Sorry it took so long guys! I spent quite a while on this one! Enjoy!

Ch. 5-Brothers

I glanced up as Raph swept swiftly into the lair. Donnie and I exchanged nervous glances. The hot-headed turtle seemed no better than when he'd left and that worried us. Would our brother ever be able to recover from what happened?

As though he could feel our nervous stares Raphael whipped around and glared at us. "What are you two staring at?"

"You." I answered. I knew it would annoy him, but Raph needs to understand that we worry about him. It's just what brothers do. Or at least, it's what we've always done.

Imagine my surprise when instead of an angry retort, Raph threw up his hands in a gesture of surrender. "Fine, do whatever you want. I got more important things to do. Don, catch." Raph tossed something small and shiny over to my purple masked brother and he caught it, seemingly stunned. Donatello examined it and I moved towards him to get a closer look. It was a flash drive.

"What's on it?" I asked Raphael.

He shrugged. "I'm not entirely sure myself, that's why I gave it to Donnie." Raph smirked, "Besides, I figured he wouldn't want me going within a foot of his laptop."

Our younger brother went over to his computer and plugged in the flash drive. Raphael and I peered over his shoulders as he opened the files.

One of the first was a map of the city with red dots situated on nearly all the docks and piers in the area along with a list of corresponding dates. Donatello raised an eye-ridge. "Well, Raph, I'm not quite sure what to make of this. For all we know this could be a record of fruit shipments."

I glanced at my immediate younger brother as his eyes narrowed. "But it isn't." He stated, his eyes examining each individual point on the map.

Don glanced up at him quizzically. "Really, then what do you think it is?" the brainiac asked slightly annoyed.

"Each point corresponds to the smuggled Foot Shipments and where they've been brought into the country. If my intel is correct their next shipment should be coming in…here." One emerald green finger pointed at the docks where we'd fought the Shredder a couple of months ago. Donnie and I stared at our tough brother with shock written all over our faces. My jaw dropped. How did Raph…?

I closed my mouth and my eyes narrowed. I was about to speak when Michelangelo ran into the room. "Raph! You're back! Hey I wanted to…" Mikey's voice faded away. I knew he could sense the tension growing between us as he remained silent and watched. His baby blue eyes filled with fear, worry and a little bit of sadness.

I looked back at my red-clad brother. "Raph." Those piercing green eyes of his met mine and my stomach clenched. I'd seen that look in Raph's eyes before. Every time he lost his cool, and every time his temper flared. These were not the eyes of my brother, they were the eyes of a wild animal. I steeled myself and placed a hand on my younger brother's shoulder. "You can't keep going off on your own like this. You'll only end up getting yourself hurt. Please Raph."

The stocky emerald green turtle turned away and muttered, "You can't stop me."

"I'm not trying to." He looked back at me in wonder. I glanced at Donnie, and he nodded. "Raphael, we want to help you. No one deserves to be killed by the Foot. They crossed the line this time, and the four of us will make certain they regret it. We'll see this through to the end Raph."

Raph grinned sadly, a real grin, not the tell-tale smirk he was known for. "Thanks, Fearless."

"You're welcome, little brother." I said, punching him playfully in the shoulder. Raph grimaced. He hates it when I call him 'little brother.' I smiled.

Our brothers smiled at Raph's expression. But then Donnie turned back to the computer and began opening some of the other files. A frown slowly spread across the brainiac's face and I went back over to him. Raph and Mikey followed my gaze and did the same. The writing on the screen made no sense whatsoever and the three of us exchanged confused glances.

"What is it D?" Mikey was the first to ask.

Donatello answered without turning around. "These are over a hundred files on this flash drive, and two-thirds of them contain top secret tactical, financial and geographical information on the Foot." He stated, sounding slightly stunned. The three of us turned towards Raphael, our eyes narrowed. "How did you get all this stuff, Raph?" Donnie asked.

"Let's just say I found someone who hates the Foot almost as much as we do…Maybe even more." Our temperamental brother walked away, obviously unwilling to say anything more on the subject.

I followed him down the hall to his room and went in after him. Surprisingly, he made no move to stop me. "You said that the Foot are going to receive their next shipment of smuggled goods from that particular dock?"

"Yeah." He replied without looking up at me.

"When?"

"Tomorrow night."

"And you're going to fight them?" He looked up at me with a smirk that practically screamed, 'do you even have to ask that?'

"Then we're going with you." I stated evenly.

Finally, the bright green eyes looked up at last, with a hint of sadness and resentment that made me feel guilty. "I can't ask you to do that, Leo."

