Family Meeting [Tag: Hamato Clan]

Oh. So this woman had attitude and matched his snarkiness. Brave. Though, the mutant-in-red didn't appreciate being called a gorilla, or her jab about the zoo. All he was hearing was the fact that she was calling him an animal that belonged in a cage. That's how humans saw them, and Leo was foolish enough to think that they would ever see anything more.


"Gorilla? Yer the mutated monkey." Raph growled, chomping down on the pick. "An' only wanted to talk, huh? I guess that's why you two were so lost in yer lil fight that you didn't even notice me slip up." Yeah. Because Leo wouldn't attack this woman for no reason, Foot or not. "You 'Feet' are nothin' but bad news. If you wanna talk, then talk..."


Raph noticed Leo gathering his bag from the corner of his eye. "We're not done, Leo."

Junko glared daggers at the turtle in blue. "I was trying to say...whatever happened between you...and your father...knock it off. You are acting like a spoiled brat. Running away won't get what you want. And I bet you don't appreciate what you've got, either. Some of us don't have parents." She gritted her teeth angrily,"Look, I have no clue what the hell is going on here, but do not fucking judge me. I am nothing like Saki."

She gently touched the Foot insignia. Why does he hate Saki so much? She doesn't understand what is going on around here. All she know is they are threatening her master's life and she doesn't like it. He did...after all, saved her life.

Mikey reached the entrance to the manhole and pushed the cover. He wondered where they went. Looking around, he tried to think. Him? Think? Now that was scary. What next? Is he going to turn into Don? Maybe he should start snooping through Don's library one of these days.

Where would Leo go to? Knowing Raph, he usually would go to April's. April's window is always open. So he headed towards the direction of April's apartment. After hopping over several rooftops later, he noticed there was a commotion on the other side of the building. Raph and Leo were talking to a third person. He didn't know who.

Mikey landed behind his brother and flashed a grin. He knew his presence would not be welcomed,"Hey guys. Whats going on?" His attention then was on the woman dressed in a...Foot soldier uniform? There was a stand off between Leo, Raph and this woman. He couldn't tell what she looked like underneath the mask. He looked at Leo and Raph for an answer.

And soon Mike was joining them. So much for sneaking out quietly. He dropped his bag to the ground and folded his arms. secretly he was happy that his brothers came after him, Made him feel less useless and an out cast. Bust still, didn't they know when to give a guy some time alone? Hearing the girl insist that she was nothing like Shredder did peek his interest. Did this girl even know why they disliked the foot? Probably not. She seemed new.

I'm not spoiled. Trust me. None of us were spoiled. But we were taken well care of and protected. My problem isn't that I'm spoiled. Not that it's any of your busniss, but my problem is that I feel i am still treated as a child that can't be trusted. Our father had apointed me leader of our clan. It was more of a burden then a gift. But I took on that burden happily. I would risk my life for my family. That has not changed. But what our father fails to see, is that I am a man now, we all are, well except Mike. It's time he lets us explore our world. It's time he set us free so to speak. He is unwilling to do this. So I fought with him. I have never done that before. But I stand by what I said. I'm not running away from my father or my brothers, I am just going to a friends to think, to get some air and clear my head, to think about my words and actions. You ask that we don't judge you, we don't know you. I ask for the same thing. Don't judge me. You have no idea what I'm going through.

So that was it? But the condescending tone struck a nerve in Junko. She threw her head back and laughed. That same, cold, sarcastic laugh she used in Saki's office,"Don't you dare think that I don't know what you are going through. And your father sounds scary, almost as scary as the old hag back home." She rolled her eyes in irritation, gritting her teeth as soon as the image of the old woman popped in her mind,"Do you think I wanted this gig? Nope. I was forced into it. If I didn't pay back the old hag, then she'd..." She gulped. She never thought about it.

She turned her back to him, "Never mind. It sounds like your dad is in some serious denial, or maybe he is just a control freak. I don't know." She smiled," I could be wrong. I don't know your father. But if there is one thing I do is all parents care about their brats." She added bitterly,"Well, some do. I'll letcha go. Sorry that I hold you up. See you 'round, blue." And with a wave of her hand she turned to another direction. The hunt for Mikko still on.

