Another chapter for you guys! Thanks again for all the feedback. I hope that, wherever you are in the world and whether or not you are from the U.S., you had a great fourth of July yesterday!

CHAPTER FIVE

This was awkward.

In fact, out of this whole experience Raph thought that this was the most awkward thing that had happened so far. Here he was, cards in hand, trying to play a good game with his brothers, friends and Sensei-and there was Leo, sitting right there at his elbow, staring at his cards as if they were his own. Apparently, since he couldn't play Leo had decided that he was going to team up with Raph, to the latter's discomfort.

"I think you should fold," Leo was telling him, "Don's wiggling his toes. That means he's got a good hand he's trying to hide. And judging by how much he's wriggling them, I think it's a really good hand."

Wait. Don wiggled his toes? Only Fearless would ever notice something like that. Raph gritted his teeth, but stubbornly chose not to fold.

"You shouldn't sigh like that," Leo told him. He hadn't even realized that he had sighed. "Sensei knows you know something. He's going to watch you carefully now."

Raph growled as low as he could, trying to ignore Leo's next piece of advice. Forget talking ghost brothers, nothing in the world was as awkward as a backseat poker player.

Sometime during the fifth round of the third card game, Splinter excused himself for the night. Not long after that Raphael snuck out of the main room and headed straight for Splinter's room, Leonardo right behind him. It was time to finally talk to Splinter. Sure, April and Casey were still in the Lair, but Raph didn't want to wait any longer. Leo seemed to understand that because he didn't argue about it.

"Masta Splinter," Raphael said, knocking as he entered his father's room, "I've got somethin' ta tell ya."

"What is it, my son?" Splinter asked from his position on the floor.

Raph took a moment to listen to the sounds outside the door. Everyone in the main part of the Lair was still occupied by the game they were playing. Good. That meant they wouldn't hear what he was going to say.

"It's Leo," Raph said, sitting down, "I just...I keep seeing him, Sensei."

"Raphael," Splinter said, looking up at him, "Sometimes when one witnesses a tragic death, the scene will replay inside our minds. But these are not real-"

"It ain't that," Raph interrupted, earning him a quick reprimand from Leo who was standing by the door, "I see him alive. He's really there, but I'm the only one seein' him. What's going on, Sensei?"

Master Splinter looked hard at his son, as if trying to read him by his eyes.

"You have been through a traumatic event," he announced finally, "And like your brothers and I, you have not yet recovered. Disregard these visions, my son."

"But Sensei, Leo's not a vision." Raph said. "He's not even see-through."

"Please, Master Splinter," Leo pleaded from the door, "I'm here. Can't you feel me?"

"He wants ta know why you can't feel him, Master." Raphael relayed.

"My son," Master Splinter said, placing his hand on Raph's shoulders, "I cannot feel the presence of your brother because he is not here."

Raph felt Leo shift uncomfortably behind him.

"Raphael, you have been through much today," Splinter said, "And I am very proud of you for taking such responsibility on your shoulders during such a difficult time. But you also need to rest, and come to terms with what has occurred. Please, my son. Go and rest."

Raphael opened up his mouth to answer, but then closed it.

"Yes Sensei," he said, getting up to leave.

"Raph," Leo said, his voice sounding mournful, "You should tell him about the body."

"Masta Splinter," Raph said, turning back to Splinter, "Donnie asked me to move Leo's body from the Battleshell today."

"I see." Splinter said, his ears turning back towards his head, "Did you place him in his room?"

"No, Sensei." Raphael said.

Splinter looked surprised.

"I put him somewhere safe," Raph continued, "I don't think Donnie wants ta know where. But Mikey-I don't want him to think of Leo's body in Leo's bed."

"Where is he then?" Splinter asked.

"In mine." Raph said.

Splinter seemed to consider this. Then he nodded.

"It is fitting," he said, "that he should rest at home among his family before his final resting place."

"So," said Raph, "What're we gonna do?"

"You are correct in assuming that Michelangelo and Donatello do not need to know where Leonardo is," Splinter said, "But if they ask, we will tell them. In the meantime, we shall open Leonardo's door so that anyone may enter. It might do us all good to be among Leonardo's things. And you, Raphael, where will you sleep?"

"I was gonna sleep on the couch," Raph said.