"No, Raphael, we're your brothers. I'm speaking for Donnie and Mikey too when I say that we'd never let you do something like this on your own. You just…you have to get it through your head that we aren't letting you face this by yourself. We're going to help you, Raph. We may not always understand you, but you don't need to feel alone. We're here. We always will be." Silence filled the room and I turned to leave, when a barely audible whisper caught my ear.

"You don't know that." My heart dropped to my stomach and I turned to stare at my younger brother in horror. Raphael lay on his bed with his carapace to the room as he faced the wall. I ran to his side and put a hand on his shoulder, tugging at it gently. The emerald green turtle rolled over slightly to face me.

They say that eyes are the windows of the soul. Raph's eyes were no exception and I saw something in them that night that I had not seen in a very long time. Fear. "Raph…"

"Leo…I—I'd do anything for you guys. You know that. I just don't want to drag you any deeper into this thing than I already have. It's only going to get more dangerous from here, and I don't want any of you getting hurt because of me."

"But we don't want to see you hurt either. If you went out by yourself and got injured, I'd never forgive myself." The green-eyed turtle looked up at me with surprise and I could feel my heart clench in pain. How could he be so surprised to learn that I care about him? Have we really neglected him so severely that he feels completely estranged? I could feel tears forming at the corners of my eyes.

I thought back to when we were little, images of my younger brothers filling my head...

It was two days before our seventh mutation day and the four of us were really looking forward to it. Raphael and I had started to quarrel quite often. His rambunctiousness often clashed with my cool controlling nature and our fights were steadily growing more and more intense. Sensei was worried that we would end up destroying our friendship and he did his best to keep us at bay. So that day while Donatello and Michelangelo got to stay in the lair and play, Raph and I were being sent off to find a lamp to replace one that we had accidentally knocked over and broken during one of our scuffles the day before.

The two of us walked side by side down the tunnels in silence…until-"This is all your fault."

I glared at him. "My fault how is it my fault?! You were the one who ran into the table!"

"You were the one who pushed me!" he yelled angrily.

"You started it!" We were so busy arguing that neither of us had noticed that the water in the tunnel was rapidly rising.

His green eyes narrowed. "Oh, yeah I forgot, everything's always my FAULT!" He growled. "You never blame Donnie or Mikey, oh no, it's always me! It always has to be me, huh Leo? Why don't you ever pick on them for a change?"

"Because I don't have to," I felt anger sweeping through me and I added, "They're better than you." I growled out bitterly.

"I hate you." He said, his green eyes practically on fire.

"I hate you too." I replied with equal venom.

Suddenly there was a deep groaning noise in the tunnels and the two of us glanced around wide-eyed.

"Leo, the water!" We both looked down and realized that the water level was rising. Raphael's eyes searched the tunnel frantically, before seeing the access ladder leading up to a manhole. "Look up there!"

I looked where Raph was pointing. "We can't reach!" I said worriedly as the water just about reached our waistline.

"Get on my shoulders!" My younger brother yelled.

"What?" I asked, not really understanding what Raph meant. My younger brother bent down and motioned for me to get on his carapace. I placed my feet on his shoulders and reached up for the ladder, but I still couldn't reach. The water was almost at Raph's chest. "Raph! I can't do it! It's too high!"

"Jump, Leo! Jump!"

I jumped and grabbed onto the bottom rung of the ladder. I pulled myself up and turned back to Raph who was almost chest-deep in water. I reached down for him, his hand reaching out for mine. Suddenly a huge rush of water swept through the pipe and Raphael was pulled under, my hand missing his by inches.

"RAPH!" I screamed as my younger brother was swept away. The current tried to take me with it but I clung to the ladder with everything I had, tears running down my face as I thought about Raph.

Almost fifteen minutes went by before the water went down, but to me it felt like hours. As soon as the water level returned to normal I jumped down and landed on my feet. Fear filled my heart as I called out, "Raphael!" ael–ael-ael the tunnel echoed mockingly. I ran down the tunnel, searching frantically for my brother. "Raph!" I looked from side to side, trying to figure out where the water could have taken him.

