What is this, another chapter? It is. Well, since it's already written, why not post it now? Any objections? No? Well then, here you go...
CHAPTER SIX
"And just how am I gonna do that?" Raph asked Leo.
The two of them were talking in the kitchen, so that there'd be less of a chance that they were overheard by anyone. At least, they were doing it so Raph wouldn't be overheard by anyone. They still couldn't hear Leo.
"I don't know," Leo said, "But if you don't do it-Raph, think about it. I'm connected to that body somehow. If there's even a small, slim chance that there's a way I'm still alive, don't you think I'm going to take it?"
"Yeah, but burying a fake body?" Raph whispered. "Do you know what it'll be like when the real one starts going all rotten, and I'm gonna have to bury that too?"
"But what if it doesn't?" Leo said, "What if all I need is a really good healer, and what if I'm just slowing my body down? You know, using my ninja skills or something?"
"So how come you're here, in front of me?" Raph asked, "How come I didn't feel a pulse, Donny didn't feel a pulse? What if the whole cold thing was your imagination? Listen ta yourself. You said it already; you're dead. I was there. This whole feeling thing doesn't make any sense."
"Make sense?" Leo asked. "I'll tell you what doesn't make sense. How come out of all the people in the Lair, only you can see me? Of all the hotheaded-"
"Oh, so that's how it's gonna be?" Raph interrupted him, unconsciously clenching his fist, "Bring it on, Fearless!"
Raph jumped, prepared to use only his fists. Leo jumped as well. But the two of them landed on opposite sides of the kitchen.
"What the-" Raph said.
"Did that just-" Leo began, "We jumped right through each other, didn't we?"
"Guess so." Raph sighed, picking himself up. "Look at that, Fearless. We can't even fight right."
Leo humphed.
"So now what?" Raph asked.
Leo sighed. "I don't know," he said, walking out of the kitchen, "Figure it out for yourself. I'm dead anyway."
The next morning felt very much like the previous. Leo didn't look at Raph when he walked past him on the couch, just like he hadn't looked at him in the kitchen the day before. The big difference between the two days was that as Raph passed under Mikey's door he heard music playing from the orange turtle's room.
After hardly any breakfast and a few glare at Leo on the couch, Raph was finally able to ask his Sensei the question that had been bothering him all night.
"Masta Splinter," Raph said to his father as soon as Splinter entered the room, "When are we gonna...you know...bury him?"
Leo perked his head up from the couch at that.
"Donatello has been making a coffin for your brother," Splinter said quietly, "And our friend Casey Jones has generously allowed us to bury him at the farmhouse. We will prepare to bury him tomorrow."
Raph nodded. "Right," he said.
"In the meantime," Splinter said, heading towards the kitchen, "I suggest you and your brothers keep yourselves busy."
"Right Sensei," Raphael said. He turned to Leo as soon as Splinter was out of earshot. "And just how are we gonna do that?"
"Figure it out." Leo said, looking at his empty hands again.
"No, seriously." Raph said, plopping down next to his brother.
"It's simple," Leo said, looking up at him. "There are only three places to stay busy in." He held up all three of his fingers, one by one. "The Lair, the sewers, and topside."
"So," Raph said, "Maybe it's time ta go after the goon who killed ya?"
"Raphael!" Leo said, "It is not. Donnie and Mikey aren't ready to fight. And I don't think you are either."
"So what do we do?" Raph groaned.
"Choose one of the three options." said Leo.
"You aren't gonna make this easy, are ya?"
"No," Leo said, "I'm still mad at you for not agreeing to switch my body in the coffin."
"Leo," Raph whispered, "You're dead. Your body is dead, and we need ta bury it. You've just been imagining things."
"Maybe." Leo said, "But Raph, I'm scared."
"Of what?"
"Of what happens if this really isn't my imagination. Or worse, what happens after I'm buried? Will Sensei, Donnie, Mikey, April and Casey be alright? Will you be alright?"
Raph didn't know how to answer him.
The rest of the day passed by fast, in that slow-motion blur of a bad day that ends too quickly. After Leo pushed Raph into organizing practice for everyone, Raph finally gave in and made them all train for a few hours. Donnie and Mikey spent the rest of the day moping around doing who knows what, and eventually (with some encouragement from Leo) Raph finally got the courage to turn on the tv and invite some normalcy back into their lives.
That evening, Master Splinter announced to Donnie and Mikey that they were going to bury Leonardo the next day.
They got up early, and the drive up to the farmhouse seemed longer than normal. Mikey, Donnie and Splinter were all in car borrowed from April while Raph and Leo traveled with the coffin in the Battleshell. Raph didn't tell Donnie, but he hadn't sealed up the coffin yet. He was still heavily debating with Leo over whether they should swap out the body for something else.
Finally, they arrived.
Donnie was shaking-he claimed it was due to the stress of driving so long-and so Mikey and Raph were the ones to dig the grave. Raph chose the spot, under a big oak tree. At least, he seemed to choose it. In reality Leo told him where he wanted to be buried. Leo started speaking eloquently about why this was a perfect metaphor for his life, but Raph wasn't really listening. By the time they were finished with the grave April and Casey had arrived in a separate car, and Casey offered to help Raph lift the coffin out of the back of the Battleshell.
"Alright," Casey said to Raph, each at one end of the coffin, "Ready ta do this?"
"No," Raph said, "Let's just get this over with."
With a grunt and some heavy lifting the coffin was out. That was when Leo stopped talking. It was like the blue masked turtle finally realized what was going on.
"Raph, it's not sealed." Donnie pointed out.
"Sorry," Raph said, although he really wasn't.
"Wait!" Mikey said, "Let me see him again first."
"Mikey," Donnie warned.
"Please." Mikey said.
Raph nodded, and silently lifted the lid. Everyone who wanted to got one last look at Leo before Casey nailed the coffin shut.
"And that's that." Leo whispered.
"He died saving my life," April said.
"It wasn't yer fault," Raph said, repeating what Leo had said the other day.
"I know," April said, "I just wish there was some way I could pay him back."
No one spoke for a few minutes. Then they began.
After the funeral and the burial, everyone went inside to eat something and exchange their favorite stories about the turtle. Once in a while someone would trickle out to stand alone at Leo's grave, and then they would walk back inside. Through it all Leo always stood next to Master Splinter, and his hand kept going through the rat's shoulder by accident as he tried to comfort his poor father.
It wasn't until several hours later that Raph realized something was wrong.
It was Leo. After night fell and while everyone was telling Leo stories, the older brother had started shivering.
"I'll be alright Raph," he said when his brother looked at him questioningly, "I'm just cold, that's all."
"Ya sure?" Raph whispered, keeping an eye out so that no one saw him speak to thin air.
"Positive," Leo said, "I'm sure it's just my imagination. Don't worry about me, Raphie."
A few more hours into the night, though, told Raph that there was something to worry about. Since no one was feeling up to driving after the funeral they were all spending the night at the farmhouse. Raph was sleeping on the couch downstairs because April and Casey, being the married couple, had the large bed he typically used. The only other empty room upstairs was the one Leo used, and understandably no one wanted to go in there.
Raph woke up from his half-sleep to find Leo yelling at him.
"What?" He asked, glaring at his brother for waking him even though he felt that something was wrong.
"Raph," Leo said, his face showing just how worried he was, "I'm having trouble breathing."
At that moment, it seemed to Raph that the world stopped.
"Did you say breathing?" he asked.
Leo nodded. "Yeah," he gulped. "Raph, I think...I think we made a mistake burying the body."
"No," Raph growled, "I made the mistake."
He had to get Leo out of the ground, and fast.