~Disclaimer; I do not own TMNT or any of the songs in this chapter! Hope you like the story though! :3~
Author's note: Thank you everyone whose been reading my story so far! And thank you to xxturtlelovexx for reviewing! :) Hope you all like the story so far. :3
Chapter 7: Miss Independent
"I haven't played in a really long time, Donny." I laughed as the turtle in purple pushed me toward the grand piano.
"It's like riding a bike! You never forget. Come on, one song? I really need to try out the new recording gear I bought on ebay to make sure it works and you already told Micky you'd play us something after he found out you knew a bit of piano..."
"Please?" Micky grinned. I laughed and sat down at the seat.
"Ok, ok fine."
"Wait, let me get my stuff..." Donatello ran out of the room and returned after a couple of minutes with an armful of cords and devices. A few more moments passed before he had the gear ready and sat down down across from me, a grinning Michelangelo squirming in his seat beside me.
"Um...ok. Here goes nothing I guess..." It took me a few seconds to decide what to play before letting my fingers dance across the keys, purely from muscle memory. The tune flowed slowly at first, until me brain finally caught up and let the song flow freely. Once finished, the boys both stared at me, smiles on their greens faces.
"That was pretty good." Donatello finally said. "Was the, The River Flows in You?"
I grinned. "Yea"
Leo appeared in the doorway and nodded at me. "Good job." He commented briefly before raising an eye ridge at his brothers. "Master Splinter called training 15 minutes ago..."
"That's our Que.." Micky laughed. The two younger turtles patted me on the back before exiting the room, leaving only me and Leo.
"You can come too, if you like. You did pretty good the last few times you joined us."
I shook my head. "Nah, I think I'll try and remember more on the piano for a bit first, if that's ok."
"Raph still acting up?"
I looked at the eldest in surprise, then looked away. "Yea... I don't know, he's just been really off lately."
Leo nodded. "Do you want me to talk to him about it?"
A small, worn out laugh escaped my lips. "No thank you, father dearest. He'll only see it as you being nosy again, and then you'll have another fight. I'm ok. Really."I grinned at him falsely. He sighed.
"Ok then."
As soon as the turtle left I let the smile run off my face and slid in my chair. With a sigh I stared at the piano and started to play again, singing bits and pieces of different songs I knew. Music is, by far, the best therapy.
Raphael watched from the side lines as Leo threw Don across his shoulder, making the younger brother slam across the floor.
"Out!" Micky exclaimed. "Your turn Raphy!"
"I told ya not ta call me that, Mike." He growled before cracking his knuckles and stepping up to the mat, getting ready to fight his brother - no weapons allowed.
"Aaaannnnddd...fight!" The youngest brother laughed, racing to the side lines to watch.
Raphael threw the first couple of punches, eager as always. During those blows, Leo concentrated on his defense and let his muscles fall into the steady rhythm his brother had set up.
"So what's up between you and Josephine?" He asked bluntly, catching his hothead brother off guard and taking advantage of the moment by sending a solid kick to his brother's chest. Raphael's eyes grew in shock before he caught himself and rushed at his brother, who side stepped easily.
"It's none of yer business, Leo." He snapped, turning around and kicking his brother. He felt his foot make connection with Leo's shoulder, but not strongly enough to really do anything. The leader continued to match the hothead's speed, move for move, only this time he switched to the offense. The two dipped and weaved around each other's blows, the fight looking more and more like a deadly dance with each second.
"It is too my business." Leonardo huffed, dodging a punch to the solar plexus from his by now furious brother. "You've been acting emotional and unreasonable since last week when Josephine came back to the lair crying. I think it's all of our business now."
A short, powerful blow from Raph opened Leo up for another attack and his younger brother was all to happy to concede, hitting the leader under the jaw and watching as thick red liquid flew from Leo's mouth. The hothead was no longer training. He was out for blood now.
Leo saw that in his little brother's eyes and quickly recovered.
"It's my life, fearless. Ya have no right ta rile over it like a king! Yer not my leader and ya won't ever be!" A sudden rush of swings flew Leonardo's way. He dodged every one of them, some only by pure luck. This fight had to end. Now.
"It's not my fault that your ridiculous temper always gets in the way of your happiness!" The eldest exclaimed, bending underneath another punch and swooping up under his brother to hit him in the side of the neck with a pressure point. Raphael lost balance and fell to the ground, Leo following him shortly to pin him there.
"if your temper hadn't gotten away with you like that, you might have won." He snarled. Raphael kicked his brother off, then got up and walked out the door without a word.
"Leo...winner?" Micky said.
"I...don't quite know." Donny commented behind him.
Leo rubbed the back of his neck and shook his head. "With Raphael, no one wins."
Raphael stormed out of the training room, feeling furious and overwhelmed with anger. Suddenly the sound of piano music and a small voice singing along dancing threw the air caught his attention, drawing it away, if only for a moment, from his train of thought. The sound of the familiar voice almost seemed to entrance him. He snuck around the corner to see Josephine sitting at the piano, her deep strong voice amazingly quiet as she sang. Though he had never heard the song before, he could tell by how she sang it that it had been slowed done and changed from it's original version.
"Miss independent." She started.
"Miss self-sufficient.
Miss keep your distance.
Miss unafraid.
Miss out of my way.
Miss don't let a man interfere, no.
Miss on her own.
Miss almost grown.
Miss never let a man help her off her throne.
So, by keeping her heart protected,
She'd never ever feel rejected.
Little miss apprehensive,
Said ooh, she fell in love."
Raphael slipped closer into the room and stood leaned in the doorway, listening intently. The young cop seemed so caught up in her song, she didn't even notice him.
"What is the feelin' takin' over?
Thinkin' no one could open my door.
Surprise, It's time,
To feel what's real.
What happened to Miss Independent?
No more the need to be defensive.
Goodbye, old you,
When love is true.
Miss guarded heart.
Miss play it smart.
Miss if you want to use that line you better not start, no.
But she miscalculated,
She didn't want to end up jaded,
And this miss decided not to miss out on true love.
So, by changing her misconceptions,
She went in a new direction,
And found inside she felt a connection.
She fell in love."
The sound of the piano grew to match the growing strength of Josephine's voice. Raphael, temper now lost, had the sudden urge to see her face as she sung. To watch as she closed her almond shaped eyes and see the flush of color sweep into her defined cheeks. To see those lips curve and bend into the words she sang so emotionally. Slowly he entered the room, one step at a time and quiet as he could be as she finished her second run through the chorus.
"When Miss Independence walked away.
No time for love that came her way.
She looked in the mirror and thought today,
What happened to miss no longer afraid?
It took some time for her to see,
How beautiful love could truly be.
No more talk of why can't that be me,
I'm so glad I finally see."
The song finished and the two froze in place, both breathing slowly. Raphael stood inches away from Josephine now, only just realizing that she knew he was in the room. He saw her small mouth start to try and shape it's way into forming words when he couldn't take the tension any longer and disappeared out of the room, the only signal of his departure being a shift in the air.
"I love you Raphael." Josephine sighed, laying a heavy head down against the wooden piano and closing her eyes.