Mikey squealed as Raph yanked him by the wrist, pulled his arm across his chest and forced him to the floor with all the finesse of a WWE wrestler. He pinned his little brother beneath him, using his elbow to trap Mikey's neck between his arm and plastron, then glanced again across the dojo.

They were smiling, both of them. And it wasn't even smiling really, so much as it was provocative smirking, but in that obviously flirty kind of way. He'd been watching them throughout the whole training session and rarely had they taken their eyes off of one another for more than a handful of seconds. Now, locked in nimble sparring, it was like they were communicating with one another only in silent combat. And what was with the way they were fighting? He wasn't sure if he'd even call it that. It was more like they were performing some toxic form of dance, constantly stepping around each other and diving into the same space at regular intervals, using one another's momentum to keep the overall movement flowing as though it had been previously rehearsed in this exact sequence. Who the hell they thought they were performing for, he had no idea, but he was sure ready to throttle the both of them. Instead, he had to settle for Mikey.

"Raph," the little turtle whined, voice muffled from having his cheek pressed firmly into the rug. He flailed the limbs he could move, but that hardly did him any good. "You're crushing me!"

Raphael didn't answer. He wasn't even paying any attention. His eyes glanced toward the far corner where Splinter was attempting to refine Casey's raw aggression, and then to April and Donnie who were playing with one another much the same way Leo and Karai were, only without the fluidity and seductive undercurrent.

So this was how it was going to be huh? No wonder people sneered, and sighed, and looked the other way when they saw couples holding hands on the street. Love was completely nauseating.

"Raaaaaaaaaph!" Mikey howled. "I can't—breathe!"

Raphael scowled and lifted his weight from his brother only to flip him around, yank him to his feet, land a series of punches on him and then kick him across the room where he collided with Leo and Karai. Their dance was abruptly interrupted, and the three of them hit the floor.

Everyone else stopped to glance over at the heap of limbs as they slowly recovered.

"Ughhh, Sensei? Can we please switch partners?" Mikey said, swaying dizzily as he sat up.

Raph stuffed his arms over his plastron and turned his scowl away the moment Leo's eyes moved to glare at him.

"Raphael," Splinter said, his tone one of warning.

"What? It's not my fault he's got a soft shell."

"I do not!"

"Jūbun'na," Splinter said, snipping the bud of the argument like a professional. "Michelangelo, you may work with April and Casey. Leonardo, you take Donatello. Raphael, you may face Karai."

Raph stiffened. His eyes slowly found their way back across the room. Karai had already steadied herself back on her feet and now strolled toward him, not without an air of threatening, though she smiled as though they were about to go out to a movie. Raph's eye twitched and he couldn't help but glance toward Leo who, to say the least, appeared rather devastated. His eyes met Raph's, and the leader shifted his gaze in silent communication - begging - his expression quite clearly relaying the message: Dear, Raphael, please don't be an ass.

Raph sneered and looked away, readying himself with his fists up and his stance springy. Karai took the same position as she faced him and continued to smile. They didn't bow to each other as the others did. The last thing Raph was about to give Karai was his respect.

"Hajime!" Splinter said, this time kneeling to watch.

Raph had barely gathered a hint of momentum before Karai sprang forward, darting at him like a shuriken. He just barely avoided a punch to the jaw as he jumped to the side. Gritting his teeth, he rounded on her with a punch of his own, which she ducked effortlessly, coming up from under his arm to nail him in the neck with her forearm and shove him against a wall. He swept a foot beneath her open stance and forced her into a split, backing away as she turned falling backward into a roll, pushed herself up in a handstand, and then landed firmly on her feet, fists drawn and at the ready again. She was still smirking, and that only burned a brighter fire in his gut.

He charged first this time, swinging wildly, throwing his whole body into every punch, only to be thrown off balance as she seamlessly dodged each blow.

"You must focus your strikes, Raphael," said Splinter's voice.

