A/N I do not own TMNT but I am forever grateful for their existence.

I know it has been years between publishing, but thanks to the constant support of Gwydion, I am finally starting to get back on the wagon. So hopefully I can keep this momentum going and be able to finally finish this fic as well as some others... *cough* Interwoven *cough.* I know I'm more than a little rusty so fingers crossed this chapter doesn't suck lol.

Chapter 28

Raphael knew he was in trouble the moment Michelangelo's kusarigama chain wrapped around his ankles. As per Leonardo's prediction, the four turtles had found themselves awakened by Master Splinter not even an hour after the eldest siblings returned to the barn. Training commenced shortly thereafter and from the get-go, Raphael had been at a disadvantage. Having eaten so much without time to digest left him both slow and sluggish and a much easier target for his brothers who were not hesitating to use the opportunity.

Following the pattern of the previous day's sparring, the smaller turtles had hit up as many sensitive pressure points as they could. This left Raphael off balance to begin with, and Michelangelo did not hesitate to jump on the opportunity. Thus, while the giant was distracted by Leonardo and Donatello, the youngest turtle had returned to the ground to whip his chain around his big brother's legs.

The instant Raphael felt the pressure of the metal, he knew he was boned. A moment later, a simple kick to a particularly touchy spot on his neck, had him wobbling. Leonardo and Donatello had jumped for cover just in time for Raphael to go crashing to the ground shell-first.

Raphael couldn't pinpoint what was more humiliating: the flock of birds that flew up in a cloud of perturbed squawks following the earth-shaking force his massive body procured upon hitting the earth, the fact that he had been beaten by three turtles who he could easily hold in one hand, or the cluster of said victorious brothers now guffawing smugly while they gave each other high threes on his chest plates. Groaning, he was met by Splinter's steady voice, "Yame."

His brothers immediately jumped down to kneel beside his colossal form while Raphael cursed under his breath as he sat up and began detangling himself from the kusarigama chains. Splinter patiently waited until he was free, and it was only after the turtle tossed his binds aside, assuming a kneeling position himself, their sensei continued, "Well done my sons." He nodded to the three small turtles, "Where you fell in defeat yesterday, you rose up in victory today."

"Thank-you sensei!" The three chorused together.

Feeling the corner of his mouth twitch, Raphael tried not to glare too viciously at his hands on his knees. Sensing his son's anger, Splinter addressed him next, "Raphael, do you know why you lost?"

Frowning, Raphael clenched his fists as he admitted to the pathetic reason for his defeat, "I lost my balance, sensei."

"Ah," Splinter stroked his beard thoughtfully, "A dangerous thing to lose indeed. Whether in combat or in life, a ninja must strive for temperance in all things. However, you must remember Raphael that although the size you now boast has gifted you with impressive strength and endurance, it presents its own unique challenges as well. You must recognize you now possess many blind spots, which can easily distract you, and if enough of them culminate, you can still fall."

"No kidding," Still feeling the stiff in his back, Raphael continued to mumble gruffly, "The ache in my shell's already proof of that."

The rat gave this son an appraising look before crouching down. Picking up a smooth stone, he glanced up, "I see."

Suddenly said rock ripped through the air to hit another tender pressure point at the base of Raphael's shoulder. Yelping upon contact, the turtle went to grasp his shoulder, "OW! What was that for?"

"Hmm. How strange." Splinter's eyes were piercing, "If you have learned so much, why could you not evade the stone?"

Still rubbing the sore spot, Raphael felt his cheeks heat at the sound of his siblings' snickers. He bit out, "Point taken."

Expression softening, Splinter continued, "Raphael do not feel I only see the flaws in your combat skills. You have maintained yourself admirably these past years, but with your physical changes you have developed weaknesses as well. If you wish to continue to progress as a ninja, you must face both the good and the bad. Only then can you find what needs improvement and turn your attention to it. Your brothers too have much yet to work on. For instance," He gestured to the eldest, "Leonardo must become less rigid with his movements. He has mastered many forms but sometimes he loses himself to technique and strategy. If he is to improve, he must become more adaptable and fluid while maintaining the strength of his poses.

"Donatello," He nodded to the mahogany-eyed turtle, "Must be more assertive in his attacks. He is a skilled warrior, but sometimes he hesitates. Whether it his mind or heart that holds him back, at the inopportune moment it could cost him dearly.

"Finally, Michelangelo possesses an inherent fluidity and freedom to his movements that Leonardo lacks. However, this trait he has in excess. Where Leonardo must harness more water, Michelangelo must find his inner earth. Only then can he find the patience necessary to focus his true will into his abilities.

