The first part of this in Italics has suggestions of underage sex/rape. It is not explicit but you may skip that part if you wish. Thanks again to all the reviews. Keep them coming. peace
Ch 12 Confrontation.
The door to the cell opened and the a large dark figured walked in. The young turtle looked up from his place in the corner at the large man and trembled under his glare. "Please Master." He begged, tugging on the chains that continued to rub at his wrist. "Please do not punish me anymore." Hot tears fell from his eyes as the man moved closer to him. "I'll be good, I'll do whatever you want." He got on all fours and placed his head on the floor.
The large man walked closer to the frighten turtle and began to disrobe. "You continue to disappoint me Leonardo." The man's voice was deep and dark. His eyes angry and filled with hate. "You are to be loyal to me and yet you fail to do what I require of you."
"Please Master." The turtle watched as the large man pulled out a long whip." Please, I'll do better. Please don't beat me again." He shook harder and winced as the whip made a snapping sound close to his ear. Try as he might, he could not hold back the tears.
"You are pathetic." The man sneered at him. "You are nothing compared to your brother." He snapped the whip at the boy, smiling when he heard the turtle cry out in pain. "While your brother will be getting praised for being a great Savior, you will be on your knees licking his feet." Another snap of the whip, another loud cry.
"Please Master, what do want of me?." The turtle whimpered as he pressed his eyes into the palm of his hands, forcing to hold back the tears that came from the slicing of the whip into his flesh.
He cried out again as the large man grabbed his neck and brought their faces close. "I want you to give yourself to me!" He yelled. "I want your loyalty, your heart and soul!" He forced the turtle onto his carapace and forced himself in between his legs, his hand squeezed his throat as he hovered over him. "I want you to bow down and do as I demand." The turtle's eyes widen in horror as a blade slid out from the man's gauntlet and was placed against his throat. "I want you to kill your brother!"
'NOOOO!' Leo sat up quickly and his eyes darted around. He sucked in heavy breaths while his voice echoed loudly in his head with his heart pounding hard against his chest. He looked at the sleeping form of his brother next to him and wiped the sweat off his forehead. He continued to take deep breaths and closed his eyes to try and calm his pounding heart. 'Just a nightmare.' He thought to himself. 'Just another stupid nightmare.' He ran his hands up and down his arms and felt the deep scars that littered his skin. While his brother may still be safe the nightmare brought back memories of what Saki had done to him. He laid himself down and placed his arm around his brother and brought him in close.
Behind him, a pair of green eyes narrowed in bewilderment when he saw the older turtle wake up suddenly with a start. He wanted to get up and go to him, to comfort and hold him. But for now, he felt it best to let Leonardo be with his brother. Maybe he would speak with him in the morning and try again to get him to open up. Maybe, Leo would let him be there to help.
Raphael rolled over and looked at his own little brother. He wrapped his arm around him, bringing him in close to his plastron. It would be morning in a few hours and later that day, they would reach the Daimyo's stronghold and hopefully, everything would be over. As he laid there, his mind wandered back to the kiss he and Leo shared.
It felt wonderful and he knew his heart skipped a beat when their lips touched, just as it had whenever they touched. He had wanted so desperately to lay them down and make love to him. But he knew Leo would never have allowed that.
Raph sighed. Later this year, he would be getting married to someone he did not know or love. But he felt in his heart, he loved Leonardo and he wanted to be with him. Maybe he could speak with the Daimyo about helping him to get out of the marriage. 'Would I be able to do that?' He wondered. Maybe the Daimyo had some pull and would be able to help him. 'I'll have to ask him when we get there.' He thought to himself as he slowly drifted back to sleep.
Leo awoke at the raising of the sun, he got up and walked over to the water's edge. He splashed water on his face and looked down sadly at his reflection. He shook his head and made his way back to where the others were still sleeping.
"We should get going." He said loud enough to wake the others.
Raph yawned, stretched and sat up. "Wake up Don." He tapped his brother's shell while Leo walked over to Mikey
"Come on guys." He said as the two younger turtles also began to slowly wake up. "We need to keep moving. The sooner we get to the Daimyo's the sooner we can be safe."