Raphael was about to interrogate the kunoichi, but then Mike seemingly popped out of nowhere. Then came Leo's spill about their father and this only irritated the beast of a turtle. Leo was whining to some stranger about their personal problems.. wtf?! Luckily the girl didn't stick around for long, so Raphael wouldn't have to kill her. Not that he would have without good reason, but just knowing the person she worked for caused his blood to boil. A huge feat for a cold-blooded mutant.


It seemed that Leo was eager leave now, but Raph was quick to block his path, glaring into his eyes. "What the hell's wrong with you, Leo? Things don't go yer way and you just tuck yer tail like a whipped pansy and take off?" The larger Turtle scuffed angrily, and shot an equally frustrated glance at his brother in orange. " And YOU! I told you to stay put!!" Yeah, Donnie sucked at doing his job. Then again, maybe he should appoint the Purple-clad Turtle as Mike's official babysitter...

I'm not tucking in my tail! I just needed some air and a brake. It's not like you've never fled before in need for some personal time. No one asked you to follow me. Or did Splinter send you after me? It's like what I feel means nothing to you all! It dosn't mater, I'm not your leader anymore. So leave me alone.

Leo pushed Raph away and headed to the edge of the roof.

Mikey threw his hands up in surrender,"I was worried about Leo. I was hoping he wasn't going to walk out on us." The turtle in orange then looked at Leo. "Who were you talking to, Leo?" Mikey didn't really see the conversation or the fight that took place on the roof. He only just arrived.

Great, now Raph is pissed. He is not going to live this down. Mikey is slowly starting to understand how Leo felt. Splinter does have a tendency to treat them like children. He maybe the youngest, but sometimes he felt like the baby of the group. What next? Are they going to start cutting his vegetables for him? Not like he will eat that stuff. It should've been cut the slices of pizza for them.

Now he was hungry. His stomach rumbled. It was nearly dinner time. He hoped he saved something left from last night.

Leo didn't seem to hear him. Instead all he saw is his shell. Guess he spoke too soon.

Don wasn't too far behind his brother in orange, but Mike was clearly on a mission.  He could outrun all of them on a good day, and with Mike's current motivation, it was a clear win for him.  Don could keep him in his sights, though, as he closed the distance between them after Mike finally stopped.

He could see some woman taking off and then a shoving match between his two hotheaded siblings.  That made Don's legs move even faster.  However, he arrived too late to confront their eldest brother.  Leo had taken off.  This frustrated Donnie, because there was no barrier between Raph and his two younger siblings now.

Don had a feeling that things just went from bad to worse.

"I'm sorry..." Don panted out.  "I tried to stop him!" He took a few moments to calm his racing heart.  The run was hard and he was already on-edge with his own emotions, so that really took a lot out of him.  Finally he was in front of Mikey, looking at Raph with pleading eyes.  

"Yes, we were worried about Leo, Raph, and given your track record at solving problems, we figured you could use the backup."

Yeah. Everyone needed time to themselves every now and then. Of all the Turtles, Raphael knew that better than anyone. But things had been different for Raph before. He had been the loner. The odd man out. The misunderstood. And maybe he was still all of those things, but now he had a responsibility pressing against his shoulders that wasn't there before. Maybe it was because that had been stripped from Leo, he now felt that he was free to finally take that breath...


Raphael had come so close to relating, but then Leo made a typical move and shoved him! Big mistake! Now all rationality had gone out the window, and it only made the situation worse when Leo turned his back on him... on them. Mike's explanation was lost on deaf ears as the Hot-Head glared at his older brother's retreating form... not so fast! The larger Turtle quickly closed the distance between them and violently pulled Leo back by the tails of his bandanna. As the momentum spun his brother, Raph roughly clipped Leo with his shoulder, attempting to take him to the ground.


"Walk out on us?!" Raph seethed, finally registering part of what his little brother had said. "He already has!" His chest rose and fell with each angered breath as he towered over his brother's grounded form. Sometime during all of this, Donatello arrived on the scene, justifying why they had come and that he couldn't solve problems. Yeah, that certainly didn't help matters any.