"So, you see, you are not the only one who must strive for improvement. All of you and even myself will never be perfect ninja. What matters is that we seek to find the best in ourselves in both defeat and," He moved his stare away from Raphael to pointedly look at the three smaller turtles, "In victory."

Nodding, Raphael did not hesitate to reply, "Hai sensei." Before his siblings mimicked his response. A smile then broke across Splinter's face, "Good. Then you are dismissed. We shall resume in the morning."

As their sensei departed to the farmhouse, Michelangelo turned his beaming face at Raphael, "Dude! I can't believe we beat you!"

Rolling his eyes, Raphael stood up as Leonardo admonished, "Mikey, did you not listen to a word Master Splinter said? It's not about that we beat Raph. It's about what we learned from the experience!"

"Yeah yeah," Blue eyes were sparkling impishly, "But it's always better to learn with a win!"

Raphael was easily able to ignore Michelangelo's boasting. His stomach was still cramping from exercising with all that food in his guts. Green eyes scanned the area seeking out a particularly sunny patch of grass. Only when he spied the ideal spot, did he make a beeline for it. The moment he started to walk away his brothers returned their attention to him. Obviously not expecting his big brother to ignore such teasing, Michelangelo raced after him, "Where are you going Raph?"

"I need to lay down for a while."

Upon arriving at soft swath of greenery, which was lightly littered in red and gold leaf debris, Raphael lowered himself. The youngest pouted, "What?! But the day's barely started! You can sleep later!"

Pawing at the ground a bit, the massive turtle finally laid his plastron down onto the ground, "You're gonna have to wait Mikey. I gotta digest."

"Well if you hadn't eaten so much this morning…" Leonardo folded his arms across his chest while giving his brother a smirk.

"Shut it vomit-boy." Raphael snapped.

"Hmm," Donatello stood close to his brother's face peering at him inquisitively, "Do you always get so lethargic after a meal Raph?"

Just wanting his siblings to leave him in peace, Raphael sighed, "It depends. If I only eat a little bit, no. If I eat a lot, yes."

"You don't stick to a three-meals-a-day routine?" The brain behind those mahogany eyes was undoubtedly whirring.

"Not usually." Raphael grumbled as he repositioned himself, "It's hard to keep to a strict schedule when you don't have any way to sense the passage of time and when your primary food source is somewhat limited. Most of the time I ate a 'noid every day or two and in between bucket loads of algae."

"Hmmm…" Donatello frowned in thought, "Fascinating. I suspected your metabolism altered as you grew, but I did not expect a post-prandial spell of lethargy to accompany it. How long does it last?"

Rolling his eyes Raphael responded, "I don't know. Like I said, it depends on the size of the meal." His voice clearly held an edge of annoyance as he continued, "Now as interesting as this conversation is, can it so I can digest in peace."

Emerald eyes closed to emphasize the point, but the three smaller turtles were far from sleepy in their current state. Still, not wanting to lose out on any precious moments they could use to make up for lost time with their brother they came to a silent agreement. Although unable to see their inaudible communication, Raphael had to admit he felt a mix of both relief and disappointment as he heard his brothers run off towards the farmhouse. He understood that it would be pretty boring hanging out with someone who wanted to sleep all day, but he could not deny part of him had still hoped they would stay nearby despite this.

Then, several minutes later, even with his disappointment he was on the verge of slumber, Raphael heard the subtle sound of one of his brothers returning. The faint smell of pizza and waffles confirmed it to be Michelangelo. Shortly thereafter, Raphael knew both Leonardo and Donatello had returned as well.

Feeling the gentle pressure of a shell near his wrist, the massive turtle creaked his eyes open just enough to spy Michelangelo leaning back against his giant brother's arms digging into the pages of a comic book. Seeing a small mountain of comics to the youngest turtle's side indicated that he had no plans on moving anytime soon. Meanwhile, Leonardo had gathered a small little stool that had a tiny little plastic figurine on it. About the same time as his sensitive nostrils caught whiff of the paint fumes, Raphael realized his eldest brother's attention was now fixated on painting the miniature. Leonardo's large hands obscured Raphael's view but the giant turtle made a mental note to satiate his curiosity and interrogate the elder at some point about this. Finally, Donatello was typing away on his laptop and periodically stopping to tap his chin in thought.

A warm wave of elation ran through Raphael as he lowered his eyelids again. His brothers could have gone anywhere on the farm, and yet they had chosen to occupy themselves with things they could do while still being in the company of their gargantuan brother. He did not know if his siblings realized the gravity of the actions they had just taken, but Raphael could not help but subtly smile as he drifted off to sleep.