"This story was co-authored by SpootyCup and Leo Oneal who are two women who love Leo - Don - Mikey - and Raph with all of our HEARTS and SOULS. We do not own the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, but however, we are a very special part of them."

It was just another average normal day in the turtle's home. Splinter

was in his room meditating. Don was in his lab working on one of his

inventions and Mikey and Raph were in the living room playing a video game on their Nintendo 64, while Leo was sitting in Master Splinter's chair with one of his legs resting on the chair arm. He was trying to ignore Raph and Mikey arguing about a video game by reading a book called "War And Peace".

"You so TOTALLY CHEATED!" Mikey yelled at his temperamental brother.

"Did not shell for brains!" Raph retorted angrily.

"Guys...I am trying to read here," Leo told his two brothers patiently, not even looking up from his book.

"When the shell did you get here Leo?" Raph asked.

"I have been here for almost one hour Raph. You should notice your surroundings more often," Leo gently scolded him as he looked up from his book with an amused look in his ice blue eyes.

"I didn't ask for yer opinion Leo so save them for someone who cares," Raph sarcastically told his blue-banded bro.

"Now listen lame brain," Raph retorted to his baby bro with anger evident in his voice. "I did not cheat! Try to get that message through to that thick skull of yers."

"There's no way you could have honestly won Raph. No way at all," Mikey told him in a confident and yet irritated voice as he looked at him, "I played that game a hundred times. There is absolutely no way at all that you could have won Raph not unless YOU CHEATED!" pointing an accusing finger in his face.

"If ya call me a cheat one more time Mikey, I swear I'm gonna knock yer block off!" Raph yelled as he stood up, pulling Mikey roughly up with him.

"Raph...calm down and leave Mikey alone," Leo told him patiently, not yet looking up from his book.

"Take yer advice and shove it up yer arse Leo," Raph spoke with anger, causing Leo to look up from his book at Raph in startled surprise.

"Mikey...Y-O-U T-A-K-E I-T B-A-C-K. You take it back right now or I swear I'm gonna knock yer block off," Raph screamed as he pulled back his arm to hit Mikey when a muscled green hand stopped him from doing so.

"I told you to leave Mikey alone," Leo told Raph sternly, trying to remain calm. "It's nothing to get upset about. It's just a video game. Go and try to find another one to play." Finally freeing himself from Raph's grip Mikey ran and hid behind the old couch and looked over it with scared brown eyes at his blue and red banded brothers as they was arguing with each other.

"Leo...this is none of yer concern. I advise you to keep yer big nose out of it," Raph warned as he turned around to face Leo while tightly clinching his hands at his sides, visibly shaking in anger.

"What are you so angry about Raph? Just calm down and play your game. Geez! Come on. This is getting ridiculous," Leo told Raph as he stepped backwards with his hands up, a concerned look growing on his face.

"I'll show ya what's ridiculous!", Raph hollered as he lunged at Leo and knocked him to the floor. Leo didn't think that Raph would attack and therefore was unprepared when Raph did that to him. Banging his head on the floor Leo became dazed and didn't see Raph pull out his sai with a crazy look in his eyes.

Taking his sai Raph stabbed Leo viciously in the arm with it and was shocked back to reality as Leo screamed in pain.

"OH NO! WHAT DID YOU DO RAPH? DONNIE!!!!" Mikey screamed at the top of his lungs and ran to his fallen brother.

"What did I do?" Raph whispered to himself as he stood there in shock and horror, watching the blood coming out of Leo's body onto the floor.

Donny came rushing into the living room and gasped when he saw Leo lying on the floor in a small pool of blood. "Leo? OH SHELL!!!! Don't move your arm. I will be back as soon as possible!" Running to his lab Don came back quickly with the first aide kit. "Ok, Leo. This is going to hurt a whole lot," Don told his oldest brother, worry evident in his voice. "Mikey, hold him down."

Taking hold of the sai with both hands Don swiftly pulled it out of

Leo's arm, his face paling at the sight of blood that started pouring

out, he then threw the sai on the floor, and got some antiseptic cream. Don put it on Leo's wound after wiping off some blood and then put gauze and bandages on Leo's arm. "WHAT THE SHELL HAPPENED HERE!!!!" Don yelled as he looked at his three brothers, concern and anger on his face.

