raph..."

Raph growled softly to warn Leo off, listening to Rahzar's movements. Finally, he sucked in a sharp breath and blew the sharpened metal rod out of his mouth. The sound of Rahzar's cry of pain was music to his ears. Mikey dropped to the ground as he was released, ducking away and lunging for the box. Before Rahzar could recover, the youngest had sliced at the box, the lock clinging to the floor, and Raph watched as his baby brother vanished into the darkness of the rafters.