The Argument

by The Real Chi Tenshi

Raph and Chi end up in a heated debate on whether Chi should be working at the bar as a bouncer. Tempers escalate and both hot heads end up doing things they regret.

The argument

The Argument

EDIT: A preview of the continuation of "the Argument" called "The Madness" is located here: chi-tenshi1./art/The-maddness-86241180

Character Art and related subjects are located here: chi-tenshi1./

"This whole damn thing started when I said I didn't want ya workin' as a bouncer at the bar any more!" Raph stormed after Chi as she whipped around the kitchen corner and started pulling open cabinets, looking for the makings of tea.
"And I said I was tight on money and he job pays well, so no!" she brought down a coffee mug down on the counter with a loud 'clink', if it hadn't been metal it would have broken. "But th' jobs dangerous and--" Raph started, exasperated but was cut off by Chi
"I was in the God damn mafia! Don't you think that over qualifies me to be able to handle a few punk assholes?" She put water in the tea pot and clicked the burner on.
"Yeah but--"
"You just don't like the fact that some shit head grabbed my ass the other day and I didn't knock his lights out"
Raph didn't answer, but let out a slight growl.
"Ha!" she poked is plastron, "admit it! You've been watching me!"
"I neva' said that!" Raph exploded, throwing his hands up in the air.
"Hay you two!" Loki yelled from the master bed room, his head poking out the door, "some people are trying to sleep, ganna yell, take your ass outside and duke it out there!!" he slammed the door and Chi silently flicked him off, "Rooftop, now" she mouthed at Raph, clicking off the burner and pushing past him, pulling on her red michiyuki kimono. Raph quietly followed her up the stairs, fuming.
As soon as they were outside Raph started:
"I never fucking said that!!"
"That doesn't change the fact that you've-been-doing-it!" she pushed his plastron, emphasizing her last four words. Raph growled and pushed her back with more force than intended. Chi stumbled back, blinking, her face contorting to rage and anger; the she lunged at him, slamming him against the stairwell wall. He kicked her off of him and she flipped backward, landing in a fighting stance. He automatically pulled out his sai and took the defensive, giving her the 'come hither' wave with is free hand Chi attacked, aiming a kick high for his head. Rap ducked, avoiding her foot and aiming a side swipe for the back of her brace knee. Chi buckled backward at the blow but landed on her hands and successfully did a backhand spring, twisting in mid air and landing a round house kick squarely in the middle of Raph's plastron, sending him sprawling backward. Before he could steady himself she landed and turned her body low, aiming a punch at the back of his head. Raph, pivoted his body, turning around impossibly fast for someone lugging such a huge shell.
He brought his right hand up and around, and then plunged it down, burying the sai deep into the right side of Chi's chest, bringing her crashing down on to the cement roof

The moment seemed to stretch across time itself; Raph standing at a low crouch, panting, with his face in a mad scowl; Chi, holding the handle of the sai, looking up at him in utter shock.

Time came crashing back down on them and Raph fell to his knees at Chi's side, all anger melting from his face to be replaced with a look of concern and regret.

"Oh my God, Chi! I'm sorry!"

"Get away from me!!" she screamed, sitting up.

"But I, but I--"

"You fucking stabbed me." She said in a deadly whisper, anger in her every sailable. She pulled the sai from her chest with a sickly sucking noise, and then threw it at his feet. Raph automatically picked it up, sheathing it; not bothering to clean it off.

"Get the fuck out'ta my sight." Chi said calmly, holding her hand over the wound as it healed.

"But Chi--"

"GO AWAY!! The sight of you makes me sick, you green skinned, six fingered freak!"

Raph recoiled, backing away from Chi, her words echoing in his head.

"LEAVE!!" she yelled and Raph turned and ran, making his way down the fire escape.

In the sewers

Right, left, forward, right

His legs took him down the familiar pathway home. Raph reached the entry, getting the front way open and stalking into the living room. Mikey was watching TV, Donny clicked away on his computer and Leo was in the kitchen area making tea.

