*Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles franchise.

*Author's Notes: At long last, I've returned with a new installment of 'Slash's Revenge.' It's a little shorter than normal, but there's still lots of drama. Sorry about the long wait on this one, but summer activities kind of got in the way. Fear not. I can assure you I haven't lost focus on this story.

Great big hugs and thanks to everyone still reading this story and to those of you who are just joining us. I'm so glad readers are still with me this far in. I truly hope you all continue to enjoy the future chapters. There are still plenty more to come. Thanks for reading, everyone.

CJ

Chapter 34 – Conflict

Two of the longest hours in history had passed since Master Splinter had escorted a very shaken Donatello back to his room. April and Michelangelo had waited outside of Donnie's bedroom door for nearly an hour before exhaustion overtook them and forced them to head to their own rooms to try to get a little sleep. Though equally exhausted, Leonardo and Raphael had opted to wait on the couch for their father to come out. Both of the eldest turtles just sat there, staring blankly ahead, bloodshot eyes at half-mast. It was obvious they, too, were having a tough time staying awake, but their guilt somehow kept them going.

Another fifteen minutes crept by before Master Splinter finally made his way down the hall into the pit of the lair where Leonardo and Raphael were practically draped on the couch. However, the moment they saw their father approach, they both adopted a bolt upright sitting position to better convey their interest.

Raphael was the first to ask the question on the tips of both turtles' tongues. "How is he, Sensei?"

"He is resting."

A part of Leonardo was tempted to ask his father if he had had to once again resort to using pressure points to get Donatello to 'rest,' but the leader soon thought better of it when he saw the strangely vacant expression on the Ninjutsu master's face.

Then, without warning, Splinter plopped down onto the couch with far less grace than the boys were accustomed to seeing from their father. It was as though he didn't have any energy left to hold himself up. Leonardo could certainly relate.

"Are you okay, Sensei?"

After a brief pause for thought, Master Splinter spoke in a somewhat clipped tone. "I would not choose the word 'okay' to describe my current state."

"No, I suppose not." Leonardo did not need his father to come right out and say that he was disappointed in his two oldest sons' behavior. The blue-clad turtle could hear it in his father's voice and see it in his eyes. This made Leonardo's heart sink.

If there was one thing Hamato Leonardo truly hated doing, it was disappointing his father.

"Sensei, about earlier… " Not quite sure where to start, Leo decided an apology was in order, even if it didn't begin to make up for what he had done. At least it was something… "I'm sorry for what I said and did."

Beside Leonardo, Raph shifted in his shell before grunting out, "Me, too, Sensei."

Master Splinter's initial response was a loud exhale that came dangerously close to a growl, but he soon spoke in a hushed tone. Whether or not that was because half of the family was sleeping, Leonardo wasn't sure. Perhaps his father was just that exhausted.

"Your brother has been through a terrible ordeal. He does not need the two of you at odds over it. What he needs is all of our support if he is going to get better."

Both boys nodded and simultaneously uttered the words, "Hai, Sensei." With their heads hung down low, there was no mistaking the shame they were feeling inside.

"I understand your anger, Leonardo, just as I understand your guilt, Raphael, but you cannot allow these feelings to interfere with Donatello's recovery, nor can you let such negative emotions cloud your judgment. You must not act the way you did in front of your brother. It will only make matters worse for him. Am I clear?"

"Hai, Sensei."

"I know it is easy to fall into the trap of placing blame, but by doing so, you have further injured your brother. Do you think he did not hear what happened? Do you think he was not affected by your actions, given the delicate state he is in?"

The frustration behind Splinter's questions was evident, but not nearly as evident as the hurt that came shining through in Leonardo's tone.

"What are we gonna do, Sensei? Donnie's so… broken. What if… What if we can't help him?"

It pained Master Splinter to hear his oldest son speak of Donatello as though he was irreparable, but the troubled father could not deny the fact that there was a part of him wrestling with similar concerns. His intellectual son was so shattered, perhaps the damage done was permanent.

NO!

Master Splinter could not allow himself to think such things.

They would find a way to heal Donatello's wounds.

They would find a way to mend what was broken.

They had to.

They could not let Slash win.

He had already taken enough away from them.

Hamato Yoshi was not about to let that coldblooded monster succeed in destroying his family.

Splinter could not go through that kind of torment again…

"You must not speak that way, Leonardo. Your brother's spirit has suffered greatly, but we cannot lose hope. As grave as the situation may seem, Donatello is not lost to us. We have to remain strong for him. Our perseverance and patience will be necessary in order to guide him back."

Leonardo nodded, almost imperceptibly, making it clear that additional convincing was required.

