Disclaimer: I don't own TMNT and all previous warnings apply.
Sorry for the slow update, life is busy at the moment. There are 5 chapters left and I'm going to try to get this story done as soon as possible.
"LEO!" Raph stood up in a rush, about to go out the door as that latest information swam in his head. Shredder? A fifth turtle? He tried wrapping his mind around it as his mind thought back to Venus and those sad eyes she made at them. There's no way in hell she knew…right?
"What is it?" His older brother rushed in looking around and then at him and Don. "Is everything okay? You found something, Don?"
"Around the same time dad got us, Shredder bought three baby turtles…"
"And there's supposed to be 5 of us!" Raph quickly added as he saw the surprise on Leo's face. "Can ya believe that? FIVE!"
"Five?" Leo slowly sat down, and Raph knew he wasn't the only one having trouble wrapping his mind around it. "This is…"
"I know…." Don sighed and started to discuss it with Leo as Raph felt his own emotions start to gain hold of him. He couldn't believe that his father never said anything, his hands clenched into a tight fist, and he felt close to losing it.
How the hell ya keep somethin' like that secret? His blood was boiling, and he started to pace without a thought, it was hard to focus on little else as he pictured what might have happened. And do she know? He couldn't shake the feeling that Venus had an idea at least.
"Raph?" Leo asked as Raph turned to his older brother, barely hearing him over his own enraging thoughts.
"How da hell we never knew this shit? Why dad never said nothing!?" The words came out, and he didn't bother stopping them as he continued his tirade. "Can ya tell me that, Leo? Or ya gonna tell me some new bullshit that makes this alright?" He started to snarl, punching his hand into the wall with a force that made the shelf beside it shake.
"Not in the lab Raph!" Donnie yelled as he caught a jar that threatened to fall with the end of a metal bo staff.
"You redid your staff?" Leo's eyes went from the staff to Don, and Raph crossed his arms. "Why?"
"Because purple princess got one." Raph snorted, though he felt bad about knocking over his brother's stuff, his anger was winning over his guilt.
"I'm a scientist I can admire someone else's ingenuity." Don eyed his brother, but Raph only rolled his eyes.
"But she's the enemy!" Raph felt like hitting the wall again, and Don started to dare him with his eyes. His brother was always more assertive when in his lab.
"Guys! That's enough." Leo looked between them, and Raph forced himself to lean on the wall as he barely held his fury. Don slowly let his staff go back to its spot and let out his own breath.
"Now…can we please discuss this without losing our heads?" Leo to the both of at them again as Don nodded his head and Raph snorted an affirmative. "Don, are you completely sure that Shredder's the one that bought those turtles?"
"I'm sure unless it's some other Oroku Saki from Japan we don't know."
"Fat chance of that…" Raph murmured as Leo slowly got up with a determined look on his face as he started to leave the lab.
"Wait, where are you going?" Don moved to follow, and Raph moved from the wall to go after them.
"I'm going to talk to our father, one of you get Mikey."
"Oh, so NOW it's cool to lose it?" Raph rolled his eyes as Leo kept moving.
"No, we're going to the dojo to TALK to dad." Leo looked back at Raph with a look. "We need to bring Mikey up to date, and ask dad about this fifth turtle."
"Leo, just wait a minute!" Raph growled, grabbing hold of his brother's arm as they neared the entrance. "Ain't ya forgettin' something?"
"What do you mean?"
"Ya know exactly what I mean?" Raph gave his brother a look. "Ya really gonna ignore the fact that Karai had to know this and kept it from us? She ain't tell us everything."
"She told us what we asked for."
"So, one night with ya little girlfriend and ya back with ya head up her ass?" Raph roared in disbelief as he came face to face with his older brother.
"Not now, Raph..."
"Yes, now!" Raph looked at his brother, trying to understand the turtle in blue but his own anger gripped him. "We ain't just ya little soldiers to bark at and follow! So, tell what the hell is it? We just really ignorin' that fact?"
"For once can you just follow orders!"
"I ain't followin' shit when my leader lost his balls!"
"Really, Raph?"
Raph stared at his older brother wordlessly as he watched his brother release a huge breath looking back at him. He had no plans on ignoring that fact that he knew if it stood out to him, it was obvious to his strategic older brother
"Guys…" Don's tone was quiet, but Raph was solely focused on Leo. "Don't you think this isn't the time?"
"I don't know, Don, why don't you ask Raph?" Leo emphasized his name and Raph snorted.
"Soon as you ask Leo," Raph emphasized his name back, "Why he acting like a dumbass for Karai."
"Then we ask MIKEY why is so awesome!"
The sudden change had Raph's head snap from Leo to his youngest brother sporting a big grin and he quickly looked away as that image from when he caught Mikey and Irma came to mind. Damn, I can't even look at him…
"And that was for…?" Leo asked slowly, and Raph noticed Don's perplexed expression. It had caught them all off guard, but Raph was starting to see that it was normal for Mikey to do. He'd always in his own way catch them off guard in the middle of arguments or more, and though it annoyed Raph to no end, he was starting to understand the youngest turtle's methods.
At least Mad Hatter ain't with him…
"Everyone else got to have their names said, so…" Mikey laughed, and Raph rolled his eyes as he looked back to Leo, no longer feeling as on edge.
