Brotherly Bonds

Drowsy

I loved this chapter. This is one of those ones for me that starts out one way and ends in a way that I had not foreseen!

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The lair was dark and all its inhabitants were asleep. All except one, that is. One turtle sitting cross-legged in the dojo, his frame illuminated only by dim, flickering candlelight. There was strength and confidence in his posture and in the serene look on his face. Suddenly, his eyelids flicked open and he relaxed. His original intention had been to get in some extra meditation. Unfortunately, he really wasn't in the mood. And just why wasn't he in the mood? Well, he, Hamato Leonardo, felt guilty.

At first he had just put his lack of focus down to having a rather stressful day, but the longer he thought and the deeper into his meditative state he sank, he had realized that he felt guilty. The real reason for his guilty conscience could be summarized by one word: Raphael. Somehow, it was often Raphael who got him to think about things he didn't usually think about. And today, the subject was his free time.

With all of Leonardo's obligations to his Sensei and his brothers, there was very little free time to speak of. Or was that just what I've been telling myself? He wondered.

If Raphael hadn't started this he wouldn't be here right now. Trying to sort through everything he'd seen and heard. Remarkably enough, this time Raphael had managed to plant thoughts in his head without actually screaming them at him. Or yelling, or anything of that kind, really.

They hadn't really been bickering as much lately as they usually did, which pleased Leo. But he was beginning to think that the only reason they hadn't been bickering was because Raphael had been avoiding him, and that did not please him. Raphael was a very pivotal member of his team, and a very loyal one. He needed to make sure he retained their bond in order to ensure that his team didn't fall apart.

Why was Raph avoiding him, though? What reason would Raph have to act that way? Leo knew that his brother wasn't exactly clingy, but still Raph wasn't the type to just avoid them without a reason. Yeah, sure, they annoyed the hothead and made him mad or whatever, but he'd never estranged himself from any of them.

But if Raph was avoiding Leo, why had he approached the leader the way he did? Shell, that was what had started Leonardo on all of this! That was what was making him feel guilty, after all.

It had all started earlier that day when Raphael had trudged into the dojo...

"Hey, Leo! Mikey and Donnie got the old Mazes and Mutants board out. Wanna join us for a couple o' rounds?" He asked in his very offhand manner.

Leo, who was in the midst of a kata, paused and shook his head briefly before resuming his movement. "Can't. Sorry. Lot of training to do today. Want to master this kata."

Raphael's eyes lingered on him for a moment before he finally lowered them with a sigh. He looked down at his feet and turned to leave. "That's what they said you'd say." He mumbled, his voice sounding almost...sad.

Leo stopped mid-step and watched his younger sibling leave. That was when he'd started feeling guilty.

And now, here was hours and hours later, still in the dojo and still feeling guilty. The whole thing made him feel a like an insensitive jerk. After all, Raph wasn't usually the one who came asking him to join them. It was usually Mikey, who if he didn't get his way, would get down on his knees and beg until Leo said yes. Whenever Donnie needed him, the brainiac would come into the dojo and politely request Leo's presence in the lab, or wherever he was needed.

But Raph...Raph would usually wait until he was out of the dojo. Then he'd challenge his big brother to a really competitive arcade game or a light-hearted wrestling match. Raphael approaching the way he did was an unusual experience for Leo.