Second chapter, coming right up!

CHAPTER TWO

Raphael stared at Leonardo. "Come again?" He asked.

"I died," Leo said calmly, as if he was talking about a normal, everyday occurrence.

"Leo, quit it." Raph said, even as a quiet cold was started to inch through his chest, "What really happened last night?"

"Raph, I'm so sorry," Leo said, staring at the food in front of him again.

"Tell me what's going on!" Raphael said, slamming his fist on the table.

"You were there," Leo said, "But there was nothing you could have done. You did the best you could. Mikey and Donnie-they were too far away."

"Leo," Raph said threateningly.

"It's not your fault," Leo said, looking back at Raph again, "Please understand that."

"Shell, Leo!" Raph said, "Stop making things up and just tell me what happened!"

Raphael's angry fist went straight towards Leo. But instead of blocking, Leo didn't move. He didn't even blink.

And Raph's hand went straight through his head.

"What the shell?" Raph asked, jumping backwards, "Leo, did you see-"

"I know Raph," Leo sighed, "Now do you remember last night?"

"Leo." Raph said, "What just happened?"

"You're the only one who can see me or hear me," Leo said, "I don't know why. But I'm glad you can."

"Leo." Raph said, "My hand just went right through your head. And you're actin'...I don't think you felt it."

"No," Leo said, his shoulders slumping, "I didn't."

"I'm getting Master Splinter," Raphael said, backing away towards the door, "He'll know what ta do."

"Raph," Leo said, looking at him in the eye, "Do you remember now?"

Yes. Yes, he did remember. That cold feeling was creeping all over him now. April, Casey and Raph had been closest to Leo. He had seen it happen. He didn't want to...he didn't want to remember that.

"You do remember," Leo observed, "Raph, it wasn't your fault."

"I'm getting Master Splinter," Raph said, and he turned and ran out the door.

The tv wasn't on in the main room. Donnie's lab was closed and the light underneath it was off. The entire Lair was much, much too quiet. But Raphael wasn't concentrating on that. He needed to get to Splinter.

"Masta!" He called out as he threw himself into Splinter's room, "Masta Splinter, it's...Leo, he's...Splinta, he's in the...but he isn't..."

"Hush now Raphael," Splinter said, having already risen from his seat on the floor, "Come here, my son."

Raph practically jumped towards Splinter even as his Master came forward to embrace him.

"Let it all out, Raphael," Splinter said, gently rubbing Raphael's shell, "There is no shame in crying, my son."

"But Master, Leo...I saw him," Raphael said, "He was in the kitchen, Sensei. How could he be in th'kitchen? I saw it happen last night...I saw him..."

"It was only a waking dream, Raphael," Splinter said, "You and your brothers have been through much in the past few hours. Perhaps it is time for you to follow Donatello and Michelangelo's lead and go back to sleep as well."

"Sensei..."

It wasn't Raph who spoke. He jerked his head up from Master Splinter's embrace to see who did. It was Leo, kneeling just inside the doorway to Splinter's room. Tears were glistening on the edge of his mask.

"Raphael? What is it, my son?" Splinter asked, turning to see what was the matter.

"Masta Splinta," Raphael asked, still looking at Leo, "Do you...do you see Leo over there?"

Leo looked up hopefully.

Splinter sighed. "It is another waking dream, my son." He said, "Leonardo is at rest."

"But he's right there," Raphael whispered, as if Leo couldn't hear him if he just whispered.

Splinter sighed. "We all grieve in different ways," he repeated, "These visions will pass away, my son."

"I'm not a vision," Leo responded, "Splinter, please. I'm right here."

Raphael shivered.

"Sensei, I...I gotta go," he said, getting up, "I'm...I'm gonna hit the punch bag for a while."

"Very well, my son," Master Splinter said, nodding his head, "I will be here if you or any of your brothers need me."

"I need you," Leo whispered.

Raphael closed his eyes and stepped past Leo, then practically ran towards the dojo.

"It's jus' a dream," he said to himself as he rushed at the punching bag and got his first throw in, "It's just a nightmare I can't wake up from."

"Tell me about it."

Raphael turned his head towards Leo. He fisted his hands tightly, but there was no way he would get any closer to Leo than he had to.

"Don't you have someplace better ta be?" He snapped.

"Master Splinter can't even feel my presence," Leo said sadly, "I needed to speak with someone who knows I'm here."

"Yeah well, ya ain't even real," Raphael said, punching the bag will all his might, "I made you up, didn't I? So why don't you just go away already?"

"Because I am real," Leo said, coming up behind him, "Listen Raph, I don't know how it happened, but I'm no figment of your imagination. You're punching wrong."

Raphael stopped the bag and glared at his brother.

"'Course I am," he said, "I wanna wear myself out. It ain't like it matters taday, anyway."

"Muscle memory, Raph, remember?" Leo said, raising an eye at him.

Raphael muttered, but started punching the right way.

"Why is it *punch* that ya always *punch* tell me how to do things?" Raphael asked, "Even when you ain't real?" *punch*

"It's part of my job," Leo said, "And I am real."

