A Brother's Intuition

Leonardo: Forgiveness

It's been almost a month. I've been searching and searching and there's been no sign of Raphael. Not a single trace. Mikey and Donnie haven't said a word to me since the night he left. Not that I blame them. If I were them I wouldn't talk to me either.

I have to find Raphael and bring him home. But where could he have gone? I've looked everywhere I could think of. I called April, but that only ended up getting her just as worried as we were.

All of a sudden, in the middle of another desperate night search for my missing sibling, a thought struck me harder than a slap in the face. I'm searching the streets and the abandoned buildings. I've been searching them for the past month. There is just no way Raphael could have avoided me that long if he'd been in either of those places. So...that gave birth to three distinct possibilities, though really only two since my heart refused to accept the third:

1.  Raph left the city

2.  Raph is staying with someone

3.  Raph is dead

As I said, I refuse to believe the third possibility, or rather, I don't want to believe it. The first option isn't very likely either. Raph loves New York. This city is engraved in him. He couldn't survive anywhere else. He wouldn't be happy anywhere else. So that leaves only option number two.

But who would Raph stay with? April was shocked by the news of Raph's departure. Besides, if he were with April she would have called and told us. But then where...

Of course! Leonardo, you idiot!

I can't find Raph because he's staying with his human friend. And I'd be willing to bet that even if Raph isn't staying with him, that human will know where Raph is. But how the hell am I supposed to find out who that guy is?

April! April can help! She can take pictures of the drawing and use her contacts to find a name to match the face!

I stopped my search early and ran straight back to the lair. I rushed in the door, making Mikey and Donnie jump up off the couch. Don narrowed his eyes and muttered snidely, "Well, well, well, look who's back early. What's the matter Leo? Finally accepting that you drove our brother away for good?"

Mikey frowned and for the first time in the past month, my little brother spoke up in my defense. "Don't Don. It isn't all Leo's fault. He was mad. He said things he didn't mean. He paid for it. He's as deeply effected by this as we are. He regrets his actions. Just look at how hard he's been trying to find our brother. Raph's just as much at fault for not coming back as Leo is for driving him away."

I watched as Don's habitually soft, brown eyes steeled over dangerously. I sighed. "No Mikey, Donnie's right. This whole thing is my fault. I deserve it."

Michelangelo frowned at me and, very uncharacteristically slammed his fist into the wall. Donnie and I jumped, both of us shifting nervously under his scalding gaze. "I won't accept that Leonardo! Despite the fact that you got in a fight with Raphael and sent him away, we're still a family! And funny thing about family, Leo: they forgive each other! Besides, I'm not gonna let you keep going after Raph without us. I want my brothers back, Leo. I want both of my older brothers back. That's why I'm forgiving you."

Silence ensued and I tentatively shifted my gaze to my techy-brother. Immediately, I understood. Mikey may have forgiven me, but it was going to take a lot longer for Donatello to trust me again. Don was going to grow increasingly difficult as long as Raphael was out there somewhere.

"I'm going to call April." I admitted, deciding to bring them up to speed on my plan.

My brothers looked confused. Donnie frowned. "Why?"

"To get the identity of Raphael's human friend."

Ever the skeptic, Donnie scoffed. "Leo, New York has millions of inhabitants. How the hell is April going to find this guy?"

I scowled at him and growled a warning note as he tone began grating on my last nerve. "April has all kinds of contacts, Don. She's a television news reporter. If anyone can locate an individual in a city with millions of inhabitants, it's April."

My nerd brother said nothing, but I could tell he was disappointed that he hadn't come up with the idea himself. Don said nothing for a few moments as he pored over my idea in that brilliant mind of his. Then he sent me a curious stare. "And you're going to give her one of Raph's drawings to work with?"

I nodded. "Where's the book?" I asked, trying not to sound too desperate.

Mikey's features were oddly sullen. I knew exactly what he was thinking.

If I hadn't found that book none of this would have happened in the first place.

Then again, if Raph hadn't drawn pictures of his human friend, it wouldn't have turned into such a rapid escalation of temper on both our parts. Furthermore, why did Raphael even try to hide his human friend anyway? He must have realized that he couldn't keep us in the dark forever. Well, in retrospect, he probably hadn't expected us to find out quite the way we did, either.

Oh, Raph...Where are you, little brother?