Part 9

Once again Raphael woke up alone in bed. Sunlight streamed in through the window and birds twittered loudly outside. He grimaced as he sat up. Not only had he slept in, but he'd lost any chance to set the barn up to his advantage. As he swung his legs out of bed and sat for a moment, idly grabbing his mask off the nightstand, he felt every sore muscle in his arms and legs, as well as the lingering twinge of his brother's name in his shoulder.

Not that he would ever say no, but he didn't want to go through another day of Leonardo's version of cat and mouse. He definitely didn't want anything else carved into him. Still, the thought of that knife cutting into his flesh made him smile, if not for the same reasons as his sibling. Leonardo had upped the stakes of their fights. Raphael would feel no sympathy for anything he did to his big brother.

As soon as he felt wide awake, he made his way downstairs. The house was empty, so he figured Leonardo was either lurking outside or waiting inside the barn, well rested and ready for him. He carefully opened the kitchen door and let it swing out, ready for a surprise attack. When none came, he peeked out and scanned the yard, then glanced up to make sure Leonardo wasn't waiting on the roof. He didn't think he would, but he wasn't going to let Leonardo win again by assuming he would fight fair.

Raphael stared at the barn. Going inside now without a plan would be the same as throwing the fight. He glanced around looking for inspiration and his gaze came to rest on the same shed he found the rope in before.

"Let's see what else I can find in there," he murmured to himself.

The doors groaned as he opened them wide to let in plenty of sunlight. A layer of dust covered old paint thinner bottles and tool boxes. A dented ladder stood up against the half-rusted shelves and he spotted a riding lawn mower in the far corner that probably hadn't been used in years. He let his gaze move towards the floor and smiled.

Chains. Lots of chains, most of them in small sections. Some of them had turned lighter with rust, but they were all sturdy. The stack of padlocks beside them completed the plan in Raphael's mind. Just to be sure, he picked one of the locks up along with a pair of small keys almost lost in the grime covering the floor. The lock was a little stiff but it opened readily enough.

Perfect.

He counted out four long lengths of chain and an armful of padlocks and carried them quietly past the barn to the surrounding forest. He didn't go far, selecting the first four trees growing fairly close to each other. Even if he managed to lure his brother outside, keeping his trap closer would up his odds of winning. Moving quietly so Leonardo wouldn't hear him, he locked one end of each chain to each tree and left the open padlocks to the side. Once he finished the last one, he scattered a few leaves over the chains to hide them. With a deep breath he headed to the back of the barn, pressing his ear to the door.

Silence, but knowing Leonardo, that didn't mean anything. Hoping Leo was inside, Raphael kicked open the door and stood back, hands up ready to attack.

Instead he felt a little sheepish when he found his brother sitting cross-legged in the middle of the floor, deep in meditation. In the breeze from the opened door, Leonardo opened his eyes and blinked a couple times in the light. He smiled and tilted his head.

"It's about time you woke up. I didn't think I wore you out that bad."

Raphael frowned. "How long've you been sitting there?"

"Since around seven," Leonardo said. "Why? Did you think I was going to pounce on you from the roof or something?"

"Of course not." Raphael crossed his arms and leaned against the doorway. "I'm kinda surprised you didn't try anything in bed, though. Can't really fight back when I'm asleep."

Leonardo half-shrugged it off, but Raphael knew that pensive look. He smiled. His big brother wasn't quite sure what to do when the rules changed. Come to think of it, Raphael had been setting the rules during this trip, too. A fight in the morning, winner calls the shots for the day, loser has to make dinner...

Time for another rule, he thought.

"Today's Friday, right?" he asked, continuing when Leonardo nodded. "Okay, new rule. Whoever wins on a Friday gets Saturday, too."

The pensive look turned wary. "You sure you want to do that?"

"What, afraid you'll lose?" When Leonardo didn't answer, Raphael's smile turned into a grin. "I'd get to keep you locked up overnight. I'm sure."

Almost imperceptibly, Leonardo touched the lingering rope burns on his wrist. Raphael knew what he was thinking, what they were both thinking. They only had a few more days to hurt each other. They would need time to heal before going home or else they would risk getting questions that they couldn't answer. The next handful of days would be the roughest, and whoever lost could expect no sympathy from the other.

"Fine," Leonardo said finally. "Don't whine about it when you lose."

Raphael snorted. "You're the one still sitting there."

Without a word, Leonardo rose and popped a few bones in his neck, obviously stiff from his long meditation. Raphael turned sideways as he eased into a defensive stance, not moving any further into the barn.

"Don't you like fighting in the dark?" Leonardo asked.

"Who knows what other dirty tricks you might pull," Raphael said. "I'd rather fight in the open."

Shrugging as if it didn't matter, Leonardo took a few steps closer, then suddenly lunged towards him. Raphael didn't waste time dodging. He fell backwards and flipped his brother over him, turning on his hands and knees as fast as he could. In front of him, Leonardo landed on his feet as if he'd expected that, sliding a few inches in the fallen leaves.

Rather than engage in a straightforward fight, Raphael grabbed a handful of leaves and dirt and raced towards Leonardo, tossing them at his eyes as he leaped towards the closest tree and used it to vault away. He expected his brother to close his eyes and toss off a mild complaint, but he yelped as a hand closed around his ankle and yanked him backward, slamming him on the ground.

"I don't need to see you," Leonardo said between clenched teeth.

Not knowing if his brother had his knife with him, Raphael couldn't afford to let him get in close. He planted his hands in the dirt and rose up, performing a half-mule kick with his free leg. His foot landed solidly in Leonardo's chest and knocked him back a few inches, not enough to hurt but enough to force him to let go. The kick also gave him the momentum to spring forward and run a few paces.

