Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Fan Fiction ❯ 3 Weeks ❯ 2 ( Chapter 2 )

 

3 WEEKS EARLIER

 

 

 

Today, it seemed, was going to be a difficult day. Splinter's tail lashed irritably as the sound of raised voices carried through his chamber door. As a rule, he would not intervene unless absolutely necessary. His children were growing older, and would have to learn to deal with these confrontations on their own sooner or later.

 

Honestly, he was at a loss as to what to do with those two. In many ways, they were exactly alike: both determined to keep their families safe, but with conflicting views as to how. Both desperate to better themselves, both apt to hide emotion when it was most critical to let it out, both so concerned with being strong. And that incessant stubbornness! To get either to give ground in an argument was like pulling teeth.

 

Hearing the subtle change in tone that typically predicted the drawing of weapons or sudden use of fists, Splinter sighed and made his way to the door, wondering how he could get through to his children for more than a few hours at a time. The door slid open and he observed the scene playing out before him. Raphael, hands clenched into fists and visibly shaking with the effort it was taking not to strike his brother. There was blood on his knuckles, presumably from striking the wall at some point or another. Splinter felt a pang upon seeing it; no matter how many times he tried to channel the hothead's anger, nothing seemed to work. Leonardo stood with his arms crossed, only the dark look on his face and tension in his arms showing his anger at the younger turtle.

 

“-it's not yer business what I do on my own time!” The red-banded turtle shouted fiercely, eyes glowering. Tension crackled in the air as Leonardo shifted his feet firmly.

 

“It is my business when you put our family in danger, Raphael!” Splinter felt his ears flatten against his head: perhaps he should have paid more attention to what was being said earlier. “You can't keep running off to beat up whatever punks you come across! There are other ways of taking out your frustration! You can't just expose yourself like that without considering the consequences! You never stop to think about the consequences!”

 

“You got somethin' yer tryin to say, Leo? Go ahead and say it then, if yer so much better than me!” Raph snapped venomously. It was at this point that the practice of thinking before speaking left the eldest turtle completely. He sounded angrier than he had in years of difficult fights.

 

“You're damn right I've got something to say! Just because you don't give a damn if you lead half the city down here doesn't mean we don't! One of these days, you'll get into something over your head and we'll all end up strapped to an examination table somewhere!” Raphael opened his mouth angrily, started to speak, but Leonardo, it seemed, was too far gone to listen. The words were bursting out before he could register what he was saying, his repressed anxieties and frustrations getting the better of him for once.

 

“What's wrong with you? You never listen to an order, even when you know it's the right thing to do, just because you can't stand the fact that it came from me! Even though I'm just trying to keep you all safe! I'm not trying to rule over your life, but at even the smallest suggestion or warning, you act like I've asked you to give up being a ninja altogether! You're foul-tempered, and violent, you've nearly killed all of us at some point or another, you always get us into some kind of bad fight, but that's not enough, you just have to keep pushing! I swear, it's like you want us to get found! It's like you enjoy seeing us hurt! And I've had enough of it! What am I supposed to do, Raph, tell me, when you keep running off like you can't wait to prove exactly how much you hate us?”

 

Even as he spoke the words, he knew he had gone too far. Splinter was frozen in his shock. Never had he expected to hear the eldest speak in such a volatile manner. There was a sharp intake of breath from all in the room, the sentence echoing around in the sudden silence, and all eyes turned to Raphael. His anger, which had flared outward like a physical force, quieted abruptly, eyes dropping the opaqueness he worked so hard to maintain as the statement registered. A strange new emotion began to radiate from him, cold and unwarranted. He flinched as though he had taken a physical blow and looked away.

 

Michelangelo and Donatello, watching from the sidelines, fought valiantly to comprehend what had just happened. In all the years of arguments, even the ones that escalated to blows, the `H-word' had never been broached. It was almost like an unwritten rule. Mikey tried to get his mouth to stay closed, but it didn't seem to be working properly anymore, not with Raph's eyes broadcasting so clearly what he felt.