They quickly ate then mounted the horses. "The Daimyo's lair is past the fields and toward those mountains up ahead. According to the map and what Sensei told us, we'll be coming to a village later this afternoon. We can stop there and get food and supplies and find out the best way to get to the bridge that connects the the mountain to the Daimyo's lair." Leo looked at the map. "If all goes well, looks like we'll be at the Daimyo's stronghold by nightfall." Leo patted the money bag that hung around his neck.
"Sounds good." Raph commented.
"Yeah." Donnie said, giving his horse a slight kick. "Let's get going."
"Sooner the better." Mikey said. He rubbed his arms more out of nervousness then coldness.
They made their way through the fields of golden weeds following the stream as the map had indicated. After riding for most of the morning, they came to a clearing with a village at the base of the mountain. It was here, they stopped for food and supplies and would leave with the villagers.
"The trek up the mountain will be treacherous." Leo informed them. "We'll leave the horses here and go the rest of the way on foot."
Leo stood just outside the village, his eyes looking up to the top of the mountain and eventually lifting his eyes toward the sky. Raph came up behind him. "I find it interesting that whenever I try to be alone you come up behind me and attempt to speak with me." Leo said without turning around.
"Just trying to figure out what it is you're trying to see." Raph muttered looking up the mountain. "Or trying not to see."
Leo gave a light chuckle. "Just trying to determine the best way to go." Leo told him. "I want to make sure we find a way to get to the Daimyo's before nightfall.
"I spoke with one of the village elders and he pointed me toward a path that will lead to a short cut." Raph was pointing to the right side behind the village.
"Sounds good." Leo smiled at him. "Are our brothers ready to go."
They turned to see the two younger turtles playing with some of the other children in the village. Raph sighed and shook his head. "It has been some time since we've just been able to have a little fun."
Leo nodded. They watched the other two for a short time playing a game of tag. It made him happy to see Mikey having so much fun. "I can't remember a time when I or Mikey had fun like that." Leo told him. "At least Mikey had Mariko and she would play with him but of course she was his nanny, almost like a mother to him. But I never played with anyone. The Shredder would make sure that for me it was only ninja training and hard work." Leo sighed then laughed uproariously when he saw Mike and Don collide into each other when they attempted to outrun the child who was trying to tag them. Leo shook his head as the two turtles fell to the ground laughing heartily then get back up. "Yeah." Leo said with a far away look in his eyes. "It would have been nice to have other kids to play with."
Raph gave Leo a sidelong glance. The way he spoke made his heart ache for him. They let the boys have fun for a short time before calling them over. Laughing, Donnie and Mikey made their way over and to them.
"It's time to get going." Leo told them.
"Aw, I wish we could stay a little bit longer." Mikey sighed saddly. "I've never had other kids to play with before."
"Yeah, me neither." Donnie admitted. They both looked at their brothers. "Not that playing with you wasn't fun Raph." Donnie told him sheepishly. "But let's face it, it would have been nice to have other kids around." Much to Raph's chagrin, he had to agree with his younger brother.
The four turtles began the long trek up the mountain. "Pace yourselves." Leo told them. As they began their way up the mountain, Leo gave Raph a quizzical look. "You and your brother did not play with any of the other children in the village?"
Raph looked down at the ground, a sad look in his eyes. "We had other kids to play with at first." Raph told him. "But after the other terrapins from our clan went to the Salamandrian village, we were pretty much left alone." Raph let out a deep sigh. "And even if there were other kids in the village, they weren't turtles so their parents didn't allow them to play with us."
"Oh." Leo nodded. "I'm sorry."
"It's no big deal." Raph shrugged. "Donnie and I did have each other."
Leo nodded and they continued their hike. Raph looked at Leo rather nervously. "What do you want to ask me now Raph?" Leo said with a slight smile on his face.
"Sorry Leo." Raph said. "I know I'm probably prying into your life a lot but I'm just trying to understand." Leo gave a sidelong glance at Raph and saw he was looking down at the ground in contemplation.
"What else do you wish to know?"
"I saw you wake up last night, you looked and acted scared." Raph looked at Leo with sad eyes. "Do you want to talk about your nightmare?"
