The first sentence of the chapter should tell you right away, but this is Leo's POV. What can I say? I love writing chapters from the point of view of an overprotective older brother! Thanks for reading guys! I'd love to know what you think!
Sincerely, Leah by Michelangelo
Ch.9-Raphael: The Enigma
I was incredibly worried about my younger brother. It had been almost an hour and a half since Raph promised he'd be home in half an hour. I thought about calling Casey, but decided not to because if Raph was with him, and they were talking (which Raph really needs right now) my call might destroy any progress that the dark-haired teenager might have made with my stubborn little brother. I had expected Raph home within an hour of when we parted at most, and every minute past has ticked by slower than molasses.
I walked to one end of the lair and turned, pacing up the main room for what felt like the millionth time. I dryly wondered whether Raphael would ever fail to make me worry. No, he'll always be a hot-head, and that's not about to change any time soon. My mind answered and I sighed dramatically.
The sound of footsteps drew my attention towards the lair's entrance. I watched my red-masked brother barge into the room, with the obvious intent of storming off to his room.
Sorry Raph, not this time.
I stepped in front of him with a glare. His vitriolic gaze literally made me flinch as he growled. "Leonardo, if you know what's good for you, get out of my freaking way!"
"No." I stated as evenly as I could and Raphael looked about ready to stab me with a sai.
The commotion had drawn our family to the main room where we were currently fighting. Donatello poked his head out of the lab and Michelangelo wandered in from the kitchen. Master Splinter peered out through the open doors of the dojo, before closing them slowly, which was basically his way of telling us that he wasn't getting involved, but he wouldn't hesitate to provide intervention if it was needed.
"Don't test me right now Fearless! I've had about as much abuse as I can take!" Raph snapped, his tone harsh.
My eye ridges furrowed and I took a cautious step towards him, putting a hand on his shoulder. "What do you mean? What happened?"
"I don't want to talk about it…" he shied away from my touch and I saw a brief flash of hurt in his eyes. Who or what could have put this strange alien look in my brother's eyes? Frustration began to boil inside of me. No one gets away with hurting my family! Goodness knows my soft-hearted brother is much more sensitive than he lets on.
"Raph…" I started, but he held up a hand, making me stop short.
"Just leave me alone." He pushed past me and I watched him head straight for his room. I frowned and took a seat on the couch before pulling out my t-phone. Only one thing to do now… Don and Mikey watched Raph's retreat worriedly before turning back to me.
"Leo, do you think Raphie's okay?" My baby brother asked tone filled with concern.
When I didn't answer verbally both brothers moved in closer to the couch and glanced over my shoulder at the phone. I dialed, intent on finding the answer to Mikey's question. I lifted it up to my ear and waited. I counted the number of rings in my head impatiently. One…two….three…dammit Casey pick up!...five…six…seven... Finally I heard the sound of the call being answered; "Hello?" came the human's voice.
"Casey." I answered. Don and Mikey leaned over next to the phone trying to hear what was being said. I sighed, pushing them away with annoyance and put the call on speaker.
"Oh—Hey Leo!" The 'oh' sounded just a little too much like he was expecting the call and that fact alone put me on high alert. "What can I do for you?" Jones asked nonchalantly.
"Casey, Raphael just came home a few minutes ago." I stated.
"And?" The human asked. His tone was enough to tell me that he had no idea as to my brother's current state.
"He was really upset." That shut Casey up and for a few moments the line was completely silent. Obviously he wasn't prepared for that, I thought before going on, "You wouldn't know of any reason why, would you?"
The human paused, "Well, I mean…he came over to my place and we talked for a long time, but he left a while ago. Before I went out on the town, ya know? He seemed fine, but if something happened after that, I don't know anything about it." My eyes narrowed. There was something about his voice that I didn't like…he's lying, I realized.
I growled lowly, too quietly to be heard over phone. When I spoke my voice was hard, cold and dangerous. "I know you're lying Casey. Now: tell. me. What. Really. happened." I punctuated each word with emphasis, and even I could hear the danger in my voice.
The human swallowed nervously and my brothers shuddered. Jones sighed before he began, resignedly. "All right, Raph called me about an hour and half ago and asked me to cover for him. He said he needed to see someone."