Raphael, on the other hand, just stared down at his big, round feet. His green face contorted into an odd expression Master Splinter was having a difficult time reading. The father had to wonder if his second oldest son was even listening anymore. The hot-tempered turtle appeared to be too caught up in his own thoughts, but such was not the case, as Raphael proved by chiming in with, "Whatever it takes to get him back, I'll do it. Do you have any other suggestions, Sensei?"

The realization that Raphael was indeed listening took Splinter somewhat by surprise, but not enough to delay his response the slightest bit.

"Above all else, we must show him that he is loved very, very much. That is why it is so vital the two of you set aside your differences."

"I… I don't know if I can do that, Sensei." There was a pang of remorse in Leonardo's voice, as though he felt bad for being so honest with his father, but there was a hint of bitterness behind his words as well. He couldn't just sit there and pretend like everything between he and Raph was going to be all sunshine and roses from here on out. Leo would do absolutely anything in his power to help Donnie get better, but how could he be expected to ignore what Raph had done?

How could any of them forgive and forget something like that?

"Come. Let us discuss this in the Dojo."

Pushing themselves up off the couch, Leonardo and Raphael followed their father without question. Once inside the Dojo, all three settled down onto the floor in front of the Shinto tree. Master Splinter sat with his back to the tree; his two oldest sons facing him.

The tension hung in the air so thick, it could've been cut with a dull knife. Both Raphael and Leonardo refused to look at one another, opting to instead keep their gazes fixed on the area rug beneath them. Master Splinter gave the boys a full minute to brood before breaking the silence with his somber tone.

"Leonardo, I want you to tell Raphael what you are feeling right now."

Upon hearing this, Leonardo lifted his head up to stare disbelievingly at his father.

Surely, Master Splinter couldn't be serious.

"I think he already knows what I'm feeling."

Master Splinter gestured towards Raphael before stating, "Speak to him, not me."

"No offense, Sensei, but how's this gonna solve – "

"Humor me." The blunt way Master Splinter put this warned Leonardo not to question his father any further. Not if he valued his shell.

"Fine. Raphael, I'm angry with you." With his arms tightly folded across his chest, Leo glared over at his temperamental brother who still refused to make eye contact. His fierce green eyes seemingly glued to the floor.

"And why are you angry with your brother?"

Leonardo hesitated with his answer, afraid it might come out snarky sounding. His father knew darn well why the leader was angry with his brother. The fact that Master Splinter had even posed such a ridiculous question had Leo on the verge of blurting out the word "duh," which wouldn't go over too well. All the boys knew their sensei was not fond of that particular word, as Mikey had proved time and time again.

Drawing in a deep breath, Leo harnessed his inner calm before responding in a voice almost void of emotion.

"Because he's the reason Donnie left the lair that night."

Raphael kept unusually quiet, despite the blatant accusation. It wasn't like he could deny what Leo had just said. None of them could…

"Please tell your brother why you think this, Leonardo." Master Splinter once again gestured towards Raphael, gently coaxing his oldest son to open up more.

Face falling into a frown, Leonardo spoke in a tone that let the hurt seep out. There was no anger, like there had been before. Only pain.

"The awful things you said to him… You made him feel worthless, Raph."

Finally, Raphael spoke, although the response came out merely a whisper. "I know."

"And it wasn't the first time you've been cruel to him. What about the time you told him he had no chance with April? Or how you're always insulting him and accusing him of trying to blow us up? Or how you're constantly making fun of his weapon and his fighting skills?" Though Leonardo's voice grew in volume with each example he provided, he thankfully didn't get loud enough to wake April or his two youngest brothers.

"I know! I know! I'm sorry, okay?" Raphael lifted his head up to look Leo in the eyes, but only for a fleeting moment. When it dawned on the turtle in red that he was too ashamed to look at his big brother, his gaze quickly found its way back down to the floor.

"Sorry doesn't cut it, Raph! Because of you, our brother thinks he's not worth saving!"

With these words, the conversation came to a screeching halt. Both brothers now had their arms folded across their chests and were looking off in opposite directions, like a couple of pouty, little kids.

Master Splinter had to resist the temptation to let out an exasperated sigh. He instead focused his attention on reviving the conversation, desperately wanting his two oldest sons to work through this.

"Raphael, perhaps you would like to talk to Leonardo about what you are feeling inside."

It was only natural to assume that the hotheaded turtle would struggle to discuss his emotional state. It sometimes seemed as though anger was the only emotion Raphael was able to express. That was why Master Splinter was so surprised when his temperamental son actually began to share his feelings, voluntarily.

"What do you want me to say, Leo? That I'm a lousy brother? Because I am!"

The oldest turtle baulked at Raph's claim. Leo may have been upset with the hotheaded turtle, but he had never meant to make Raph feel like a bad brother.

Is that what Raphael had taken from all of this? If it was, didn't that make Leo just as bad of a brother for making Raph feel that way? Wasn't this the same thing Raph had done to Donnie?

