A/N: Hey guys! A quicker update than last time I suppose!

Thanks again to all of you beautiful people who R&R this story!

I OWN NOTHING!

Enjoy!

Chapter 24

"I suppose that the human mind can only stand so much grief and anguish. After that the fuses blow."

― Fynn, Mister God, This is Anna

One quiet evening. That's it. All Raphael wanted was one, peaceable, uneventful evening in the lair whilst he watched some T.V and waited for his brothers to heal up. But alas, the peace he sought was not to be, for he and his two younger brothers were all suffering from a disease like no other. It was a disease that was strong enough to spread throughout the body, the mind, and even infect one's spirit if suitable treatment was not forthcoming. It was a disease that could spread to all within range of the infected, and could even prove to be very deadly.

That terrible disease, was boredom.

Living beneath the sewers of Manhattan, the mutant family – specifically the teenaged ninjas – would succumb to boredom illness quite quickly, and depending on just how bored they were, each turtle handled it differently. When Donatello was bored, he would shut himself within his lab and focus on whatever experiments he felt like playing around with before they blew up in his face. Currently, he had been given permission by Master Splinter to journey out into the sewer tunnels in order to finish a project he had been working on for quite some time, taking the power cell that they had acquired from Leatherhead with him for reasons that remained unknown by the rest of them.

For Raphael, he usually spent his time practicing within the dojo, reading comics in the privacy of his own room with his pet turtle, or simply sitting on the couch to watch T.V. Those activities didn't exactly kill the boredom, but it was better than doing nothing.

However, when Michelangelo was bored, those around him tended to suffer.

Being the hyperactive ninja he was, Mikey got bored very easily. He never stuck to one activity at a time, but instead jumped from one item of his interest to another; one minute he would be reading a comic book or two on the tire swing above the pool of water next to the dojo, then the next he would be filling up water balloons in the kitchen, ready for a full on assault of water balloon-y goodness, which annoyed his brothers to no end. When he was unable to do any of that, however, that was when he became a sheer bane of your existence.

Which unfortunately, for Raph that is, was exactly what was happening to him.

The young freckled turtle, his arms and legs still covered in bandages from the fight with Justin the other night, was sitting on the bench on Raph's left. His knees were tucked into him, and his arms wrapped around them as he rocked slightly in place. That was not what was bothering Raph though. It was the fact that he was staring up at him unblinkingly, a mischievous grin plastered permanently across his face. Raph tried to ignore him, and instead kept his narrowed green eyes focused on the T.V programme that he didn't really care for in reality. But then Mikey raised a single hand, and poked Raph in the cheek, giggling when Raph let out a grunt.

"Raaaaphiieee," he said, his grin growing wider as he continued to poke his face. "Play with meeeee…."

His eyes narrowing to slits, Raph slid his gaze over to his brother, who took no note of the oncoming danger. "Mikey. Go. Away," he practically snarled, trying to keep his temper under control this time. He knew that Mikey was still recovering from the serious burns and injuries that Justin had inflicted…as well as recovering emotionally from what Leonardo had done, which in truth Raph was still having trouble getting over as well, even after his long talk with Master Splinter. But that wouldn't stop the older turtle from smacking Mikey upside the head with his clenching fist if he continued to bother him needlessly. And the possibility of that happening very soon was getting higher and higher with each passing second.

Unaffected by his threatening tone, Mikey let out a dramatic sigh and collapsed across Raph's lap. "But duuuuude, I'm boooored!" he whined pathetically, his lower lip jutting outwards in a childlike manner.

Raph glared down at him, squirming uncomfortably as he tried to get the heavy turtle off of his lap. "Well, why don't you just go take a nap in your room or something?!" he barked.

"But I can't!" Mikey cried, the back of his hand pressing against his forehead melodramatically. "The night is young, and I am awake! So have to play! Please Raphieee, play with meeeee!"

Rolling his eyes to the high heavens above, Raph pinched the space between his brows, growling loudly in rapidly growing frustration. He couldn't have just one night to himself, could he? Well, with Michelangelo for a baby brother, what else could he possibly expect? There just had to be a way to entertain the younger turtle, even if it was only for a few hours…and even if it meant that Raph was forced to be the one to provide said entertainment. Sighing heavily in defeat, Raph looked down at Mikey, his baby blue eyes batting with the pure innocence of a new-born angel. "…Okay, Mikey," he relented long-sufferingly, knowing that he was surely going to regret this. "What do you want from me this time?"