Leo struggled mentally to control the pain that was assaulting his body. "WHAT THE SHELL HAPPENED TO HAVE CAUSED RAPH TO DO THAT TO ME!" Leo thought as he grimaced in agony as another wave of pain swept through his body. "When the pain lessens I am going to get up and kick HIS SORRY SHELL all over the place." "Don, I think I'm gonna be sick,"

Leo told him as he tried to control his breathing while he was getting

sicker and sicker.

"Mikey, get a bowl from the kitchen. Try to control your breathing Leo. Calm down."

Mikey ran around Raph and into the kitchen not giving his brother in red even one glance. Raph stood there and didn't say even one word to Mikey as he watched in horror as to what was happening to Leo. Raph then heard a rustling sound and turned and stood still as he saw Splinter approaching Leonardo.

"My sons! What happened?" Splinter enquired.

"Sensei, I...," but Raph stopped himself from talking as he saw a look of concern appearing on Splinter's whiskered old face as he saw Leonardo laying on the floor, bleeding from a wound.

"Leonardo...my son. What has happened to you?"

"Sensei? The pain is too much! I'm gonna..." Leo then turned his head and threw up over and over again till he lay there gasping.

"It's ok Leo. It's just shock and pain. You will be ok soon. I'm gonna help you get up. You need to get to the lab so I can stitch up this wound. Think you can sit up?" Don asked in concern.

"Yeah. Give me a minute." Leo continued to take deep breaths.

"Leo, I...I'm sorry. I was so angry that I did not know what I was doing. I'm sorry for what l did to ya bro'. I...I'm so sorry," Raph earnestly told him as he looked at his fallen brother in blue.

Leo looked at Raph, his eyes narrowed in anger. "Sorry? You're sorry? WHAT IN THE SHELL HAPPENED? I don't get you Raph. You have to control that temper of yours. What's next? You killing me?" Leo angrily asked him from the floor.

"Look! I didn't realize what l was a doin'. I'm sorry...ok?" Raph told Leo, getting in an irritated mood.

"What? Are you angry now? Typical Raph reaction! It's all about you, isn't it? Well...l refuse to accept your apology! You were totally wrong! You could have killed me! WHAT THE SHELL IS WRONG WITH YOU RAPH! What is going on in that shell for brain head of yours?" Leo said as he started sitting up with Don's help and angrily looked Raph in the eyes, "You are careless and too hot tempered Raph. If you don't watch it you are going to get us all killed and possibly even yourself some day. I just don't understand you Raph, I just don't understand you," Leo said rather sadly to him, with tears gathering in his eyes, as he turned around to face his purple banded bro'. "Ok. Let me try to stand Don."

"I said l was sorry. I can't take back what I did. I didn't mean it Leo. I just lost it and did that stuff to ya not realizing' what l was doin'," Raph explained in desperation to his older brother.

"You always don't mean it Raph. What if you had actually had killed me this time? What would you had said? Oh! I didn't mean to?" Leo sarcastically asked him.

Getting red in the face Raph said, "Look, Leo. I am trying to say I'm sorry. What the shell do you want me to say?"

"There is nothing else for you to say Raph. You already said it with your sai." Leo told him, his eyes narrowed in anger and sadness.

"Whatever!" Raph exclaimed. "I am out of here." Throwing up his hands in exasperation, Raph turned around to leave the lair.

"Raphael! You do not have my permission to leave. Explain to me what happened between you and your brother Leonardo," Splinter demanded.

Raph didn't listen. Pausing, he looked at his family and then went out the lair door into the sewers with a scowl on his face.

Don helped an unsteady Leo to the lab and finally Mikey came out of the kitchen with a plastic bowl. "I didn't want Leo puking in any of the good bowls," Mikey told Splinter.

Don, with Splinter's help, stitched up Leo's wound and Mikey was left to clean up the mess in the living room because he was too late bringing the bowl for Leo to use.

Mikey grumbled the entire time he was cleaning up Leo's mess. After

cleaning it up Mikey then went and checked on Leo to see how he was

doing.

"Leo! You shouldn't go out. You are in no shape and what if there is trouble?" Don questioned his blue banded bro' with a troubled look on his face.

