A/N: Just keep writing, just keep writing, just keep editing, editing, editing.
Disclaimer: I do not own TMNT
This is such a bad idea. Why the shell am I going through with this? The thought kept running through his head as he raced along the rooftops. It was nearing dawn, and the first faint grey light was appearing on the horizon. I should not be doing this! He screamed at himself as he leapt across a dark alley and landed gracefully on the next building. His katana rattled slightly in their sheaths, but he could only feel the vibrations against his shell. His breathing and pounding heartbeat in his ears drowned out all other sounds, but he stayed wary, keeping aware in case he picked up a follower.
Wouldn't that give Raph yet another reason to bust my shell; He's probably following me right now. At the thought, Leo suddenly stopped and spun, his eyes keen on catching any movement, but there was none. No shadows moved, no sound besides his own fast breathing to give away another's presence. He sensed that no one was near and the streets below were quiet due to the insanely early hour. Double checking that he was alone, he sat on his heels to catch his breath. Shell, he was tired. The workout he and his brothers had received only a few mere hours ago had left him sore and aching, which left him wondering why he hadn't returned home with his brothers. A small cut on his thigh, that he had somehow managed to hide from the probing eyes of Donatello, stung painfully. He brushed at it, annoyed, and his hand pulled away with a familiar sticky substance covering his fingers. He pulled out a spare piece of leather he kept in his belt pouch and began wrapping his leg. He hissed under his breath as he bumped a sliver still imbedded in his skin, shoving it deeper. He delicately removed it, cursing his large fingers and the wooden crates he had crashed into.
"Stupid Purple Dragons," he hissed as he tightly tied the knot, the numb wound throbbing to his heartbeat.
He stood, shaking the tense feeling from his aching limbs, and set off at a light jog in the direction he had been traveling before, memories of the night passing through his mind.
It had started as just a normal night on patrol. Since the Foot had disappeared, and they hadn't picked up any Purple Dragon activity in over a month, they had decided to check out the old dock warehouses where the gang usually based. Upon arrival on a nearby rooftop, the four brothers had immediately noticed several large semis parked behind a barbed wire fence. Just as Leo signaled for his brothers to move, a small caravan of dark cars appeared and slowly turned into the guarded parking lot. Several burly, darkly clothed men, each with unique interpretations of the signature tattoo on their necks and arms emerged, followed by the familiar bulk of Hun. Leo was shocked when Raph didn't even tense next to him and he looked over. Raph kept his eyes on the scene below. Leo looked over his focused brother to Don, but he just shrugged and looked back down. The old Raph would have been chomping at the bit to pommel the man mass. Leo looked back at Raph and finally caught his eyes, and was happy to see the familiar fire in them. The hint of a smile lingered on Raph's lips as Leo motioned his brothers forward. The four slipped soundlessly into the shadows and reappeared together on the warehouse rooftop. Hun and the men were circled around the back of one truck, out of the sight of the turtles. Donnie put on his night vision goggles, but he still couldn't figure out what was in the back of the van. Hun eventually reappeared, the small parade of his loyal followers trailing behind him. Hun raised an arm, his beady eyes scanning the nearby terrain, and several men broke off, and headed in different directions. Two came towards the building and disappeared, but a groan of metal and soft vibration told the turtles that a door was being opened. The trucks suddenly came to life and slowly pulled forwards, disappearing into the warehouse. Hun walked along behind the last truck, two armed guards flanking him on either side. After they lost sight of the huge man, Leo waited for the sound of the door to close, but it never did. Leo shifted, and all three of his brothers tensed, waiting for orders.
"We gonna do somethin', bro?" Mikey's hands instinctively went to his belt, gripping his wooden weapons.
Leo smiled, boy had he missed this, the beginning tickling sensation of adrenaline, the knowledge of the oncoming exercise of his skills, all while being surrounded by his brothers, something he had dearly missed while in Central America. He solemnly turned to Raph.
