Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Fan Fiction ❯ Book of Spells ❯ It Wasn't About Brad, Was It? ( Chapter 5 )

[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]

"Hey freak! I said to come here!" Brad shouted as the teens laughed.

Raphael just wanted to meet his brother, but it looked like he was going to have to face off with his bully again. Oh, how he just wanted to smack him across the face! Looking up, he saw a strange looking shadow across the street in an alley. Brad snagged his shoulder and spun him around. Raphael was blindsided by a punch on the cheek. He hit the ground, slightly dazed. When he could see straight again, he saw a fist coming for him. He automatically put up a block, but there was a strange sound and Brad yelped.

"Hey!"

"Leave my little brother alone!"

Raphael looked up to see a boy with pure blue hair tied back in a Samurai bun, just like his own was. Leonardo was rather slim, not quite as heavily built in the chest area or muscles as the red headed boy. He was, however, darker in skin. All three of his brothers were. Funny, Raphael thought, usually I have the deepest shade of skin. Michelangelo's hair was orange, and it was spiked. Donatello's was, of course, purple and was neatly cut, but rather boring, which fit him perfectly.

"Leo!" April called from where she'd been holding back Casey. The two humans hurried over and the orange haired boy happily slapped hands with the natural humans.

"Yo, Casey! April! How are ya?"

"Not now, Mikey," Leonardo growled. "I am waiting for this yatsu to apologize to Raph."

"Aw, poor Raphie needs his big brother to fight his battles for him," the bully cooed mockingly.

"He just doesn't want to get in trouble again," April growled.

"I can't help it if he's a terrible excuse for a human," Brad snickered.

Michelangelo stepped up and pushed him. "Watch it, dude!"

Brad's eyes glinted and he shoved Michelangelo back toward a trash can. Laughter exploded around them as he tumbled in. Donatello rushed over to help him out. Raphael lost it when he saw his brother's face turn deep red in humiliation. He stood and punched Brad as hard as he could. The boy dropped and didn't move. There was dead silence. Donatello immediately touched him, checking his pulse.

"He's fine. Just knocked out."

"I can't wait for him to wake up," Raphael said, cracking his knuckles.

"Raphael!"

"Damn it!" Raphael spat, slapping his forehead.

Raphael took a couple steps back wondering if he could get away. The principal reached for him, but he was tugged backwards. A man that was shorter than him by at least six inches suddenly stood in front of him. Just by posture and the air around him alone, Raphael knew exactly who it was.

"What is the meaning of this?" Splinter demanded.

"I assume that you're the boy's miserable excuse for a father?"

All four of the former turtles tensed, ready to fight, but their sensei held out his hand. They stilled.

"I am Raphael's father. What is the problem?"

"That boy is a menace! All he does is pick on poor Brad."

"Poor Brad my ass!" Casey barked.

"Yeah, it's the other way around!" April spat.

"Brad would never pick on anybody. Do you know why?"

Raphael crossed his arms and frowned. "Because he's perfect. He can do no wrong. He would never hurt anybody, unless, of course, they deserved it. His technique is flawless and his execution exemplary. And no matter how much I try, I'll never be anywhere near as good as him. That about right?"

"Exactly," the principal said with a nod.

"You are wrong. I stood there and watched the boy bully my son!" Splinter exclaimed.

"Why don't you just go back to Japan? Then maybe that freak of a boy could find some friends," Brad growled from where he was sitting up in Donatello's arms. The purple haired boy arched an eyebrow then dropped him.

"And that is where you lost your last sympathetic ear," he said lightly as he joined his family.

"My boys were born here in America. They belong here as much as you do."

"No they don't. Who dyes their hair those ridiculous colors?"

"I happen to like my hair color," Donatello said, sounding offended.

"Yeah, dude, ours are much better than yours. Brown hair, how droll," Michelangelo said, drenching his last four words with a British accent.

The brothers, Casey, and April laughed, but Splinter, who was staring intently at the principal, did not.

"I believe," he started, and the laughter ceased immediately. "That Raphael has had his fill of high school. He will no longer be coming to your pathetic excuse for a learning institution. I shall be calling somebody about you. I believe Mr. Hugh Rossing will take the time to listen to me again."