My eye-ridges shot up and the three of us exchanged surprised and confused glances. "Did he say who it was?" I asked insistently.
"No, sorry. That's all I know." I was about to impress him further, but this time I sensed he was telling the truth.
All of a sudden Raphael came storming back into the room. Has he been lurking in the hallway this whole time?! He grabbed the t-phone out of my hand and I was about to protest when he began yelling at the top of his lungs. "CASEY JONES YOU TWIT! I'LL HAVE YOUR HEAD!"
I wrestled the phone out of my younger brother's hands and spoke into it hurriedly. "Don't worry, Casey, he's just mad. He doesn't mean what he says."
When Casey spoke his voice was calm and mellow, quite the opposite of what I normally expected of the teenager, "Look, Raph, buddy I'm sorry, Leo called the bluff dude, that's it. Don't be a sore loser."
Raph's angry huffs and puffs of breath slowed slightly, but the scowl never left his face. "You don't understand you idiot. You just ruined everything. So long blabber mouth." Raph snatched the phone from me and hung up on Jones before he could even reply.
I stared at him angrily, hand outstretched. He handed my phone back slowly and I put it away before crossing my arms. "Raphael, who have you been meeting?"
Bright green eyes narrowed. "I ain't been meeting with no one!"
"Haven't been meeting with anyone," Donnie murmured, obviously in auto-correct mode. When he realized that he'd just corrected Raph he backed up slightly and put his hands up in surrender, "Sorry."
Raphael glared at our purple-clad brother before his green graze focused back on me. "And it if I was, it ain't none of your damn business." He threw down an arm and shook his head before turning away. Alright, that's it!
I ran around him and stood directly in his path, blatantly ignoring my instincts, which were currently screaming for me to stay calm. "Anything that interferes with the well-being of my brothers is my business!" I yelled, finally losing my patience.
"Well you don't have anything to worry about then." Raph replied, a bitter and sad smile on his face. My stomach turned nervously. I've never seen that look on my immediate younger brother's face before, and I can honestly say that I never want to again. It was sickening and it made my heart clench. "It's over." He stated, his voice snapped me out of my stupor and my frustration evaporated.
I put a gentle hand on his shoulder, bending down so that I could look him in the eyes. "Raphael, what happened?"
"I ran into that vigilante, ya know, 'Jade.' I tried to stop her, tried making her see it the way it is, offered her my help. Let's just say she isn't going to quit any time soon. She refuses to see reason. Guess I should've expected as much. Stupid, stubborn brat!" Raph stated, mild irritation creeping back into his voice.
I stared. "What did she say?" What on Earth could she have said to him to make him so upset? Not to mention hurt his feelings…
"It's not important." I could barely conceal my annoyance. What would I'd take to get Raphael to talk to me?! His beak wrinkled in distaste and he scoffed, "Besides, that's the last thing I want to think about right now." An emerald green hand waved it away as though he was clearing the air. "Guess I have to apologize to Case in the morning, huh?"
The corner of my mouth turned up into a small grin. "Yeah, that would be a good idea."
Raph grin slightly back giving me some slight consolation. I'll find out what happened in the morning I told myself, knowing that it was a fickle statement. Raphael probably won't say anything and we'll go on pretending like none of this ever happened. At least my brother's home and he's safe. That's what matters. But how safe will he be if I can't protect him?
Raphael has always been an enigma in so many ways, but particularly in that he was very conservative and kept his feelings to himself. If this unruly behavior continues and he isn't careful Raphael will tear himself apart.
No, he's my brother, he has us, we'll always be here for him, and we'll always be there to piece him back together. I thought, No matter what happens. I added with certainty. His emotions are stronger than we will ever be able to understand, but his heart is pure. I love all of my brothers, and none of them will ever be left behind. Not on my watch.
I'll always be here to protect you, Raphael. Even if you don't want to talk about it, I'm willing to listen. I'll squeeze it out of you if I have to, for your own good, but I will always respect your privacy. You might be able to keep me in the dark about some things, but do not think for a moment that you'll always be able to pull the wool over my eyes. I know you better than you think I do. And I know that you don't feel comfortable discussing things with us. But that doesn't make me blind to your feelings, little brother.
The identity of your mystery contact won't be in the dark much longer. I intend to see to that myself.