Instantly Mikey's face brightened as he sat up again. But just as Raph believed he was free, Mikey decided instead to actually sit across the older turtle's lap like a small child asking Santa what they wanted for Christmas. But Mikey was by no means a small child anymore, and the added weight on his lap made Raph release a strained 'oof!'. Once he'd made himself comfortable, Mikey grinned up at his older brother. "Take me topside with you!" he bounced, only adding to Raph's discomfort and agitation. "I know you were planning on going up on your own anyways, so I want in, too! Please, dude! I'm bored in here!"

Sighing again (and feeling his legs go worryingly numb under Mikey's weight) Raph shook his head. "No way, Mikey. You know what Splinter and Donnie said; you've gotta stay down here until you heal up properly, remember?"

Mikey pouted sourly, grabbing Raph by the shoulders and roughly shaking him back and forth. "But I caaaaaan't! Please, come on! I won't get hurt or push myself too far I promise! Just let me go with you!" he begged, nearly slipping off his perch when Raph slapped his hands away with an annoyed grumble, telling the orange clad turtle that he was quickly losing whatever patience he had left.

Raph raised a doubtful brow at his youngest sibling, folding his arms over his chest. "Oh really? What could you possibly do topside that won't get you even more banged up than you already are?" he probed. He'd slowly begun to notice that Mikey was being particularly annoying today. No matter how bored Mikey got on days such as these where he was forced to stay underground, he had never begged to leave the lair in such a manner. If it was just an excuse to get some fresh air then that was fair enough, but even then he seemed rather…well, he seemed a little too desperate to escape, for lack of a better term. He wondered what was up with him all of a sudden as he raised his brow higher. "What's gotten your shell-undies in a tangle anyways?" he decided to ask, "And you'd better not lie to me, Mikey."

He watched with surprise as Mikey's childish façade quickly faded, and the frown that he and his family had come to hate so much returned as he averted his eyes from the red clad turtle. Mikey let out a small sigh, pressing his index fingers together and staring down at the floor with gloomy eyes as he did so. "…well…I guess it's still getting to me," he confessed at last. "I dunno why, but…I can't stop thinking about Leo…and how he just left us with Justin. He's never done that before Raph, not even when he was at his worst; usually he'd see us in danger and then try to help us out without making it too obvious. But now…" he trailed off, letting his hands fall onto his lap uselessly. "…I just want it to stop. I'm tired of it, Raph. And I don't know what to do anymore…"

Raph watched him in silence the whole time, his expression turning from surprise into deep sympathy as he frowned at the wilted form of his baby brother. Of course he was still thinking about Leonardo. Apart from pizza, it was just about all Mikey could ever think about now, especially after that night at the Kraang WWG warehouse. And now…he was feeling just as useless and heartbroken than ever before. The poor little guy must have thought that getting out of the lair would help him take his mind off of their older brother for a change, if only for a little while that is. And Raph had been so close to denying him of that right…

Lifting up a hand to scratch the back of his head, Raph closed his eyes and let out a tired, resigned sigh. Donnie was surely going to give him a hard time about letting Mikey go above ground in his current state, and Splinter would probably hand his shell to him on a silver platter for extra measure…but then again, this was for Mikey, his baby brother who was in desperate need of relief from all of this drama.

Lifting his arm to drape it around Mikey's shoulders, Raph sent him a smile when he finally tore his eyes away from the ground. "…alright, Mikey," he said at last, patting his shoulder fondly. "Go and get your skateboard, and then you and me will do a few laps around the block for half an hour or something, okay? And nobody else has to know about it; it'll be between you and me. You up for it?"

As Mikey blinked once in disbelief, and his frown slowly morphed into a full blown smile of gratitude, Raph couldn't help but return the smile even as Mikey lunged forwards and wrapped his arms around his neck in a tight and loving hug. Nearly toppling over the edge of the couch, Raph managed to return the hug with one arm around his brother.

"Thanks Raph!" Mikey cheered, his cheek squishing against Raph's as he nuzzled him. "You're the best!"

Raph let out a chuckle, patting Mikey on the back of his shell. "Yeah, tell me something I don't know, little brother," he snorted, glad that he had already managed to make his ailing brother feel that little bit better.

Now all he needed was to get him off of his lap before his legs gave out completely.

"Come on, dude! I'm burned up and down my body and I'm still faster than you, you bloated buffalo!" Mikey shouted over his shoulder as he tore down the empty streets on his brightly colored skateboard, swerving sharply around trashcans and leaping over cars parked along the kerbs as he peered over at where Raph glided only meters behind him.

