Ch.5: Fear and Anger

At first everything seemed to be back to normal, or as normal as anything could get in this one horse town. The brothers were one big family again but Raphael seemed to grow more distant than ever. Splinter had been watching his foul-tempered son closely. It was obivious that some disturbing thought kept on prodding through Raph's mind.

One day during pratice, Raph and Leo were matched up for a sparring session like always. Leo swung his sword down and Raph lazily blocked with his sai. This wasn't especially a good time for his brian to take a nap, but that's what it seemed to be doing. Splinter halted the match and asked for Raphael to meet him in his room.

Raph followed his master and sat down before his eyes. Splinter sighed and said "My son, for the past few days some feeling deep inside has been iterferring with your training. I'm afriad I know what this feeling is. Rapheal...don't go,"

Rapheal looked at his master, knowing that Splinter had somehow figured out about his feelings towards Karia. Sure he hated her when they first met. But ever since his brothers seperated Raph suddenly felt a sort of attraction to the renagade ninja. Unknown to anyone but Splinter Leo was listening carefully to what Splinter was saying unable to determine his master's meaning.

"I don't know anymore Sensei" said Raph pointing his gaze downward "if the others ever found out that I love Karia...I don't know if I'll ever be able to face them again,"

Leo was shocked at hearing this. Rapheal and Karia? It couldn't be. The blue-masked turtle didn't stay any longer and went off to the living room finding Don and Mikey busy doing thier usual things. Sighing Leo took seat on the couch. He wouldn't tell the others what he had just heard, not yet.

Splinter laid a hand on Rapheal's now quivering shoulder and said "It is alright my son,"

Within a few moments Raph left Splinter's room and saw Leo sitting on the couch barely looking in his direction. Instantly Raph knew that Leo had heard what he had said about being in love with Karia. Karia and Leo were sworn enimies as well, and both had a death warrant for each other which they themselves signed for the other's demise.

Talking to his brothers would do no good now. Leo would soon spill out the truth and mark him as a traitor to thier family. There was only one way out. Raph new it was a risk, but he was willing to pay the price. If he could no longer live in this family he would aline with a new one.

As soon as Raph turned to leave though he heard Leo start to speak. " Raph...what have you done?"

Raph stopped instanly at hearing the question and quickly looked in the blue-masked turtle's direction. Leonardo was sound asleep, but the question he had muttered before he completely fell into that deep trance now bounced around in Rapheal's mind like a bad memory. A pang of guilt shot up through Raph's shell as he thought over what he was fixing to do.

If he agreed to Karia's offer there was truly no way anyone would trust him ever again. He would be outcast...alone with a feeling of everlasting betrayal surging through his heart and unable to make ammends for what he had done. The decision was unspoken but clear...Rapheal could not join Karia.

"Sorry Karia" thought Raph silently " I love ya and all, but my family is more important to me right now,"

With that Raph strolled down to his room and locked the door ready to sleep for the rest of the night. Splinter was watching from afar seeing just what Rapheal would do. When he saw Rapheal turn to go to his room Splinter knew that Rapheal had just made a wise choice to resist Karia's charm. But, the question was, how long would it last?

Meanwhile, Wolf, dressed in Foot garb, casually walked the halls of the Foot building. Soliders barely threw her a glance because everyone here knew her as Karia's 'little apprentince' in training. When Raph had sugguested for Wolf to disgiuse herself as one of the Foot he also made it clear to get as close to Karia as possible to know when a scheme was being hatched. His plan turned out to ne a big sucess as Wolf entered Karia's room.

"You sent for me Mistress?" asked Wolf bowing to Karia.

"Yes" said Karia barely looking up from the ground "I want your opinion on something. As my most trusted warrior I want you to swear to keep this secret,"

Wolf bowed showing that she understood and waited for Karia to continue. "I need you to bring me the turtle called Rapheal to a secret place along the harbor where we can talk in private. My very feelings for this turtle has changed from hate to deeper emotion concerning the heart. Find him,"

The hidden subtext was not so oblivous to Wolf as it was to Rapheal at his first secret meeting with Karia. Wolf instantly caught onto what Karia was saying. Karia had fallen in love with Rapheal. Now it all made sense.