"Maybe you three don't think I can problem solve because I don't beat around the bush... I get shit done!!" He seethed, nostrils flaring with each inhaled breath. "Splinter made me leader.. there's a reason. This ain't fuckin' child's play anymore..."

Leo suddenly found himself being pulled backwards and falling to the ground. He looked up at Raph and frowned. Why couldn't they leave him alone for one night. It wasn't like he was never coming back. I haven't walked out on anyone. For fucks sake! I want a goddamn moment to myself! Leo shouted angrily.

But the next bit of info but Leo into a fit of laughter.

You? You are the new leader? That's rich. Leo said and got back to his feet. You finally got what you want. Don't know why you need to come after me now. Good luck Raph. You'll need it.

He looked over at Don and Mike and back to Raph remembering that Raph mentioned he had told them to stay at the lair.

You're doing a great job so far.

Things were getting ugly. Mikey winced as Raph yanked Leo by the end of his bandanna then toss him to the ground. Mikey looked away but only for a brief second to look at Don, giving him an apologetic look. It was amazing how things got so heated up so fast. Raph got what he wanted, why is he fighting with Leo?

Mikey walked over to Don's side and said,"Maybe we should go back. Things are about to get pretty ugly around here." He did not dare look at Raph or Leo. A part of him hoped that Leo didn't walked out on them. He hoped that he is going to April's just to cool off. He hoped that Leo would come back home with them.

Don had had enough! His eyes narrowed and he completely ignored Mikey as he pulled out his staff from its sheath and stormed over to the two brawling brothers then slammed the end hard into the rooftop, jabbing it between Raph and Leo. "ENOUGH, YOU TWO!"

Don was shaking with emotion now, struggling with the rage that bubbled up at the endless and pointless squabble between the two turtles. He was tired of all the fighting. He was tired of being pushed around (and sometimes even bullied) by older siblings. And he was especially tired of this whole power trip the two older brothers seemed to be riding at the moment.

Someone had to step in. Don wasn't the best at long speeches, and especially not great about standing up to Raph, but when pushed too far, Don knew he had to push back. So to speak...

"I'm sick of you two always fighting. Neither of you is going to back down, so the best you can do is agree to disagree." He paused and took a deep breath, letting it out slowly then turned to Raph. "You're our leader, so don't you think you should lead by example? And that means solving problems, instead of making them." Then he looked at Leo, shaking his head. "Leo, you need to let us know what is going on so we don't just worry when you never call...nor contact us at all."

Don's voice had returned to its more softer tone, now having spoken what had been on his mind for a while now. He looked between both brothers then glanced over at Mikey before returning his attention more to Raph and Leo again. "Can we all go home and just talk about this? And YOU need to apologize to Splinter, Leo."

Don didn't expect Splinter to give Leo back his position as leader of the clan just yet, but maybe if those two smoothed things over, the tension would be more alleviated around the whole lair. Sometimes the tension was so intense that it was nearly suffocating to Don. And probably Mikey as well.

Raphael glared down at his brother, wanting nothing more than to pummel him for being a jerk. Funny how the roles were reversed here and Leo just continued to try and get a rise out of the Hot-Head. Unfortunately it was working. But, couldn't Leo see this from his prospective?? Him going against Splinter was so out of character for the former leader, so when Leo walked out, how could anyone be sure of his intentions?? Was he abandoning them? Being the cynic, that was his first fear.


Raphael always thought he would be the first to go. For many reasons other than selfishness. Fear. Fear of what his blinding anger could do to his family. The fear of watching them be ripped away from him. Fear of not being good enough. And now he had been thrust into the temporary role as leader and now it was his duty to insure that none of those nightmares became a reality. His breathing started to slow as that revelation came to light, even if he was the only one that could 'see' it. He was afraid of losing Leo.


"Time to yerself... I get it, believe me. But after that shit back at the lair, how the hell were we supposed to know that you ain't turnin' yer back on us?! Though his tone still seethed with anger, the Hot-Head was doing a decent job of composing himself. That was until Leo started laughing at his father's decision to appoint him as leader. That really got under the temperamental terrapin's skin...because it felt like Leo never had faith in him. It only added insult to injury when his older brother noted what a terrible job he was already doing and how his younger siblings didn't respect him enough to follow orders. Blinded by anger, Raph aimed a punch at his mouthy brother's face, but fortunately Don was quick to step in and shoved his bo between the two.