In response to his baby brother's taunt, Raph only sent him a devilish grin as he sped up, his mask tails whipping violently behind him as he grew closer to the younger terrapin. "You're only digging a grave for yourself, Mikey!" he laughed right back, giving Mikey a playful shove on the shoulder as he skyrocketed ahead of him, sticking his tongue at him over his shoulder for extra measure. It had been as soon as they exited the sewers that Michelangelo had challenged Raphael to a race; the first one to reach the 'Dragon Gates' was permitted to eat the others share of pizza for the remainder of the week, whilst the loser was to take over the winner's share of chores around the lair. Raph had been against it at first, reminding Mikey about his injuries…but he soon discovered that Mikey had completely ignored him and started down the road without him, whooping with delight all the while.

Well, if Mikey was looking to burn off a little steam with a friendly competition, there was no way Raph was going to make it easy for him, whether he was injured or not!

Mikey's brows furrowed, his tongue protruding from the side of his mouth as he pushed himself to go faster. "There's no way I'm losing to you, Raph!" he shouted, the two of them coming neck-and-neck again as they drew closer to the Dragon Gates.

Raph threw Mikey a smug smirk. "Don't be such a sore loser, Mikey!" he called. "This race is mine!"

However, Mikey only began to grin from ear to ear. "I don't think so, Raphie!" he said with an ominous edge to his voice that made Raph raise a confused brow. And without warning, Mikey suddenly blasted ahead of the older turtle with a burst of speed Raph did not know he possessed (especially in the condition he was in), leaving Raph in the dust as he gawked after his hurtling form. With a screech of wood on concrete, Mikey skidded to a stop in front of the Dragon Gates, striking a victorious pose as he pumped his fist into the air. "BOOYAKASHA!" he shouted jubilantly, just as Raph came to a grinding halt next to him. "How do you like them apples, Raph?!" he teased, folding his arms smugly over his chest.

Despite the fact that he had lost the race (and that he had a whole week of extra cleaning to look forward to) he found that he wasn't actually all that upset. In fact, he actually smiled broadly, reaching out a hand to rub the top of Mikey's head. "Yeah, good job Mikey," he said. "You won that fair and square, little bro."

Blinking once in surprise at Raph's unexpected reaction, Mikey then beamed brightly. "Shell yeah, brah!" he laughed. "No one can stop the Speed Demon Michelangelo!"

Raph could only roll his eyes at him, though he couldn't wipe the smile off his face. He hadn't realized just how long it had been since the two of them had been able to hang out and have fun like this. It felt refreshing, being able to get out of the lair and feel the winds against their faces, laughing as their competition got more and more heated…and being able to forget about everything else that was wrong with the world for once. For the red clad turtle, it was as if a weight had been lifted off his shoulders at long last, and he was sure that Mikey felt the same.

However, like all good things, Raph realized that their time had come to an end as he took out his T-Phone and glanced down at the time. It was nearing midnight, meaning they would be in some serious trouble if they didn't get their shells back to the lair right away. Patting Mikey on the head once more, Raph picked up his skateboard from off the floor. "Come on, knucklehead," he beckoned with a chuckle. "Let's head home before Leader and Splinter find out we're gone."

Nodding, Mikey picked up his own board as he tailed after Raph, still smiling. Once he and Raph were side by side, Mikey bumped his shoulder against Raph's softly. "Thanks Raph," he said earnestly. "I…I really needed this, dude."

Returning the smile warmly, Raph put his arm around his little brother's shoulders, bringing him close as they walked. "You and me both, bro," he said. Both turtles were in far brighter spirits now as they neared the manhole cover from whence they came.

But as Raph lifted up the metal cover for Mikey to slip through first, his eyes widened as an uneasy chill ran down the length of his spine. His head snapped around, and his narrowed green eyes scanned the streets beyond the alleyway the two brothers stood within. Nothing stirred, but Raph was ninja; he knew better than to brush off a feeling such as that…

Something, or someone, was out there.

"Raph? You okay, dude?" Mikey asked, noticing his brothers' guarded stance and his green eyes tensely glaring at the mouth of the alleyway. Following his gaze as he peeked over Raph's broad shoulders, Mikey could see and hear nothing other than the ordinary sounds of the city life beyond, and as far as he knew everything seemed safe. But if whatever was out there was enough to put Raph on the edge, it obviously meant that something was up, whether Mikey could see it or not.

