Wild Uncharted Waters.

Chapter 12: Let Go Of Me.

The waters around Leo shifted as his frustration only burned. He sat with his back facing the wall, crossing his arms. The pit of regret sinking into his stomach as well as the moments he had witnessed previously replaying repetitively in his mind. Leo then wondered what would be like if he had never said anything.

The desolate room closed in on him as he vigorously threw his last stone, dry tears running down to his face, feeling fear ridden.
It seemed as if no hope was left for him. Or so he thought.

Peering over his shoulder, the knock at the door caught Leo's attention. Hurriedly making his way to the door, his mind wondered on whether or not to open the door. Was it a servant trying to get his attention? Or April trying to bug him again with reminders?
Before opening, he grits his teeth hesitantly as he pulls the handle.

"Hey, Leo."
As his slowly opened his eyes, he saw his brother, Raphael right in front of him. To his surprise, it was nothing like he was thinking of. His demeanor was calm and friendly, soothing Leo's reaction from earlier. His face began to light up, adorning a small grin as he came up to hug him. He sniffled, "Raph! Raph, thank the gods you're here. I've been wanting to-"

"Can I come in?" Leo jumped a bit at Raph's serious tone, making him step back a little, the smile on his face starting to fade knowing what this would be about. He noticed that Raph looked rather tense, staring at him, noticing the dry tears on Leo's face from when he arrived.

His room looked lifeless, piles of ash scattered everywhere, not a thing in sight. It was dark and silent, not like anything that his brother was like. And that's when he knew something was off. "Mhm.." He replied, returning to sit back down on his rock with his brother by his side. Raph carefully put a hand on his shoulder, sighing.

He wiped the tears off of Leo's face. Even if it hurt, Raph cared for him regardless. He scanned him, noticing his unusual, weak stature. His hands were rigid, and he struggled to make eye contact.
"Dad found out, didn't he?" He assumed, his voice husky from the worry.

"What..?" Leo's eyes widened, chills running down his shell. "How did you-"

"-Well, we all tried to warn you. Even I knew this was coming." Raph's expression softens as he sees the confusion and fear in Leo's eyes. He takes a deep breath before continuing.
"This is what happens when you disobey the rules. Now look at you, you're a mess, your room..." Raph's voice trails off as he takes in the state of Leo's room, his gaze drifting back to his brother's, seeing how the hopeful grin on his face from a while ago has withered away.

Leo scoffed, "Yeah yeah, I know. 'My fault', again now, isn't it?"
He had thought for the longest time that his brothers were on this side, seeing how as kids they'd often play by the shore of a deserted island. They have already built a deep connection with the surface, why just throw it all away? Stray further, and they'd be dead. But he still wondered why his younger brother Mikey could go beyond the border. The thought made him burn with jealousy, even if he tried to shake the feeling.

The feeling of being lied to sunk within, closing him off again, not wanting for the thoughts to come back.
"What are you talking about?" Raph lets go of his shoulder, giving him some space. His brow furrows, confused by Leo's self-blame.

Leo could feel a lump in his throat as he choked up the truth. "I mean, I had to go up there. Even if I had a choice, I...I just couldn't help myself. Who am I to just let him drown there anyway?"

Raph shook his head and sighed, it seemed that Leo didn't know what he was doing. "You don't understand, Leo."
"Yeah I do," Leo suppressed his laughter, dodging Raph's reminder like he always did. "I mean come on, all I just wanted to do is to prove that I can do something good." His voice begins to rise, "Something that we're supposed to do as the royal family, yet why do even you hate me for that?" Raph felt Leo's voice break at the end of his sentence.