Donnie frowned and looked at his brother, who was not being very subtle about his interest in the boat that had wrecked on their beach. Sure, Donnie was just as interested in getting off the island as Raph was, but he wasn't showing his desperation so blatantly.
As soon as Donnie and Leo had brought them to where the ship was, Raph went to the wreck and single handedly moved it back upright again. The ship wasn't all that damaged. A little worse for wear, but Donnie wasn't so sure that a lot of this damage had come from this particular wreck.
"Huh, the boat doesn't look all that bad," Mikey said thoughtfully. He went to the boat and immediately opened up a secret latch that Donnie assumed was meant for storing provisions under the boards. Mikey let out a sound that was very similar to a screech as he reached into the storage space and pulled out...a cat?
"Mayunk, you're okay!" Mikey untied the rope that had been wrapped around the cat. Mikey laughed and clutched the cat tightly, looking at Leo in glee. "It's a good thing you were the one that tied him up."
"I can't believe that cat is alive," Leo looked as astonished by this fact as Donnie felt. Leo grinned and scratched the cat's ears, making it purr happily as it leaned into his touch.
"It's just like when he washed up on our island all those years ago," Mikey commented happily. "He's a cat of the ocean," Donnie instinctively winced and looked towards his brother. Raph was rather touchy about any mention of the ocean, but Donnie was surprised to see that Raph didn't become tense or upset. Raph was watching the cat with quiet, cautious curiosity. Donnie couldn't help but smile when he saw that look in his brother's eyes. He didn't see that look very often, but he recognized it immediately, and it was one of his favorite expressions on Raph's face.
Mikey took notice of it too. He didn't know Raph as well as Donnie did, but it wasn't like Raph was being all that subtle about what was on his mind. "Do you want to hold her?" Mikey asked as he held out the cat in his arms.
Raph blinked and for a minute it seemed like he was about to refuse, but after a tense moment he nodded and approached Mikey. Raph gently accepted the cat from Mikey's arms. It didn't seem very happy to be with this new person, as immediately the cat began to meow and squirm. Donnie cringed when he saw the cat's claws dig into his brother's arm, but Raph didn't seem to care at all.
"So...Mayunk?" Raph gave Mikey a strange look. Most people would see that look and think that they were being judged, but Donnie knew that his brother was just curious and a little confused. "Is he your pet or something?"
"Something like that," Mikey said as he began to pet the cat in an attempt to calm it down. "She's kinda mine, and kinda my friend, April's. We couldn't agree on a name. I was thinking Klunk, but April really wanted Mayhem, so we decided to combine the names. Mayunk."
Donnie rolled his eyes. It sounded like a rudimentary compromise to him. Raph, on the other hand, was amused by the name. "I like it," Raph smiled at the cat and stroked her, only to draw back and flinch when Mayunk bit him. Mikey yelped in alarm and took back the cat before it could attack Raph any more. Mayunk calmed down once it was back in Mikey's arms, and Raph took this opportunity to continue petting the cat more.
Donnie shook his head as he watched his brother. Raph was incredibly stubborn, and had the habit of not learning from his mistakes. When Raph acted like this, Donnie couldn't help but remind his brother that insanity was doing the same thing and expecting different results. Raph would just shrug and keep on doing what he was doing.
"Is your brother a big fan of cats?" Leo asked Donnie. He looked like he didn't know what to think of Raph, which Donnie supposed was a step above straight up animosity.
"He likes all animals," Donnie said, and that was an understatement. Raph seemed to feel some kind of connection with animals. Often when Raph didn't feel like he could talk to anybody else, he could talk through his feelings with animals. They didn't judge him. They didn't make him feel like he'd done anything wrong. Animals just listened quietly.
And one of their most distinct powers was the ability to transform into animals. Ever since he'd lost his sais, Raph had been unable to transform at all, which Donnie knew was something he really struggled with.
"Is that why he has all those tattoos?" Leo asked, talking about the dozens of tattoos on both of Raph's arms. Donnie grimaced and adjusted the wrappings he regularly kept tied around his arms, which acted as a make-shift sleeve. He ignored the strange glance that Leo gave him when he noticed the action.
