The Killing Moon

Peaches and Cream

Raphael slowly makes his way across the dark lair, only the soft glow of the television providing any sort of guidance. Michelangelo is curled up on the couch, one leg kicked over the back, while the other rests sprawled out on the floor. The orange cladded turtle grunts, mumbles nonsensically as he shifts, kicking away the blanket that was already hanging off of his foot. The red cladded turtle stoops down and picks up the blanket, gently readjusting it over his little brother's body. Then he takes both of his wildly disproportionately arranged legs and arranges them on the couch.

Michelangelo's baby blue eyes blink open for a second, murmuring sleepily, "...L-L...L-Leo...?"

Raphael feels his jaw tense up at that as he grots out lowly, "Go back to sleep, Mike. You were dreamin'."

"I-It felt s...so r-real..." The orange classes turtle's eyelashes swoop down and his mouth stretches open in a wide arc as a yawn escapes him, " I...I...f-felt...h. h-him... C-c-called...m' n-n...name..."

"Me too," The red cladded turtle admits softly before his mouth snaps shut. A muscle in his jaw twitched, but he stands, shaking his head as he begins to tiptoe away towards the dojo.

The shrine Master Splinter had built of Leonardo had become a permanent staple in the dojo, a small corner of the room that was never disturbed by their rambunctiousness. Even the hyperactive Michelangelo treated the secluded area as Switzerland in the war zone the lair had become. Raphael kneeled on both knees as he takes a match from the small ceramic pot and begins lighting the candles surrounding the wooden structure that housed old, crumpled pictures, dried flowers, and other trinkets. He closed his eyes, inhaling deeply with the flicker of the candles on his face.

"Why'd you do it, Leo," Raphael asks softly, keeping his eyes closed. It felt like he asked the same question on a constant loop every time he went to pay respects to his deceased brother, despite already knowing the answer all too well.

'It was necessary.'

"It was necessary."

Raphael's fist went flying against Leonardo's jaw, but the other mutant's head didn't even turn in the slightest. The red cladded turtle roared in pain, clutching at his fist like a toddler that had just gotten his hand smacked by his mother. The blue cladded turtle's face was full of pity as he stood up from his spot on the rooftop, and went to stand beside his brother. Glancing down, the younger turtle noticed the drying blood splintered on his older brother's knuckles.

"If you'd like, you can hit me, again. This time I'd pretend the blow affected me," Leonardo offers, rubbing at his already reddening cheek.

Raphael huffs in annoyance, still clutching at his fist as he slouches back onto the edge of the roof. He didn't answer his older brother, he just stares off into the distance, his jaw going tense as he runs the latter's words in his head, over and over. It's all too much. The look that his brother gives him - pity, pity that he hadn't known. Those bright blue eyes, probing into his soul, desperately wanting to see what's going on in there.

"Don't look at me like that," Raphael says that last," Just... don't."

Leonardo nods in acknowledgment, casts his gaze towards the floor. "I am sorry," He says, his grave voice filled with pity," I know you never wanted to see that, but...it was necessary."

"Necessary? Leo," Raphael exclaims, jaw hanging open stupidly," Those Purple Dragons...t-they were just kids - Damn kids who didn't know any better! We don't go after them -"

"Kids who robbed a defenseless old woman, left her paralyzed in the dark," Leonardo snaps abruptly, eyes narrowing dangerously," You think I like it? You think that I like having to do the necessary things, the things that keep your consciences clean, while mine goes in the gutter? Answer me, Raphael!"