Leo shook his head. "Not really." He saw Raph look back down at the ground with a frown. "Look Raph. I appreciate you wanting to help and be there for me but I've dealt with my nightmares by myself all my life." He placed his hand on Raph's shoulder. "It's best if I continue to do so."
Raph looked back at him and took his hand in his. "You shouldn't have to anymore Leo." Raph told him. "You should let us in...let me in."
Leo smiled sadly at him. "Perhaps after everything is over." He placed his hand on Raph's cheek. "We can talk."
They stayed quiet for the remainder of the hike, watching their brothers in front of them as they went along. They would stop on occasion to drink some water and just take a breather, the air was getting thinner as they went and they all knew they had to take their time or risk collapsing from exhaustion. It took a long time but they finally ended up getting to the top. It was night now but the full moon lit up the darkness and a clearing could be seen through the trees. The two older turtles watched their brothers suddenly break into a run then give a loud yell of surprise from up ahead. They ran to find Donnie and Mikey standing in a large clearing and staring straight ahead in awe.
Leo and Raph ran up behind them and gazed in wonder at the sight before them. There in front of them was a long wooden bridge that hung over a very deep chasm. It connected to a series of steps that led up to a large stone castle. The four turtles lifted their heads and their eyes widen at seeing the large tower on the very top of the incredible castle that seemed to reach to the very heavens themselves.
"That is the most incredible sight I have ever seen." Donnie said, clearly awestruck by the sight of the Daimyo's large fortress.
"Guys." Mikey pointed up to the sky and over to the right. "The moon."
They raised their eyes higher and noticed the moon was now full and was slowly turning the color of a deep red. "The moon will be in position in less then three hours time." Leo said. "We need to cross the bridge and get to the Daimyo's."
They began to make their way toward the bridge, Donnie and Mikey, in complete awe, walked cautiously ahead of Leo and Raph. Leo was continuing forward when he felt a hand grab his arm and tug him backwards. He turned to face Raph with narrow eyes.
"Leo." Raph looked back at him with nervousness yet intent in his eyes. "I've got to talk to you before we get to the stronghold."
"Raph we don't have time…."
"It'll take just a minute."
"Very well." Leo sighed. "What is it?"
"I'm going to ask the Daimyo to release me from my upcoming nuptials." Leo looked at Raph in surprise.
"But Raph…"
"I love you Leo." Raph told him, grabbing his arms and bring him close to his body. "I don't want to marry someone who I don't love or don't even know." Leo looked away from Raph, his breathing became rapid. "But I know you and I don't care about your past." He brought Leo's face closer to his. "I love you."
"Raph." Leo shook his head and began to tremble. "Why must you make everything so hard!" He pushed himself slightly away and looked at Raph, tears shinning in his sapphire blue eyes. "We must follow our destinies…."
"But why Leo!" Raph growled angrily. "Why does it matter what are destinies are?" He demanded. "Why can't we make our own?" He looked deep into Leo's eyes. "I love you." He insisted. "And I know you love me too."
"Raph…I…"
"Look me in the eyes Leo and tell me you don't love me." Raph demanded. "If you can then I'll forget about us and do what everyone wants me to do."
Leo looked away from Raph and blinked back the tears. He shook his head and attempted to speak. He wanted to tell Raph what he needed to tell him but his heart wouldn't let him. "Of course I love you." Leo whispered. "I've loved you since I first felt your hand touch mine."
Raph put his hand on Leo's cheek. "Then let's be together." He implored. "Let's finish this mission and run away somewhere." He leaned in to kiss Leo. "I just want to be with you."
"Raph…"Leo began, but Raph's lips were already on his and he didn't want to stop him.
"Well well well." A loud voice suddenly boomed throughout the night and startled the two turtles apart. Leo looked up in horror as a large figure jumped down from the nearest tree and stepped toward them. "Looks like the whore has a heart."
"Tiger Claw!" Leo gasped as the large tiger advanced on them.
"LEO!" Leo turned to see Mikey and Donnie looking back at them in fear. Mikey was pointing toward the forest. He turned back to where Tiger Claw was coming from and saw several dark figures emerging from the trees. "The Foot Clan." Mikey screamed. "They're here!"