I turned a corner and my pace slowed before coming to a complete stop. I stared in horror at the sight before me. A huge pile of debris. My brother's hand stuck out from under it and I rushed over, pulling the debris off him one by one. I no longer cared about anything else. The only thing that matter was getting Raphael out. As I pulled off the last pieces of wood and rock off my brother I gasped. Tears ran down my face as I beheld my brother's battered and bloody form. Raph…

I kneeled by his side and took his hand in mine, gently. "Raph?" I asked and got no reply. My eyes filled with even more tears. "Raph, please wake up. Raph?" Terror chilled me to the bone as I remembered what I'd told him. "I don't hate you, Raphie." I squeaked, my voice pitifully weak. "I love you little brother, I didn't mean what I said, please wake up. Please." I whimpered, pressing my forehead against his cold brow.

"Leo." A small raspy voice whispered and I looked down at him with joy, but when I saw the pain in his eyes it evaporated almost instantly.

"Raph! I didn't mean what I said! I don't hate you, I'll never hate you. I love you, Raphie!"

"I know, 'eo. I didn't mean what I said either. Ah-" He grimaced in pain. "It hurts, 'eo." He whimpered, sounding unbelievably small.

I squeezed his hand tightly, "I know, you're so brave Raphie."

"Gotta…get help, Leo. Get Father."

"I will, I promise. You're going to be okay, Raph. You're going to be okay."

"Please Leo, it hurts." He sounded so desperate. I didn't want to leave him, but even if he did hear my cries for help, Sensei may never find us. I have to get help…but I can't leave him. What am I going to do?! I cried even harder, and the tears ran down my face and fell onto his. But maybe as soon as he heard the water go through, Sensei would come looking for us to make sure we were alright. Well it's worth a try.

"SENSEI! DADDY, PLEASE HELP!" I yelled at the top of my lungs.

Father appeared in the tunnel and ran to my side. He gasped. "Raphael!"

"Sensei the water-Raphael—" I couldn't bring myself to go on as I watched my father rush to my little brother's side. Sensei picked him up.

Raph whimpered in pain, and his green eyes opened just a tiny bit, their usually neon green irises a strange and opaque greenish white. "Father…"

"Shh, my son. Do not speak. You need to stay awake, do you understand?"

"Yes, D-daddy." Sensei ran back to the lair and I struggled to keep up with him.

As soon as we entered, Mikey and Donnie looked up, their eyes filled with fear. Mikey rushed to my side. "Leo, what happened?!"

"Donatello, get the bandages and disinfectant. Michelangelo: a pillow and towels. Leonardo: wet washcloth."

I went over to where Father had set Raphael on the couch and handed him the washcloth. He cleaned the blood off of Raph's plastron, arms, and legs. And proceeded to examine his arm with a worried look on his face. I watched as he popped my brother's arm back into place, and felt the urge the throw up. Raph tensed in pain, but other than that made no other noise. Donatello returned with the disinfectant and Sensei began cleaning out a deep cut on Raph's left cheek. The injured turtle hissed. Father took the pillow from Michelangelo and put it under Raph's head.

I looked at my two youngest brothers, who both seemed incredibly worried. I pulled both of them into a reassuring hug. "Don't worry, he'll be okay." I said soothingly, hoping it was the truth.

When he had finished Sensei turned to the three of us, as though he had just realized we had been there the whole time. "Your brother will be fine. But it will take him a while to recover from his injuries."

I nodded, feeling guilty. This was all my fault. I was supposed to protect him! Not the other way around! I won't let you get hurt again, Raphael. I swear it.

It was a promise made to be broken. I wonder, have I been breaking my own promise to my younger brother? I must be. Why else would he be surprised to hear that I care about him?

"Leo, you okay?" I looked up to find that Raphael was now standing directly in front of me with a quizzical look on his face. I wasted no time in pulling my immediate younger brother into a fond embrace. The emerald green turtle stiffened and pulled away gently.

My eyes locked on his shoulder, or more specifically the small lightening-shaped scar. How I loath it. That scar was an eternal reminder, a concrete representation of my failure.

An emerald green hand covered it and I looked up at Raph. "It's not your fault, Leo. This scar, it's part of who I am. I've always been the protector, big brother. I always will be. Staying strong is more important than being understood. I'm the only one who can handle that, just like you're the only one who can handle being the leader. That's all you really need to understand."

"Raph…"

"I appreciate your concern, Leo, I really do. And if you want to come with me tomorrow night, I won't stop you. But I won't ask you to."

"I'm going with you, Raphael. Even if Donnie and Mikey decide otherwise. I just want to help."

"I know." He said, his eyes filled with understanding, and smiled. I smiled back. I could see that he was looking forward to tomorrow night. I knew now there was no need to worry about him. Raphael was going to be just fine.

But that doesn't mean we'll stop worrying about him. After all, it's just what brother's do.

Review Please!