TMNT The Glasses of Life

Chapter one, Book Three

Karai remembered when Sam had played tour guide for everyone once they'd recovered from the "Leo" thing. She didn't like to call it so, but she couldn't think—really, she didn't want to think of a better name for it.

The place was much bigger than they were expecting, lots of rooms and, with Donnie's help, they now had running water in their "kitchen". Thank god the pool and waterfall at the front had fresh water. As far as a stove went… well, they'd have to improvise. Lucky Mel had brought all those leftovers.

"See?" Quinn had taunted Donnie on their first dinner, her mouth full of meat as she spoke, "I told you you'd thank Mel." Her voice wasn't very clear, but Don had gotten her point.

"Chew the food before you talk, Quinn, no one wants to see chunky-meat-mouth," Mel had chided. Quinn had laughed, turned, opened her mouth right at Mel, then quickly closed it and chewed. Mel chuckled and shook her head. "You're a freak." Quinn had laughed.

Karai was sitting by the pool with her legs in the water, awaiting Mel's return. That supper had been two days ago. Now the food was running out. Mel had asked that someone accompany her to the surface so she could look for a job and remember her way back. When no one had volunteered, fearing the Kraang that were hidden everywhere, she'd done Eenie Meanie Miney Moe. She and Casey and—because he didn't want them running into trouble—Raph were up top. Mel had been smart enough to bring three print copies of her resume and a bunch of paper so she could write others.

In the meantime, Donnie was trying to fix up his laptop and get a decent server that could connect Lair 2 to the internet.

Mikey was swimming, since Sam had asked him not to wander throughout the new Lair. He'd called dibs on one of the empty rooms as his bedroom, which no one really cared about, since they didn't have any mattresses or pillows.

Wayne had Quinn practicing intensely; she'd wanted to surprise Mel once she returned, while he set up his reflex bag in a room of decent size. He set the First-Aid kit in the corner. He did not take out any of his weapons.

"We should paint in here."

"Huh?" Karai snapped out of her thoughts and looked to Mikey, who had emerged from underwater.

"We should paint in here. Like, all over. You know: make it feel homey."

"Oh." Karai bobbed her head and glanced at her bare legs.

"Do you think Mel could paint another picture of us? Like the one in her art room?" Karai shrugged. She knew Mikey was trying to distract her. Karai heard the water sloshing as Mikey climbed out of the pool and sat next to her. Not too close, but he was still in her personal bubble. "I think she should paint you, this time, too. You and Splinter and April and Casey. And Sam." Karai tried her best to smile.

"That's a long list." Mikey laughed a little.

"Well, you're all part of the family." Karai bit her lip. No, she couldn't do this right now. "You know that, right?"

"What about Tigerclaw?" The words flew out before she could think. Mikey, to Karai's shock, wasn't fazed.

"Tigerclaw…? Oh. Yeah, him too." His eyes flashed. "Oh yeah! And Ken-…" He was looking at her face when he stopped. Silence stretched on, then, "… y-you're right; this is a long list."

"Can you play a song I know?" Quinn asked Mel once she finished tuning her guitar. She hadn't had any luck with job hunting, so she'd wanted to relax for awhile. Quinn had been eager to show off a new block she'd sort-of learned, and Mel had praised her, but had been honest: not quite, but you'll get there.

"Sure, what song?" Quinn thought it over.

"Clean Freak." Splinter's ears perked upon hearing this. It sounded like… like a song an 11-year-old shouldn't be hearing. Knowing Mel, he was probably right.

He stood and looked at the girls from the "dojo", the room Wayne had set up his bags. Mel was starting to play. To his surprise, Quinn started to sing: "We don't need these unclean, feelings are nothing, anymore, they'll just bore a hole in me, thinking we need to be, so happy, never gonna last, all you ask ends up in the trash…" Mel started to play at hyper speed, so fast it made Splinter dizzy. Then Mel started to sing in Japanese:

""Hito sore zore" to iu kuse shite, kachikan kaikan wakachi ate, tsugou waruku nareba kondo wa, "Hito wa mina" dou no kou no tte iu n da. Sore ja chanto kyou kasho demo, tsukuri chanto teigi shite yo, hito no aru BEki iki kata toka, kiyoku tadashii danjo kankei." Splinter knew what she was saying, and he was seething.

Quinn had started singing again, the chorus, he assumed: "No one can save the human race, yeah we were late to see it's really not a race, go with the flow and just give in, you know we think the same 'cuz changing is a pain, messy things like emotions creep, into the wall we call a heart made out of stone, looking out for a scene like war, so unclean, dirty, just keep away from me."

Casey didn't know when the duo had started to sing, but the song had hit him. He'd stumbled out of his newly claimed room and stood behind the girls. They would switch between Japanese and English, but Casey got the point. Bluntly; the world was a dirty place, and the human race was not doing a thing about it.

Casey would never understand it. How could anyone be so selfish, let alone three quarters of the world? People were dying every day, how was it that no one was panicking and doing something about it?! Why hadn't the people with power done something?!