"Good," said Splinter. "I will go attend to the body. I have been absent from my poor son long enough."

"Master Splinter," Leo said pleadingly, "It's just a body."

Splinter walked out of the room, and Raph followed him.

"I think I'll go with Splinter," Leo told Raph sadly, "You know, to watch over him. Stay here and keep our guests entertained."

"Yeah, sure. Go ahead." Raph answered him curtly.

Splinter looked at Raph strangely, but continued on to the stairs accompanied by Leo.

"Yo, Raph!" Casey called out, "We're doing another round. Want in?"

"Why not?" He responded, trying to hide the disappointment that was in his voice, "Move over, Case. I get to sit on the couch this time."

Raphael woke up to the sound of crying.

He was lying on the couch downstairs. April and Casey had gone home hours before. The lair was cold, and everyone had gone to bed. None of the turtles upstairs had come downstairs, because if they had Raph would have heard them on the first step.

So who was crying in the dojo?

"Leo," Raph whispered.

He kicked off his blanket and got up off the couch. As quickly and quietly as he could, he made his way into the dojo. There was his blue masked brother, kneeling on the ground in front of the wall that held his katanas, weeping.

Raph took a deep breath and knelt down, then in a rare show of affection hugged his brother. It didn't exactly work, since he was just holding onto thin air. If he wasn't careful his arms could go through Leo's shell, but at least Leo stopped crying.

"Raph," Leo said without turning around.

"Yeah. What's with the waterworks?" Raph asked. Well, he was never one for tact.

"I guess it just finally hit me," Leo said, turning to look at him. "I'm dead, Raph. My body-I've been thinking of it like it's this whole other person, but that's me up there. I'm dead."

"Yeah, I know." Raph said. "But you're here, ain't ya? I mean, you're like our resident ghost or somethin'. That's better than being gone, right?"

"Except I don't want to be a ghost," Leo said, "I want to live. I want to hold my weapons and live!"

The tears started coming again. It was worse for Raph this time. To hear Leo cry was one thing, but to actually see it was completely unnerving. Because Leo never cried.

So Raph just closed his eyes and pretended that this was Mikey crying all over again. Not his big, older, dead brother, but Mikey. Yeah. This was manageable now.

"And Raph," Leo said, barely whispering, "I'm cold."

"Cold?" Raph asked, "How can you be cold?"

"I-I don't know," Leo said, pulling back, "Raph. Is it cold here in the Lair?"

"Well yeah," Raph said, "Are you feeling that?"

"...I'm not sure," Leo said.

"Hang on, let me get you a blanket." Raph disappeared, and was back in two seconds with the blanket he had been using on the couch.

"There," he said, placing it around Leo's shoulders, "That help?"

"No," Leo said, raising an eyebrow and shivering as the blanket slipped through him to the ground. "Raph, do you think..."

"Think what?" He asked.

"Raph, is it cold in your room at night?" Leo asked.

"Sometimes. Why?" Raph asked.

"Get the blanket," Leo said, racing out of the dojo and up the stairs. Confused, Raph grabbed the blanket and followed him, taking a little more care to be silent.

"What's up?" He asked as Leo reached Raph's door.

"A hunch," Leo said, trying and failing to grab the doorknob with his hands.

"Just walk through the door genius," Raph said.

Leo raised an eyebrow at him. "Or you could open it for me, you know."

Raph rolled his eyes, but dutifully opened the door.

Quickly, Leo raced inside while Raph turned on the lights and shut the door behind them.

"Look," Leo said, pointing to the body.

"So?" Raph asked, stepping closer.

"There's no blanket on it," Leo said, "Put the blanket on."

Raph sighed. What the shell was Leo up to? Better to just do as he says, though.

"Okay, fine." Raph said, placing the blanket on the body.

"It worked," Leo said almost immediately, "I'm not as cold as before."

"Wait, what?" Raph asked, stepping towards the body.

He grabbed a hand and checked for a pulse...nothing.

"I'm still connected to it somehow," Leo said.

"That ain't right," Raph said, furrowing his brow in confusion even as he checked Leo's other hand for a pulse. "Leo, are you sure you're really dead?"

"No." Leo said, looking straight at him, "I'm not sure of anything anymore."