Keeping his eyes trained on the aperture of the alley, Raph put one hand on Mikey's shoulder, holding it fast as he thrust his skateboard into his arms with the other hand. "Mikey, you go back to the lair," he said, his voice low. "I'm gonna check out whatever's back there."

Mikey's eyes were wide with anxiety as he shook his head, both skateboards held close to his chest. "No way, dude!" he protested firmly despite his apprehension. "What if you need back up –?"

"You and Donnie are in no condition to fight," Raph snapped back in a harsh whisper as he turned back to his brother. "The last thing I want is for you to get hurt again, so I'm telling you, go back to lair where it's safe." Upon noticing the look in Mikey's eyes, Raph's tone softened as he placed both hands on his shoulders. "Don't worry Mikey, I'll be back soon," he assured. "I just gotta take care of this alone, alright? And if Sensei asks where I am, tell him I left the lair to go explore the tunnels, got it?"

Biting down on his lip with uncertainty, Mikey finally nodded his head once before slipping down into the hole, balancing both skateboards in one arm as he began to climb down the ladder. Before disappearing into the sewers completely, Mikey looked back up one last time to meet Raph's gaze. "Be careful, Raph," he whispered. "And you'd better hurry back, or I'll kick your shell."

Raph nodded back once in silent response, smiling reassuringly at his worried sibling before sliding the metal lid back over the manhole. With Mikey safely back in the sewers, Raph's expression turned dark once again as he darted over to the fire escape on his left, clambering up the metal staircase with silent ease before flipping himself onto the rooftop. Straightening his stance, he squinted in the darkness of the New York night in search for what had set him off. Still nothing…

…nothing except a large shadow leaping off into the distance.

Raph grunted, his eyes narrowing in anger as his fists clenched at his sides. He knew there was someone nearby. And if his assumptions had been correct, and whoever that was had been watching them this whole time, then he was not about to let them get away so easily. Without further hesitation, Raphael took off after the shadow, making sure he kept a fair distance away to avoid being spotted as he leapt from building to building.

Several minutes later, Raph found himself in the rougher side of the city, a place that he and his brothers had tried to avoid as best as they could. Though this side of the neighborhood was known for its high crime levels, and it was their duty to protect those in need of their aid, Splinter was adamant about them ever venturing here even during their patrols, and rightly so. Everywhere Raph looked there were overloaded garbage cans that he could smell even from where he stood on the rooftops, stray cats and dogs fighting over meager scraps of food left by uncaring humans, and around the corner of an old, graffiti covered building, there was a small gang of kids no older than he was exchanging a variety of drugs that even Raph had never seen or heard of before.

The turtle made a disgusted face. No wonder Splinter forbade them from coming down here.

But despite knowing that he was breaking a serious rule, Raph knew he still had a job to do as he continued to trail after the shadow, who had begun to pick up speed. He had debated on whether or not it was a member of the Foot Clan, but he quickly dismissed it. Shredder's lair was nowhere near this neighborhood, so why would a Foot soldier venture so far out of their own territory…?

Actually, now that he thought of it, as Raph watched the dark figure weave in and out of the shadows and over the buildings from whence heavy clouds of black smoke spouted from out of the chimneys and darkened the skies, he noticed that the guy seemed to know his way around these parts pretty well. Perhaps there was another Foot syndicate located here or something?

During his inner musings, the shadow suddenly darted out of sight, causing Raph to skid to a halt on a rooftop as he scanned the empty streets below. There was no sign of him, but Raph knew he couldn't be too careful. The shadow was obviously a ninja, and a highly skilled one at that; he could be hiding anywhere, waiting for the moment in which Raph would drop his guard and leave himself open for a fatal strike. But Raph wouldn't give that punk the chance. Leaping down from the building and landing soundlessly on the ground, Raph unsheathed his Sais and spun them readily in his grip as his eyes darted left and right in search for the shadow. The road was illuminated by a single street lamp behind him, leaving the rest of the area obscured in darkness.

He felt his heart beat against his chest with a mixture of excitement and a touch of dread as he listened and waited…

"Why does the deer wander into the tiger's den?"

The blood freezing within his veins, Raph let out a startled gasp as he spun around with his Sais at the ready. His gaze traveled up the street lamp, and his eyes went wide at the sight of a large hunkering figure poised upon the top of the lamp like a looming gargoyle, the whites of his eyes the only thing visible…aside from the shell on his back that shone from the moonlight above.

Raph's eyes narrowed dangerously as he glared up at the crouched boy upon the lamp. "Leonardo," he snarled.

