Disclaimer – As wisemen say, "Well, when on a roll, roll." This is it, no epi, just the last chapter. It's a bit longer than the others, but I hope not too long. Many might want a 'confrontation' of sorts and as you read, you'll understand what kind. Still, this is it. I might do a one-shot about decisions some parents seem forced to make or even making mistakes in those decisions. Still, I don't have any plans to further this particular story. A big thanks to everyone who read and especially to those who took time to review. These accolades go to – Chibi Rose Angel, Cynlee, Aries Zodiac, XXXElektraXXX, Leo Oneal, Dierdre, Lunar-Ninja, Ramica, and Jessiy Landroz. Thanks, guys! You really inspire me:0)
Be blessed.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Chapter 6 – Reality Check
Like a raging bull, Raphael charged into the darkness with deadly intent. Growling louder with each determined step and imagining Leo's plight, then positioning his weapons as he sprang forth, he quickly assessed his earlier confrontation with his invisible enemy. Raph's training allowed him to remember the subtle movements and style of his opponent from only moments earlier, moves so imperceptible, that he knew only a trained ninja had the ability to do. He mentally anticipated the first strike, the second, and the third, before he had even crossed into the darker shadows where his 'antagonist' waited. He moved so quickly into the fray and the dark, however, that Leonardo's second call from a moment ago, a call for him to stop, did not penetrate Raph's stubborn resolve until it was almost too late.
As it was, if his sai had not been deflected even the little bit than it had, the red-banded turtle would have most certainly impaled his unseen target. Nevertheless, something did deflect it, something wooden, as it pushed his sai away from its trajectory. Next, Raphael heard an all-too familiar 'ching' cry out as another weapon bit into his.
Leonardo's katana.
"What the shell?" Raph roared in defiance. "What're ya doin', Leo?" he bellowed out, yanking his sai away and trying to reposition it once more, all the while allowing his momentum to carry him forward.
"STOP, RAPH!" his brother yelled out, again, willing to risk discovery by the local human population in the apartments below him, than to risk something far worse.
Suddenly, in the next instant and with Raphael's attention diverted away to his brother and from his target, the raging turtle's feet swept out from under him. Raph landed hard down on top of the roof's flooring, yet instantly he set about righting himself again. Unlike the first, when he had found himself caught off-guard and flat on his carapace, this time he succeeded to avoid such an exposed position. In the way that only his skills as a fighter could qualify, Raph augmented his fall, quickly rocking and leaping back up to a stand in almost one fluid motion. Succeeding the way Splinter trained him, mentally he could picture the pleased expression on his sensei's face, had his Master been witness to the event. It might have even garnered him a bit of welcomed praise, too, but currently Raphael had other matters that seemed more important.
Such as, why had Leonardo suddenly traded sides in the battle?
Ignoring Leonardo's command and his interference, Raphael set about furthering his attack once more. However, before he could, the red-banded turtle found himself roughly shoved out of the shadows and back into the glow of the starlit night again. He did not fall, this time, but he also couldn't help but lose his balance just a little. Suddenly, Leonardo quickly followed, slipping out of the shadows and now standing defensively in front of Raph. He quickly positioned himself between his brother and the inky black behind him, as if protecting their mysterious combatant. More surprising, though, Leonardo pointed his one katana at his now astonished brother.
"I said stop, Raphael, stand down!" Leo seethed angrily, "Didn't you hear me?"
Heaving in frustration and unrequited energy, Raphael glared at Leo, "What – are you talking about, Leo…we've been undah ATTACK, for cry'n out loud." He then snorted, "Have ya lost yer mind? Seems ya need a dose of reality, bro!"
"NO!" a voice broke forth from the shadows behind Leonardo, "YOU are the one who needs a reality check, Raph!" Then, almost shocking the red turtle to his knees, a figure stepped out from the dark recesses, someone who was the least person Raph had expected.
Michelangelo.
"What…you? Impossible! What are you doing up here?" Raphael gasped; the brevity and seriousness of what he had almost done finally cutting through his stubborn resolve. He looked over at Leo questioningly, but Raph did not find any sympathetic response from him. Snarling as he realized his older brother had known it was Mike and that was the reason why he had told him to 'stand down', Raphael now applied his anger to his youngest brother. "I – almost – killed – you, shell-for-brains!"
"The operative word is – almost," Mikey declared angrily, "and as far as who should be where, explain to me why you two are even up here?" He shot an accusing glance at both of his brothers. Leo blushed, and Raph seemed to likewise.
