RITSL 5

Red In The Silver Lining
[RITSL]: Part 5

A skinny sliver of steam twisted free from hot liquid, carrying with it an earthly aroma and the slightest floral hint. Before the wispy vapor was could grow much taller, a sudden burst of cool air caused it to dissipate completely. Ripples died on the surface of the brown liquid and a new brave curl of smoke began to rise in place of its predecessor.

Master Splinter gave his cup a gentle swirl as he tried to cool the tea inside. After another breathy blow to his beverage, the old rat raised the cup to his lips and took a tentative sip. The heat that filled his mouth was comfortingly familiar and he was grateful for the warmth the tea provided as it continued down his throat. As he took another drink, his eyes looked over the rim of the cup at the only other occupant in his room: Leonardo.

A small wooden table separated father and son. The blue-banded turtle sat cross-legged, shoulders slumped despite his intentions to sit with his back straight. In his hands was his own cup, the contents of which he was eyeing sullenly rather than drinking.

“You know you are free to speak your mind in this place, my son,” Splinter said, setting his cup down. “Tell me what has you so bothered that you cannot even enjoy a cup of tea with your father.”

Leonardo looked up quickly, startled from his reverie by the sudden comment. “N-nothing, Sensei.” He took a hasty sip of his tea. “I am enjoying this.”

Splinter raised a dubious eyebrow. “I have learned many things during my long life, Leonardo, but I have yet to understand why children never realize that their parents always know when they are lying.”

The terrapin’s cheeks reddened and his gaze dropped back down to the drink in his hand. He bit at his lip, trying to think of how to put his thoughts into words. Fingers lightly drumming the sides of his cup, he summoned up the courage to speak. “I…I just thought that I would have made progress by now…”

Silence fell between them once more as Splinter considered both his son’s admission and appearance. In the past several weeks Leonardo had undergone some drastic weight loss. This was due mainly to Donatello’s strict regimen for his older brother which, although allotted time for physical exercise, was therapeutically designed and much more lax than Leonardo’s former daily routine. Leo had tried to sway Donnie, insisting that maintaining his habits would help him to heal faster. Not willing to risk anything, the genius refused to reconsider, even going so far as to get Master Splinter to back his decision knowing that his brother would never disobey their father. The first leader was forbidden from being in the dojo alone and his weapons had been confiscated. Without the means to sustain it, Leo’s musculature soon had deteriorated.

So had his youthful appearance. A new set of tiny wrinkles now graced the corners of his eyes or the seemingly ever present dark circles below his brown irises. They, in addition to the thin line that he pressed his mouth into, made the turtle looked much older than his twenty-two years.

“Ah, but you have made progress,” Splinter proclaimed, stroking his gray beard. “Your body has been healing. The pain you feel as a result of your injuries is almost nonexistent. You are no longer confined to your bed and can move around almost completely unaided.”

“Only because of everything Donnie has done,” Leo muttered bitterly. His hand reached over to touch the crutches that lay by his side. After countless hours of exhausting practice under Don’s instruction, he had learned to maneuver himself around on them despite the total lack of feeling below his knees. But even this achievement was not enough independence for the prideful turtle. “I’ve done nothing on my own.”

“There is no shame in receiving help, especially not when it is given by your family who loves you and is concerned about your well-being.”

“I know that!” the student snapped, slamming a fist down on the table. Pieces of the china tea set rattled loudly. “I just don’t want it! I…” His angered expression gave way to one of sorrow. Leo hung his head as his voice faltered. “What I want…”

Splinter waited for his son to continue but he did not. Ignoring the creak of his joints, the rat rose to his feet and shuffled over to the other side of the table to kneel before Leonardo. He extended a hand towards his son’s face and slowly lifted it. His heart nearly broke at the sight of hot tears streaking the leaf green cheeks.  

“What you want is the same thing I want,” Splinter finished, wiping the wetness away. “For you to regain complete use of your legs once. It is an honest goal and let there be no doubt in your mind that you have my support as you strive to achieve it.”

“But what if this is permanent?” Leo wondered in a raspy tone. “It’s been over two months…”

“Then you adapt,” the rat replied simply. “And live on knowing that you have not only my support, but the support of your brothers and the Jones family as well.” A fresh wave of tears leaked free from Leo’s eyes. Splinter pulled him into a hug, fighting back his own tears. “Oh, Leonardo, you have always been the most patient of my sons. You must continue to have patience now. Have you ever mastered a kata without investing time into learning it?” He felt his son slowly shake his head. “Likewise, you cannot overcome this misfortune in a single night, but one day you will find yourself in control of it.”

“How can you be so sure?”

Splinter leaned back to lock eyes with his son. “Because I know you.”

The response that Leo was about to issue died in his throat as a knock sounded at the door.