Leonardo smirked down at the red clad turtle as he slid from his perch, landing poised on all fours like a feline before he slowly uncoiled, standing on two legs again as he folded his arms over his chest. "I thought you would never catch on," he said, his voice oozing with mockery. "What are you doing out here, Raphael? I actually thought you were dead, y'know, after that giant squid mutant thing happened."

Raph visibly bristled, his teeth grinding. "Yeah, no thanks to you and your little girlfriend," he spat back, pointing the tip of his Sai in Leo's direction. "And a better question would be why are you out here? Last time I checked, the Foot HQ was on the other side of town."

Leo remained indifferent, aside from rolling his eyes at Raph's statement (seriously, she wasn't his girlfriend!). "Well, I can't expect you to understand," he said disinterestedly as he secured the blue scarf a little tighter around his neck, "but there are a few…'loose ends' that I've been ordered to tie up around here. And it has nothing to with the likes of you, so I suggest you run along home before your 'rat daddy' gets worried about you." With a shrewd grin, Leo spun on his heel and began to march away into the darkness.

Raph lowered his Sai slowly as he watched Leo walk away, his fists balling with rage at the pure dismissiveness of the older turtle's tone. So, he wanted to play a little game of 'smack-talk' did he? Well, two could easily play at that. Sheathing his Sais, Raph folded his arms. "What, are you Shredder's loyal dog now?" he shouted after him with his own little confident smirk. "You afraid to get your master angry, little puppy?"

Leo froze mid-step. His head turned so that Raph could clearly see the dark flicker of murder that lit up in his eye.

It was mere seconds before Raph found himself hurled to the brick wall of the abandoned house behind him by a flying kick to his chest, and then held there by Leo's left arm slamming against his plastron. Leo's other hand was armed with a short dagger that was pressed dangerously close to Raph's neck as he glared viciously at the red turtle, snarling through his teeth like a wild animal. His eyes wide and near terrified, Rap leaned as far back as he could from the glistening blade, his green orbs locked on Leo's cobalt pair as he held his breath.

Well, that had obviously been the very wrong thing to say.

Then Leo blinked once, the enraged fire in his eyes suddenly going out as he seemed to come to a realization of some kind, one that Raph was not aware of. He relaxed his hold on the younger turtle, but did not release him completely as he let out a sigh. "…look Raphael, I want to kill you…I really want to kill you," he growled. His eyes then drew away from Raph's as they wandered off to the side. "But…I can't."

Raph brows rose in confusion as he watched the older turtle. What? What was he saying? He'd had no problem in thrusting a blade to his throat five seconds ago…so what had changed?

Upon finding Raph staring at him, Leo's eyes then narrowed again. "…I can't kill you yet," he clarified as he finally stepped away from Raph, slipping the Tanto blade back into his wrist wrap. "I don't have time to play around with you tonight Raphael, not this time. Believe it or not, I have a job to do, and you're just wasting my time." And then with a hard glare, he added, "But if you ever call me Shredder's loyal pet again, I'll splatter your innards across the wall. Understand?"

Rubbing the sore flesh of his neck as he came off the wall, Raph let out a huff of wry amusement. "…yeah, whatever you say Leo," he said, watching Leo's expression carefully as it morphed from a threatening scowl into confusion. "You and I both know that you're not gonna kill me any time soon, or any of us for that matter."

Blinking again, Leo's confusion faded as he folded his arms over his chest, eying Raph challengingly. "I'm sorry, are you suggesting that I can't kill you?" he probed, his tone low with warning.

Raph shook his head, a knowing smirk growing across his lips. "I'm not saying you can't, because I'm pretty sure you can if you wanted to," he said as he folded his arms. "…I'm just saying that no matter how many times you threaten us, no matter how many times you tell us that you don't care, we all know that in the end, you won't do it. Hell, even Mikey figured it out already…"

"Figured out what already?" Leo pressed impatiently, his patience wearing thinner.

Uncrossing his arms so that they hung at his sides, Raph's expression grew solemn as he regarded Leo. "…that you do care about us, Leo. And deep down, you know that you still care," he said.

His breath hitching, Leo's scowl deepened and his head dipped as he released a rumbling growl from his throat. "Don't you dare make assumptions about me, Raphael," he spat harshly in outrage, stepping closer to the other turtle and jabbing a finger into his chest. "You don't know me! You never have and you never will! You have no right to make speculations over my actions! The only reason I haven't put an end to you myself is because –"

"It's because of Mikey, ain't it?" Raph interjected, his brows furrowing as he knocked Leo's hand away from his chest as the two turtles glowered at each other hotly. "I don't know what you and Mikey did back in Central Park that night, but whatever it was, it did something didn't it? Mikey opened your eyes to something, am I right? Or am I just 'making assumptions' again?" he queried sarcastically. Leo said nothing in response to his claim, but his glare never wavered. However, Raph noticed the subtle way in which Leo's hands clenched at his sides.