"Don, I need to get out of here for a little bit. Raph does it all the time and I need to do it now. I need some time to myself so l can sort it all out and l will be back soon. You did a good job on me Don. There is no more bleeding and the stuff that Sensei gave me numbed the pain. It still hurts to move my arm though. How long will it take for my arm to heal?" Leo asked Don with a curious look on his face.

"It will take some time, a week, maybe a little more. It depends on you

really. But enough changing the subject, you shouldn't go out," Don told his oldest brother gently.

"What's going on?" Mikey asked from the doorway.

"Leo wants to leave for a bit," Don explained.

"I think l am a big enough turtle that l can handle myself and know when l can and can't leave the lair," Leo told them as he got off the lab table.

"Maybe you shouldn't go if Don says," Mikey quietly told Leo.

"I am fine Mikey. I just need to clear my head. I will be back soon. How are you doing?" Leo asked with concern.

"I'm fine. I just can't believe Raph did that to you. He just went nuts. Why the shell did he do that for?" Mikey replied, biting his lip, being worried.

"He just looses his temper Mikey. He does that a whole lot. You should be used to that by now," Leo explained patiently to his baby brother.

"But not that bad. He could have actually killed you Leo," Mikey said fearfully.

"Everything will be fine. Raph will be back under control and when l come back l will be under control too. I have to get out and calm down so I can resist the urge to smash Raph's face in when I do eventually see him again. Don't you understand Don?" Leo asked with pleading eyes as he turned to face his purple clad brother. "Right now l want to kill Raph. I need to get this under control and for me to do that I need to be alone to think. I can do that in the park. It's dark outside and after all, I am ninja. Besides, l will be back in two hours' top at the most," Leo, said, smiling at Don.

"I don't know...."

"Good. I will call you if l need you." Leo quickly told Don before he could say anything else and then walked to his room, got his weapons and shell cell, and then left the lair.

Leo walked alone in Central Park, trying to calm down. Each time the thought of Raph came up red-hot anger came to mind. Leo knew that Raph didn't do it on purpose. But it could of got a whole lot worse than it already was. Raph needed to cool down but Leo just didn't know if that was even possible.

Leo was in such deep thought that he didn't notice that he was being

surrounded until it was too late.

"Ain't this our lucky day. One of those turtle things is out alone and

looks to be hurt. We are going to have a field day with you freak," the

leader of the purple dragons said as he came out of the tress to Leo's

left.

"GREAT! JUST WHAT I NEED! This could work out to my advantage," Leo thought to himself, a smile starting to grow on his face. Reaching for his katana with his injured arm Leo gasped in pain and stopped. "Ok. Well, l will just do it left handed with my sword." Reaching with his left hand Leo got his sword out. The dragons attacked and Leo swiftly jumped out of the way of a swinging chain. Leo then jumped over a dragon and kicked another one in the face real hard with his foot.

Quite actually Leo was doing pretty good fighting with just one sword when one of the dragons sneaked up behind Leo and hit him on the injured arm with a long piece of wood. Crying out in pain Leo fell to the ground clutching his newly re-opened wounded arm.

The dragons attacked in force with punches, kicks, wood hitting flesh, knives being used, it was a blood bath. Leo was unable to defend himself and when the final cut sliced opened his plastron Leo knew that it would be just a matter of time before he died and with the pain being real great Leo passed out and fell to the ground with the dragons still attacking him.

Earlier at the lair, sensing that Leo was in trouble, Don and Mikey immediately got their weapons and ran to the park at full ninja speed. Arriving at the park they saw the dragons beating on Leo with him laying on the ground unconscious.

Screaming in rage Don and Mikey got their weapons out and fiercely

started defending their fallen brother with all of their strength and

skill. After 5 minutes of fierce fighting, the dragons ran off like the

cowards they were and Don and Mikey quickly ran over to where Leo was

lying on the ground.

"OH SHELL!!!! Mikey, this is not good. Not good at all," Don exclaimed in horror as he noticed the many wounds on Leo's broken body. "We have to get him home so l can take good care of him. Look at all of that blood and those horrible cuts on his body! Mikey, get the battle shell over here...ASAP!!!!" Mikey looked fearfully at Don but did as he was told and went to get the battle shell because they forgot to bring the remote with them.

Raph walked through the park looking for a fight...for anything, that he could beat the shell out of so he won't have to take it out on Leo when he returned home later. He then heard the sounds of fighting.

