From The Shadows: Goodbye || BOOK 3 (TMNT)

Chapter 9. Empty

     Raph's injuries made it incredibly difficult for him to participate in training. So, not only was he benched from patrol, but also from all of Splinter's and Leonardo's drills. He had to sit on the side and watch. This became boring fast, so the majority of the session consisted of him texting and occasionally nitpicking every little mistake Leo made.

     "Don't worry, Leo. You'll get it next time."

     All of Raph's other comments were similar. He never once looked up from his phone. Every time Leo would glance over at him, Raph wasn't even watching or looking for his mistakes—he just knew—which frustrated Leo further. He ignored it at first but the more Raph commented and the more Leo noticed Raph not paying any attention at all, the more annoyed he became. Raph fully intended on getting under his brother's skin and it was working.

     Mikey wanders over to Raph and stands over him, taking an unapproved break from training. "Oh... You texting your girlfriend?" Mikey hums, drawing out the last word.

     Raph slightly turns away from Mikey. "Can it, Mikey. I'm texting Athena."

     Mikey smiles and nudges him. "You didn't deny that you're texting your girlfriend."

     "Shut up." Raph rolls his eyes. "She's not my girlfriend."

     "Uh-huh. Cause you guys totally didn't kiss or anything?"

     Raph was appalled. He shook his head and smiled in disbelief. "Right. Nothing happened. Don't be a moron."

     Mikey's face beams. "You can't hide it from me," he whispers. "I know... I know." 

     "You don't know anything."

     Raph glimpsed past his screen, trying to avoid the conversation altogether. Another snarky comment would surely change the subject. However, Raph didn't find anything wrong with Leo's technique. He shrugged and figured he'd comment on it anyway.

     "Need to work on that footing, Fearless!"

     Leo's eyes wandered from the fight ahead of him and toward Raphael. His brother looked at him with a smirk. It was at that moment that Leo lost his balance and Donnie easily knocked him off his feet. 

     Mikey scrunched his nose and gave Leo a thumbs down, sticking his tongue out. Leo ignored his antics and glared at Raph. Donnie sighed as he towered over his brother. He was frustrated with Leo's lack of focus. The training wasn't particularly beneficial with Raph's sabotage. 

     "You know what," Donnie places his bo staff across his shoulders and wraps his arms around it. He shrugs, "I'll take it."

     "Uh," April didn't know what to say. She knew Leo was upset and didn't want to worsen it. But, she figured moving past it quickly would help. "Nice one, Dee. You ready to go or what?"

     Donnie grins. "You're on."

     The two stepped aside and began their match. Leo clenched his fists as he stood up from the ground. He didn't look at anyone and kept his eyes trained on his feet. 

     The situation also served as a distraction for Carrie from her training with Splinter. It wasn't long before he could see the loss of focus on her face and every time her eyes would wander to the side. Splinter sighed. He had become particularly skilled at tuning out his sons' mischieve but knew it could be exceptionally difficult for someone not familiar with their dynamic.

     Carrie exhales. She presses her lips together and shakes her head. "I'm sorry, Sensei." Her shoulders drop in defeat. "I can't stay focused."

     Splinter took a step back. It was apparent that none of them were very attentive. Tensions were high, of course, but allowing interference in training bleeds into battle. This lack of attention is what gets ninjas killed.