"Sousa bokura itsumo yoku ni doku sarete wa, te ni irete wa sugu ni akite hoori dashite sa, soshite mata tsugi no omocha wo mitsuke iu n da, "Kimi shika inai n da"." Casey had no idea what Mel had said, but he still agreed with her.

"Who can say, it ain't that way? Yeah we all know egos are taking up the space, I don't know, it may be true, don't wanna see the clean me dyed in dirty paint, cool my brain and turn away, don't wanna look to see the mean hypocrisy, why not cry until I'm fine? Don't wanna touch you please, just keep away from me."

It was too late to save the world now. The Kraang had invaded, and no one could take them over. No one, except for him. Casey and the rest of the group. They would save the human race, even though most of them didn't deserve it.

"DAME datta n da jinrui wa, sore wa tou ni tou ni te okure de, EGO bakka no sekai nante, iki wo suu no datte konnande," Mel sang whilst her fingers were practically smoking from playing so fast.

"Everyone knows, since long ago, we've been a selfish race with nothing more to show, shutting my mouth, I'll quit for now, I don't know, ya know? This is bye-bye." Casey watched the hypnotic movements of Mel's fingers until the song fell silent. Only then did he notice that everyone else in the new lair, except for Splinter and Leo, were seated criss-cross applesauce around him, all staring at Mel and Quinn.

It was a nice song.

No.

Wrong.

It was a nice voice that sang the song and showed the pictures, the song wasn't nice at all. It was blunt, and, according to the girl who sang it with the pictures, truthful. Hey, her eyes… Leo gasped quietly.

It was her, the girl with the purple eyes, the one who'd said his name. Leo let his breath out. He was on his hands and knees at the edge of his room, straining for her voice. It had made him… calm, he supposed was a good word for it. Even though the song wasn't calm, it had demanded his attention. And Keeper hadn't been there.

Leo backed into his room and sat against the wall. He saw Keeper a lot, even though he was home. Sam had told him it wasn't real. But Leo could still see him. He could smell him, hear him, feel him, taste him… suddenly he was there, grinning, touching him. Leo screamed and kicked, but it missed. Keeper cackled and grabbed him and pushed against him. Leo squirmed and screamed, but Keeper wasn't letting go. Not again, not again, no, no, no…

Leo was suddenly cold and wet. He opened his eyes. Keeper was gone. Sam was standing in his doorway with an empty bucket. Leo fell in a heap and sobbed. He'd been here… he'd tried to do it again… Leo had felt him. Now Leo felt cold and uncomfortable.

"Just a halluc…" Leo didn't pay attention after that. He'd wanted to, but he couldn't. He could still feel Keeper. He was touching his shoulders, his arms, his back, hand slowly dragging lower…

"No!" It was happening again. It never stopped. And Leo could feel him forcing his way in…

"I really need to talk with you." Leo glanced up. The voice…

Keeper stopped.

Then he was gone. "I keep stepping on the vein that keeps my lifeline flowing through." Leo pushed himself up and stared out his door. Sam looked shocked. The girl… Leo collapsed, but he didn't mind; he didn't feel anything. "I wanna be your perfect stick of glue, but I don't feel perfect at all, a sad and insecure flaw, still…" Leo tilted his head despite being on the floor.

Karai was with the girl.

Yes… yes, he did want to be her stick of glue. Glue kept things together. But yes, he wasn't perfect… he was a mess. "I find it hard to hold conversations, I get sweaty-sick and I wanna walk away, yeah, it's like is it strictly me in this situation, and I'm wondering will it ever go away? Just go away, still, sometimes I feel like weeping, awake and when I'm sleeping, perfecting how to put a game-face on." Leo's eyes widened and he listened intensely. "And this puzzle I've been keeping, has been hiding, creeping out the closet door, spilling out onto the floor, how long… will I be picking up the pieces? How long will I be picking up my heart?" Leo hadn't realised he'd sat up and wiped his tears away. Sam was staring at him.

"… How long?" Sam didn't answer. "How long will I be picking up the pieces, Sam?" Sam had green eyes. They were like jade, like, like… that… thing. A stick? Maybe… someone used to have one. Leo couldn't remember who. Sam moved, which Leo immediately tensed at. Leo liked Sam, but he was big and strong, much stronger than Keeper had been…

"Well, I don't know, Leo. I guess, if you keep dropping them, forever." Sam walked out. Leo looked at his toes and thought. Was he dropping his pieces? Leo nodded to himself. If he couldn't keep himself together…

The girl stopped singing. The girl. The girl with the purple eyes. The one who'd said his name. She knew; she knew what he thought; she'd laid it out for him. She knew him. And she was nice: she hadn't hit him when she'd scared him and he'd… tried to make her leave.

Leo was surprised he remembered that; usually—according to Sam—he didn't remember much of anything. All Leo remembered was the too-close walls, the stench, Keeper, the touching, the feelings… ninjutsu… and Karai. In hell, she'd kept him calm. When she touched him, even in his memories, he'd liked it.

But the girl with the violet eyes… she made him calm, too. But she didn't touch him with her hands: she touched him with her voice. And her eyes. Leo took a breath; next time she visited, he would try to be better.