The Silent Partner

Trial and Horror

Three days passed. Raphael and the others had returned to training after a one day hiatus. Sure, their injuries weren't quiet healed yet, but as long as they were careful it wasn't too much of an issue. Michelangelo had a very difficult time due to the limited mobility of his arm, and as such he was allowed only to participate in the lighter exercises.

Raphael was on orders from both Donatello and Master Splinter to stay away from any arduous exercise on account of the fact that his balance was slightly off. Donnie wasn't really certain why Raph was having so much trouble walking in a straight line, but he suspected that it was a combination of the black eye and the wound on the hothead's thigh. Raph had grown quickly frustrated at not being able to walk more than fifty steps without stumbling and by now all of them had gotten used to hearing rough grumbles wherever the red-masked turtle ventured.

Leonardo's arm wound still hadn't quite healed yet and it was giving him trouble in his practice because he couldn't stretch his arms the way he wanted to without fear of re-opening the wound. In short, the blue-masked ninja leader was also frustrated.

And everyone in the turtle lair, with the exception of Mona, knew that a frustrated hothead and a frustrated leader never mix.

The two older turtles had been snapping at each other more often over the last few days. And every time they did both Michelangelo and Donatello did their best to ignore it. It was difficult, but the two younger turtles knew it was their brothers' way of releasing pent-up frustrations.

Mona was very confused by the whole thing. It surprised her how easily Leonardo and Raphael were able to set each other off. The two of them were candles, or perhaps, more accurately in this case, sticks of dynamite and they both knew exactly how to light each other's fuse. And when they exploded...oh man...Mona wanted nothing more than to crawl on her bed and pull the pillow down over her ears. They were so loud...and Raph was so angry...Leo was angry as well, but Raph's anger disturbed Mona a little more. It was even more volatile, more explosive.

And after each and every fight, when Raph stormed off to brood, Mona followed and watched him from a vantage point a few feet away. Whenever he actually stomped off to his room, Mona would sit directly outside it and listen as best she could. She could tell that what had been said during the fights bothered the hotheaded turtle, even if it hadn't seemed so at the time.

On that third night Leonardo and Raphael got into a raging fight at the dinner table of all places. No one made any move to stop it, not even Master Splinter. The fight escalated and kept right on going until it hit the ceiling. Literally. Both of the eldest turtles were shouting across the table at the top of their lungs.

What had started as a petty argument had somehow graduated into a family feud. Finally, with a deep, dark growl Raphael stood up and flung his fork up in the air to vent his frustration. But, to his very great surprise, it never came down. Bright green eyes glared skyward at the fork that was now quite effectively embedded in the ceiling. He growled in exasperation tossed up his hands, clenched them into fists, turned his back to the table and walked off without even taking a bite of his dinner.

Mona's eyes darkened. With a loud screech she stood rapidly, her chair dragged against the concrete floor. She glanced in the direction Raphael had gone and frowned.

"Raph's being a big baby. Just let him go."

A four-fingered fist slammed down on the table and everyone, both turtle and rat, jumped in their chairs. Mikey, Donnie, and Leo exchanged looks of surprise. Master Splinter just watched, his face impassive.

'You don't order me.' She gestured flatly before whirling around, her hair whipping after her.

Donnie shifted uncomfortably in his seat as the table suddenly grew awkwardly still. Leo growled softly as he pushed his food around the plate, no longer in the mood to eat.