That was all that Raph needed to know as he sent Leo another smug smirk. "Looks like I know you better than you think, eh Leo?" he jeered.

Raph didn't see the fist come flying toward his face. He only felt the pain of it connecting with his jaw before he was sent sprawling to the floor with a pained grunt. Taking a moment to blink away the stars that were dancing across his vision, Raph looked back up to find Leo with a single katana unsheathed as he stood above him. His eyes were ablaze as he snarled down at the fallen red turtle. "You. Know. Nothing, Raphael," he seethed. "But if it's a fight that you want, then very well; I accept your challenge."

Wiping the trail of blood off his lip as he climbed back to his feet again, Raph reached back and drew out his Sais, spinning them within his three-fingered grip before attaining a battle stance as he glared Leo down. "Alright, Leo. You want to go for round three? Well then, get ready to get some sense knocked into ya once and for all!" he bantered. However, even as the words came out of his mouth, Raph knew that deep down this wasn't at all what he wanted. He didn't want to fight Leo…did he? Well, it was too late for second thoughts now; Leo was already fired up because of his big mouth, and when he attacked, Raph would have no choice but to defend and retaliate accordingly unless he wanted to become best friends with the Grim Reaper.

But what about everything that Master Splinter had told him…?

Without warning, Leo made the first move as he leaped for Raph, his katana raised above his head. Raph had only seconds to deflect as he brought his Sais up to guard his face, and with a sharp jerk of his knee, he sent Leo staggering backwards and slamming against the brick wall. When Raph darted for him, a sudden flurry of untraceable kicks and punches had him flying back to the other side of the vacant street, barely able to stop himself from crashing into a pile of garbage as he skidded to a halt. Growling like a feral dog, Raph charged again, his temper flaring and in danger of snapping entirely.

Metal clanged and sang in the midnight air as the turtles collided once more, with Leo quickly gaining the upper hand, much to Raph's dismay. It appeared that he and the Grim Reaper were going to be roommates after all.

However, Raph slowly noticed that every time Leo had the opportunity to strike a fatal blow, he momentarily hesitated. It was only slight, but for a trained warrior, it was hard to miss. And then an idea then came to mind as a figurative light-bulb lit up in Raph's brain. Perhaps Raphael could use what he'd found out thus far to his advantage. Leaping away from Leo's downward strike, Raph landed in a crouch and smiled tauntingly. "So tell me, Leo," he began conversationally. "If what you're saying is true, then tell me exactly why it is that you can't kill me or my brothers?"

Unaffected, Leo only scoffed. "Why are you so concerned?" he shot back, dashing forwards at alarming speeds before swinging his blades in a spiral like motion. "You should be thankful that I would even consider letting you and your clan live in the first place!"

Jumping over Leo's head to avoid his whirling blades, Raph made no further move to attack as he smirked. "Oh, believe me, I'm thankful alright. But explain why, after telling us over and over again how much you hate us and want us dead, do you actually consider it to begin with?"

His frustration building, Leo growled out loud as he turned on Raph yet again. Why was he simply asking these questions? Better yet, why was he only defending against Leo's strikes instead of actually fighting back? Was he daring to toy with him? Did he want to have his head sliced off, or was he simply trying to try his patience further? "Stop talking already!" he yelled, smashing his foot into Raph's gut. "Why should I tell you anything?!"

Raph felt the wind get knocked right out of him as he slid backwards, holding his aching gut and fighting the urge to hurl up his last meal as he looked back up at Leo. His smirk was gone now, replaced with the familiar scowl as he narrowed his emerald gaze. "…because…we need to know…what the hell…is going through your head!" he panted as he stood up straight again. Despite himself and his fighting nature, he'd finally had enough of this pointless fighting. It was time that he put aside what his mind was telling him to do for once – to continue to fight – and actually put his father's teachings first.

"…follow the voice within your heart, telling you what you must do. Only by opening your heart will you have a greater chance of doing the same for Leonardo."

"Nothing you do makes any sense to us, and it's driving us nuts!" he exclaimed, his eyes never leaving Leonardo's. "And I'm pretty sure this whole thing ain't no picnic for you either!"

