A Brother's Intuition

Seeing Red

Red. All that Leonardo could see was red. For the umpteenth time he cursed his brother for favoring the same color as blood. Splashes of it were everywhere.

At moments like this, Leo hated being an expert tracker. He could see every movement through the scrapes and the blood trails. He had a clear picture of every wound as it was inflicted. Leo could see his little brother, Raphael, scrambling to shrink back as Shredder slashed repeatedly into his sides. He was plagued by images of Raphael, with no protection, no escape, and all alone.

Leonardo fell to his knees. His fingertips brushed over a stain he was certain had been a pool of his brother's blood. Tears gathered at the corners of his eyes. His shoulders shook as he tried to silence his sobs. It was the first time he had ever broken under pressure. He could feel his brothers coming closer. He could sense that they, too, had tears in their eyes. He knew that they needed him more than ever. He knew that they needed him to be strong, but how could he stay strong knowing that he was reason all of this had occurred? He was the one who'd sent Raph away, the one who'd gotten his little brother into this mess.

For the first time in years, Leonardo allowed his composure to crumble. As the tears ran freely down his cheeks all he could think of was Raphael, his little brother, his best friend, his playmate.

Someone put a hand on his shoulder and squeezed softly. Slowly, his head turned. The eyes that offered him comfort were dark, echoing Leo's own pain. But Casey Jones stood with his head held high, his lips pressed into a tight, thin line. An image of Raphael bearing a similar expression flashed in front of Leo's eyes.

Casey's hand slid off Leo's shoulder but remained outstretched in front of the turtle as he spoke, their eye contact never faltering. "We can't give up now." He said resolutely.

As Casey spoke, Leo was once again reminded of Raphael. Raph keeps me going. He realized. All of them do. Without them, I am nothing. I need them...all of them.

Casey's right. We can't give up. We have to get Raph back.

Leo took the offered hand and gripped it tightly. Their gazes remained locked for a few more moments as the wall of distrust that had divided them up to this point came crumbling down. The leader turned to his brothers and, as Casey's determination fueled his confidence, Leo made them a promise. "We'll find him." He said quietly. Then he reaffirmed a little louder, "We'll find him and bring him home."

Slowly, the eldest turtle looked down into the eyes of his father. Splinter nodded, his eyes offering Leo the comfort and reassurance that he desperately sought. With a return nod, Leo set himself back into leader mode.

He crossed to the other side of the roof and noted all the telltale signs. "This," he waved to the ground just in front of him, "is where Raph fell. He was trying to get away, but Shredder kept at him. He was hit once," Leo pointed to the multiple stains as he spoke, "twice, three times, at least."

Donnie shifted uncomfortably and pushed his glasses up his nose. "Leo, assuming all of that blood is Raph's, there's a high probability that he—"

Leo frowned and shook his head. "No, he's alive Don. He has to be."

Donatello pursed his lips and frowned at Leonardo. Denial wasn't going to get them anywhere. Much as he wanted to believe that his brother was alive, the logical, practical voice in his head was telling him that the chances were slim. Still, if anyone could survive losing that much blood, it was Raph.

The brainiac slowly glanced over at Michelangelo. Mikey's cheerful demeanor was completely absent. His blue eyes were bright, a little bit too bright, and his muscles were rigid. Don's nose crinkled with concern. He reached out slowly. "Mikey?"