"Where have you been?" Leo asked, walking over to the dining room table and sitting down. Raph didn't answer, just numbly untied his belt and threw it and his sais on the table in front of Leo. He then stalked off to his room, slamming the door behind him.

"Dude, what got into …him" Donny's words came to a grinding halt as he got an eye full at the sai now in Leo's hand.

"Is that blood?" Mikey asked as he jumped over the back of the sofa, walking over to Leo to get a better look.

"I think so--" Leo started but was cut off by a loud crash followed by banging coming from Raph's room.

"Here we go again" Donny rolled his eye and turned back to his computer

"I'll talk to him" Leo stood –putting the sais on the table—and walked over to stand by Raph's door.

"Better you than me" Mikey said, plopping back on the sofa and cranking up the volume so he couldn't hear the noise Raph was making.

Crashes, bangs and primal yells and grunts of frustration came from behind Raph's door for almost five minutes before it died down, the absence of the noise seemed early quiet.

"Raph?" Leo knocked on his door; no answer. "Hay, Raph?" a little louder but still no answer. He tried the door knob but it was locked. "Are you going to open the door or do I have to get Donny to pick to lock?" he could hear something shifting in Raph's room, and then the door opened slowly, only about an inch.

"What?"

Leo relaxed, he had been ready for Raph to come raging out of his room, ranting about privacy, but Raph had done to opposite, acting so calmly that it was disarming.

"Can I come in?"

"Mmm, sure" Raph grunted and stepped out of the way, pulling the door open wide enough for Leo to step in. His room was in shambles; Leo assessed the damage as Raph closed the door. Leo turned to face his brother, his mouth open and ready to ask him what the hell happened but he stopped, getting a good look at Raph. His eyes were bloodshot and his face was tinged red.

"Have you been crying?" Leo asked, truly concerned

Raph frowned, he growled out a "No" but he couldn't meat Leo's eyes

"Raph, what happened? Why is there blood on your sai?" his voice was calm and it seemed to sooth Raph a little. Raph looked at the floor, screwing up his face and willing himself not to cry in front of his brother, "I stabbed her, Leo" his voice was horse and quiet, almost a whisper. Leo's brow furrowed, a look of worry crossing his face, "Stabbed her? Who did you stab?" he still remained calm, but a little urgency leaked into his voice.

Raph couldn't help it, warm tears slid down his face, "Chi, god damnit, Chi"

"What?" shocked passed on his face, followed by worry and concern again, "is she okay? What happened, you can tell me" he put a hand on his brother's shoulder as Raph's shoulders shook, he was unable to stop himself from crying now. "We were arguing over the stupidest shit and then it got physical and-and then…I fucking s-stabbed her." Raph leaned on the wall, sliding down to sit in a fetal position and burying his face in his hands. Leo sat next to still reassuringly gripping his shoulder. "She's the best damn thing that happed to me and I lost it and stabbed her!"

"Did you at least make sure she was okay?" Leo said quietly, a bit unnerved to see Raph crying.

"I tried, but she was pissed, wouldn't let me near her, she said that the sight of a green skinned, six fingered freak like me made her sick."

Leo winced, "Ow, low blow, but you deserved it."

"That doesn't make me feel any better" Raph shot at Leo, a little of his normal self poking though but it immediately collapsed, "…God, I knew something like this would happen, but I let her love me anyway. I'm such a damn fool, a damn desperate fool"

It grew quiet as Leo thought of something to say, something to fix this, but for the first time he couldn't. He had never had a girlfriend, let alone held a woman, who was he to be giving Raph girl advice, but he had to try.

"The best advice I can give is to find away to apologize, whether she accepts it or not. Just apologize and make it up to her."