Leo's left eye twitched in agitation, his hold on the hilt of his katana tightening as his knuckles turned white. "Why would you care about what all of this is doing to me?!" he barked. "You never cared before, so why the sudden change?!"

"We've always cared, you freaking idiot! The only thing that ever changed was you!" Raph shouted, his hands balling into constricted fists as he allowed himself to finally speak his heart after so long of bottling it up and letting it build. "Do you have any idea what this is doing to all of us?! Donnie misses you, Splinter grieves over you, and Mikey…he's the worst out of all of us! After we found you both in Central Park, he's never been the same; every time he smiles, it ain't real! Every time he laughs, it's forced! And what you did at that Kraang base just tore him apart inside even more! Do you realize how much he's hurting, how much we're all hurting, all because we want you back?!"

Leo's eyes widened a fraction, his grip on the katana hilt weakening as he lowered the blade slightly, his eyes glued on Raph for a long, silent moment. Mikey was…hurting? Did he really mean that much to the younger turtle? Did they all truly miss him as much as Raphael claimed…?

They…they really wanted him to come back?

Leo shook his head, squeezing his eyes shut. No, he was wrong. Of course they didn't want him back. No, they only wanted him dead. They wanted to lure him into their trap and end him once and for all. They never cared…

"N-no…no, no, you're lying!" he protested firmly, the tip of his sword pointed hostilely towards Raph once again. "You're all a bunch of liars! Why should I believe anything you have to say?! You all left me to die in that forest when I was barely four years old! If you think that I still care about any of you after what you did, after everything that Splinter has done, then you don't know me at all!"

Raph's jaws clenched, his breaths hissing through his teeth raggedly with rage. "If you hate us so much, then answer me this!" he shouted back, daring to take a step towards the equally enraged turtle. "Why won't you just kill us when you have the chance?!"

"I do not have to answer to you anymore!" Leo yelled, readying himself to attack again as he raised his katana. He'd had enough of this nonsense!

"Yes you do! Tell me why you can't do it!" Raph repeated harshly. He could see that Leo was at his breaking point. All he needed was one more push…

"Shut up!" Leo barked back, raising one hand to press it against his throbbing head. It was happening again. That same throbbing pain in the back of his head that drowned out his overwhelming urge to kill…

"I won't stop until you tell me why!" Raph yelled.

"I said shut up!"

"Tell me!"

"STOP IT!"

"TELL ME, DAMMIT!"

"I DON'T KNOW!"

Throwing the katana to the ground with a clatter and charging headlong for Raph, Leo slammed him against the brick wall again, his shell creating cracks in the wall from the force of the blow as Leo, panting with rage, pinned him there with his forearm across his chest. "I don't know why I do it, okay?!" he shouted. "No matter how hard I try, I can't! Something is always holding me back, and I don't understand it and it's driving me insane!"

Winded from the blow, Raph watched Leo breathlessly as the older turtle lowered his head, his eyes squeezing shut as he fought back what Raph could only presume were anguished tears.

"…I shouldn't feel anything. I should hate him…I should hate all of you…" he continued, his voice now much softer and wavering slightly. "…but…every time I look at Mikey, and the way he looks at me…I feel as if some ran a stake through my heart. I…I knew he couldn't – wouldn't – lie to me, not after everything he said to me on that rooftop. But I was too blinded by my suspicions, by own hatred, to stop and think…and now..."

Leo released a shuddering breath as he slowly drew away from Raphael, who watched him with eyes full of sorrowful understanding as he came off the wall, bringing a hand up to his burning chest in pain as he staggered on his feet. So that was it, then. That was what Leonardo had been hiding from them…well, perhaps that was only half of the secrets his older brother kept locked away from them, but it was a start nonetheless. And all this time, Raphael had believed that Leonardo was purposely trying to mess with the three of them, driving them to the brink of insanity before he delivered the final blow. But in reality, the older turtle couldn't have been more lost…

And though he knew it was somewhat irrational, Raph couldn't help but feel that he was partially responsible.

Sighing heavily once more, Leo picked up his discarded katana from off the cold concrete, sliding it back into its rightful place on his shell before he turned back to Raph. "…is that what you wanted to hear, Raphael?" he asked, the anger washed away from his voice and replaced with the same emotionless tenor that he used whenever they came face to face in the past. "Is there anything else that you want from me, or are you finally satisfied? Or do you want to tell me that you were right all along in assuming that you knew me – wait, what are you–?"