"That's...part of it," Donnie said, his tone making it clear that he wasn't about to talk any more about it. Honestly, Raph had gotten tattoos of all of his favorite animals partially because he felt a connection to them, but mostly because of...other reasons. The same reason why Donnie kept his own arms covered at all times. Reasons that Donnie didn't want to even think about.
"O-okay," Leo didn't look like he wanted to drop the matter, but he didn't push more. "So, how long do you think it will take to get this boat water-worthy again?"
"Not long," Donnie said as he looked away from his brother and turned to the boat. "It would be a lot worse if you hadn't taken down your sail before you got hit by the storm." Donnie could only assume that was what had happened, as the sail was folded up and shoved unceremoniously under the boards. He couldn't imagine them getting this far out to sea without the use of their cell. "A few of these boards may have to be replaced, but other than that I think we're good to go."
Leo gave a sigh of relief. "That's good. Maybe we'll still be able to do this before it's too late,"
Donnie narrowed his eyes at Leo. "Too late for what? Why are you two in such a hurry?" Donnie knew why he and Raph wanted to get off the island, because they'd been here for five hundred years and that was way too long to be on one limbo island.
"Our island is dying," Mikey cut in. "We wanted to save it,"
Raph looked at Mikey in annoyance and slight confusion. "And how were you planning on doing that?"
Mikey grabbed his necklace and took it off. "With this," Raph took the necklace, looking skeptical about it. Raph looked at it for a moment before his eyes widened in horror. Raph clenched his fist around the necklace before he ran towards the water. Before the others could stop him, Raph pulled his arm back and threw the necklace as far as he could, which was pretty darn far.
"Raph!" Donnie gave his brother a scolding look. Mikey and Leo seemed less angry and more panicked about Raph's action. Leo looked about ready to swim out there after it, which Donnie didn't completely understand. It was just a necklace, after all. Before any of them could think of what action to take, a wave began to approach the beach.
Donnie stared at the water in quiet awe, clutching his staff tightly. There was only the smallest of breezes, certainly not enough to cause a wave, and yet one was approaching them. The ocean, it had returned. Donnie hadn't seen it in so long, not like this.
Donnie's awe and slight respect sank when he saw the wave rise up until it was nearly ten feet tall before it came crashing down on top of Raph with so much force that it knocked him over. Donnie rushed to his brother's side and helped him up. Physically, Raph looked fine, just wet and a little dazed. But considering the ocean, which had once been Raph's partner and friend, had just attacked him so ruthlessly after ignoring him for five hundred years, Donnie doubted that Raph was anything close to fine.
Donnie expected Raph to start shouting at the ocean, like he frequently did, but instead his brother just looked almost blankly towards mikey. Donnie followed his gaze. They could see that the water had calmed and had flowed gently towards Mikey. A pillar of water rose up in front of the teenager, his necklace floating on top of it.
Mikey gave the ocean a small but sincere smile as he took back his necklace. "Thanks," Mikey said easily, like talking to the ocean was second nature for him, like this kind of thing happened all the time. Raph must have noticed the same thing because he growled and pushed himself to his feet. Raph snatched Donnie's staff away from him and stormed over to the pillar of water. Raph swung the staff at the pillar and let out a shout that was full of raw emotion that had been building up for the past five hundred years. The staff connected with the water, making the pillar collapse and retreat back into the ocean, though not before squirting Raph in the face all over again.
"Are you kidding me?!" Raph charged at the ocean, but this time Donnie grabbed a hold of his arm and held him back. Raph only half-heartedly fought against him. "What did I ever do to you?"
"What, is it not enough that you stole from a goddess and put the whole world at risk for the sake of your pride?" Leo crossed his arms and raised an eyebrow at Raph, who growled at him. Donnie stepped between Raph and Leo, claiming his staff back from his brother. He wasn't trying to keep Raph from attacking their guest, but the other way around.
"Don't talk about things you don't understand," Donnie said lowly as he glared at Leo. A strong gust of wind blew past them, a warning. Leo looked surprised at the sudden aggression. Donnie knew that Raph didn't like it when he fought his battles for him, but he wasn't about to sit to the side and let his brother be talked to like this. They'd both stolen the heart from Miwa. If Raph deserved to be punished for his crime, then Donnie did too and they deserved the exact same punishment, which wasn't what they were getting.