Whenever Raphael was in the 'red' zone, it was impossible to come down from that. Don's words were mere background noise as the new appointed leader grasped the wooden weapon and pushed it out of the way. Don's efforts had done their job, however. It saved Leo from a busted snout and had prevented a potentially nasty fight from breaking out. Donatello had succeeded in being the buffer,  but things wouldn't go in brainy brother's preferred direction.


Fuming, Raphael reached down and grabbed Leo by the shoulder strap of his belt and roughly pulled him to his feet. His topaz eyes bore into his brother's, conveying the raw emotion that words couldn't portray.  His fists tightened andsreleased in a self-soothing manner, a clear sign that he was desperately struggling with his anger and emotions. An annoyed snort filled the empty space where words should have fallen, but expressing anything at this moment was next to impossible. Only Leo knew what his true intentions were. If he was turning his back on them, or truly just needed some time. Whatever the case, Leo would never respect or have faith in him. With an inward sigh that would forever conceal his inner defeat, Raph turned to his two younger brothers.


"C'mon. Let's go home."

OK, Maybe that was a little harsh. He shouldn't have laughed at Raph. He just couldn't believe that raph got what he always wanted. He wasn't laughing at his brother, more of the situation. Raph had no clue what it was to be leader, what it was to have the whole family on his shoulders But he would learn. The real question now was, could Leo really take orders from Raph? It would seem he would have to.

He wasn't going to abondon his family. He would have never done that. But he could see where they were coming from. Maybe he was going about this the wrong way. He still stood by what he believed, but with all the raw emotion that he had been feeling in the past few days, hell the past few months. All bottled up and kept to himself. It was only a matter of time before he exploded.

Now he felt bad though, Mike and Don were obviously scared that the family was breaking up and that he might be losing his mind. And Raph now had the burden of being leader, and Leo? Well he needed to get his head on straight.

I'm staying at April's place for the night. I'll be home tomorrow morning. I'm not leaving you guys, I would never do that. I don't mean to worry you guys. I just need a night to think, to clear my head. For now listen to raph. Go home, rest and don't worry about me.

He said calmly. he then walked up to Don and put a hand on his shoulder.

I'll fill you all in on what's been going on tomorrow. I promise. I have a lot of things going on in my head and I need to sort it out.

He then looked at Raph.

I didn't mean to laugh. I'm just...surprised. Maybe Splinter is right. Maybe my time as leader has to come to an end. I'm not in the right mind to lead us.

Once again Leo grabbed his bag. I'll see you all tomorrow.

Mikey can now sigh with relief. He hated seeing the family torn apart by something as petty as leadership. Now he can walk back to the sewers peacefully.

Don's reaction startled him. He was prepared to hold Leo back should he try to do anything impulsive. Leo was trying to get a rise out of Raph earlier. The blue eyed turtle knows better then to get in between the two. Don usually is the mediator between Leo and Raph. He expected something like this too happen. Both himself and Don had been bullied by their older siblings long enough. Sometimes he like to thank Donnie for doing most of the brain work. Much like himself, Don is always the passive one so he is not used to seeing him snap like this.

For once, Mikey agreed with Raph. Perhaps it was time for them to head back. Let Leo get some fresh air. Tommorow is another day, after all.

At first, Don thought his little speech had landed on deaf ears. He hadn't changed anything! He was about to try again when his beloved weapon was nearly yanked out of his hand after Raph shoved it away. After a small stumble, he regained his footing and glared at the turtle in red.

Then Raph did something Don hadn't expected. He ended the fight. It was a nice surprise and a change of pace. Maybe Raph was cut out to be a leader after all. Only time would tell on that one, but this was a good start.

Finally, Don walked away from the other two turtles. It seemed like Leo wouldn't be coming back with them this time after all, but it looked like the fight was over. Leo would get his head on straight and Raph would come home with Mike and himself. Don thanked whoever was in charge 'up above' that things hadn't been worse.