"So that's what Karia meant about adding on a new part to the plan" thought Wolf "she wants to marry Rapheal! Boy Raph, you sure have a strange way of attracting girlfriends. Now your attracting female villians too,"

Wolf bowed to Karia and left not all to sure what she should do. Should she tell Rapheal that Karia had fallen for him and wants him to go on a date with her? Nah, that was a horrible idea. If one of Raph's brothers or even Rapheal himself found out about this it could bring vast disaster to her primary mission. Which was, of course, finding out what the Foot were up to in thier recent chemical raids.

None of the less Wolf had a job to do for Karia and if she didn't do it her cover would surely be blown. A decision was reached and Wolf walked out of the Foot building and started to head towards Rapheal's home.

Dawn was still hours away and yet Raph hadn't been able to catch a wink of sleep. The thought of being attracted to Karia and the feeling of guilt towards his brothers were slowly increasing by the minute. Since he couldn't rest Raph walked around the lair striaght into Don's lab.

Donatello was nowhere to be seen which filled Raph with a sense of relief. If Don had been sleeping in his lab again there was no way Raph would have gotten away with what he was about to do. But before Raph could take another step a voice interrupted his thoughts.

"Traitor,"

The voice was cold and hard, barely consisting of any emotion but cold anger. Raph turned around to see Leonardo standing just a few feet behind him. Leo's eyes were narrowed and brittling with hate. Raph had seen that look in Leo's eyes once before.

It was just after the final confrontation with the orginal Shredder that Leo had devolped that cold stare. Raph remembered it all to well. Ever since that fight Leo became angry even at the littlest mistake and started pushing everyone around him to thier limits. Splinter had had a hard time keeping Leonardo's new found temper under control and it nearly cost him his life.

Raph had never knew until then that under Leo's usaul calm sense of manor laid a powerful sea of anger that had been dammed up for years. And right now that dam was broken agian and Raph could see the relentless fire burning deep within Leo's eyes.

"Why did you do it Raph?" said Leo his voice filled with mallice "Why?"

"I didn't do it" said Raph not sure what to say " it just happened,"

"Lay off him Leo," came a voice just behind the enraged blue-masked turtle. Leo's eyes turned to see it was Wolf but his muscles remianed tense enough to fight if the need arised. Wolf ignored Leo's gaze and looked straight at Raph.

"Karia is heading for the harbor and wants you to come alone" said Wolf "she doesn't know that your brothers had returned, but by looking at one of them I'm not sure it's time for her to know yet," Her attention was focused on Leo now as she continued "Anger is indeed a powerful force and strikes the weakest of hearts like it has done with you. An allie as well as a curse. Fear and anger combined create a powerful posion which clouds your judgement and takes control of what you do. Now you think of your brother as an enmie because he has fallen for one who he has hated since they met. You fear where his loyalties lie and are angry because you think that he has betrayed your trust. Don't do something you will soon regret and let Fate choose the path now which we all now walk,"

Leo backed down drinking in Wolf's words and did not stop Wolf and Raph from leaving the lair. Wolf's words had been true, he was afriad Raph had betrayed them and was willing to do anything to stop his brother from going down the wrong path. But was Raph really heading down the wrong path like Leo thought... or was he?

Raph arrived right on schedule for his second meeting with Karia. Karia showed up right on time and stared pleasingly at the red-masked turtle as he approached. Crossing his arms Raph asked even thought he already knew "Okay Karia, what's this all about?"

Karia signaled with her hand and ten foot soliders suddenly appeared out of the shadows. One of the soliders was holding some bazar looking gun and had it pointed striaght towards Rapheal. Raph had no idea what Karia had to gain by using that gun but he wasn't going to stand around to find out.

Instantly Raph charged in drawing out his sais. The Foot ninja also fled toward him ready with thier own weapons. One by one solider after solider failed miserably to get through Raph's blows. The solider carrying the gun was just a foot behind the turtle and took careful aim with his weapon. Pulling the trigger a cloud of gas eruptted from the gun making Raph choke on air.

With one final angonizing breath Raph landed on the ground unconious. Karia approached the fallen turtle and ordered her Foot soliders to take Raph away. The Foot did as she ordered and dragged the beaten Rapheal away. Karia watched as her ninjas disappeared and said "Now you will be mine,"