Author's Note: Let's join Raph as he tries to survive a volcano eruption. Good thing story time and real-life time are two very different things, right?

Anyways. Here! An update!

Brothers

"I can't believe we're still alive," Slash whispered.

For once, Raphael agreed with him.

The lava had spared them and flown out of the way, probably filling the entrance tunnel. Now it was cooling down to rock. Raphael would have been more concerned about this if the earthquakes hadn't finally opened a new path in the mountain, right above their heads.

He looked up, trying to guess how hard it would be to climb inside that chimney. They had curled up against one of the tunnel's walls, which meant the lava hadn't touched it. It wasn't smooth and they could find grips to climb up.

And they could breathe easily. The chimney must be connected to the outside.

Raphael smiled. They weren't safe yet - he would wait until that volcano was way behind them to say that - but they weren't about to die, either, and that was an improvement.

"Can you climb?" he asked Slash.

Slash considered the chimney and the wall. "Yes," he said hesitantly.

Raphael could have done with more self-confidence from Slash's part, but the chimney was narrow enough that they could climb with their back on one wall and their feet on the opposite wall. Once they would be in, it wouldn't require a lot of skill.

"Do you want to go first?" He finished tearing apart one of his sleeves to wrap his naked foot in, as a temporary replacement for the one burnt by the lava.

Slash nodded. "Yes. I don't need you to take me down if you fall."

Raphael bit his tongue to prevent a nasty reply from escaping his mouth - quarreling would bring them nowhere - and motioned for his companion to start climbing.

Slash visibly tensed when he brushed past Raphael to reach the wall. Although he had remained as close to Raphael as possible while the lava was flowing around them, he now stood as far from him as he could in the narrow space.

He didn't hesitate to use Raphael's shoulders as a step to enter the chimney, though.

Once Slash was inside it, Raphael started his own climb, grateful he could firebend to light his way.

Then the two of them began moving up in the chimney, inch by inch.

They could only hope it wouldn't last long.

They had been in that chimney for what felt like forever. Raphael was beginning to worry that he would exhaust his strength before reaching the top, and Slash wasn't in a better shape if him slowing down was any indication.

But as long as none of them said it aloud, Raphael could pretend that this fear was unfounded.

He took his flask and drank a mouthful of water. He hadn't much left, which was another reason to worry. Even if they managed to leave the depths of the volcano, they wouldn't go far into the desert without water.

Their only hope was that Bishop and the others were still looking for them.

Above his head, Slash stopped.

"Keep going," Raphael panted.

Slash's voice was blank when he answered. "It's a dead end."

Raphael's heart sank. "Do you really think it's the right time for joking?" he protested, just in case.

"I'm not joking!" Now Slash sounded angry. "Look!"

As tempted as Raphael was to point out he couldn't see anything above because Slash's butt was in the way, he chose other words to express his opinion. "I can't. You need to keep climbing up."

For the several seconds it took Slash to move up, Raphael replayed the climb in his head.

The chimney hadn't intersected any other tunnel. If they couldn't go up, they were trapped.

"See?" Slash said, extending his hand to send a small fireball above him. It exploded in a myriad of sparks.

This time, Raphael's view was clear enough that he could see the chimney becoming narrower and narrower. They had maybe fifteen yards of climbing left before they would have to stop.

"Maybe there is a tunnel nearby," he said weakly.

Without a word, Slash started climbing again. Raphael did the same, his eyes scanning the walls in search of a life-saving issue, but he could find none.

When Slash stopped, unable to climb more, Raphael knew it was the end.

The air had become colder. They were so close to the surface. So close, and still trapped.

"This is all your fault." Slash sounded both angry and bitter. "You're nothing but trouble!"

Raphael kept his cool, helped by his sheer exhaustion. Punching Slash seemed like a waste of his remaining energy, an energy he needed to keep his balance.

"I never asked you to follow me inside this volcano in the first place."

Slash ignored him. "I'm sure you made it happen," he spat. "The eruption. It has to be something you did!"

"What?" Raphael exclaimed, sheer exhaustion forgotten in the flaring of his anger. "It was Bishop!"

"Of course that's what you would say!"