"Leo, back off," Mikey said. "Maybe they had a good excuse?" Mikey fidgeted with his necklace, which Raph was watching with caution.
"You guys wouldn't understand," Raph said unhappily as he still refused to take his eyes off the necklace.
Leo was unimpressed. "You guys are kids, just like us." Raph snorted, and Donnie couldn't help but share in his amusement. They'd been on this island alone for five hundred years. They weren't immortal, but they were pretty darn close to it. Definitely close enough for it to be ridiculous to be called 'kids'. "What could you possibly go through that we wouldn't understand?"
"Why don't you go get yourself trapped on an island for a couple of centuries, and then ask me that again," Raph clenched his fists. He looked ready for a fight. Donnie was surprised that his brother hadn't already started a fight with the other boys. He seemed to be trying to hold himself back today.
"Guys, why don't we all chill out?" Mikey suggested. He took in a slow, deep breath, bringing his hand up along with his air, and then lowered it as he let his air out. Donnie didn't know why Mikey was trying to give an example of how to calm down, but he wasn't in the mood to disagree with him at that moment. Let Mikey do what he wanted.
"Okay, now, why don't we get to work on this boat? We all want to get off this island, right? We can talk about what to do from there," Mikey suggested cheerfully. Raph didn't look like he was in the mood to behave civilly around Mikey and Leo, and honestly Donnie wasn't feeling all that welcoming either. However, Mikey had a point. They may not have the same goal, but they definitely had the same first step, so why didn't they at least help each other out with that?
"...Fine," Leo sighed. "You said we needed to replace some boards. Would any trees around here work for that?"
"Some of them should," Donnie said. "Me and Raph can go get the wood while you two get the sail back up."
Mikey and Leo looked at each other in alarm. Leo looked sheepish and embarrassed. Mikey cleared his throat. "Okay, uh, you think one of you guys can walk us through how to do that? We're kinda new to this whole sailing thing."
'Seriously?" Raph crossed his arms and stared at the two of them. Donnie just groaned and put a hand to his face.
"What were you guys doing on a sailboat if you don't know the first thing about sailing?" Donnie asked, already knowing that he wouldn't like the answer.
"Hey, we know how to sail," Leo said defensively before he looked away and rubbed the back of his neck. "At least, we've got an idea of what the basics are."
"I don't even know how you two are still alive right now," Raph grabbed the sail. "Donnie, why don't you take one of these idiots to go get that wood, and the idiot can help me out with this." Leo seethed, but as he began to retort Mikey stepped in excitedly.
"Oh, I'll go with you," Mikey looked to Donnie. "I may not know a lot about boats, but I know plants." If what Mikey said was true, he just may come in handy. They wanted sturdy wood that was similar in structure to what the boat was made of. If Mikey knew about plants like he claimed, he may be able to identify the right tree for them to get their wood from.
"At least one of you is useful," Raph grumbled as he unfolded the sail and grabbed some extra rope. Donnie expected a fight to break out, and he wondered if Leo and Raph would need a mediator, but before he could properly consider it Mikey took his hand and began to pull him towards the few trees that were around the island.
"So...your brother seems kinda intense," Mikey said conversationally. Donnie chuckled. That was an understatement.
"He takes some getting used to," Donnie said. "He's not that bad once you get to know him though." Donnie grimaced as he saw Mikey fiddling with his necklace again. He felt the need to apologize on his brother's behalf. "I'm sorry that Raph tried to throw away your necklace."
"It's fine," Mikey waved away his apology and just put his necklace back on again. "I'm glad the ocean got it back to me." Donnie winced and Mikey watched him curiously. "What do you and Raph have against the ocean?"
Donnie sighed and clutched his staff tightly. "Today's the first time that the ocean's actually talked to us since we got here, and, you know, it's not acting all that gently. When you think about it, that's kinda a bit of a blow for someone who is supposed to be the ocean's chosen champion."