"Mr. Rossing?" Leonardo asked in confusion as the principal paled. "The guy who brings us Christmas presents and sends us funny cards every once in a while? What does he have to do with this?"

"Don'tcha know, Leo?" Raphael asked with a smirk. "He's the chairman of the Board of Education for New York. And you piss him off, you lose funding."

"We…we can work something out, can't we?" the principal stammered.

"Are you going to punish the boy?"

"I can't! His father will kill me!"

"Call a meeting. I shall talk with this man."

"Sensei, that isn't necessary," Raphael said.

"Yeah, man, it really isn't!" Brad squeaked.

"Fine. You have one more chance. If I find out that you bullied anybody else, your father and I will have a talk. Understand?"

"Yes, sir," Brad said, standing shakily and hurrying away.

"And you. You play favorites anymore, and I will talk to Mr. Rossing. He is a close family friend. Understand?"

"Yes, sir!" the principal gasped then half ran back into the school.

There was silence from the assembled teens. They were floored by how this man, shorter than most of them, had taken down two of the most formidable people in the school. Splinter turned his eyes upon them and they scattered, save April and Casey.

"I think that tonight is a bad night to come over, right?"

"Yes, Casey. It is. You two may walk with Raphael to get his things then walk him back. Then you must go home. We need to talk as a family tonight. Is that understood, Raphael?"

"Yeah, whatever."

Splinter narrowed his inky black eyes. "And do not forget the book of magic."

"…Yes, Sensei."

"Leonardo. Go with them."

"Yes, Father."

"Actually, I got a lot of homework to do," Casey said nervously, sensing the tension.

"Um, yeah, me, too. Bye!" April said quickly, snatching Casey's arm and half-running away with him.

The two turtles-turned-human started walking as the other three went back down to the lair. They were silent. Leonardo didn't know what to say, while Raphael wanted to crawl in a ditch and die from embarrassment. They got to the clearing after an hour of silence, and Raphael silently gathered his things. He didn't have much, just a couple changes of clothes and his book. The rest of the stuff was magic, and he simply snapped the spell to return them to the dust. Leonardo watched in fascination.

"Wow. That's pretty cool," he said with a nod.

"Huh? Oh, yeah, it's pretty cool, I guess," Raphael muttered as they started walking back to the city.

"How does that stuff work?"

"Um, well, to unlock your magic, you have to use spells in the book. Once your magic gets strong enough, you can do lots of different things with it. I start fires, make food, make clothes, pretty much anything I need."

"Neat. I wonder why Splinter never let us learn from that book of his."

"Magic can really take it out of you, Leo. If ya ain't mature enough, ya might not live ta be. Luckily, I discovered that before I killed myself."

Leonardo hummed. "So all magic does this?"

"Well...if you learn from a book like mine, one with protective spells and stuff, the insides change depending on your level of energy. Some pages you can't read the lettering if you're not strong enough. Others are just blank. I only overexerted myself once. That was when I ran away when I was ten. The only reason I stayed away for so long was that I could barely move. After that, I was more careful. I nearly thirsted to death. It was the first time I used magic outside the book."

Leonardo paused. "I…I have a question." There was no response, so he continued. "Why didn't you show the book to at least us when you first found it?"

"…Do you remember the consequence for magic usage?"

"Um…No."

"Ten swats for every potion brewed and spell cast."

"But you hadn't done anything back then!"

"My young mind didn't consider that Leo. It was bad enough that I signed my name, and I thought Sensei would kill me for it. Or worse, spank me."

"Signed your name?"

Raphael pulled the book out of his school backpack, which Leonardo had failed to notice until this point. He flipped it open to the first page and showed his brother the cursive scrawl that was the only bit in the book that Leonardo could have read. The blue haired boy looked interested.

"What are those numbers?"

"Second line is number of successful spells performed from the book. Third is number of potions."

"Ninety-two spells and thirty-six potions. Which would make…"

"One thousand two hundred eighty," Raphael said softly. "I keep track. And now I'm never going to be able to sit again."

Leonardo looked at him sympathetically. "Why didn't you just stop?"

"You know those times when I get so mad that you think I'm going to kill somebody?"

"Yeah. And that somebody is usually me."

"I go out and do magic, and it calms me down. It helps me with my anger."

"…Really?"