"Yeah? Well, whatever," Raph said, roundhouse kicking the bag before stopping. "Look Leo, if ya got somethin' ta say, then say it. Otherwise, stop bothering me and go disappear or somethin'."

"Geez Raph," Leo said, "Look. With me gone, that makes you the leader, doesn't it?"

Raphael was silent. He had forgotten about that.

"And there is no way I'm going to abandon this family," Leo continued. "So since you are the one person who can see and talk to me, I can help you just as much as you can help me."

"Huh?"

"Raphael," Leo said slowly, "I'm going to help you take care of this family."

"Leo," Raphael said just as slowly, "You ain't real."

"Well then," Leo smiled, "If that's true, you'd have nothing to worry about."

"I ain't gonna listen ta you," Raph said, turning back to the bag.

"Don't you want to help everyone get through this?" Leo asked.

"Well, yeah," Raph said, "But I ain't gonna go talkin' to someone who ain't there. That's a sure sign I've got a problem, Leo."

"But you can help them," Leo said, "Look. I'll tell you what kinds of things to say to Don, Mikey and Master Splinter. I'll help you come up with plans and strategies. I'll-I don't know, I'll do reconnaissance for you. Just let me help you help them, alright?"

"But everything you say," Raph said, "It's all made up. It's just me making up what Leo would say. 'Cause you ain't real."

"If it's your ideas, Raph," Leo said, "What's wrong with following them?"

He thought for a moment, fingering one of his sais.

"Alright," he said, throwing the sai into a target on the wall, "Might as well get this over with. What d'ya want me ta do first?"

"Go see Mikey," Leo said without hesitation.

"Huh? Why Mikey?" Raphael asked, taking his sai from the target.

"He's not doing so well," Leo said, looking...sad? Embarrassed?

"Well gee, I never woulda thought," Raph said.

"It's not just about last night," Leo said, "Yesterday I promised to play videogames with him when we got back."

"What? But you never play videogames." Raphael said. What kind of trick was this? Shouldn't his made-up Leo be a little more...well, Leo-like?

"What can I say? He wore me down. He's Mikey." Leo said, "Just...please go talk to him."

Raphael kicked the punching bag one last time.

"Fine," he agreed, walking out of the dojo, "But I ain't promising it'll make anything better."

In fact, it'd probably make things worse. But it was a Leo-like thing to do to go comfort Mikey. So he might as well start trying to pull the family back together.

Raph slowly walked up the stairs, feeling Leo come up behind him. He walked over to Mikey's room, took a deep breath, raised his hand to knock-and then thought better of it and just walked right on in.

"Mikey?" He asked.

His little brother was sitting on the bed, knees pulled up to his chest. In front of him was the now-cold breakfast plate he had taken up. It looked like he had nibbled at it a little, but he wasn't eating any of it now.

"Raphie," Mikey said, watching Raph enter the room, "Whatcha doin' here?"

"Checkin' up on ya," Raphael said, moving the plate to Mikey's dresser and sitting on the empty part of Mikey's bed.

"I'm fine," Mikey sniffed.

"That don't sound fine," Raph said, "Splinta told me it was ok ta cry, ya know."

"I know," Mikey said, "It's just...Raph, I can't believe he's gone."

"It's okay Mikey," Leo said, leaning against the open doorway.

"Look Mikey," Raph said, suddenly changing his tone. It didn't feel right to get all touchy-feely with his brother while Leo was watching. "I can't believe it either. But Leo-he doesn't want to see you moping around, right?"

"No," Mikey said, "He'd hate that, wouldn't he?"

"Yeah," Raph said. Oh boy. He was in trouble now. What else could he say? He'd said all he could think of. Shell. This is why Leo usually did all the comforting.

"Tell him to do something to get his mind off things," Leo offered.

"Um, why don't ya keep busy somehow?" Raph asked Mikey.

"I don't feel like playing," Mikey said.

"Then listen to music or read a book." Leo said.

"What he said." Raph said.

"Huh?" Mikey asked.

Oh shell. Raph felt himself turning a little red. He forgot that Mikey couldn't hear Leo.

"Um, read a book or listen ta music," Raphael said, "Um, Leo said ta do that, remember?"

"Yeah," Mikey said, although it was obvious that he didn't remember.

"Ya know what?" Raph asked, "You and me. Videogame. I'll even let you pick which one."

"Not today Raphie," Mikey said, "I'm staying away from all that today. For Leo."

"Don't do that, even for me," Leo said, "You can't sit around in this room all day."

"Mikey," Raph said, "Do ya think Leo'd want you here all day?"

"I'll get back out tomorrow, Raphael, I promise," Mikey said, "It's just...I kind of need to be alone today."

"Alright, fair enough," Raph said, giving up the fight, "But we are gonna do that videogame thing together, right?"

Mikey shivered. "Raphie," he said, "I think I'm going to give that up for good."

"What? Why?" Raph asked.

"'Cause...'cause Leo..." Mikey's shivering turned into sobbing, and he collapsed onto Raph's shoulder. "Leo was going to...he promised to...Raph, he was going to play the Justice Force videogame with me yesterday...after we got home..."