Hello there! Sorry for the delay, this author went with a group to the March for Life in D.C. and neglected to bring a laptop. Although I might not have gotten much done on it anyway, I was pretty busy! In fact I only just got back this morning. And yes, I know this chapter is insanely short, but I wanted to give you guys something and this is what I have so far. Enjoy!
CHAPTER TWELVE
Raph had made many mistakes throughout his life. But this was the first time that he ever made such a face after realizing his mistake. It was a terrible mix of horror, realization and cuteness. It was especially terrible because it was the kind of face that no child should ever make.
"Shell," he said.
"Uh uh," said Mikey, wagging a finger, "Language, Raphael. Splinter will be so ashamed."
"Knock it off, Mikey," said Raph, grabbing the finger, "I can say what I want."
"Dude, you're like, seven years old," Mikey said.
"Seven?" asked Raph, sounding surprised, "Are ya sure I'm not eight? 'Cause I feel eight."
"I'm pretty sure Donnie said you're seven," said Mikey.
"How would he know?"
"Because you've had a scar on your elbow since your eighth birthday party."
Raph automatically looked at his elbow without relinquishing his hold on Mikey.
"What scar?" he asked in confusion.
"Exactly," smiled Mikey, "So when did you get your memories back?"
"Just this mornin'," Raph said, letting go of Mikey's finger and staring intently at the table, "I didn't want ta tell 'em, because…because…"
He fell silent.
"It was just too embarrassing!" he confessed.
"It's okay Raph, you don't have to tell me anything about it," Mikey said.
"It's just that, well," began Raph, "Aside from being embarrasin' and all, I think it really made Sensei's day havin' a kid around the house, and I didn't want ta tell anyone I remembered just yet, because I didn't want ta let him down, ya know?"
"I guess," said Mikey, "Maybe your right, and we shouldn't tell them just yet."
"Yeah," said Raph, staring into his empty bowl again.
"Listen bro," said Mikey, "Now that I've told you something you didn't like, I'm going to tell you something that I know you'll like."
"And what's that?"
"Well, now that you've got your memory back, we're going to infiltrate the Purple Dragons!"
"Really? Who decided that?"
"I did," said Mikey proudly, "Just now. You got all your skills back, right?"
"Yeah, but I'm a little short Mikey, and-"
"No matter," interrupted Mikey, "We're just going on a scouting mission. To see if they've made the antidote they were planning to make, back when I found you."
"That's right," said Raph, perking up, "I forgot all about that! And come ta think of it, I think I can lead us right ta their main lab!"
"How would you know that?"
"They took me there a lot," Raph said, "Back when I was a prisoner. I thought it was a game to get blood drawn. Ya know, this is all just embarrassing, Mikey! I was so stupid."
"Forget it, you were a kid," said Mikey, waving his hand as if he were putting it all behind him, "But because you still look like a kid that Leo and Sensei probably won't let you go with me if we told them our plan. So let's grab something for lunch and get out of here before Leo finds out we're leaving."
"Good idea," said Raph, "Maybe we'd better leave a note though, so they don't think I've been kidnapped again."
"Alright," said Mikey, "Sounds fair enough! I'll write the letter, you get the lunch."
"Right," said Raph. He moved to the cupboards. "Say Mikey, won't you get into trouble fer leavin' the lair with me?"
"Leo and Don got in trouble for disobeying Master Splinter," said Mikey, smiling mischievously, "But Master Splinter never said anything about us not leaving the lair!"
Raph smiled an equally mischievous smile, and within ten minutes, the two of them were walking silently through the sewers.
"Mikey, Raph!" Leo called out, "You guys are being too quiet, and it's making Splinter nervous. Make some noise, will you?"
There was no answer.
"Guys, what are you up to?" Leo asked, heading for the kitchen, "Are you still in the kitchen?"
He entered the room, but no one was there.
"Maybe you're both in Mikey's room," Leo said outloud.
But he stopped, spying a piece of paper plainly sitting on the table.
Taking a few steps further into the kitchen, Leo picked up the paper and read it.
His eyes grew wide.
"M-Master Splinter!" He called out, and ran back to the dojo as fast as he could, "We've got problems!"
"What sort of problems, my son?" asked Splinter, "Did Michelangelo and Raphael paint your katanas again?"
"Again?" Leo asked, confused, "Um, thankfully no," he said, "But read this."
"Read what?" Donnie asked, entering the room, "Is it another ransom note for your mattress, Leo?"
"What do you mean by 'another'?" Leo asked, getting worried.
"Oh, nothing," said Donnie innocently, "What's it say?"
"Read it, my son," said Splinter, looking worried as he handed the note to Donatello, "It is from Michelangelo."
Dear Guys, it read, in Michelangelo's handwriting, Don't worry about me and Raph. We're not captured or anything, but we've left the lair on a secret mission. We'll be back by dark. If not, that means we're in trouble. But we're not in trouble yet, so don't worry about us! Oh, and we brought our weapons just in case. Signed, Mikey.
"He wrote the word 'signed'?" Donnie asked.
"Really, Don?" Leo said, raising an eyebrow, "That is the first thing you think of after reading it? Our two youngest, most irresponsible brothers have just decided to leave the lair on a 'secret mission'! Do you even know what that means?!"
"So what do we do, Master Splinter?" Don asked.
"There is not much we can do, my sons," said Splinter, "They have left in broad daylight. Donatello, you must resume your work in the lab. Leonardo, you may have permission to track them down. By the time you find them, I will have thought of a suitable punishment for such a rash action."
Leo and Donnie gulped, and silently looked at one another.
"Sensei, please go easy on Mikey," said Donnie, breaking the silence, "After all, he's the only one here aside from yourself who can actually babysit."
"Yes Sensei," said Leo, "I don't think either of us can handle Raph again!"
"Alright, here we go," said Mikey, leaning against the structure in the middle of the roof, "You're sure you've got it?"
"What do I look like to you, a kid?" asked Raph, taking the sais out of the target and turning to growl at his brother, "Don't answer that. I've been handling these babies for years, Mikey."
"I know," said Mikey, "But your sais seem just a little bigger on you now."
Raph groaned. "Of course they are," he said, "But I'll get used to them in a sec."
"We don't have a sec," Mikey pointed out, "Leo is going to figure out we're gone any minute now. And you know how great a tracker he is."
"I know, I know," said Raph, "But if I don't get this right, I won't be able to fight."
Raph tried throwing the sais once more at the target, and once more he made it nearly dead-center.
"Dang it," he said, "Mikey, I'm gonna need ten more minutes."
"Fine," said Mikey, "You do that. I'm going to start thinking of how to infiltrate the building."
"Oh no, don't even go there!" Raph said, turning to Mikey with a shocked look of horror on his face.
"What?"
"Don't you even think of suggesting that I piggy-back on you all the way in, like we came out! Remember that? Geez, Mikey, if I had only known…!"
"Listen, Raph, you didn't even know who I was! How does that make it embarrassing?"
"But now I do know who ya are! And I draw the line at piggy-back rides. I used to be the one to give you those, remember? You and Donnie! Now I'm younger than the both of ya! And you an' Donnie used ta be younger than me! It's like I'm suddenly your little big brother, and I don't like it at all!"
"Raph, calm down," said Mikey, standing up straight instead of leaning against the building and unfolding his crossed arms, "We can't pull that stunt twice anyway, they'll be expecting it. We have to find another way in."
Raph took a deep breath, and then stared at the target he had been aiming at. It was the middle of some poster on a roof. Suddenly, he began smiling mischievously.
"In that case, I have an idea," Raph smirked.