 

-Shame, betrayal, shock, guilt, anger, a stab of genuine hurt, cold acceptance-

 

His tough, take-no-prisoners big brother, who never admitted to being afraid of anything, suddenly seemed much more vulnerable. Why wasn't he in Leo's face, screaming denial, standing up for himself like he always did? The orange-clad ninja felt the beginning sparks of protective anger take root in his stomach as he recognized pain.

 

“If that's what you think...Then I got no right to judge ya for it.” The words came out through gritted teeth like shards of ice, piercing the air only to shatter on the floor in the silence. Raph's hands became fists and his shoulders began to shake. “But I never- Not fer a fuckin' second, never-” His throat constricted around the sentence, cutting him off before he could complete it.

Donnie, meanwhile, kept his stunned stare on Leonardo, whose face projected shock and horror and guilt as he mentally backpedaled, realizing what his words implied. Raphael, as though in tandem with the older turtle's thoughts, took a step backwards, looking at the floor as he struggled to regain control over himself. He stumbled back another step before shaking his head and heading for the lair door. Leo surged forward desperately, taking hold of his wrist as he tried to form a coherent sentence.

 

“I-Raph, I swear I didn't mean- Don't leave, please, just- just let me- I didn't-” he fumbled, praying for his brother to just understand, to see how sorry he was, to know that he hadn't meant it like that, not at all. The younger turtle tensed, an odd half-snarl, half-whine escaping from the back of his throat. Shaking off his shock, Master Splinter stepped forward briskly.

 

“Leonardo,” he called sharply, tightly gripping his walking stick. “Release your brother at once.” The eldest turtle did as he was told, stepping backwards reluctantly. He threw an anguished look to his brother's shell.

 

“Raph, please,” he whispered desperately. Raphael restrained himself from running straight to the exit, breathing hard, hands alternately clenching and unclenching as he tried to calm himself down. With a soft curse, his fist found itself connecting to the brick wall for the second time that evening. He started for the door, composure disappearing fast. Splinter moved towards him tentatively. “My son,” he began in a gentle tone.

 

The look Raphael cast over his shoulder had his words dissipating in his mouth. His entire body was shaking, blood from his knuckles hitting the floor with a soft dripping sound. He gave off the air of an injured animal, and Splinter suspected he felt he would be unable to stop himelf from injuring those who would console him. To see his son so afraid of losing control caused pain to rise in Splinter's heart in response. Their eyes connected briefly before the younger ninja's began darting around the lair.

 

Trapped. He felt trapped. His father stepped forward, arm outstretched, but he stumbled back again with that strange keening noise.

 

“I...I'm sorry, sensei, I can't-I don't wanna end up hurtin' nobody, I gotta-I just-“ His words came out in a harsh, grating tone, rushed and desperate and even afraid. Even Mikey and Donnie were standing now, looking to their sensei for some kind of instruction, prepared to block his path to the door if he gave the sign. He gave a minute shake of his head; if Raphael felt he couldn't control himself, the rat would not endanger his other sons in an attempt to restrain him. In situations like this, the teen's strength would work to their direct disadvantage.

 

“Raph, it's alright. Just calm down a little,” Donnie said in a soothing tone, arms held carefully out by his waist. The universal no-harm gesture, Mikey thought distractedly. He found himself speaking in the same gentle tone as his genius brother.

 

“Yeah, bro, you aren't gonna hurt anybody. We trust ya, Raphie-boy, it's okay. I'm sure he didn't mean-” His older brother's amber gaze flickered to him, then hit Leo's again. The leader shifted forwards and time seemed to freeze a little. Emerald green head tilted to the side, panicked and feral and a little wild as he moved again, hands twitching slightly towards his belt. He registered the action and forced them back down to his sides.

 

“I gotta get outta here,” he ground out, words resuming the heated anger he was so used to wielding. Without another word, he shot through the entrance and into the sewer tunnels.

 

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Right, so I'll continue this sometime in the future. Reviews, please? *sparkles pitifully*