Raph's jaw ached with frustrated pressure, but rather than listening, his punches and kicks became more haphazard and careless, like a blinded child swinging at a piñata. He wouldn't let her hit him either though. Her tactic seemed to be trying to force him to the ground and he wouldn't subject himself to that. Not to say she wasn't doing a fair job trying.

She crouched and swung out one of her long legs. He leapt over it and landed a kick to her shoulder. She was thrown off balance but used this to her advantage by shoving him in the shell with her heel. He toppled forward, and she was on his back within seconds with a successful sleeper hold around his neck. He pulled on her arm, teeth bared, but she tightened her grip—though not tight enough yet to render him breathless. He tried to buck her off, so tempted to flip over and crush her beneath his shell, though something told him a few people would disapprove. But she held on, even as he stood … It was like trying to rip a leech from his shell.

"Is it just me," she said in his ear, warm breath skating across his skin, "or am I picking up some negative vibes?"

His growl came out as a snarky scoff. "Negative vibes? Toward you? Never."

He threw his elbow into her stomach, and the hold around his neck vanished as she grunted and stumbled back. He whipped around, fist raised, aiming straight for her pretty little face.

"Yame!"

He froze, panting, and immediately began to shift through his mental book of defenses and arguments, sure that the fight had been stopped on account of a foul or two. But when he turned around, he found that wasn't necessary.

Donatello was kneeling on the floor vomiting and shaking his head to an apologetic Leo. April rushed to kneel beside him and patted his shell, speaking so softly that Raph didn't catch it.

"Just got … a little dizzy," Donnie managed to gasp before heaving again.

"That is enough for today," Splinter said. He shot an order to Mikey in Japanese, insisting that he run off for a bucket, which Mikey hardly hesitated to obey.

Donatello mumbled an apology and Splinter laid a hand on his shoulder. "You must give yourself time to recover, my son. There is no apology necessary. You are improving, but to move too quickly into your old habits will only set you back. Rest for now."

Mikey came back with the bucket, and April and Leo pulled Donnie to his feet and kept him supported as they walked slowly out of the dojo. Mikey led the way walking backward, holding out the bucket beneath Donnie's chin. Splinter followed and Casey was right behind them.

Karai began to leave as well, but the moment she moved Raph shot out an arm to block her path, nearly punching the wall next to them with the force he used to cut her off. She stopped, glancing down at his arm, which ran parallel with her shoulders. Then she turned attentive eyes on him.

"Let's get one thing straight right now," he said, his eyes tight on her. "You've made yourself a nice little reputation putting my family through all kinds of shit, and just because you've switched sides, doesn't mean I'm just gonna drop everything that's happened and pretend like you're my friend. I don't trust you. Fair?"

She nodded once but said nothing. He could've sworn he saw the smallest glimmer of a smile on her lips. Even if not, she was entirely too serene and composed in the face to be at all threatened by him. This made him bristle.

"I'm watching you, alright, princess?" He dropped his arm and stepped closer, putting his face in hers. She didn't twitch a muscle.

"And listen, if you do anything—anything at all to manipulate or hurt Leo in any way, I'm coming after you. Got it?"

She finally blinked once upon him mentioning Leo's name, but once the threat was out it was succeeded by a smile and a curt nod. "Understood."

He narrowed his eyes. "You think this is a game, don't you?"

"It's certainly entertaining," she said openly. Soon after this, however, she dropped her smile and looked him straight in the eye. "I'm not going to hurt Leo, Raphael. Not after everything he's done for me. On that I give you my word."

He hesitated, staring her down, half fearful that for a moment it looked like she actually meant it. "Pain isn't always physical," he said. And with that he turned away and left the dojo.