"YES! This is exactly what l need to take my mind off of Leo," Raph exclaimed and hurried to the fight. Arriving at the scene of the fight too late, Raph was shocked to see Don there, leaning down over a fallen figure Raph realized with horror that it was Leo. "OH NO! WHAT THE SHELL HAPPENED DON?" Raph exclaimed as he went over to where his brothers were.

"Leo went for a walk to cool down from that fight he had with you Raph and the purple dragons fount him and beat him up real bad," Don explained with tear filled eyes.

"Those purple dragon scum," Raph exclaimed in anger, hitting his fists together as he looked at his brother's bleeding body. "If it's the last thing l do, I'll get them for what they did to Leo!" Just then Mikey arrived with the battle shell and quickly jumped out of it.

"Come on shell for brains. Open the back door of the battle shell so me

and Don can put Leo in there," Raph told Mikey impatiently.

Raph grabbed Leo's upper half while Don got his lower part. Mikey stood by them looking over the many wounds on Leo's body as they was putting him in the battle shell. "He is going to make it, isn't he Don?" Mikey asked with fear in his voice.

"If we can get him home real fast there's a real good chance Leo will live Mikey. Some of these wounds are pretty deep. That arm wound has reopened and it looks like he has a couple of broken ribs. This cut on Leo's forehead looks like it needs a whole lot of stitches and the bruising is just a mess. I can tell you more Mikey about Leo's condition when we get back to the lair. Put the petal to the metal Raph and let's get Leo home...ASAP!" Don hollered and immediately Raph pushed the gas petal all the way to the floor and got them home real fast.

They carried him to the lab where Don and Mikey worked on him for over an hour, tending and taking care of the many, countless wounds on Leo's

broken body. And during that time Raph paced back and forth outside the

lab door thinking about how much he has screwed up.

"Raphael? I wish to speak to you now," Splinter's voice commanded, leaving no room for arguments. As soon as Splinter came to his room with Raph following him, Splinter sat down in a lotus position and lit some candles. "Sit and speak my son."

"I don't know where to begin Sensei. I messed up bad. I got so angry over nothing and the next thing I knew Leo was on the floor bleeding. I don't remember how it happened...it just did." Raph then covered his eyes with one of his hands as if trying to block out the memory that has been haunting him all night.

"Please tell me what you can remember Raphael." Splinter gently yet firmly told his often-hotheaded son.

"I was arguing with Mikey and the next thing l remember Leo was down. I don't know what happened Sensei. It was like l just lost it. Leo went out because of me. He could die because of me. What am I going to do? Leo wouldn't forgive me for hurting him and l don't blame him for that. But what if he dies? I would never forgive myself if he dies hating me. Sensei! You have to tell me how l can make it right with Leo!" Raph pleaded with his Master.

"Raphael, my son...Leonardo will not hold this against you forever and Leonardo will not die," Splinter told his son firmly yet gently. "He will be fine. You must believe so. Go and be with your brother. Tell him what you told me," Splinter said, bowing his head to his son. Raph was shocked that Splinter did not condemn him or hate him for what he did.

"Sensei, I...l t-t-hank you. I will do what you say." Raph bowed, then got up and left real fast.

"Don? Is Leo going to make it?" Mikey asked him in a scared voice.

"I don't know Mikey. We did all that we could. It's up to Leo now," Don said, shaking his head and looking down at his still, hardly, breathing brother.

"He has to be ok. Don, you can't let him die. Make him feel better!" Raph pleaded from the doorway.

"Raph, it's up to him. Mikey, let's go and wash up. Raph, you watch over him...Ok?"

"Yeah. Ok Don. Thanks for the chair." Raph then walked over toward Leo and sat down in the chair that was beside his bed.

"Call me if you need me. I think Leo's gonna to be out of it for a while. I want you to get some rest Raph...Ok?" Don asked his red banded bro'. "Yeah. I'll get some rest," Raph told him.

"Dude, be cool and everything will work out alright. Out of all of us

Leo is the strongest one. He will pull through." Mikey smiled at Raph and then left with Don.

Raph sat near Leo that night and into the following night. Raph never left Leo's side except to use the bathroom and Don and Mikey were beginning to worry about him. They knew that it would take a long time for Leo to heal but was worried that Raph was going to get sick, waiting on Leo to wake up.