Raphael couldn't believe what he was hearing. Did Slash really think he had caused the volcanic eruption?

But what did he care anyways? Slash was the worst, bullying others like he was better than them.

"It's his fault!" Slash shouted.

Raphael took a while to understand that he had been speaking his thoughts aloud, but when he did, Slash's answer merely made him angrier.

"What do you have against Spike anyways?"

Raphael didn't expect an answer, but even if he had, it would never ever have been the one Slash gave him.

"He's my freaking brother!"

Silence fell for long seconds before Raphael's brain processed this new information.

"What?"

Slash was speaking faster now, as if he had been keeping the words inside him forever.

"My father cheated on my mother with Spike's mother. When Mom found out, it killed her."

Raphael blinked several times. So Spike and Slash had the same father, Bradford.

It sure painted their whole drama in a very different way.

"But how did you find out?" he finally managed to utter.

"The same way my mother did, I assume. I read the letter Spike's mother wrote my father, telling him she was pregnant and promising him that she would never ask for anything. As if it changed anything." Slash's voice broke on the last words.

Raphael realized that he had never wondered why he had never seen Chris Bradford with his wife.

"What happened to your mother?" he asked softly.

"They said she was sick. But I know the truth. She had lost the will to live. And it's Spike's fault! If he had never been born, she would never have learned about his existence and been heartbroken."

In spite of the situation, Raphael rolled his eyes. How came Slash put the blame on anybody but the true responsible party?

"Spike didn't ask to be born," he said reasonably.

"It's still his fault," Slash repeated stubbornly. "He has to pay."

"But he's your brother." Raphael's mind couldn't comprehend Slash's choice. His own brothers were so important to him. He could never wish anything but the best for them.

"You wouldn't understand," Slash said quite aptly. "You're still whining because your twin disappeared. If it was Spike, I would be over the moon!"

Raphael's anger flared again. "Leave my brother alone!"

"What do you care? You'll never see him again!"

At that precise moment, a pale light that wasn't one of the firebenders' flames shone down on the chimney.

Raphael unclenched the fist he was about to send right in the part of Slash's body that was closest to him.

"It's the sun!"

Little by little, the light became brighter. Soon the two teenagers didn't need to use their bending to see.

And they also realized another very important thing.

"It's translucent," Slash said in a hoarse voice as he pointed at the chimney's ceiling. "The rock must be very thin!"

"Then what are you waiting for? Break it," Raphael retorted.

Slash pushed against the crust of rock, and it yielded. Beyond it, the chimney was once more wide enough that they could climb up.

And the surface was only a few yards above them.

Neither of them said another word as they climbed the rest of the way and collapsed in the soft, sweet sand of the desert.

The sand was becoming hot, and Raphael really regretted the loss of his shoe.

He and Slash were both still too exhausted to be walking in the desert, but the temperature was rising fast and after a short pause, they had decided they would better put as much distance as they could between them and the volcano.

The absence of Bishop and the others had been a hard blow. Apparently they had believed them dead and didn't care to stay in the area long enough to make sure of it.

Which meant the teenagers' chances of survival had just dropped considerably.

The heavy silence was broken by Slash a few minutes later.

"This was the last of my water," he said after taking a sip from his flask.

"I don't have any water left," Raphael answered flatly.

Slash's face grew somber, but he didn't reply. Like Raphael, he must be sparing his strength.

They were heading for the last water source they had visited with Bishop and his men. It had been hours before they reached the volcano, and they had been riding horses at the time, but it was their only hope.

I didn't survive an eruption to die in the desert, Raphael kept thinking stubbornly, taking one step after the other.

An eternity later, he thought he was hallucinating when he saw the silhouette of a rider outlined against the sand.

He glanced at Slash, who looked just as baffled - meaning he was seeing the same thing.

Hope swelled in Raphael's heart as the rider closed the gap between them. Did Bishop leave someone behind to look for them after all? Maybe he had thought ill of the caliphe's delegate too soon.

But it wasn't one of Bishop's men.

Raphael gaped at the man who was now dismounting in front of them.

"Splinter?"

Raphael took another sip of Splinter's beneficial water before handing the flask to Slash once more.

"How did you find us?" he asked, still baffled.