"So ya tellin us what got ya panties so much in a twist that ya won't look at the obvious?"
"I don't think that'll fit, Leo. He looks more like a pants guy. Doesn't he look more like a pants guys, D?"
"It's an expression Mikey" Don answered, and Raph could hear the purple masked turtle trying to hold back his laughter as he kept his eyes on the oldest turtle.
"Well?" Raph's brow ridge rose.
"I'm not ignoring that fact, I realize that she must know more than she let on."
"Knew what?"
"Based on the information I found, Karai had to have known more. Shredder had brought three turtles years ago, and during that time Karai was with him." Don answered Mikey. "An-"
"And dad lied." Raph ignored the looks Don and Leo threw him.
"He lied?"
"He didn't lie, Mikey. He just...never told us." Leo sighed, but Raph only glared. He couldn't deal with the fact that his dad never told them, and knowing that Karai withheld information made his blood start to boil all over again.
Then Leo invite that bitch over like she did nothin! Like she never tried to kill us!
Splinter's real daughter or not, it was hard to just put all that behind him. She tried to kill him and his brothers on many occasions. Even her help, ain't help! With a growl, he pushed past Leo to go inside but was stopped as his brother maneuvered back in front of him.
"You are NOT going in there like that!"
"Like what?" Raph yelled, giving his brother a look as though he grew a second head. "PISSED? MAD? UPSET? Are ya tryin' to say I don't got right to be?"
"I'm not saying that!" Leo yelled back. "You have every right to be mad. You think I'm not? You don't think Don's not? Mikey? But rushing in there isn-"
"Boys…What is going on?"
Leo's mouth went closed as Raph slowly turned to face his dad. It was easier to reign in his temper out of respect for Master Splinter as he tried to piece his words together, but as Karai stepped from behind his father, Raph was grinding his teeth as he forced himself not to snap.
"Master Splinter…" Leo bowed to their father as he looked over each of them.
"Yes?" Splinter asked in a calm tone that kept Raph's rage at bay, Raph was sure his father saw how close he was to losing it. He had always found his father's voice soothing when it was like this.
"Was it really only four of us, Sensei? Or was there one more?"
Raph could see the shock that covered his father's features as he let out a deep sigh and started to make his way inside the dojo as they gave him room to enter. They all slowly followed as Master Splinter kneeled at his spot and looked at them with a thoughtful expression. "Please…kneel my children."
Raph glanced over at his brothers, overlooking Karai purposely as he took his spot in front of his father and beside Leo.
"It was when I got you four wonderful boys" Splinter had a wistful smile as he spoke, and Raph could almost imagine it as his father continued. "There was a tank next to the one I got you four from. I asked the sales associate about it, and he told me that three of the female turtles were sold leaving the fourth alone. I thought of that one alone, and I couldn't leave it, so I purchased that one as well." he chuckled with an easy smile.
"WE HAVE ANOTHER SISTER!" Mikey screamed out.
"We ain't gotta sister, Mikey," Raph said quickly, and as his eyes caught Karai, he almost thought he saw a hurt look on her face.
"But what about Karai?"
"Let's just listen to the story, okay, Mikey?" Don gave their baby brother a smile as Leo gave Raph a look for what he said, but he ignored it. He refused to accept Karai as his sister, and part of him was a bit disturbed as he thought of the fact she was supposedly family, but it hadn't deterred Leo at all from his feelings for Karai.
"We are all family." Splinter gave Karai one of his reassuring smiles and looked at each of them with a sternness only he could accomplish. "Let's try to remember this."
Raph opened his mouth to rebuke that statement, the words on the tip of his tongue but as he saw the happiness on his dad's face, he decided against it. Must be nice to have all his kids here…
"But what happened to her?" Don spoke up as Master Splinter let out a sigh, his fingers stroking his beard.
"I bumped into a strange man after getting all of you. He seemed up to something, so I ended up following him. It turned out to be one of the Kraang. His friends and himself attacked me, and we ended up covered in mutagen, it wasn't until after the attack had happened and I scooped you all up from the ground that I noticed there were only four." Splinter frowned as his fingers stopped. "I made it through an opening of the sewer to look for her thinking she had washed away, but I could not find her."
"What happened to her?" Mikey asked.
"I do not know my son though I wish I did."
"I bet Kirai knows…" Raph glared at the girl on the end as she glared back at him.
"What?"
"Ya heard me," Raph growled. "Ya knew about them! Ya knew about the three turtles! Ya had to, cuz Shredder's the one that bought them! Ya probably knew about the fourth one too! You just kept shi-"
"Raphael!" Splinter interrupted, and Raph continued to glare as he went silent. "That is enough." He gave each of them a firm look, and his eyes stopped on Kari. "Miwa, is this true?"
At Splinter' quiet tone, Raph felt his anger grow that once again Karai was making things harder for them. It was becoming harder to stay silent, but he was surprised to see Karai bow her head.
She can't actually feel bad…can she? It confused Raph. He was used to Karai's confident nature, but now she looked vulnerable.
"I wanted to handle this myself…I wasn't trying to bring in anyone else." Karai breathed out, looking down. "Yes…it's true. I knew them…"
"Karai, why didn't you tell us?" Leo frowned, and Raph didn't miss the hurt in his brother's voice as Karai let out a bitter laugh.
"Simple…because they're my sisters."