"Raph?" Moonlight glinted off of the crest of his brother's head, and tinted his skin grey. His brother's gaze rested on the water, but his head snapped up when Leo spoke.
"Hmm?" His amber eyes still held the familiar fire, but it somehow seemed less reckless, which slightly disappointed Leo. He wanted his Raph, his reckless, hotheaded, impatient, angry Raph, not this mild, emotionless body that looked like his brother.
"What do you think we should do?" Raph seemed startled at Leo's words.
"Why ya askin' me? You duh leadah." He said quietly.
"'Cause I want to know your opinion. Do we take them out or just go home?"
A flash of true anger passed over Raph's face, and Leo internally smirked. Raph sighed and the anger was gone, but that flash of the old Raph strengthened the flicker of hope in Leo. Raph looked back over the water, then back to Leo. A breeze rustled his mask as he spoke. "I say we investigate and see what dey got in d'ose trucks," a grin passed over Leo's face, "Den we decide whatta do."
Raph was silent, tense as if he were waiting for approval, like a puppy. Leo smiled and patted his shoulder. "Sounds like a good plan, Raph."
Raph grinned back at him as the four silently climbed down the side of the crumbling brick building and crept inside. Hun and his gang were once again huddled around the back of one of the trucks, a large wooden crate sat on the floor between them, a foreign symbol stamped on the side of the crate, more stacks with the same symbol still in the trucks. Leo motioned, and Raph and Don split away and slid to the other side of the building. Mikey followed him as he delicately stepped around rusty old machinery and placed himself out of sight, his youngest brother settling in behind him. Leo glanced around, assessing the stability of their position, and could barely make out Raph and Don mirroring his and Mikey's own hiding place across the room. Mikey stifled a cough, and Leo looked back. Mikey pulled a goofy grin after mouthing "dust". Leo just shook his head, an amused smile crossing his face, and looked back to their target.
"How many are in each crate, Claw?" Hun's booming voice, though quiet, still rumbled through the silence.
"Fif..fifty, Masta Hun, and includin' dee bullets an' stuff." The small man next to Hun had the voice of a mouse to compliment his stature. Leo smirked, this will be easy. From the corner of his eye, Leo saw Raph shift. They made eye contact, and soundless words passes between them. They both moved forwards, their younger brother following their lead. Hun pulled out two large guns, and began aiming them, a snicker passing over his face. Leo saw Raph halt, but Leo, being confident in his stealth skills, climbed up the rickety wall, sprang off of it, and landed silently on top of the van in front of Hun. A single naked bulb buzzed near his ear. He nearly laughed, too easy, he though as he smashed the bulb with his elbow, the world plunging into pitch black darkness. Startled yelps came from several of the men, followed by a few gunshots, before a sharp snap and a scream.
"Are you crazy!" Hun shouted. "You could hit one of us! Get the other crates and guard them with your life. I'll deal with these punks." Shifting feet. Leo's eyes slowly adjusted to the darkness and he found his three brothers all where they had been moments ago.
"Come out, you freaks. I know it's you. Too scared to show yourselves?" The burly man had his back to Leo, and stood near enough that all Leo had to do was grip the side of the trailer and lean down to be right next to Hun..
"Scared of the dark, big boy?" Leo whispered into his ear. Hun spun around, his gun rattling off shots, and Leo easily dodged his sloppy aim. The gunfire stopped moments later. Leo crept up to the big man again. "Careful, you might hurt someone."
Hun spun, and nicked Leo's shoulder with the butt of the gun, throwing him off balance. Leo rolled deeper into the shadows, and a familiar hand gripped his arm, helping him to his feet.
"Leo," the voice was barely heard, but he nodded and looked up at Raph. "I take it we're takin' 'em out?" he whispered gruffly, a faint smile and a spark of excitement in his eyes.
"Yeah," Leo softly chuckled and looked back out at the scene that was quickly unraveling into chaos. "Have Don and Mikey help you take care of the others, I got Hun."
"You sure?" Raph asked, concerned. Leo looked back at his brother, shock that Raph was questioning him, but surprised that it was out of concern, not contempt.