Leo was staring down at the ground as he made his way back into the dojo with a bucket of hot water and carpet cleaner—a rag slung over his shoulder—but his eyes automatically glanced up upon passing Raph in the doorway. Their eyes met for the briefest of seconds, during which Raph's narrowed gaze stung like a burn from a magnifying glass. They didn't speak to one another and the second was gone just as quickly as it had come, but only Leo hesitated, watching his brother storm off before he turned away himself and proceeded into the dojo.

Karai was still there, arms folded loosely over her torso, eyes cast to the side.

Leo's throat went dry as he tried not to think of the infinities of undesirable mishaps that might occur in a room in which Raph and Karai were left alone. Instead, he smiled at her when she glanced up and advanced to kneel and clean up Donnie's mess.

"So not the cleanest training session," he said with a conversational shrug, "but he's been getting better. Last time we sparred we were hardly fifteen minutes in before he flat out passed out."

He continued to scrub the floor but watched discreetly out of the corner of his eye as Karai wandered toward him and stood a few feet away, staring down at the floor.

"He'll be okay?" she said distantly—awkwardly—like she'd never asked a question of concern before.

Leo flashed her a comforting smile. "He's a tough nut. It may not seem as much at first glance, but Donnie can fight his way through anything."

A moment of silence stretched between them in which Karai said nothing. In fact, it appeared as though she hadn't really heard, or else just didn't care to respond. But just before he could pause and ask her what was up she dropped her arms.

"Your brother doesn't like me," she said in a tone that was uncomfortably matter-of-fact.

He glanced up at her, a ripple of chills cascading down his arms as his stomach quite oppositely burned. He tried not to let his frustration in Raph show on his face. "Which one?" he asked coyly.

"Raphael."

He forced a reassuring grin to the corner of his mouth. "I wouldn't worry about it," he said as he returned to scrubbing the floor. "Raph can be a bit stand-offish until you really get to know him. And even then sometimes it's hard to tell whether or not he really tolerates anybody. If it makes you feel any better, he doesn't like me either."

Karai raised a brow, but didn't comment.

When, after a while, he could still feel a sense of disturbance about her, he dropped the rag in the murky bucket water and sat back on his heels.

"Seriously, Karai, don't let it bother you. It's just Raph."

She turned her tawny eyes down on him and scoffed as though half amused. "It's not him that bothers me. He's the only one here that makes me feel normal. Everyone else has been so nice, and it's weird. I don't really know how to respond … The little one made me breakfast this morning."

Leo laughed. "That's just the way Mikey is. He's insanely hospitable, and even more so forgiving. He'd probably sit down for a pizza with the Kraang if they offered."

This only made her grimace more intense, more confused. She sat down, crossing her legs, leaning forward with an air of urgency. "And Donatello? I know that he spent all that time making the retro-mutagen for me … Why would he do that?"

Leo blinked, his smile falling. This really did bother her. "Because …" He hesitated, eyes shifting. "Because it's Donnie." He shrugged. "That's what he does. He helps people."

"He keeps giving me check-ups to make sure my heart's beating like it's supposed to," she said, as though this was the most bizarre habit she'd ever happened upon.

Leo had to admit, in a way it was kind of cute. "He's also thorough. It gets annoying sometimes, but it's a good quality to have. He likes knowing that he's done his job right."

She pursed her lips, still not entirely convinced. "And you?"

He gave an involuntary chuckle, dragging a finger around the rim of the bucket. "I've always liked you, Karai."

His grin dropped the moment her name left his lips and he glanced away, a rosy heat skating across his cheeks. "I mean … We've—you know … It's just …" He rubbed the back of his neck and smiled nervously.

The smallest of grins hid beneath her cheeks and she looked away toward the tree as though pondering its presence. He felt himself breathe a little easier and refrained from fanning the heat from his face.

"So … What did he say to you?" he asked.

She looked back at him and shrugged. "He just let me know he doesn't trust me."

The fire immediately rekindled in his stomach, but he didn't react to it. He nodded instead. "It's not just you. He has trust issues in general."