Mikey frowned slightly. "Oh yeah, Raph is the demigod of the ocean, isn't he?" Donnie nodded. "I guess I'd be pretty mad too."
"He's been through a lot these past few centuries," Donnie said tiredly. "We both have."
"Well, maybe you can change all that," Mikey said optimistically. He held out his necklace to Donnie, who, curious to see what was so important about it, accepted it. As Donnie touched the purple stone, it flashed pink. Donnie flipped the stone over to get a look at it and yelped when he saw a familiar flower symbol on it. Donnie instinctively dropped the stone.
"The...you have the heart of Miwa…" Donnie said in a quiet, horrified voice.
Mikey bent down and picked up his necklace again. "I guess you and Raph don't like this very much,"
"That stone is nothing but trouble," Donnie stepped back from the stone. He understood why Raph had tried to get rid of it. "Even before we got our hands on it,"
"What do you mean?" Mikey asked, genuinely curious.
Miwa used that thing to create life," Donnie said. "After she went to sleep, every power hungry god, human, and monster was out to get the heart."
"Including you and your brother," Mikey commented. He didn't sound like he was judging them, but Donnie felt himself getting defensive and on guard anyways.
"We didn't want that thing for power," Donnie insisted.. "I mean, yeah, power is great, but we were actually planning on giving that power to the humans,"
"You guys...you stole it for us?" Mikey's eyes softened. "Why?"
"So you wouldn't have to depend on the gods for your every need," Donnie said. "This isn't the only time that we've done something for the sake of humanity. We continued Miwa's work of raising islands up from the ocean. We introduced fire to humanity. We protected mankind from monsters." Donnie sighed. "And like you said, the only thing we're known for is our quest that went wrong."
Mikey looked at the necklace, a thoughtful look in his eyes. "Well, if you help us to save the world, me and Leo can help tell your story. It sounds like you guys aren't just champions for the gods, but champions for all of humanity."
Donnie frowned, thinking it over. "...You guys would do that?"
"Yeah, I mean, people deserve to be acknowledged for more than just their mistakes," Mikey said. "But because of what you guys did, the world is dying. We have to save it, or at least try." Donnie wasn't completely on board with the idea, but it was something to at least consider.
"For now, why don't we think about getting off this island?" Donnie suggested. They were approaching the trees, which Mikey quickly approached. The teenager began to look at the trees over, touching the bark, looking at the leaves. Mikey even looked at the sticks on the ground near the trees. Finally Mikey put his hand on a tree.
"This one," Mikey said confidently. "This type of wood is study, but not so dense that it will sink. We use trees similar to this to make our fishing rafts,"
"That should do fine," Donnie gently put his staff down and grabbed the makeshift axe that Raph had made for him about four hundred years ago. Raph had been trying to find a replacement for his sais. Nothing ever felt right for him, but the weapons came in handy sometimes.
Donnie may not be very happy with Raph's old decision to become a warrior, and even after all this time he still didn't like the one who had encouraged and worked with Raph during that time. Still, Donnie had to admit that a lot of the things that Raph had learned during that time had come in handy. That didn't mean that he had to like it though.
Donnie got to work at the tree. Fortunately, the trunk wasn't very thick, so it shouldn't take too long for him to do this, but it would still be faster if there were more hands working on this. "Raph has a hatchet with him. Can you see if you can borrow it so we can get some real work going on this tree?"
"I'm on it," Mikey ran back towards the beach where the others were. It was only after he was gone did Donnie consider that maybe he should have been the one to talk to Raph. Even if Raph wasn't as possessive of his homemade weapons as he had been of the sais that had been gifted to him by the gods, but he was still reluctant to let them out of his hands.
Mikey was already on his way though, and Donnie couldn't always be there to play mediator on Raph's behalf. If they were going to be getting off this island and rejoining humanity than Raph would need to learn how to get along with others anyways.
Besides, Mikey would only be gone for a minute or two. How much trouble could they possibly get into during that time?
A/N: I have no idea when I decided that the ocean would be a big jerk to Raph. It just kinda happened, so I'm playing it up. It just feels natural. Especially with what I'm planning on doing with Raph's character and his relationship with Leo and Mikey.