Um hi everyone. So, thank you for the reviews last chapter, they were nice. I'm not really sure what to say. I only got two reviews and I feel like I should be getting more. Do you guys like this story? Should I discontinue it? Please leave reviews guys, it really helps. Enjoy.
Raphael Pov
I watch my father keenly as he walks through the door, his tux standing neatly, his hair combed back perfectly with a faint gleam to it as the moose reflected off the lights. Little Jake stood behind my father, like a looming shadow to which preached before it's figure. I sent my stepbrother a smile, which was returned kindly.
My emerald eyes couldn't help but glue themselves to my father as he straightened out his bow tie. I could tell by the sweat beads on his creased forehead that he was being pulled under his sanity level by anxiety, and I was certain that me and my brothers eager stares weren't helping.
Beside me, Michelangelo stood with clenched fists, gnawing on his upper lip carefully. Upon entering the house, he'd stopped me outside the door.
Placing his hands gently on each of my shoulders. My youngest brother looked deep into my eyes, those baby blue orbs vibrant with a sense of confidence and reassurance. It was hard to suppress a proud smile as I studied my brothers bold posture.
"I know that I'm not gonna be chosen, so, my money's on you." Gratitude warmed my body more than the beating sun, making me soften and flash the smile I was incapable of submerging. "Though, I think deep down we both know who's really gonna be chosen," the brightness in Michelangelo's eyes instantly darkened into a grim reminder of who's really the best. Comprehending this truth is like taking a hike through a dark, foggy forest in the dead of night. As you walk, owls and badgers and raccoons and sparrows all cry at you; Leonardo. He's the best of the best. Or so everyone claims.
As hurt as I was to hear this, I knew that Michelangelo was only being honest.
My smile fades a bit, turning into more of a sad smile.
Growing up, were raised to speak nothing but the truth. We all failed this test quickly.
Donatello has always had a bad habit of lying. I could often dig through his false words, scavenging around until I finally found the secret behind what he'd spoken. I'd done it all with my eyes. Why? Because me and Donatello are the only of us four who are blood related, we're twins. We have the same talent of lying, therefore, when I lied he found out the truth before anyone else. Sometimes we'd keep each other's secrets, a trade of sorts. I didn't tell on him if he didn't tell on me. It worked for a while, until someone else did a quick scavenge through.
Leonardo was never very good at lying. He had too many tells. Wandering eyes, biting his lips, moving his tongue around inside his mouth. There are plenty more, but these are the ones he still has.
But Michelangelo..he never lies. Not unless it's absolutely necessary. Which is beautiful, because no one could ever tell when he was lying, because we all trusted him so much. If my life were to rest in someone's palm, I'd gladly set it in Mikey's.
"You're right, but still, we can't let that bring us down, can we? Come on, let's go inside," I'd said as I wrapped my arm around my baby brother's shoulder, guiding him into the house.
My hands begin to tremble in anticipation now. Who will get chosen? Leonardo, most definitely. But still, I can't suppress the desperate hope to finally be number one.
So, when my father opens his mouth to make the announcement, my heart skips a beat and I seemingly forget how to breathe. "Raphael, you have shown much kindness and respect this past year, despite the intense pressure put on you. You've always been there for this family, never failing us once. I'm proud to call you my son, Raphael, and I'm even prouder to announce you my best-man."
My eyes widen and it's like my lungs have been ripped out, all knowledge for anything and everything suddenly lost. I can't move. Me? Really, me? Me, Raphael Hamato, my father's best-man? I don't even know what to think.
"T-thank you." My voice cracks as if it's never been used before.
"You're welcome. Now, I must go finish with the final preparations. The ceremony starts in a half hour, I expect you four down there in twenty." I know that my father's just making excuses so he can get away from Leonardo's intense glare, and honestly, I don't blame him.
We're left alone once again, just me and my brothers.
Michelangelo slaps my back in a congratulating manner. "Congrats, dude!" I raise a fist, bumping it against Mikey's.
With a obviously forced grin, Donatello stares up at me. "Congratulations, Raphael. I best get going." He stands up and leaves, Mikey at his side. I recall Mikey telling me earlier that he was going to try to work things out for everyone, and I knew that's exactly what he was attempting to do now.