"I could really go for performing magic right now," Raphael sighed. "I need…"

"You need what?"

"I just need."

"I don't understand."

Raphael looked thoughtful as he stored the book back in his bag.

"How do you feel when you're stressed out? When you can't take another word from me, or a joke from Mikey, or techno-babble from Donny, or a look from Sensei, what do you feel?"

"I…need."

"Need what?"

"Um…peace, relaxation, release of tension, I just…need…Oh! That's what you mean!"

"Yep. And how do you fulfill that need?"

"I meditate most of the time. Or I beat on the punching bag. Practice forms. That sort of stuff."

"And it brings you clarity of the situation, makes you think easier and feel better?"

"Yeah…I didn't know you felt that way, too."

"All three of us do. We just don't fulfill the need in the same way that you do. Mikey watches movies and plays video games. Donny listens to music and tinkers. And me? I do magic. But since it helps me, I can't be allowed to do it."

Leonardo froze in his tracks. They were in the city by now, and he watched as Raphael slipped into an alleyway and dropped down into the sewer.

Raph doesn't mean that…does he? Leonardo thought in dismay. He raced to catch up with his brother, determined to find out. Only problem was, Raphael was nowhere in sight, and the blue haired boy didn't know this section of sewers very well. He got lost twice before he figured out how to get home. He approached the entrance and was surprised to see Raphael leaning against the wall, his hand on the lever, staring evenly at him.

"Why didn't you go in?"

"If I showed up without you, Sensei would think I ditched ya. Don't feel like getting yelled at for the billionth time for something I didn't do. Again."

"Tell him I got lost!"

"Like he would believe Mr. Perfect would get lost."

With that, he pulled the lever then strode into the lair. Leonardo walked in and hit the release that shut the door. The smell of hot, fresh, homemade pizza filled the air. But even the rumble of his stomach didn't stop Leonardo from speaking in disbelief.

"It wasn't about Brad, was it?"

The three animals-turned-human looked up from where they were cutting the pizza. Raphael paused, turning to look at his brother with a stony expression on his face.

"What are you talking about, Leonardo?" Splinter asked, coming up to stare between them.

"Donny, what exactly did Raph say when that jerk asked why Brad would never hurt anybody? Verbatim, if you can."

Donatello set down the pizza cutter and his face pinched as he thought. "'Because he's perfect. He can do no wrong. He would never hurt anybody, unless, of course, they deserved it. His…his technique is flawless and his execution exemplary. And…no…no matter how much I try, I'll never be anywhere near as good as him.'"

Donatello had remembered it exactly. The stutters were from the realization that Leonardo was right. Raphael hadn't been talking about Brad when the principal had asked that question. He'd been talking about their eldest brother and their father. They stared at Raphael.

"Come on, Raph. You can't believe that," Leonardo growled.

"Why not?" Michelangelo demanded. "It's the truth!"

"Mikey!" Donatello shushed.

"No! You see it, too, Donny! We've talked about it a lot. You said it yourself. Leo is praised for everything right, and wrongs are never mentioned. Raph is scolded for everything wrong, and rights are never mentioned. It's not fair, and I'm sick of watching it. That's why Raph ran away! You both are too hard on him!"

"Don't worry, Mikey. It's the only thing that keeps me in line."

Raphael's voice was devoid of emotion, but just the fact that he knew what their father had said while he was gone shocked them deeply. Raphael shrugged off his backpack and sat on the couch with his back to them. Except for Michelangelo, this was their first time seeing how much pain their hotheaded family member was in. They didn't know what to do.

"Raphie?" Michelangelo asked softly. "Ya hungry? It's your favorite recipe."

"…I could eat, I guess."

"Then let's eat!"

Raphael and Michelangelo walked over to the table and finished cutting the pizza then sat down to eat. The orange haired boy began cracking jokes and poking fun at the way his brother looked. Raphael didn't even laugh, just smiled weakly at him. Michelangelo went silent as the rest of the family joined them.

"Raphie? Did you just punch that yatsu because he pushed me?" he asked softly.

"It wasn't the fact that he pushed you, any more than it was the fact that Brad punched me, right Leo?" Raphael said after swallowing a mouthful of food.

"No. It was the fact that he humiliated you," Leonardo said with a frown.

"Exactly."