Leo smiled. "Yeah, I'm sure. I'll save some for you." Leo said as he darted along the wall and hoisted himself onto another van. Hun now had two guns, and was circling himself as he shifted back towards the head of the truck.
"Where you going, Hun? Are you scared yet?" Leo laughed as he hopped between trucks, and the loud pattering of bullets as they hit the ceiling echoed through the warehouse. Leo kept moving, and taunting the large man. Although this was different than being in the jungle, he still found it exhilarating to use skills he had learned there to taunt the giant man. He heard startled cries and muffled yells in the background as his brothers took care of the hired hands. Hun, also hearing a particularly loud crash, darted back to the trailers, and Leo easily moved to trip him. Hun stumbled forward, and Leo stepped up to the fallen giant.
"You should know better than to expect to win against us, Hun." Leo chided. The man's eyes were closed and he groaned. Leo stepped closer, and was caught by surprise when a huge hand grabbed his ankle and swept him off his feet. Hun sprang up, Leo's ankle clamped painfully between his fingers.
"Leo!" Mikey cried after Leo had swung from the man's grip and smacked into the side of a truck with a loud bang. Leo reached for his katanas that had clattered to the floor, but Hun pulled him out of reach.
"And you should know that I ain't one to give up easy, freak." He growled. Leo braced himself as his body was suddenly flying towards the open end of the trailer. He crashed through the wooden crates and weapons.
"See ya, freaks!" Hun yelled as he ran through the large doors, a few battered men clumsily following him. The door rumbled shut as his brothers reached him.
"Leo, you okay?"
"Yeah, m'fine." He mumbled as he shifted the broken wood so he could climb out. A hand found his arm, and he was tugged out of the mess. Mikey began anxiously brushing off the shattered shavings, muttering about not wanting to lose his older brother again.
"Mikey, he's fine!" Donnie cried as he fumbled around the wall searching for a switch. A soft click was followed by a rumbling as the garage door opened again, haunting moonlight illuminating the scene eerily.
"Yeah, Mike." Leo said as he gently pushed his youngest brother away and they walked outside. They climbed up a nearby fire escape and began the trek home. Raph was silent.
"No snide remarks about how I got my shell handed to me, Raph?" Leo asked softly as he stepped back and let Donnie and Mikey go ahead. Raph was silent, his shoulders hunched slightly as he watched the ground passing underneath his feet. "Raph?" Leo asked again.
Raph suddenly jerked up and glared at him. "I'm not who I used to be, Leo, in case ya hadn't noticed I ain't gonna make jokes about nothin' anymore. Any of us, especially you coulda got seriously hurt. That ain't something to joke about." Mikey and Donnie stopped and turned, but Leo waved his hand and they left. Raph was breathing heavily, and his eyes were fierce, but not with familiar anger. This intensity was much more like pain.
"Raph," Leo started, but Raph cut him off.
"No Leo, you just don't get it! You still think I'm that careless hothead you left behind when you went on yer safari adventure, but I'm not! And I don't ever wanna be that brainless idiot ever again! He almost killed you!" Raph yelled, his eyes brimming with tears. He closed his eyes and took two deep breaths before continuing in a softer voice. "I was scared, Leo. I didn't wanna lose you again. So don't be expectin' me to treat you like crap, cuz I'm not gonna be dat Raph anymore. I like this me just fine."
Leo was silent, absorbing his brother's words. He sighed, "I don't like this Raph. He has no emotion, no drive. I miss my Raph: the one that I'd get in trouble with, the one who would wrestle and fight with me just 'cause, the one who was full of passion and life. I want that Raph back. But if you're okay with this one, I will be too."
Raph looked to his feet.
"Raph, I have to go check on something, okay? It's kinda important, but I'll be home in an hour. Is that okay?" Raph shyly nodded and he continued. "I have my cell. Don't wait up for me." He called as he turned and jogged away, leaving Raph still standing on the rooftop.
And so here he was. Brenna's apartment. Finally.