It's down to me and Leonardo now. Just the to of us, our rivalry soaking in the air we breathe, chilling the room that I once considered warm. Why is a glare such a deadly thing?, I wonder as I stare into Leonardo's. Answer: because it comes from deep within the caverns of the soul to which its delivered from. That hatred inside my brother's soul burns with a blaze of glory, it's coals lit with frustration until the fire is tickling his eyes, and that is when I see it. The demons that lurk inside are made from his loss, and so they pay me a visit.
I know that a conversation is on the rise, one which will involve lashing out, the complete opposite of the calm I'd prefer. Oh well, though, I guess we don't always get what we like.
"Stop," Leonardo's voice is low and threatening, with a growl tossed into the mix. I'm startled by this voice. This isn't the side of Leonardo I'm particularly familiar with. In fact, in sure that my serene side is as foreign to my brother as this is to me. At the moment, the tables have been turned, our roles reversed. How peculiar, isn't it?
I raise an eyebrow, glancing around out of the corner of my eyes, as if I'm looking for a way to respond. "Um, stop what?" My hands slide into the front pockets of my dress pants, my form becoming more and more relaxed as Leonardo's becomes more and more turbulent.
"Being cocky," Leo stands, taking a step forward, inching closer to me. "Staring at me with those eyes of satisfaction, all because you were chosen instead of me. I don't know why I'm not the best-man, but one thing is for sure, you do not deserve that role."
Startle makes me take a step back, and my eyes widen. What the hell? "I'm not being fucking cocky, Leo, I'm just as surprised as you are."
Leonardo scoffs, his face as dark as the look in his sapphire eyes. "Oh, don't even pretend. I know that you tricked Father into choosing you, there's no way he'd just choose you."
"Are you fucking kidding me? You need to calm down! I'm the best-man, not you, and that was Dad's choice, not mine. So quit being so dramatic and suck it up. And if you can't do it for yourself, then at least do it for our Father," I'm surprised by how steady and fluent my voice is, I'm not lashing out, not yelling. I'm the complete opposite of who I usually am, and I don't know if I should be happy or upset about it.
"You're such a bitch, Raphael, rubbing it in like I have no feelings. I've done nothing but good for this family, I deserve this role far more than you."
Call me an asshole, but i have to disagree completely with him on that one. I'm the better one. Call me the better evil, I don't care. After all, both of us do know how to lie, cheat, and steal all while getting away with it.
From my mouth escapes a loud, hardy laugh, booming dramatically, shattering the silence like glass. "You've done nothing but good for this family? You've caused more trouble just in the past year than any of us have our whole lives!" I throw my arms up in the air as I bark at my older brother.
"Oh really? Well what the hell have I done, Raphael!?"
"Hm..lets see, where should I begin? Oh, I know. How about how you started dating the Shredder's daughter? Or how you impregnated the Shredder's daughter? Or perhaps how you told your own father that you hated him and then you moved out?" Leonardo opens his mouth to object, but I raise a hand. I ain't finished yet. "But that's not all you've done. You just had to ignore the constant warnings you received, diving deep into this relationship with Karai until you were too in love with her to even see out of your own eyes rather than your heart. So, the Shredder attacks and you leave your fiancé at the hands of him. What did he do, Leo, huh? What did the Shredder do to Karai?"
Leonardo snarls at me, his clenched teeth baring. He looks like a wolf, the way his teeth show, the way his lips curl in rage. And his eyes, oh his eyes. They're narrowed into the tiniest slits, only the smallest sliver of blue can be seen between his eyelids. "Shut. UP!" He bellows.
But I ignore. I must break him, I must show him who's boss.
As quickly as it began, it was lost. My calm was whisked away by a storm of pure hatred. And with only that feeding me, I roar like the lion dwelling in my soul, "HE KILLED YOUR FUCKING DAUGHTER, LEONARDO! How did you let that happen!? How could you just sit and watch as he plunged a blade deep into your fiancé's stomach!? You could've done somethin', but you didn't! If I were in your place I'd be holding Sakura-" Leonardo hisses at me,"Don't say her name," but I speak over him, too caught up in my ranting to pause and take a breath, "-right now! But guess what, I'm not you. Therefore, she's dead. And you, my friend, have to drown in the sorrow of loss, not me. Not me, not Donnie, not Mikey, not Dad. No one but you and your little stuck up fiancé." I frown at Leonardo, looking him up and down in the most judging way.
"Anyway, you two just moved yourselves into the penthouse, and boy, did that start a ruckus. Constantly fighting, constantly crying, constantly sending waves of trouble through the walls that divide our home from the outside world! You just couldn't calm down. It was one right after another, it still is. Still is and always will be. Because you just love to start shit, Leonardo. You just love picking fights."
