Brotherly Bonds

My Hero

Raph's POV

I peered into the dojo and saw Leonardo practicing kicks, so I crept in and sat off to the side, trying to be as quiet as I could. Suddenly, I tripped and fell to the ground with a thud. He turned and glared at me. "Raph!" He whined, frustratedly. "I'm trying to train! Go away, I don't have time for you right now."

I slowly got to my feet and left the room with my head bowed. My elbow stings really bad, but I don't think much of it. Leo was really mad. He probably won't want to play with me for a while now. I winced when the dojo doors slammed behind me as I left. I sighed.

Then I heard someone giggling. I looked up and glanced around. It sounded like Mikey. My hope renewed, I slowly wandered towards the giggles, eventually peering into the kitchen and seeing my two younger brothers on the floor playing with...something or other. They had a container of 'Baking Soda', which seemed to be dumped in a pile on the floor and a broken jar of...something...labeled vi-ne-gar. Donnie was pouring some of the vinegar onto the baking soda and it was bubbling and making a weird noise. My eyes went wide. Whoa, that was cool. I stepped into the kitchen slowly.

"Donnie! Donnie! Can I try?"

Don handed Mikey the container of vinegar slowly, "Sure Mikey, but be careful."

I smiled and approached them. "Hey guys!"

Sadly, I startled Mikey and he dropped the vinegar which spilled all over the kitchen floor and began fizzling what was left of the baking soda with a shrill hiss.

"Raph, look what you made Mikey do!" Don yelled angrily.

My eyes went wide in shock. "I-I-I didn't-"

"Great now you've made a mess of everything! There's no way we can salvage any of this for later now!"

"Aw...no more?" Mike asked, sadly, making me feel even worse. He sounded so disappointed and it was my fault.

"Sorry Mikey." Don said sadly. I looked down, a little bit ashamed. I looked back up at Don when he cleared his throat. "Mikey and I are going to play in main room. You can't come until you've cleaned up the mess."

I glared. "Why do I have to clean it up? You two were the ones that started it!"

"But you were the one that made Mikey drop the bottle, resulting in a huge mess. So you're the one who has to clean it! Come on Mikey!" He dragged Mikey away and I was left alone with the mess.

My jaw clenched and my eyes tear up a little. I could never do anything right. My shoulders drooped and I cleaned slowly. All I wanted was to spend some time with my brothers. And none of them wanted me around. I sighed.

As soon as I had finished in the kitchen, I headed slowly for my room with a strange feeling in my chest. I looked over and saw Donnie and Mikey laughing and playing, neither of them taking any notice of me. My head and shoulders drooped and I turned away, sadly. They'd probably be happier if I didn't try and join them. My heart hurt again and I rubbed it gently with one hand. I turned back towards the hall that led to my room, but I stopped short, and my eyes wandered once again to the dojo. It sounded like Leo was still busy. I sighed again.

I wish there was someone who wanted me around. Well...there was one person I hadn't tried yet.

I slid silently into the dojo, being extra careful so that I wouldn't upset Leo this time. I opened the door to Master Splinter's room quietly and squeezed inside, shutting it behind me. Almost as soon as the amount of silence in the room sinks in I realize that I made a big mistake. Sensei will get mad at me for interrupting...