Red or Blue? - A TMNT love story

Chapter One

It was raining since days in New York. Rather since Splinters death. April and Casey had bring the turtles with the death body of Splinter to the farmhouse of April's family. Buried him in the woods where no one would find him. No one who didn't know where he laid.

Now the turtles are back in their lair. Still in their sorrow. Each dealing in their own style. They didn't talk much these days. To each other or even themselves.

Leonardo sat down in the dojo. Trying to meditate. Trying to sort his thoughts. Thinking about the last words from sensei toward him. It felt like that Splinter would appear right behind him, but he wouldn't anymore. Leonardo would never hear his voice again. Never have pieces of wisdom for his problems and sorrows again. Now he had to lead his Clan. He wasn't ready. Not with the hotheaded member of the family. He preferred to denial Splinters death.

Raphael went to his punching bag. Punch it over and over again. Try to get rid of his anger. Why it had to be so soon for sensei? Why they didn't recognize it sooner? Why he didn't had the chance to make sensei proud? How was he supposed to bear Leonardo? Raphael couldn't even hear Fearless voice without wanting to punch the shit out of him.

Donatello rushed himself into work. He repaired the things that his brothers broke. He invented new things. He still examine the mutagen. Trying to bargaining the death of his father and the heartbreak he had causing of April. The girl who chose Casey not a mutant like him.

Michelangelo wasn't really different than before. He played video games. Ate a lot of pizza. Read comic books. But he didn't enjoyed it like before. Like a depression version of himself.

Without Splinter they don't understand how they should function anymore.

Leonardo sighed. He couldn't focus. He opened his eyes again. Still having the letter in his hands. The letter from Master Furuji to Splinter. He felt like a traitor. It was never his thing to snoop in Sensei's things.

He opened it. Reading it all over again. The same words in the exact same order. That Master Furuji was pleased to received the request for his oldest granddaughter. That she was a beautiful mutant with eyes as golden as the sun. But he warned that she could be a little bit feisty. She sounded more like a match for his hotheaded brother than him.

Why did you leave me with this, sensei? Why didn't you tell me sooner about this?

He stood up. Went to his room and began to pack. It was a long way to Japan and he wanted this to be over as soon as possible. Staying here would drive him crazy. Maybe meeting her would clear his mind. Maybe he wouldn't assume anymore that a alive version of Splinter could sneak behind him and scare the shit out of him.

"Finally leaving, fearless?" Raphael leaned on the door frame while still bandaging his hands. He had punched the back till his knuckles began to bleed.

"Jeez, Raph! Don't scare me like this!" Leonardo stooped and picked the map up that he dropped. "And I'm not leaving. I go on vacation to met my match."

"I thought you love Karai?" Raphael looked skeptical at Leo. He noticed that his brother wasn't himself anymore. But none of them were.

"I fall in love with her before I knew that she is our sister Miwa." Leonardo looked at the photo of his family. A sting went through his heart. He quickly put it in his bag. Out of his sight.

"Really? No lover's grief, because she chose Shini?" Raphael was finish with his bandage and crossed his arms. Try to get Leo outside of his comfort zone.

"It's not like I did lose my girlfriend to another mutant." Leonardos face crumbled. Sure it hurt when someone you love find someone else, but he was happy about them. After all she was his sister and it would never have end well.

"At least I HAD A RELATIONSHIP in my life, Lameonardo!" Raphael throw one of his shuriken at the direction of his brother, before leaving. Not good enough aimed to hurt him, but enough to scare Leonardo for seconds. It wasn't his fault that Mona left him. He loved her truly, but for her it wasn't enough. He wasn't enough.

Why am I like this? Why can I do nothing right? Why can I not be someones favorite too?

Raphael went back to the punching bag. He clenched his fists and punched it. Try to ignore the pain in his hands, but he couldn't. The pictures of Mona wasn't leaving his mind too. He hit the wall hard in frustration. Leaving a big hole in it. A tear ran down his face. Followed by another. He sank to the ground. Wrapped his arms around his knees. Buried his face in his arms and let the tears fall.