I leave the room, walking with a pride filled skip to my step and the widest grin plastered on my face.
Chairs sit alongside each other, dozens of people sitting in them as they wait for the ceremony to begin. The sand has been raked for the occasion, and banners and balloons are strung together in perfection.
On the small, three foot tall stage, I stand beneath my father, talk and proud. I gaze out at the scene, watching the waves over lap each other. A blood orange sun dips over the horizon, quickly becoming one with the blue ocean that reflects its red rays. The sky has become a light shade of pink, but the further away from the sun, the bluer and bluer it gets until it's eventually black. Fluffy clouds with flat bottoms litter the sky, and tiny stared are appearing just north of us.
With a small smile on my face, I glance over at my father, who, too, is admiring the beauty of the beach at sunset.
"You nervous?" I ask with a raised eyebrow.
My job right now is to be hard for my father, I mean, I'm the best-man, what else am I supposed to do? Besides giving the ceremonial speech, this is pretty much all I'm good for.
The speech, well, none of us really knew who the best-man would be so we all wrote one out and memorized it for the occasion. I will admits, it's a bummer Leonardo wasn't good enough to play the role of best-man, he wrote a pretty nice presentation. Sigh.
My Father glances down at me with a forced grin. "Couldn't be better," he says sarcastically.
Next to me, Mikey places a hand on my shoulder and leans his body forward so he can meet our father's eyes. "Don't worry Sensei, this is nothing to be afraid of! I mean, it's not like this is a life changing experience or anything."
I shoot my baby brother an are-you-kidding-me look, my emerald eyes narrowed.
Donatello heaves a frustrated sigh before exclaiming, "That's exactly what it is, Mikey!" I chuckle at his response.
Me and Donnie have always been almost too much alike. We're both sarcastic, impatient, we can roar like a lion yet be as calm as a river. We love proving people wrong, and love winning the fight. But I guess that's to be expected, after all, we are blood related, Donnie's tested our DNA.
The conversation came to a close when Leonardo stepped onto the platform, a bitter expression upon his handsome face. As he stomps up the three stairs, and walks to stand beside Donatello, he avoids eye contact with anyone, concentrating only on the ground beneath his trudging feet.
"You're late," I state in a blunt tone.
"Like you care. I'm sure you'd be happier if I hadn't showed up."
My father snaps his head over, and his dark brown eyes narrow at my older brother. "Leonardo, I am going to tell you exactly what I've always told Raphael. Anger is a dangerous ally, you must let it control you. As for your jealousy, let it wash over you, like river over stone." I smirk at Leonardo in a mocking way, recalling hundreds upon hundreds of memories of him making fun of me for my uncontrollable anger.
Rolling his eyes, Leo sighs, and his fists clench. "Whatever you, Father."
We all drop the subject and the silence returns. Other than the small-talk conversations carried into the air from the guests, the only sound is the howling waves. I focus on the soothing sound as I scan the crowd.
Mona sits beside April, the two of them talking with bright smiles on their faces. On the way down here, Mikey informed me that he'd talked things out with Donatello and they forgave each other. Our brother will be accompanying us at the after party. I'm assuming that Donnie and April made up, as he kissed her upon walking up here.
This basically leaves me feeling spiteful towards three people; Kala, Karai, and Leonardo. Two of these people I'd rather not be at war with, while the final, well, I'd like to rip their throat out to put it dully.
But, I won't cause any drama for the rest of the vacation, for my father's sake.
I allow my eyes to wander over to Leonardo, who locks gazes with me. We both give each other a faint not, promising one thing to each other.
Let's keep this torch underwater.
The champagne cools the glass I caress in my hand as I prepare myself to rise and speak. Come on, my mind whispers, it's just one little speech, five minutes out of your long lived life; you can do this.
I can do this.
My legs bend and straighten, and I climb on top of my chair. Taking a spoon, I cling the silver wear against my glass delicately. Suddenly, almost too quickly, everyone silenced, fixating their attention on no other than myself.
I gulp.
I can do this.
Okay, so the speech and wedding party will be in the next chapter, when that will be posted I don't know. I've recorded very little reviews for this story, so I'm probably going to put this story on a few months hold unless I get five or more reviews on this chapter. I'm sorry for those of you who always review and enjoy this story, but I don't want to waste my time writing something only a few people enjoy.
With that said, review and have a nice week.
-RaphSai03