Breathing deeply as he tried to regain some self-control, Raphael looked over to Leo, but he received only a shrug from brother in reply. The red-banded turtle then looked back at Mike and realized that the one in orange was not going to be placated so easily. Michelangelo's usually cheerful expression was gone, now replaced with anger and – hurt. Raphael was now at a loss for words, mostly because he had not expected his younger brother to best him in battle the way that he had. More to the point, though, he realized, as far as Mike was probably concerned, that the assumed freedom and privilege Splinter had allowed him had turned out to be a sham.
Yes, indeed, why were he and Leo on the roof in the first place and in the same vicinity as Michelangelo? That seemed to be the only question worthy of consideration – and Raph was helpless about what to say.
"I'll ask you again, bro, why are you guys following me?" Mike persisted with his initial question, his eyes narrowing with intensity.
"Um, well…" Raph swallowed nervously, his breathing now calm and his lust for blood evaporating quickly, "We – ah –were just out on – patrol?" He tried to smile a little, but it was perfectly obvious not only to Mike but to Leo, too, that his excuse was as lame as a three-legged dog. Raphael then groaned, not at all comfortable with making up excuses, especially when it was perfectly obvious why he and Leonardo were 'out and about'. Finally, and with a deep sigh, he began to explain, "Okay, so we were worried about ya, fine, so shoot us, nail us to the wall, kick us in the groin…"
"I'd like to, believe me!" Mike snapped, roughly hooking his nunchukus back onto his belt and then folding his arms judgmentally across his plastron. He then glared at both his brothers, now.
Raph blinked, not at all familiar with this Mikey, the one with the acerbic tongue, the smart reply, the angry expression. This worried him. He was the one with those distinctions, not his carefree, fun-loving brother. Yeah, maybe Mike was angry earlier and, maybe, he did go to great lengths to irritate him, but it was never in meanness, not the way he seemed to be now. "What happened t'ya, Mike?" Raph finally asked, "I mean…this isn't like you."
"No, it's more like you, Raphael," Donnie said as he emerged from another group of shadows, only a few yards away and on the roof next to the one the others stood upon. He strode towards his three brothers, stepping over the short wall that divided the apartments from one another, and then joining them where they stood.
"You - were following us?" Raph gasped in disbelief.
Chagrined and blushing a bit as he stopped near the trio, Donnie shrugged as he explained, "Sensei wanted all of us as witness, but he trusted me to report the details."
Leonardo huffed, "And he didn't trust me?"
Donnie's eyes went slightly wide, "Ah, well, yes, he does, but – I wasn't the one sent to make sure that Mikey…" and then Don stopped, realizing that Michelangelo had been unaware of their sensei's orders after the young turtle had left the lair. Donnie cringed as he watched Mike's arms drop to his sides in surprise and his mouth open in muted shock - and maybe even hurt. In response, Don gave his youngest brother an apologetic half-smile and then his shoulders slumped in surrender. "Yeah, Sensei sent all of us, Mike. It's not what you think, though…" he calmly tried to explain, bringing his hands up in a pleading gesture.
"Not what I think, Donnie?" Mike replied derisively, straightening up defensively, "What in shell do you know what I think. Do any of you know what I think?" he spat out, giving each of his other two brothers a look so riveting, in that moment, all three realized the betrayal the youngest of the four probably felt. "How am I to feel, guys, believing I'm being treated equal with all of you, only to find out that it was a lie? How am I supposed to feel?"
Leo tried to soften the situation by stepping over to his offended brother to lay a comforting hand on his shoulder. However, Mike effectively stepped aside and out of Leonardo's reach, "Don't even try to smooth this one out, bro; it won't work this time." Mike seethed between clenched teeth, "None of you seem to believe that I can take care of myself."
"That's not true, Mike, but –" Leo said, "- one can never have too much back-up, okay?"
"But that's not what this is about. Back-up is only back-up when it's asked for. But what you did –" Mike now huffed, eyes tearing with pent up frustration and with his voice almost quaking, "is having a lack of faith in my training." Then, as it seemed to occur to him, Mike exclaimed hotly, "I guess if Sensei doubts my abilities, then it's really HIS abilities to train me that should be in question? Wouldn't you agree, Donnie?" Mike turned to his more astute brother, who appeared as if Mike had just offered him an impossible rhetorical question. "Well, Donnie, if Father is so skilled in training us – in training me – would he have sent any of you to make sure I didn't get into trouble?"
Gulping, Donnie looked helplessly to Leo and then to Raph, who tried to distance himself from the confrontation by taking a step back and away from the threesome. Seeing an enraged Michelangelo had rocked Raphael's understanding of what 'normal' was.
Leonardo just appeared as if he wanted to drop into a hole and out of sight.