The three of them were sitting under a tent that Splinter had set up so the teenagers could take a break.

Splinter was working on a leather strap destined to become Raphael's next shoe. "I met villagers who told me they had seen a group of riders including two teenagers going to the volcano, but only the adults coming back. I decided I would better investigate."

"But what were you doing in the area?" Raphael went on, unsatisfied with this explanation.

Splinter sighed. "It's a long story."

Raphael tilted his head, indicating that he was ready to hear it. Splinter watched him and Slash pensively.

"I've received a message from an old ally," he finally said. "You see, in my youth I was… traveling a lot. I met friends, really good friends. Together we became part of a very ancient organization aiming at keeping peace and balance in the world." Splinter took a needle and began sewing the leather strap. "It is called the White Lotus."

"I've never heard of it," Slash whispered, fascinated.

"Few have." Splinter sighed. "And after… a particularly painful event, I decided my time would be better spent in the oasis and I never contacted them again. They respected my retreat until a few weeks ago."

He gestured to Raphael to try the shoe so he could adjust it to his size. Raphael complied, fascinated by the story.

"What made them change their mind?"

"Something new is happening in our world, something concerning," Splinter answered. "They wanted me to investigate, if I could." He shook his head. "Enough said. What have you two been up to?"

Raphael began telling him his story. How they had traveled in earthbender territory to find Stockman, and how Bishop had been looking for something into the volcano, something that had to do with absorbing another bender's power, something that had provoked an eruption when Bishop had finally found it.

Slash's eyes widened at that last part. Raphael would have rather told Splinter privately about it, but he couldn't postpone it until Slash wasn't with them. It was too important.

Although Splinter's face looked more and more concerned as Raphael went on, the teenager thought he glimpsed a spark of appreciative surprise on his features when he told him about the lavabending.

When Raphael had finished his tale, Splinter sighed heavily.

"These are very concerning news. Very concerning news indeed. We must go back to the oasis as soon as possible. I'll send a message in the next village, but if Bishop wants to do what I think he wants to do… then they'll need all the help they can get."

They fell silent as Splinter was finishing the shoe.

As relieved as Raphael was that somebody competent would handle Bishop and his crazy plans, he had no intention to come back home just yet.

He still had a brother to find.

The strange woman from the volcano had told him Leonardo was in his element, thus, in water.

He needed to find a place with lots and lots of water, something like… the sea?

What had Bishop told them, so many days ago? Once upon a time, the oasis had been welcoming travelers from across the sea. And they came from the west.

Raphael nodded, satisfied.

He put on the shoe Splinter was handing him with a smile. "Thank you."

"Can you walk?" Splinter asked the two teenagers. "We need to reach the next village so I can find you horses. Then we can head north."

Raphael considered this. He needed a horse, no doubt. He would wait until they reached the village to tell Splinter about his plan.

By then, surely he would have an opportunity to talk to the old man in private. After all, Slash didn't need to learn everything Raphael knew.

And besides, Splinter himself didn't know Leonardo was a waterbender. Raphael still wasn't sure how the old man would react.

It was better to keep it a secret.

That night, and in spite of his sheer exhaustion, Raphael couldn't find sleep. Too many worried thoughts spun in his head.

Was Leonardo alright? And Donatello? And Michelangelo? And his parents?

Would Bishop arrive at the oasis before Splinter's message, would his family think he was dead?

He really hoped they wouldn't. They had suffered enough from Leonardo's abrupt disappearance.

Next to him, Slash moved under his blankets. Obviously he was having a hard time finding sleep. On the contrary, Splinter's regular breathing seemed to indicate that he had no such problems.

A sharp nudge in his ribs made Raphael start. He turned to Slash, frowning.

"You better not tell anyone," Slash whispered, so low Raphael could barely hear the words.

Raphael blinked. "Tell them about what?"

"About what I told you in the chimney!"

Now Raphael remembered. With everything that had happened, he had almost forgotten about Slash's grand revelation. "It's about Spike being your brother?"

"Of course it is!" Slash seemed about to punch him.

Raphael considered playing with the guy a little, but he thought better of it. One day, Slash might learn some of Raphael's secrets. It could come in handy to have some blackmail material.

