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 the significance of his words' to be obvious. The Samurai's gaze flicked around the room then. He took in the faces and forms of the others there to see what their reactions to Leonardo's outburst were.

His friend, Gen, stood straighter. The rhino's ears swiveled forward to take in the kame in blue's words. Traximus was staring with his arms crossed, silent and still, but he hardness in his lines showed tension. Splinter was glaring at his eldest, but his mouth remained closed as his hands rested lightly atop his staff. Leonardo's brothers seemed to have backed up a few steps behind their brother. They watched over his shoulders with wrinkled brows.

Leonardo went on his voice louder than Usagi had heard it before. The Ronin watched in amazement. How wide the kame's mouth opened as words spilled out from it. Usagi felt his own eyes widen at the warrior's admonitions. The kame's arm and index finger were straight, rigid, and pointing at him as he thundered on. "What if the assassins had still been around watching you?! What if they'd attacked you and Gennosuke on your way back here?! You could have lost consciousness in the middle of a fight! You could've not had the chance! Merely faltering in a duel could've gotten your head swiped off!"

When the kame paused, lowered his arm and hand, and stood breathing hard while still scowling at him, Usagi cleared his throat and tried to respond in a calm, measured tone. "I suppose that was all possible, Leonardo san, but it did not happen ..."

Leonardo responded again, arms rigid at his sides this time, but leaning forward on his toes. "You're allowed to be so concerned about my life, when we barely know each other, that you'll stop competing in the tournament to keep an eye on me! But 'I' get upset when you risk your life by doing something stupid, after you save my family and me from death and dishonor, and 'I'm' overreacting?!"

Usagi stared with even wider eyes, when Leonardo paused again. The kame in blue was shaking with rage. The Samurai noticed the kame wearing red uncrossed his arms and reached out from behind to lay a restraining hand on his raging brother's shoulder. His own voice sounded high and concerned if a little rough. "Leo! Lay off! He's not one of us!"

The turtle in blue turned a glare upon the one in red. "'You' lay off, Raphael! If someone in New York City tries to help us, 'you' don't abandon them! And 'we' don't turn our backs on our friends after they nearly get themselves killed!"

Raphael raised both his hands in the air as he answered. "He didn't mean to! He just forgot! Okay! Lay off him!"

Leonardo pointed his same, rigid, index finger at the floor before replying, "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 past his brother to Usagi. The Samurai raised his eyebrows at this.

Leonardo growled back at his brother. Then he turned away from him and the rest of the room toward a wall. He crossed his own arms and bowed his head. His voice lowered but hardened even further. "We've fought together multiple times now, Raph … You weren't there for most of them. You didn't see."

The turtle in red lifted his shoulders and spread his hands. "Yeah. But we've all noticed you two have gotten thick as thieves."

Usagi's ears lifted and eyes widened at this comparison, but he remained silent as Raphael continued.

"That still don't make you the boss of him!" 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 as before. "If there hadn't been a feast tonight, or his concussion had been worse, or it had flared up when he was still just with Gennosuke …"

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

Leo turned his glare upon the rhino at his interjection. The eyes within the blue mask narrowed at Usagi's other 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 and stood as straight as they ever did. One of his hands came to rest upon the hilt of one of his swords.

Splinter moved between his son and the bounty hunter. Even as he faced the rhino, the Nezumi's words were to the kame behind him. "My son, that is enough!"

Leo grit his teeth but said nothing. He looked down at his father, who spun around and looked back up at him. Splinter continued in an even, but stern tone. "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 last Battle Nexus Tournament. Your behavior tonight, 'might' be appropriate with one of your brothers, but Usagi is 'not' your brother. He is your friend. Casey Jones and April O'Neil might well protest such treatment from you with good reason."

Leonardo turned his face away from his father. He stared at the floor, but in the direction of Usagi. Splinter raised an eyebrow as he continued to stare at his son. "He is a very 'dear' friend or ours, now, my son, one who has saved your life and likely Donatello's as well. He defended me before today and defended our reputation here when it was in danger. 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 are. Perhaps, in some ways, he is more experienced. You should apologize to him for your behavior." Splinter turned his stare upon the kame in purple. "And since I am asking that of your brother, Donatello, I believe you 'also' has some apologizing to do to Usagi san."

Donatello made a face, but then he turned toward the cushioned bench. Usagi met his gaze. The kame in purple's voice 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 their gaze 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 precautions I could have. I am sorry to have caused 'all' of you such concern tonight." The Rabbit cast his gaze over the faces of all those in the room. Donatello gave a smaller, weaker smile, at the end of Usagi's words.

Traximus gave a slight nod and smile back. Usagi thought he saw an apology of the Triceraton's own in it. He smiled back his forgiveness, and indeed, his unconcern.

Gennosuke huffed loudly through his wide nostrils, but then grinned at him. Usagi returned a slight nod and grin. There would probably be more words between them later, but partly because they would not be traveling in different directions sooner than they would have if this hadn't happened. It might be the opposite in fact.

The healer briefly removed the damp cloth from his brow, gave a slight bow before him, and then resumed his work. Splinter also sent a slight bow, and a smile, his way. Leonardo's brothers in orange and red smiled widely at him from behind their brother in blue. Leonardo, though, would not look up.

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

The kame in blue gave a head jerk nod, but his eyes never left the floor as he said, "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, but Leonardo remained still. Splinter turned back to and raised an eyebrow at his oldest son. "Leonardo …" Usagi raised himself on the bench slightly to watch this exchange. The kame in blue finally raised his gaze and looked toward him. The Ronin's mouth almost fell open.

Tears had dampened the light-colored fabric of the kame's mask. The warrior's voice came out strained and broken this time. "Usagi just …" Leo took in and let out his breath in a huff. "Just promise me you'll never do that again!"

The rabbit stared at the kame without speaking for a long moment. How could he promise that? 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