However, Donnie finally recovered, as he explained, "It's not that Sensei doesn't trust your abilities, Mike, or that he isn't capable of training you," he sighed, "But he told tonight me what happened that first time you snuck out of the lair. He – worries, Mike, a lot. Not just about Raph or you," the purple-banded turtle looked over at his other brother in question, "but about all of us." Don then looked to Leo, "He knows what he's training us to do, what we'll be capable of when that training is complete," then he looked full into Michelangelo's face, "And he knows the price that any of us might have to pay when that day arrives." Don reached over and firmly grasped his youngest brother's shoulder, not letting go when Mike tried to shrug him off. He leaned in a bit and smiled compassionately, "After Leo and Raph left, he admitted to me about following each of us during our first time or two when we went topside on our own."
Now, the other two brothers were shocked, with Leo exclaiming, "He – did?" with Raph's expression almost asking the same question.
"Yes, he did, and it wasn't that he didn't trust our training, either," Don explained.
"Then, pray tell, what didn't he trust?" Raph snorted in scorn.
"Humans and their ability to do the unexpected – namely – using guns," the one in purple replied, looking over at Leo again, as he continued, "You're right, Leo, we can't outrun bullets. Sensei told me about how you and Mike were shot at that one time, and that it scared him almost senseless. Sensei almost decided then to end his quest for revenge for Master Yoshi's death. He thought about moving all of us out of the city, in fact, but – well – he told me he believes there is a greater purpose to our existence than seeing honor restored to the clan. He didn't say what exactly when he talked to me after you left, but…well…you know how he can get sometimes."
"Yeah, as straightforward as an Arcanum!" Mike deadpanned, shaking his head as he gave a slight smile.
"Ah…ar-what-um?" Raph asked in surprise, his eyes going slightly wide at his brother's comment.
Donatello remarked, "An Arcanum is a mysterious knowledge, language, or information accessible only by the informed."
"Thank you, Mr. Webster," Raph grumped, and then huffed in sarcasm.
"Well, it was obvious that you didn't know the definition," Donnie said in defense as he smiled a little.
"Ever heard of rhetorical ignorance, brainiac?" Raph exclaimed in reply with a smirk.
Donnie's eye ridges rose a bit and then he chuckled, "With you? That's an understatement!"
"Hey, I resent that remark!" his brother challenged, twirling one of his sai in mock threat.
Leo stepped in-between the two verbally clashing brothers and stated, "Look, let's continue this conversation elsewhere, shall we? It's bad enough that Mike heard us…"
"I'm still not happy about you bros being here," Mike whined.
"Oh, cry me a river, Mike!" Raph gruffed sarcastically, "Looks like yer not the only one who's had company yer first official time out."
"Still doesn't make me happy. I really thought I was all alone," the youngest turtle continued to complain, kicking at the tar-papered rooftop in frustration and sighing despondently.
Leo grabbed his brother with one arm around his shoulders and hugging him, saying, "Hey, no matter what, Mikey, none of us are ever alone, so guess we all have to sort of get used to it, eh?" He then chirped, "Besides, you sort of showed us you can take care of yourself. I was not expecting that kind of response from you…you really kicked our shell!"
"Right straight, he did!" Raph interrupted, now coming alongside his littlest brother and grinning as the foursome began to trek back across the rooftop, "Guess you have been paying attention to Sensei, after all, eh?" He then nudged Mike, "Hey, bro, you can be my back-up any night of the week!"
Mike stopped short as he declared, "Hey, who said I wanted to be back-up…I think I can lead an assault as good as any of you!"
Leo quirked an eye ridge, a small smile forming across his face, as he placated, "Sure, Mike, the first one we have, I'll remember that." He chuckled.
"NO, I'm serious, I mean, none of you knew I was even up here, no one did, really, I can lead, I really can." Mike insisted, "You even said, bro, that you never expected me to fight that well…com'on, guys, you gotta admit that I caught you all by surprise!"
Donnie shook his head as he commented, "Well, we'll give you that, Mike, you certainly did catch us off guard," and then smirked along with his other two brothers.
"See! Even our genius brother agrees with me!" Mike stood there with his head raised proudly and his chest puffed out.
"Hey, oh brave brother of mine; did ya have time t'get yer popcorn?" Raph interrupted, changing the topic, only because he was starting to get hungry.
"Oh, shoot…I almost forgot about that," Mike snapped his fingers, making a turn about face and out from his brother's arms, heading back in the direction of the store. "Anyone wanna be my back-up," he asked teasingly, looking over his shoulder at his three straggling brothers, who slowly followed him.