"Raphie?"

"What?"

"Thanks."

Raphael smiled at that. "I'd do anything for my baby brother."

They ate in silence after that. Raphael helped clear the table when they were done then they settled in the living room. Leonardo stared at him intensely until Raphael looked up in irritation.

"What?"

"Don't you ever take your hair down?"

"Huh?"

"Your hair. Sensei and I took ours down."

Raphael looked at both of them to see that they were right. Their hair hung down past their ears, but not quite to their shoulders. It looked strange. Raphael shrugged.

"I just don't think of it. It's a hassle to put it back up again anyway."

"Nonsense," Splinter said with a shake of his head as he stood up and walked behind his second born son.

"Sensei, really, don't," Raphael said, reaching up to stop him from unbinding his hair.

His hands were slapped away, and the tie was undone. The only sound was breathing as his hair came down to the middle of his back.

"Wow. You have long hair," Michelangelo said in surprise.

"Yeah, so what?" Raphael asked, cheeks red in embarrassment.

"I think it looks nice," Leonardo said with a smile.

"Um, thanks."

Splinter came back around to sit down beside his son, taking his hand gently. Raphael attempted to pull the appendage away from his sensei's, but he was squeezed in denial.

"Talk to us, my son."

"Why? You never listen," Raphael muttered, playing with his hair.

"When have I never listened to you?"

"A better question, Sensei, is when have you?"

"I listened to you when you…when you…"

"Exactly."

"Raphael, I am sorry if I played favorites."

"Sorry? Sixteen years' worth of sorry?"

"If that is what it takes, yes."

"If? You're basing this on an if?" Raphael growled. "You're not sorry. You're just saying that to make us one big miserable family again."

Splinter sat there for a few moments then stood and left. He came back a minute later and pulled his son down in front of him as they sat on the floor. With that, he began to gently comb through the thick, red hair. Raphael sighed as the soothing sensation of the brush slowly began to relax him. He remembered the way it was the same for Splinter as a rat. He used to let them brush his fur until he relaxed when they were younger. Raphael now knew why it worked the way it did. When he was about ready to start falling asleep, Splinter set the brush aside and turned him around.

"Raphael. Look at me." Raphael did so. "Do not think I have not noticed."

"Noticed what, Sensei?"

"That."

Raphael and his brothers were confused, but the other three didn't dare make a noise; this was his personal time with their father.

"What?" Raphael asked.

"That you no longer call me Father. Every time you refer to me, you say 'sensei'."

Raphael blushed, looking away and playing with his sleek hair again. "It just doesn't feel right if I call you…the other thing."

"Why not?"

"What son wants a father who isn't proud of a single thing he does?"

"Of course I am proud of you. You are independent and strong, in more than physical strength, too. You are loyal and passionate and can be kinder than any of your other brothers. Your temper just, as Donatello would say, hits a nerve with me. It was such anger that led to my master's death. It was a pain I had never felt before or since. I do not hate you for your anger. I would never hate you. It is the anger I dislike. I suppose I was trying to discipline the anger out of you. It clearly has not and will not work. Forgive me for…beating a dead horse?"

The rat-turned-human looked to his sons for confirmation that that was the right way to say that. They smiled and nodded, and the man turned back to the boy.

"Do you forgive me, my son, for my foolishness? For my stupidity?"

Raphael frowned. "Do you love me?"

Splinter looked surprised. Pride was one thing, but Raphael didn't think he loved him?

"Of course. I have never stopped loving you since the day we became what we are. I promise, I have always and will always love you."

Raphael felt tears wind down his face, and his family stared at him in shock for a few moments before they embraced him. The feeling of belonging was so strong in that moment. They knew they were a family. They felt it in the core of their beings. Human, animal, it didn't matter. What mattered was that they were together.

Splinter pulled back and wiped away his son's tears. "Good. Now go sleep. We'll talk about the magic in the morning."

Raphael felt his stomach tighten nervously. "Yes, Sen…Father."

Raphael was grateful for his hammock. He had missed it desperately and hadn't been able to make it right in between the trees. He snuggled down on his stomach—sleeping on his back still made him feel extremely helpless—then stared at the wall across the room. Despite his fear, he was still exhausted, both emotionally and physically, so he slipped into a deep, restful sleep.