“Enter!” Splinter called out, turning to look toward the entryway.

The door slowly slid open revealing a hesitant Raphael. He stood inside the frame, stooping a little to keep from smacking his head on the top. Eyes trained on the floor, he rubbed his neck nervously as he began speaking quickly.

“Hey, Sensei, I was wondering if I could talk ta ya fer a minute about…” Raph trailed off as he looked up and spotted his brother. “Oh…uh….hey, Leo.”

“H-hey,” the elder managed to say, keeping his gaze averted as he tried to inconspicuously wipe his eyes.

“Sorry, I didn’t know you were in here, bro.”

“…it’s okay.”

Silence fell in the room. Splinter looked from one son to the other. It was hard not to notice the tension between the two. Clearing his throat, the rat master spoke up.

“What did you wish to discuss with me, Raphael?” he inquired.

“Huh? Oh…um…” the red-banded terrapin stammered, his golden irises switching over to his father. “…never mind. It can wait. I’ll just try and catch ya later after…” He glanced back at Leo who was blatantly ignoring him. Raph held back a sad sigh. “…after practice.”

“Very well then,” Splinter said, offering him a small smile. “I will make time for you then, Raphael.”

“Great…” he replied, turning to leave. “…uh…thanks.”

Raph carefully slid the door shut, leaving his father and brother alone again. His steps as he walked across the lair to the dojo seemed weighted. In the past, it had been a rare occurrence that he willingly sought an audience with his master. Now, however, he found himself going to his father more and more whether it be for simple conversation or for advice. While Raph did find their talks to be of great help, the person that he really wished he could speak to was Leonardo.

Stopping in the area where his exercise equipment was located, Raphael began to stretch his muscles to warm up for his workout. As he did, his mind buzzed with thoughts about how much his life had changed since that night Leo had almost been killed by Karai. He had gone from being a flunky to being a leader practically overnight. This incident had apparently caused his oldest brother to hate him with the fiery passion of a thousand suns because Leo would barely look at him let alone talk to him. In fact, Leo seemed to try to avoid him at all costs.

As he settled himself on his weight bench, Raph had to wonder if this was all thanks to karma. All the years he spent defying his older brother, questioning his authority, and arguing with his decisions had finally come around to bite him in the ass. Leo had no respect for Raph which was as much as Raph had given him. Their roles had reversed completely, the only difference being that Leo didn’t have to obey Raph’s commands. Because Leo couldn’t walk.

Raph picked up the weight bar and slowly started to pump his arms. He hated himself for taking his brother for granted. Quite frankly, being a leader sucked. It was not as glorious as he always imagined it to be. Leonardo had made it seem so easy. Then again, Leo was flawless – the perfect son, the perfect ninja, and the perfect leader.

Standing up, the hot head added more weight before resuming his former pace. Testament to Leonardo’s ability lay in the fact that all loyalty was to him. At least, Michelangelo made damn sure that was obvious. The chucklehead obeyed Raph with reluctance, that is, when he chose to obey. More than once, his younger brother had walked out of the dojo in the middle of practice. Mikey never joked with him anymore, didn’t beg for him to watch stupid cartoons or play some ridiculous game. Instead, he followed Leonardo around like some lost puppy – a lost puppy that went berserk, barking and growling any time Raph tried to go near him or his owner.

Another fifty pounds caused Raphael to break a sweat as his arms moved up and down repeatedly. Donatello, on the other hand, had to be a god send. The purple-banded turtle was trying his hardest to be supportive of both the former and the current clan leader. With neither Mikey nor Leo speaking to him, Raph often found himself in the company of his second oldest brother. Donnie was his confidant, his right hand man who kept him up to date on everything. In addition to caring for and attempting to cure Leo, Donnie had been focusing on finding Karai. All information he gathered was relayed to Raph and the two were slowly devising a plan for avengement. While Raph knew that he would have Donnie at his back, he constantly worried whether he could count on Mikey to pull through for him when the time came for them to make their move.

A loud clang echoed through the dojo as Raph racked his weights. His hands came down to cover his eye, thumbs rubbing at his temples. Headaches were a near constant irritant to him now. He thought he could simply imitate Leo and everything would be all right. But nothing was right, it was all wrong. Raph desperately wished for things to go back to the way they were before, prayed for a miracle to make Leo walk again, begged for whatever gods existed to have mercy on them all, and cursed fate for its cruelty. Never in a million years did Raph ever imagine that he could admit that he needed Leonardo.

Tears began to prick the corners of his eyes. Raphael sniffed hard as he tried to keep them at bay. As usual, his emotions got the better of him and drops began falling, splashing onto the floor of the dojo. His entire body was jarred by a hard realization.

That he would give anything to have his big brother back.