"Don't worry, I won't."

And with that, Raphael turned his back to the other boy and closed his eyes, determined to find sleep.

He would need all his strength tomorrow.

"What do you mean, you're not coming with us?"

Raphael fidgeted a little under Splinter's stern gaze.

They had reached a small village and bought horses, and Raphael had managed to get Splinter face to face, without Slash who was still stuffing himself with the delicious fruits the locals had given them for dessert.

"I think I have an idea where Leonardo might be," he explained. "I need to find him!"

Splinter frowned. "What makes you think that?"

Raphael leaned towards him, careful not to be heard by anybody else. "In the volcano. I didn't only watch Bishop, I talked to the women myself."

Splinter's brow furrowed, but Raphael didn't regret having kept quiet about this part in front of Slash.

"They told me where he was," Raphael went on, remembering how thrilled he had been to have confirmation that his twin was alive. "And the answer was cryptic, but I think they meant the sea. So that's where I'm going." Raphael straightened up, satisfied with his explanation.

"We need to go back to the oasis," Splinter said calmly. "Even if you're right, we would lose precious days making that detour."

"Then you and Slash come home, and I join you later," Raphael said stubbornly.

Splinter raised an eyebrow. "You're still not experienced enough to be traveling alone in the desert. Do you even know where you'll be going?"

"To the west," Raphael muttered.

"And how will you find water?"

Raphael's shoulders sagged. This was a weak point in his plan and he knew it.

"I have to," he whispered. "What if Leo is in danger?"

"I'm sure he's not," Splinter said quietly.

"How could you know?" Raphael protested, immediately on the defensive. "He just vanished from the oasis! Anything could have happened to him!"

Splinter sighed heavily.

Raphael's stomach knotted, as if it understood something Raphael didn't want to.

"Anything," he repeated, weakly.

"Raphael. Your brother is safe. He will come back to you."

Raphael's fists clenched. He remembered his father and how he had begged him to tell him what he knew.

The memory of his farewell with Yoshi was still painful.

And now it looked like his father's mentor had known all along, too.

"What happened to my brother?" he said through gritted teeth.

Splinter didn't answer immediately. When he did, his voice carried the slightest hint of regret.

"On the morning of the Year End Festival, after Bishop demanded that Leonardo accompany him to the well, we learned the truth about his bending abilities."

"We?" Raphael said weakly.

"Your father, your uncle and I. And it became obvious that he couldn't stay in the oasis. He needed to learn his craft from people like him."

Splinter paused.

"It was my idea to send him away."

"WHAT?" Raphael took a step backwards. He couldn't believe what he was hearing. He couldn't believe that none of these adults he trusted had told him the truth.

"We couldn't tell you, or anyone. Not with Bishop around. Raphael, try to understand."

"I understand alright! You… You… You chased him out of his home!"

Suddenly, the idea of staying with the old man was unbearable to Raphael. He turned away and ran to his new horse.

Splinter didn't try to stop him.

Raphael didn't gallop very far before he slowed down. He didn't want to exhaust his horse, after all.

"I can't believe they all knew," he muttered to himself.

He hadn't even asked Splinter what exactly had happened. Did Leonardo betray himself? Did he plain tell them?

What had changed during Leonardo's last trip to the well?

Raphael didn't turn his head when he heard the sound of horses behind him.

"Leave me alone," he said bitterly when one of the riders caught up with him.

"We were trying to protect him," Splinter said softly. "Didn't you keep his secret for the very same reason?"

Raphael bit his lip, refusing to talk to that traitor. Did they really think he wouldn't have kept his mouth shut about Leonardo's whereabouts? Did they doubt him that much?

"Is someone going to tell me what's happening here?" Slash asked from behind Raphael, his tone showing clear exasperation.

Still, Raphael didn't talk. Let Slash wonder.

Splinter closed his eyes briefly. "We're going to make a detour to the ocean."

"What?" Slash exclaimed. "But what about Bishop?"

"I sent a message to the oasis. He has maybe a two-day head start on us. In any case, we will have to trust our people to deal with him."

Raphael glanced at Splinter, taken aback.

"Maybe it's for the best," Splinter whispered. "After all, Bishop has an earthbender with him. Maybe it can't hurt if we too bring allies."