Hours after the fight in the condo

Chi fumbled with the keys, her hands shaking from the cold. "Damn it" she muttered, pushing her sopping wet hair out of her eyes. She finally got the key in the lock and turned the knob. She threw her drenched kimono over a chair by the door and headed for her room, a lightning bolt temporarily lighting up the living room. Closing her door and locking it behind her she headed for the dresser, a half empty bottle of Sanji Obleek wine waiting for her there. Thunder rumbled in the distance as the pulled the cork out and drank directly from the bottle. When she set it back down only a few ounces dwindle in the bottom. "Congratulations Chi" she hiccupped, "You picked a fucking winner this time"

She tottered over to the bathroom, pealing off the flame retardant tape around her breast, a good sized hole just above her right nipple. When all the tape lay at her feet around her she examined where Raph had stabbed her. Her skin was flawless; no trace of the wound was left other than a few rivulets of dried blood. She closed her eyes; she could still feel the cold steal of his sai in her flesh and her breath caught in her lungs.

The shower curtains fluttered next to her and she jumped, spinning around to face the door. She had left the bathroom door open a crack, "whoops" she pushed the door closed and locked it. Turning on the hot water she climbed into the shower and sank to the bottom of the tub, letting to warm liquid cascade down her back. A trail of pink swirled in the run off water, the spray washing the blood off her back.

"How did this happen?" she spoke quietly to the disappearing blood as it washed down the drain.

Tak was asleep on the sofa when she came out; she pulled on red half shirt and back boy short panties, nothing fancy. She sat next to him on the bed and gently shook shoulder, "Tak…Tak, what are you doing here?"

Tak slowly opened his eyes and stretched, yawning. "Morning, beautiful. What time is it?"

"3 a.m. You didn't answer my question."

Tak sat up, "Loki called me. He said you wouldn't come off the roof. You sat up there for two hours by the time I got here but you had already come down." He slid his feet of the bed so he could sit next to her.

"Why'd he call you?"

Tak shrugged, "guess he though you would listen to me since you blew him off"

Chi rolled her eyes, "For a good reason, he doesn't need to get involved in my love life, his is screwy enough already"

Tak looked at her, concern in his eyes, "You want to talk about it?"

Chi looked at him about to say 'no' but she saw the look on his face and sighed. "Me and Raph had a bad fight…I didn't end well…"
Tak put a hand on her leg; the move was friend-to-friend, nothing more. "What happened?"
Chi put her hand on his, "We were arguing about me working at the bar. He basically admitted to watching me when he brought up he subject of someone grabbing my ass…"
Tak blushed, "Did you tell him it was me and I was drunk?"
"No we didn't get that far before…"she stopped putting her hand over the nonresistant wound.
"Before what? What did he do to you?" Tak bowed up, a little defensive.
"He didn't mean to it just happened. He tried to make it right but I wouldn't let him"
"Chi, what did he do?"
"he…stabbed me…"
"What!?" Tak jumped up, "stabbed you? Where? Are you okay?" he looked like he could beat Raph's face in. The look worried Chi, anger didn't fit Tak.
"Sit down, I'm fine" Tak sat back down, but it was obvious he was still angry, "we were fighting and I would have knocked him out if he hadn't acted first."
"But he friggen stabbed you! If you were any other woman, you'd be in the hospital breathing with an iron lung!"
She leaned her head on his on his shoulder," But I'm not any other woman, I'm Chi; the argumentative, quick tempered, hardass"
"You're not all bad" Tak put his cheek on her forehead, "You have some good qualities"
"Oh really? Name one." She shot out sarcastically.
"…Um, you're beautiful." Tak teased
Chi laughed lightly and socked him in the leg, "more than superficial, asshole"
"Ow! No I mean it! You're beautiful, past the looks I mean. When you really get down through your spiky personality you're quite a fun person to be around"
The room was quiet for a few moments as Chi took this in. she sat up and looked him strait in the eye, "You really are a prince charming you know that."
Tak blushed again and looked away, "I don't try; it's just me."
She leaned in, taking in every feature of his handsome face. "No…I like it"
He looked back at her, he could smell the wine on her breath, "Chi…you've been drink…" his sentence faded off as she kissed him, putting her other hand on his chest. Every muscle in his body relaxed and she pushed him back onto the pillows, her hands working their way down his shirt.