"You're not a lousy brother, Raph."

"Oh, yeah? I'm supposed to protect him, Leo, but I said all those things just to hurt him. Heck, I wanted him to leave."

"That may well be, but you didn't know what was going to happen. If you would've known Slash was out there waiting for him… " Wise beyond his years, Leonardo purposely left the sentence hanging, knowing full-well how Raph was going to finish it.

Just as Leonardo had predicted, Raphael's voice was full of conviction as he spoke his next line. "I would've never let him go."

"Exactly! You never intentionally sent him into harm's way." Leonardo placed a hand on Raph's carapace, but the volatile turtle was quick to shrug it off.

"No, but I intentionally hurt him. That's just as bad."

The words – the horrible words – began to repeat inside Raphael's brain, once again, taunting him…

"You're always sorry! I've had it up to here with your excuses, Donnie! What? It wasn't enough that you almost killed Spike? Now, you almost killed all of us with another one of your crazy experiments!"

"I don't want to hear it anymore! You're always screwing everything up, Donnie! How many times have you nearly killed us now? How many times, huh?"

"All you ever do is put everyone in danger, Donnie! You're supposed to be the smart one, but you ruin everything you touch! You're the reason Spike's gone! I lost my best friend because of you! It was all your fault! If you weren't such a walking disaster, he'd still be here!"

"Let him go. Maybe he'll actually stop and think about what he's done for once. He'll be back in time for patrol."

"What I did was tell the truth! Donnie had it coming, so don't start with me, Leo! And I'm not gonna stand here and listen to you make me out to be the bad guy!"

"You were angry, Raph. You just let your temper get the better of you again."

Shaking his head in disgust, Raphael drove a fist into the concrete floor below. The pain from the solid blow radiated up his arm; a welcome but inadequate punishment for the pain he had caused Donatello. "That's no excuse, Leo, and you know it. I should've never said any of that stuff. Now he thinks I don't care about him."

Raph remembered the words distinctly…

How could he ever forget them?

"No. No! You aren't m – my brother! I know you're n – not, because m – my brother... My brother doesn't – he doesn't care about me!"

"Slash made him think that none of us care about him. It's not just you, Raph. Now, we just have to figure out a way to make him trust us again."

"So what are we gonna do, Leo?"

"I don't know, Raph, but I'm sure we'll come up with something."

A shadow of a smile passed Master Splinter's lips as he listened to his two oldest sons work through their differences. All with barely any effort on Splinter's part. The only thing he had had to do was keep the boys talking. Aside from that, the two teens had unknowingly patched things up on their own.

This filled Master Splinter with a sense of pride, but at the same time, he was still cautiously optimistic. Regardless of the fact that Leonardo and Raphael were no longer at odds with one another, Splinter feared that so long as Donatello's condition remained the same, things between the two oldest boys would be strained.

What the two of them needed was to find some common goal.

Master Splinter knew just what that common goal was.

"How about instead of focusing on your anger and your guilt, you focus this energy on your brother? He needs the both of you to work together in order to get better.

"Should you continue to be divided, you will show Donatello you care more about yourselves than his wellbeing. We are all painfully aware that Slash convinced your brother we did not think he was worth saving. It is now up to us to prove Slash wrong, but we cannot accomplish this if there is constant discord between the two of you."

Leonardo and Raphael wearily peered up at their father through tear-filled eyes; their long faces turned down into the saddest of expressions that demonstrated just how much they regretted their actions.

They had never meant to hurt their brother. They had only wanted to help him.

"I know you both want what is best for Donatello. Can I count on you to be united in this cause, if only for your brother's sake?"

The two oldest turtles nodded in agreement. Their father was absolutely right in his assessment, as always. They did want what was best for Donatello. That's all any of them wanted.

Now, they just had to figure out a way to convince Donatello of this.

Easier said than done.

Much, much easier…

To be continued…

*More Author's Notes: I don't know about everyone else, but I totally needed this chapter. Leo and Raph really needed to have this talk. I feel like they made a significant breakthrough here. Now, if they could only make this kind of significant breakthrough with poor Donnie…

I'm super excited to post the next chapter of this story. My wonderful friend, DonnysGirl87 (aka donniesgirl87), created some absolutely amazing artwork for it and I can't wait to share it with all of you. Thank you for being so awesome, DonnysGirl87. I adore you, my friend. *hugs*

As always, please take a moment to favorite, follow, like, reblog, review and/or comment on this story if you are enjoying it. I always love hearing from everyone. The feedback is so very much appreciated and makes me all kinds of happy.

I hope you and your loved ones are all doing well. You have all been in my thoughts and prayers. Take care and stay safe.

Thank you very, very much for reading, my friends.

CJ