In spite of his still very real anger, Raphael smiled.

Leonardo lay on the sand of his favorite beach, gazing into the clouded sky. He didn't feel like swimming, or hanging out with Casey, or talking to April.

Today was his birthday, the first one he would spend away from his family.

Away from his twin.

Where are you, Raph? he wondered silently.

The clouds didn't answer him, of course.

In the days that had followed the revelation of the Shredder being his ancestor, Leonardo had successfully pretended he was fully recovered.

But his vision still haunted him.

He hadn't told anybody about it, and he didn't intend to. Luckily, April had been extremely sympathetic, and little by little Leonardo had managed to stop brooding over it all the time.

The only advantage to his little trip to the sacred cave was that Fishface had completely stopped engaging with him in any way. The rounded-headed student still hadn't digested the fact that Leonardo could water-read when he himself couldn't.

That, and the fact Leonardo had seen his brothers again, if only from afar.

But on his lonely birthday, all his gloomy thoughts came back at him tenfold.

Leonardo didn't move when soft steps came closer to him. He didn't feel like engaging in conversation today. He intended to wallow in self-pity until the stars came out, then go to bed and sleep his misery away.

Tomorrow would be better.

"Leo?"

It was April. Leonardo wasn't going to completely ignore his teacher, so he sat down and looked up at her.

"Yes?" he answered with all the sadness in the world.

April didn't comment on Leonardo's mood. Instead, she smiled at him. "We're going to have visitors." She smiled wider. "I don't know how, but it seems like your brother Raphael is aboard."

Leonardo blinked several times before jumping to his feet. "WHAT?"

April chuckled. "We just got the message. They'll be there in half an hour. I thought you might want to know."

Leonardo watched her, looking for a sign that she might be joking.

He found none.

Who said this day was bad? It was great. It was the best.

"Thank you, April!" he shouted right before running to the ocean.

Half an hour was way too long a time.

Raphael lent on the railings of their ship, his heart beating faster. So Leonardo was on the island he could make out in the distance?

After all this time, was he really a handful of minutes away from seeing his twin again?

On the opposite side of the ship, Slash was seasick. It served him right for not wanting to stay on land like Raphael had suggested.

Slash still had no clue what was going on. Granted, Splinter had told him they were going to meet some allies, waterbender allies - and it had taken all the old master's conviction strength to make Slash reconsider his opinion on these particular benders - but the teenager had no idea Leonardo was involved in any way in this.

Splinter seemed to believe it was Raphael's job to tell him, and Raphael thought Slash had no business knowing until they had no other choice.

Besides, he kinda looked forward to seeing Slash's face when he would realize the truth.

Raphael smiled to the ocean. Seeing Leonardo again was like the perfect birthday present.

His gaze rested on a particularly sharp wave. It didn't subside into the ocean like the other waves he had seen. In fact, it seemed to make a beeline for them.

Raphael squinted. Was he hallucinating, or did this wave looked like it carried somebody? And if he really looked hard…

The wave crashed against the ship and someone jumped on the deck, dripping with water.

"Hi, Raph," Leonardo said.

And he flung himself into Raphael's arms.

Slash couldn't believe his ears. Had he just heard Leonardo's voice?

He straightened up laboriously. And gaped at the sight in front of him.

What on earth was Leonardo doing on their boat? Wasn't he supposed to be lost? And why did he look like he had just emerged from the sea?

He glanced at Splinter, who was smiling softly. Raphael, for his part, was hugging his brother with his back turned to Slash - and Slash couldn't hear what he was whispering to Leonardo, but Leonardo was grinning like it was the best day of his life.

Slash felt a pang of jealousy at seeing the two of them so close. Then the boat rocked and his mind turned to more pressing matters.

Raphael held Leonardo tight, and who was to say there were tears in his eyes? Thanks to Leonardo's trick, they were both soaked anyways.

"Don't you dare scare me like that ever again," he whispered to his brother.

His brother who smelled like sun and salt, and who seemed perfectly fine, like he hadn't been forced to leave his home and his family without even a goodbye.

"I missed you too," Leonardo whispered back. "Happy birthday, Raph."