His eyes shot open realizing what he was doing, he tried to break the kiss, "Chi…" she pressed herself on him, kissing him, her hands working his belt buckle. "Chi!!" It seemed like the hardest thing he had to do but he pushed her off of him and climbed off the bed.
"Tak…" Chi wined, looking up at him.
"Chi, think about what you're doing!" he reclasped his belt and pulled his shirt over it.
Chi looked down at her hands, they were balled into fists, clinging tightly to the covers, "I'm just…confused. I thought he loved me, but I don't know anymore, and you're here so I though…"
"Chi I'm not your boy toy. I may be a casa nova some times—it's my nature—but that doesn't mean just jump at the chance to sleep with a woman." He fingered the ring on his hand; he still wore it out of habit. "Believe me it's taking everything I have to tell you no but I have morals. I can't be with you knowing Raph could still love you and you still love him"
"But how could you know? How could you know he could still love me?" she looked pleading up at him, Tak couldn't look at her, he didn't want to see the hurt and longing I her eyes.
"Didn't he try to apologize or help you?"
Chi was silent for a moment before answering, "He tried, but I wouldn't let him"
"See! He still loves you! You just haven't given him a chance to make things right."
"But…I don't want to wait… don't wan to be alone…" she grabbed his sleeve and Tak froze, and then gently pulled away.
"Chi…I can't stay, I need to leave before we both do something we'll regret" he turned and headed for the sliding glass door, pulling it open. A cold wind whipped his hair around his face as he picked his jacket up off the floor and pull it on. He stole a quick glance back at Chi, his eyes locking with hers, a sad look in both. Then he left.
"Damn it!" she picked up a whisky shot bottle off the bedside table and hurled it across the room, smashing it against the wall.
"Damn it" she picked up the glass tumbler and threw that too.
"Damn—" a strong had grabbed her arm and she picked up a wine bottle.
"You keep that up and you'll wake Loki" a gruff all too familiar voice said quietly.
She looked up at Raph, her eyes growing wide to resemble something like fear. Raph saw this and immediately let go of her. Chi's face fell, quickly morphing onto anger and hate, "what are you doing here?"

Raph held her gaze his tone remaining neutral "I came to apologize"
"Ha," she gave a short humorless laugh, "you apologize? That'll be the day"
Raph clenched his jaw, biting back a smart remark. "You're not making this any easier."

"Oh, I'm supposed to make this easy?" she slid off the bed to stand defiantly in front of Raph, "Am I supposed to just lie back and pretend this never happened? Pretend you never stabbed me?"

Raph took a step back, finding himself looking at the floor again: anywhere but at Chi.

"I know I can't take back what I did, and I'm not asking you to forget. I just want to apologize and ask for another chance" is voice was horse and low again and it wavered a bit on 'chance'

Chi features began to soften as she realized Raph's sincerity; this was taking a toll on his pride and she knew it. She took a step forwards and grabbed his face, forcing him to look at her. She could see the sadness and regret in his eyes and it touched her, tugging at her wall of anger, "You've been crying" she wasn't trying to hurt him; she just said it out of curiosity.

"So what if I have? I'm all soft under this shell"

Chi opened her mouth and laughed, her hand sliding down to the top edge of his plastron as Raph stood the in shock. She leaned her head on his shoulder and her laughter slowly melted into tears as she wrapped her arms around his neck. Raph entwined his left hand in her hair and put his right around her waist, pulling her close, "Don't ever -hiccup- fucking do this to me again" she said between sobs.

"I won't, I promise I won't" he whispered quietly as he stroked her back, his own silent tears slipping into her shower damp hair.