Before Leo could blink, Raph was already moving as the red clad turtle made up his mind. Rushing up to the stunned blue clad turtle, he then did something that he never thought that he, being who he was, would ever be able to do…

He threw his arms around Leo's shoulders and pulled him into a fierce, unbreakable embrace.

His eyes flying wide open as he stared straight ahead, Leo stiffened when Raphael suddenly hugged him, pinning his arms to his side as his cheek came to rest on his shoulder. His hands twitching sporadically at his sides, Leo wanted to push him away, and then punch him again simply for the sake of quelling his frustrations…but he soon found that he couldn't. In fact, the frustration that he'd felt slowly vanished as Raph held him, though he still could not muster the will to hug him in return.

It was almost exactly how he'd felt back when Mikey had hugged him, back when the younger turtle had cried and begged for forgiveness. Raph's embrace, whilst it was rougher than and not as natural as Michelangelo's had been, was far more desperate. And yet, Leo felt warmth…he felt safe again…

Tightening his grip ever so slightly, Raph squeezed his eyes shut to prevent the tears that threatened to spill. He'd fully expected for Leo to react with violence, but when he remained still and wordless, he held on with no intention of letting him go…not yet. "…I'm sorry, Leo," he said barely above a whisper. "…I didn't mean to…I mean, I just…I had to know. And I think I finally get it now…" Reluctantly, Raph drew away so that he could meet Leo's confused gaze, but his hand remained firmly on his shoulders. "Leo…I wish I could tell you what you want to know, but my memory of what happened isn't as good as Mikey or Splinter's. But there is something I can tell you…"

Raph's eyes then softened, almost pleading as he looked up at his brother. "You can leave the Foot Clan, Leo. You can just tell Shredder where to stick it and come back home with us! We need you back…I need you back, big brother."

Leo gasped softly, before releasing the breath with a sigh as he turned his head away and closed his eyes. He couldn't deny that a part of him, the part that had slowly come to realize that maybe he had been wrong for all of these years, and that so desperately wanted to leave the Foot Clan for good, wanted to say yes. And yet, he knew that he couldn't. If he left the Foot, he would leave behind the only two people that had become more of a family to him than his brothers – or the rat – had ever been. He felt a twinge of guilt upon thinking that, especially after everything that had transpired that night. Lifting his hands to cover the pair on his shoulders, Leo turned back to the red clad turtle, who silently awaited his response. "…I can't," he said quietly, slowly and gently prying Raph's hands off his shoulders as he took a step back.

"It's the same thing that I told Mikey; I have a loyalty to the Foot Clan, Raphael, no matter how despicable they and the Shredder are. And…I have ties to people there that I can never break, no matter what. If I leave them, then I'll have nothing…even if it means staying away from you and the others."

Though he didn't dare show it, Raph felt devastated as he lowered his head, nodding sadly as he stared down at his feet. It had been worth a shot, but in the end, even Raph couldn't argue with him on that. Even in the Foot Clan under the tyranny of the Shredder, Leo had some form of bond with some of the members. Raph could understand that of course; he would never leave someone he held dear for another if he were in a similar position. But even so, it hurt to know that his efforts had been in vain.

A hand came to rest on Raph's right shoulder, snapping Raph out of his reverie as he looked back up to Leo, whose eyes were an intense cobalt storm of indecision, sympathy…and understanding. And then, much to Raph surprise, the corners of his mouth turned upwards in the smallest yet sincerest of smiles. "…thank you, Raph," he said. "I'll make sure that the Shredder doesn't find out about any of this, lest we both lose our heads…until we meet again, I suppose." Releasing Raph's shoulder, Leo turned around and began to walk away. However, he stopped just before he reached the fire escape on the side of the abandoned building, and he turned his head so that he was half facing Raph.

And then he winked at him.

Raph eye's widened to disbelieving saucers, letting out a gasp as he watched Leo leap onto the fire escape, scaling it with graceful ease before he disappeared over the edge of the rooftop. Had he just…?

…But just before they disappeared into the house with little Mikey trailing behind them, Leo looked over Splinter's shoulder and winked at Raph, beaming from ear to ear…

Before Raph could stop them, a steady trail of tears began to stream down his cheeks, but he made no move to wipe them away as he smiled instead. He had no idea what had been going through Leo's head when he'd done that, nor did he have any clue as to why he would lie to the Shredder for him…

"…that's just Leo, I guess," he whispered aloud, unable to wipe the tears or the smile from off his face.

A/N: You guys have no Idea how hard it was to write this, but I hope I did good! Man, what a feel-fest that was!

It looks like Raph and Leo are on better terms now! Let's hope it lasts...