Her smile became more prominent. "I admire his ferocity," she said. "He's really determined to protect you guys."

The flame burned out like a snuffed candle upon hearing this, and he furrowed his brow. He wouldn't have gone the route of considering that Raph simply wanted to protect him—them. It was … an interesting way to put it. So maybe that red-banded hot-head wasn't a complete jerk … At least not all the time.

"Well that's—Raph." He smiled, a genuine smile now, and returned to scrubbing the carpet.

Later on that night, Leo volunteered to check on Donnie, bringing the tea and medication Splinter insisted enter the room with him.

He found his younger brother curled up against a wall of pillows on one corner of his bed, wrapped snugly in a navy comforter with a Physics book in his hands. He'd pulled his mask down around his neck and left his gear in a neat pile on the floor. Somehow, it seemed even if Donnie were to throw a sheaf of loose notebook paper on the ground, the mess would still feel organized in some way.

"Sorry about earlier, Leo," said the young terrapin, looking up from his book. "Didn't mean to make you clean up after me."

Leo set down the items he'd brought and took a seat on the edge of his brother's bed, smiling softly. "Don't worry about it. You feeling better?"

Donnie nodded and glanced back down, flipping a page. "I'm fine." He sighed. "Splinter's probably going to make me stay in bed for the next ten years, but I suppose I'll live."

Leo patted the hill in the blanket that was his brother's knee.

"How are you?" Donnie asked, looking away from his text again.

The older turtle sighed and scooted further toward the center of the bed, leaning against his brother's legs as he stared at the wall. "Raph's putting up a fight."

Don smiled. "Well it is Raph."

"But that's just it. He's not fighting with me, he's fighting with Karai, subtly, but I can't imagine it'll be much longer before he really lets loose on her."

"She's competition. You know how Raph gets when he has competition."

Leo groaned and rested his chin on Donnie's knee, looking over at his younger brother now. They stared at one another quietly for a moment, a moment in which no time and all time seemed to pass at the same time. And then Leo sighed, frowning. "What if she doesn't like me?"

Donnie tilted his head. "Why wouldn't she?"

Leo raised a brow and waved his hand, wiggling his fingers.

"I mean besides that."

"That's all the reason she needs, Don. But what if I don't get anywhere with her? What if I do decide I like Raph, but by that time he hates me so much he doesn't want anything to do with me anymore? What then? I'd have to live the rest of my life with those two turning their backs to me, and I wouldn't be able to escape it."

He grimaced and then continued in a whisper, "What if I end up alone, Donnie?"

Donatello's smile was patient. "That's the last thing that would happen, Leo."

Leo couldn't help the pucker that came to his bottom lip and he buried his nose against the fabric covering Donnie's knees, still peeking at him.

His genius-of-a-brother chuckled and laid his book face down, sitting up straight now. "Well … What if we both get rejected?"

Leo furrowed his brow. "Yeah?"

Donnie's brown eyes hovered on him for a moment then fell to the side and shifted around before coming back to him timidly. "I'll still be here for you, if you're still here for me. Like a plan B." He shrugged. "That way we're guaranteed never to be alone."

Leo dropped his gaze for a second, thoughtfully, then looked back up to his younger brother and mumbled, "Promise?"

Donnie smiled—the kind of smile that was so adorably unique to him. "I promise."

A surge of affection swelled up in Leo's chest and he sat up and pulled his brother close, burying his nose in his shoulder. It was comforting, knowing that at least something was certain and solid in this world. He never had to guess with Donnie, and that was more relieving than he ever thought it could be.

He sighed against his brother's skin, smiling when Donnie returned the embrace with tender arms. "Don't ever go anywhere, Donnie."

Donatello chuckled. "Of course not. But you might want to try making your move on Karai, and then get cold-shouldered by Raph before you go committing yourself to me. Though, for what it's worth, it is rather flattering."

Leo picked up his head and faced his brother with a smile.