Suddenly, all three laughed and rushed him, grabbing Mike up and carrying him along, his feet dangling in mid air as he muffled yells of protest. As he did, the trio exclaimed in unison, "We do, we do, we do,"
The four brothers continued to joke around as they made their way to the nearest fire escape and down to the street below. As the last one descended the metal ladder and as his purple-banded head slipped below the lip of the apartment rooftop, a small brown figure huddled unseen among the shadows on the building next to it. He watched in pleased wonder. He was quite satisfied with the outcome of his sons' assignments, especially with Michelangelo's, even though all of them were unaware of the rat's plans.
Yes, ninja master commented to himself silently, his youngest son had been paying attention during practice; he had certainly earned the right to go topside alone. Yet, he also knew that when he returned home, his son, as well as the other three, would have important questions for him, questions that would be difficult to answer – but answer, he would. As Splinter thought about it and as he imagined their initial hurt, he ruminated about his love for them.
It was itself an amazing thing, his love. It caused him to imagine many monsters and horrors that would take his sons from him, hurt them, and cause them pain. Splinter did not want them to feel pain, but he knew it was inevitable. He had lovingly provided for them and protected them since they were babies. It was hard to imagine not continuing in that roll. Yet he knew he couldn't protect them forever. He realized that, one day, he would have to let them go, where they would soon be adults.
Still, he wondered if most parents worried the way that he did. He thought about how some parents held on so tightly to their children, that to protect them at all cost might include negating independence. Shaking his head and then sighing, Splinter understood that even he was capable of doing that. Yet, the rat also realized that tonight on this night, they had proved beyond a doubt – and maybe he would escape questions from them if he had planned it – that his four sons, his ninja warriors, were closer to completing their training than even he was willing to admit.
Splinter raised his nose to the heavens and gazed at the stars. As he walked out from the shadows and looked back down across the tops of the apartments and towards the skyscrapers beyond, he sensed that it wouldn't be too long, now, before he would exact revenge for the death of his master. The question of 'when', however, seemed to bother him the most. During the past week, when he had foraged for food and supplies, he had heard rumors through the Asian community of New York City. The rumors were about clans belonging to Japanese crime lords that were becoming more of a problem, attracting the attention of the local police, in fact. As with all segregated groups, volunteered information of such matters had been slow in coming, resulting in very little involvement by the authorities.
Just the same, as he had moved unseen among the populace, he kept hearing a name, a 'whispered' name that sent chills down his hairy spine, and bringing with it painful memories. It had only been fifteen years since he had last seen his master's nemesis. Had Saki remained in the states after murdering Hamato Yoshi?
He had hoped not, because that hope would give more time to his sons' training. Yet, the feeling of immediacy filled his heart, because the question of 'when' persisted to harass the old rat, causing him to wonder if his young charges were, indeed, ready for such a confrontation. How that meeting would take place still eluded his meditative dreams, yet one thing was certain. He knew it would happen within the next year. When it did, he sensed that all four of his sons, as well as himself, would discover life-changing challenges that would alter their lives forever.
Until that time, though, until the inevitable happened, he would protect them as much as he could, while giving them moments of independence and certainly lessons in perception.
Thinking about the battle from a moment ago, Splinter shook his head, remembering the carelessness of his son who wore red. He knew that Raphael had not taken the time to sense Michelangelo in the shadows. Had he succeeded, Splinter would have had to reveal himself to tend to his youngest – and account for his presence sooner than he had planned. Considering all that had transpired, Splinter mused that even Leonardo would need a talking to from him.
Still, Splinter hoped that by the time that his plans for retribution came to conclusion, his sons, his protégés, and his precious children, would finally be ready.
It was, in all honestly, all he could hope for.
Then, realizing the impropriety of becoming 'last one to the lair', Splinter made haste in the opposite direction of where his sons were heading, anxious to be home ahead of them to avoid any questions as to where he had been in their absence. No, it wouldn't do at all for them to find out that he had been privvy to their confrontations there on the rooftop. That was one episode he'd rather wait in the telling - preferably in his will and long after he was dead!
The End.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
A/N – I'm certain that most of you were surprised about who was in the shadows! This is not, in my opinion, out of character, either. Why would he go into battle in the movie unless he was capable? These guys have been trained since they could walk, and by a ninjitsu master-rat, no less. They're more than capable at this age – which is a good bit of time before they cross paths with April, Casey, or even the Shredder. Remember, one of them is barely 13 years old. Two others are fourteen and fifteen. So, with that said, they have about a year before their lives go topsey turvey! LOL Enough said. Thanks for reading; be blessed.