"Raph, you need to eat something and get some rest. We don't want you ending up being sick too!" Don told him in a concerned voice.

"I can't. This is all my fault. Until Leo comes out of it l am gonna stay by his side." Raph told Don in a determined voice.

"You aren't going to do Leo any good if you get yourself sick. Leo is doing better since last night so I don't believe he is going to die. His body just needs time to heal, that's all. I am going to get Mikey to fix you some soup and then after that l want you to get some rest. Doctor's Order's...Ok?" Don then left before Raph could tell him no.

"Leo, you just got to wake up. I am so sorry for what I did to ya. This is all my fault. I don't think I just get angry. I believe that I went way beyond that and just got too angry and acted. Please wake up Leo." Raph then laid his head down by Leo's sleeping body and closed his eyes to rest.

The next couple weeks were hard on everybody. Raph wouldn't leave Leo's side and Leo didn't show any signs of waking. No one knew if Leo would ever wake up and that was the hardest part to face. One night in Leo's room Raph just couldn't take it any more; and started pacing back and forth ranting.

"I am gonna to go out and kill each and everyone of those purple dragon scum even if I die in the process. They won't get away with what they did to ya Leo. Don was right. I can't do anything for ya in here Leo but out there I personally can bash their heads in for what they did to ya. I am so sorry for what has happened to ya but at least yer honor will be avenged on them for what they did to ya. I swear to ya Leo that the punks who did this to ya won't be living very long after I get my hands on them," Raph said to his blue banded brother and started to leave the room to go out of the lair when he heard a weak voice speaking to him.

"No. I do not want you to go. Are you trying to make me come after you again?" Leo asked his hot-tempered brother.

"LEO!!!! YOU'RE AWAKE!" Raph called out in relief.

"If you go after them you could get killed. Do you think l want that?" Leo opened up those ice blue eyes of his and looked at his brother. It was hard to breathe and stay awake but Leo refused to let his brother Raph go and foolishly get himself killed. "I didn't just go out all of those times to save your shell, just so you can go out this time and have you not come back. Are you insane? Do you carry a death wish?"

"Leo, l just...l just messed up real bad. If it weren't for me you wouldn't be here. You've been out like forever and l didn't want you to die hating me. I didn't mean to hurt ya," Raph told Leo gruffly, with sadness in his eyes.

"Raph...you were just being you. I just wish at times that you would calm yourself down and think before you act. What if I hadn't stepped in? Would you have done to Mikey what you did to me? Raph...I want you to promise me on your word of honor that YOU WILL NOT GO out there to face the purple dragons by yourself...YOUR WORD OF HONOR Raph," Leo demanded of him with a serious look in his ice blue eyes.

"Leo...FINE! On my WORD OF HONOR l will not go out and face the purple

dragons by myself. Are ya satisfied now?" Raph grouched as he looked at

his bro'.

"Extremely," Leo told Raph sweetly with a smile on his face and soon

fell into a peaceful sleep.

"I will watch over ya bro'. I won't let anybody bother ya. Rest and get

better," Raph told Leo as he covered him up with his favorite blue

blanket.

By next day everyone in the lair knew that Leo was awake and their home started taking on a much more cheerful attitude. Mikey was so happy that he made Leo his most favorite food...chocolate cake with strawberries, and whipped cream.

Leo laughed when he heard about the cake. "As soon as l get a little better Mikey l will be eating some of that cake. Just save some for me bro'," Leo said as he looked at his baby brother with an obvious twinkle in his eyes.

"I will bro'. You can count on me," Mikey told his oldest brother with a grin on his face, happy that Leo was awake and recovering so well.

Donny hugged Leo real tight and told him, "The next time I tell you to not go anywhere...don't go."

"I guess you were right...it figures," Leo said as he smiled and laughed at Don's obvious smirk.

Splinter greeted Leonardo with a bow and hug. Leo was slightly taken back by his father's gesture but still most gladly returned his father's hug to him.

"Ahhh...it's a Kodak moment," Don said happily as he got his camera and took a picture of Leo hugging Splinter.

Leo and Raph had another little talk later on that night and did not say what they talked about. For all that really mattered right now was that Leo is awake and getting much better and that things was getting back to normal in the turtle's home.