They both stood there like that for longer than either could remember. They couldn't recall either how they ended up on the floor; Chi's shirt on the lampshade and Raph's eye band left abandon in a dark corner somewhere. But they did remember the beautiful sunrise they watched break over the city, both sitting curled up against each other as the multicolored rays of light peeked out over the horizon and shown through the sliding glass door, illuminating their skin, and making them look like one perfect being.

epilogs

Loki knocked in the door, it was around four in the afternoon, "Chi you ready for work? I'm going to go drop Kitty off and wanted to know if you wanted a ride"

"Mmhmm" Chi grunted, shifting in Raph's lap, "w-what?" she rubbed her eye's as Raph stretched awake.

Loki grinned in the hallway "Sounds like you had a late night…verginator"

Raph stiffened and Chi sat up strait. "NANDAIO!?" she exclaimed.

Loki tried to keep from laughing, "Yeah, according to Kitty, it sounded like some one she knew lost their v-card last night"

Chi looked up at Raph and for the first time she saw him blush, "Are-are you serious?" she asked him and he gave her a small nod.

"CHI STOLE RAPH'S CHERRY!!" Loki snickered and backed away from the door as the sounds of Chi and Raph scrambling to find their things could be herd. Raph came out first eye mask back on. "I'm ganna strangle you!!" Raph yelled and Loki made a break for it, grabbing a very laughing Kitty on the way out. Chi joined Raph in the chase, still zipping up a black leather skirt and grabbing her kimono to cover the small leather tube top.

Two minutes later in the back parking lot

Loki sped off on his motorcycle, Kitty still down the visor on her helmet. Raph stood in the stair well, not daring to go outside and risk exposing himself. "Damn, they got'a way" He panted.

Chi bent over to catch her breath, "I think last night took all the energy outta me" Chi huffed and Raph chuckled, "How'da think I feel?" he grinned.

"Oh, stop your wining" she socked him in the hip.

"Ow, sore" Raph winced and Chi fell over laughing and completely out of breath. Raph tried to squat down to talk to her but his legs shook and he fell over, making her laugh even harder. He sat up laughing himself, "guess you worked me hard."

Chi pushed herself into a sitting position, still giggling, "hnhn, guess I did"

When they finished laughing Chi stood up, offering Raph a hand, "So what do you wanna do tonight?"

Raph looked at her questioningly, "Don't 'cha have work?" he took her and stood, brushing himself off.

"I though you didn't want me to work there any more"

Raph stopped, looking directly at Chi, the he sighed and put a hand on her shoulder, "Look, I think you can handle yourself. If ya need the money and it's a good job…I won't stop you."

Chi stared at his disbelievingly, and hand on her hip, "when did you suddenly start sounding like Leo?"

Raph scowled, "Oh, shud'up, no I don't"

Chi laughed again hitting him in the leg and making him flinch. "Ow, stop that" he growled.

"Oh, suck it up, sides' " she said pushing him against the wall and getting in his face. "I think I could go another hour"

He sighed, "Chi I don't know if I can--" he was cut off, her lips locking with his he growled into the kiss, slightly annoyed but this only made her kiss him more passionately; her fingers curling around the bottom edge of his plastron, making his breath catch in his throat.

"Don't worry, I'll do all the work this time" she said, breaking away and looking fiercely but deeply in his eyes.

Raph slyly grinned, "God, I knew I hit it lucky when I met you"

He fingers touched soft under skin, "Funny, I could say the same about you"

They smiled and quickly heading for the elevator.

Writers notes: Well I did it. I finally got some written fan fiction out on the internet. And there's more to come, probably. I welcome comments and criticisms but not bashing.

Ok. For those who are not familiar with my char Chi she a Pyro, which gives her the ability to heal, how else could she live is she burned her skin away?

Oh and a lot of you know what a kimono is but a michiyuki kimono is like a coat kimono, made out of a heavy material and meant to be worn over lighter kimonos to protect them.