Behind him, he heard Leonardo laugh lowly. He didn't have to wonder why. They both knew if Raphael ran, Leonardo would soon catch up. Raphael couldn't help his own laugh that his brother had no clue that he was being lured into a trap. It was so close now...

Raphael turned and knelt so fast that Leonardo had no time to stop. He tried but slid again, leaving him off-balance so that Raphael swept his feet out from under him. The fall on his back knocked the wind out of him and he expected his brother to crawl on top of him, already thinking of a dozen ways to knock him off, but he knew something was wrong when Raphael instead grabbed his left ankle and put all of his weight on his leg.

Cold metal closed over his ankle, cinching too tight with a padlock snapping shut. Leonardo's eyes widened in surprise, not surprised that he'd been trapped but that Raphael had thought ahead enough to set a trap.

But he hadn't lost yet. He sat up and landed a punch to Raphael's jaw, sending him sprawling on the ground. Hating to waste even a few seconds, he forced himself to get a look a the padlock. To his relief it wasn't too rusty, and he pulled out the lockpick he kept in his wrist band. He only needed a few seconds--

"Oh no you don't--" Raphael growled, tackling him from the side and sending them both into the dirt.

Luck was with him. Raphael thought that the lockpick was in his left hand and tried to pull that arm towards the ground, well away from the lock. Even though Raphael was stronger, Leonardo struggled solely to keep him occupied. Raphael would waste time trying to hold him down and when he tired himself out enough, he would escape.

He realized he'd underestimated his brother when he heard the clink of a second chain. Dropping the lockpick, he turned on his side and grabbed Raphael's mask. When he yanked it back, Raphael grunted once and then tipped his head a few inches, letting the cloth slide free. Leonardo dropped it and grabbed Raphael's shell in time to hear the second padlock snap shut.

Wrestling more than fighting, Raphael climbed over his brother and grabbed his free arm. Both of them strained against each other, knowing that whoever won this battle would win the fight entirely, but Leonardo had no leverage and Raphael had gravity on his side. Leonardo's frustrated cry made Raphael grin as he forced him flat and got the third chain on. The final chain was all too easy. Taking a few deep breaths, he stood up and looked over his work, rubbing the growing bruise on his jaw.

He'd made the chains too tight, studying how the cold links bit into his brother's skin, but he could loosen them later. The chains also had too much slack, giving Leonardo plenty of leeway to sit up and curl his legs underneath himself. Leonardo refused to meet his look, intently staring at the ground, but he couldn't pretend he was too exhausted to look up. Raphael laughed once. His brother wasn't even breathing hard. The fight simply hadn't lasted long enough. This was a total victory. He spotted his mask by his feet and scooped it up, brushing it clean.

"Not bad, fearless," he smirked. "Got yourself caught in what? Two minutes? A minute and a half?"

"Shut up," Leonardo snapped.

"Man, I wish I could tell everyone about this. I wish I'd brought a camera. You look great in metal." He glanced over his shoulder at the house. "Mm, wonder if Casey's got a polaroid in there--"

"Don't you dare leave me like this!"

The frustration was nice but it was the hint of panic in Leonardo's voice that convinced Raphael to do just that, and he started back towards the house, ignoring his brother's repeated command as he put his mask back on. An hour or two stuck out here would be a nice hit to Leo's damn ego. The air was chilly, maybe if he was lucky it would rain. And when he came back out, Leonardo would be wet and eager to cling to anything warm. Hell, his hands would probably be shaking too hard to hold a--wait a minute!

Leo hadn't been staring at the ground, he was looking for his lockpick!

He turned in time to see Leonardo with the lock around his left wrist in front of his face as he twisted the thin sliver of metal in the keyhole. Raphael ran back and pounced on him just as the lock snapped open, but luck was with him. The chain didn't slip free immediately and as they both crashed backwards, Raphael slapped the top of the lock back down again. The hard smack also knocked the lockpick out of Leonardo's hand, and Raphael grabbed it and tossed it well out of arm's reach.

The near loss made Raphael gasp in relief. He kept Leonardo's hands pinned hard on the ground as he lay on top of him. If he hadn't turned back and kept going, Leonardo would've been free in a couple minutes and attacked him from behind.

"Sneaky son of a bitch," Raphael muttered.

"You're the one who set a trap," Leonardo grumbled. "If traps are allowed, you're not gonna win again."

"We'll see about that," Raphael said with a smile. "Maybe I'll just make a new rule next time."

"Who says I'll listen?"

He knew he shouldn't, but the defiant tone made Raphael laugh. He sat up, keeping a firm grip on his brother's hands as he stared at him.

"You'll do whatever I tell you to," he said softly. "You said it yourself. The chains're here just 'cause I like 'em."

Leonardo didn't answer. He didn't have to. Raphael felt his brother shiver beneath him, and it was answer enough.

"Was that your only lockpick?" he asked.

Leonardo nodded once.

"Good."

Raphael eased back off of him, watching Leonardo sit up again. Raphael's pounce had knocked them back several inches so that he didn't have enough slack in the chains to pull his legs up. He had to settle for turning slightly on his side, but even that left Raphael sitting between his legs.

"Two days," Raphael breathed.

Leonardo winced. He didn't need the reminder. "Are you going to leave me out here all night?"

Calm and steady, Leonardo didn't sound like he was frightened. He sounded like he wanted to know for how long to brace himself.

How on earth did I think he was panicking over a couple hours alone out here? Raphael thought. He's not afraid to act weak if it means he'll win.

"Probably not," he said. A thought struck him and he grinned. "After all, you gotta make dinner tonight."

The glare Leonardo shot him made his sore jaw worth it.

tbc...