Characters and places are from the "Big Brawl" episodes of the 2003 TMNT series. I do not own them.

"What does that have to do with it?!"

Usagi stopped and stared at Leonardo. He would have thought his words' significance to be obvious. The Samurai's eyes went around the room watching the others to see what they thought of Leonardo's outburst, and what his response to it should be.

His friend Genn stood straighter his ears swiveling forward to take the kame's words in. Traximus was staring with his arms crossed, silent and still. The hardness in his lines showed alertness, though. Splinter was glaring at his eldest, but his mouth was closed, and hands rested lightly atop his staff. Leonardo's brothers seemed to have backed up behind their brother. They watched with wrinkled brows.

Leonardo went on his voice louder than Usagi had ever heard it before. The Ronin watched in amazement at how wide the kame's mouth opened as his words spilled out of it. Usagi felt his own eyes widen at the other warrior's admonitions. "What if the assassins had still been around?! What if they'd attacked you and Gennuske on the way back here from the bar?! You could have lost consciousness in the middle of a fight! You could've not had the chance to as merely faltering could have gotten your head swiped off!"

"I suppose that would have been possible, Leonardo san, but it did not happen ..."

"You're allowed to be concerned about my life enough to stop competing in the tournament, but 'I'm' not allowed to get upset because you risk your own life by doing something stupid?"

Usagi stared as he saw the kame shaking in rage. Then he noticed the kame wearing the red mask behind his brother uncross his arms and reach out to lay a restraining hand on the shouting warrior's shoulder. "Leo, lay off! He's not one of us!"

The turtle in blue turned on the one in red. "'You' lay off Raphael! If someone in New York City or here tries to help us, we don't abandon them, and we don't turn our backs when they nearly get themselves killed!"

"He didn't! He just forgot, okay! Lay off him!"

"I can't just lay off, Raph, ever! I'm the leader"

The turtle in red grimaced. "Yeah, 'Fearless,' but not of 'him'!" Raphael pointed over his brother's shoulder at Usagi, who raised his eyebrows at the gesture.

Leonardo growled and turned away from his brother and the rest of the room. He crossed his own arms and bowed his head. "We've fought together multiple times now ..."

Raph lifted his shoulders and spread his hands. "Yeah, we noticed. That still don't make you the boss of him, and he ain't dead." The kame wearing red pointed a finger again and this time poked it into the back of Leonardo's head. Usagi's eyes widened at the boldness of the gesture as well as Raphael's words. "You're making too much of this."

Leo turned and yelled back at his brother just as loud before. "He got lucky! If there hadn't been a feast tonight, or his concussion had been even worse, or had flared up earlier, when he was still just with Gennesuke …"

"I would have taken him to the nearest healer I could find."

Leo turned a glare upon the rhino who'd interjected into his quarrel with his brother. The eyes within the blue mask narrowed at Usagi's friend. "And what would you have paid that healer with?"

The rhino's eyes went about as wide as they could. His ears flicked forward. He stood as straight as they could, and one of his hands came to rest on the hilt of one of his swords.

Splinter moved in front of Leonardo and between him and the bounty hunter. Even as he faced the bounty hunter, his words were for the kame behind him. "My son, that if enough!"

Leo grit his teeth but remained silent. He looked down at the rat, who spun around to look back up at him. Splinter continued in an even, but stern voice. "You have only been with your brothers and I most of your life. I put you in charge of them, whenever I was not with you, including three years ago, when I came to compete in the Battle Nexus as I did again today. Though your behavior tonight, 'might' be appropriate with one of them, Usagi is not your younger brother, but a friend … Casey Jones and April O-Neil might well protest such treatment in like circumstances, and with good reason." The rat raised an eyebrow at his son.

Leonardo turned his face away from the rat and toward the floor, though in the direction of Usagi rather than his brothers. Splinter raised a hand toward his son. "He is a very dear friend or ours, now, Leonardo, who has indeed saved your life and likely Donatello's as well. He defended me before today, but he has not declared himself part of our family like Miss O-Neil has nor invited or hosted us in his family's home like Casey Jones. Like them, though, he is 'older' than you. Perhaps, in some ways, he is more experienced. You should apologize for your behavior here." Splinter turned a stare upon Donatello. "And since I am asking that of your brother, Donatello, I believe you 'also' has some apologizing to do to Usagi san."

Donnie made a face, but then turned toward the cushioned bench. Usagi met his gaze. Donatello's voice indeed sounded contrite and polite. "I am sorry, Usagi san. Master Splinter is right. I'm not your healer or your brother. I just …" Donatello cast his gaze to the floor, "You 'are' a friend now, I hope. And … I don't like people taking foreseeable, dangerous risks when those risks can be minimized. I …" He fell silent. His shoulders bent forward. His eyes fixed on some point on the floor.

Usagi cocked his head at the kame, studying him. Then he smiled and replied. "I accept your apology, Donatello san. And you were right. I did not take the proper precautions I could have. I am sorry to have caused you 'all' such concern tonight." The rabbit cast his gaze over the room of faces watching him.

Traximus gave a slight nod and smile. Usagi thought he saw an apology of his own in it. He smiled his own non-concern back.

Gennesuke first huffed loudly through his wide nostrils, and then grinned at him. Usagi gave a slight nod and grin. There would probably be more words later between them, but partly because they would not be traveling in different directions sooner than if this hadn't happened. Possibly it would be quite the opposite.

The healer briefly removed the wet cloth from his brow, gave a slight bow, and then resumed his work. Splinter also sent a slight bow and a smile his way. Leo's brothers in orange and red smiled widely at him from behind their brothers. Donnie gave a smaller, weaker smile, at the end of Usagi's words. Leonardo, though, would not look up.

Splinter glanced up at his son, then to the rabbit on the bench, and then back to his eldest. The rat's slightly raspy voice filled the silence in the room. "Leonardo …"

The kame in blue gave a head jerk nod, but his eyes never left the floor. "I'm sorry, Usagi san." Splinter gave a slight smile up at him. Then he turned somewhat to take in the rest of his sons with his gaze. He tapped his staff lightly on the floor. "Now, I think we should all leave and let this great healer tend to his patient untroubled by us."

The other three turtled bowed, turned, and began to walk away. Leonardo remained still. Splinter turned back to and raised an eyebrow at him. "Leonardo …" Usagi raised himself on the bench slightly to watch. The kame finally raised his gaze and looked toward him. The Ronin's mouth almost fell open.

Tears were wetting the fabric of the kame's blue mask. The warrior's voice came out strained and broken. "Usagi just …" Leo took in and let out a huff of a breath. "Just promise me you'll never do that again, please!"

The rabbit stared without speaking for a long moment. How could he promise, but … how could he say nothing? He finally gave the kame a slight nod, "I … will … try, Leonardo san."

What do you think?

God Bless

ScribeofHeroes