Take My Hand

Last chapter I called a group of girls "yankees" for those who do not know; in japan female gangsters and delinquents are called "yankees".

Chapter 10

When Raphael woke up he swallowed the sound of a whimper in his throat. The storm was still going on outside, and his hands were throbbing. He drew in a long breath calming his mind and pushing past the pain from when he flexed his fingers. Auburn eyes looked around the room, taking note that he had fallen asleep in the front room. The soft weight on his chest moved, Mikey pressing closer to him as she slumbered. His eye twitched from the sudden feeling of being uncomfortable. Why was she here? Why was he in the front room on the couch?

The light sound of the static on the television drew his attention and he remembered that the two of them had fallen asleep watching movies. The night before he had tried to get up to go to bed but Mikey had been near tears when she noticed she would be the only one left in the room. He tried to get her to go to bed where her sister was but the girl only shook her head, still not ready to talk to her sibling. He sighed and sat back down and allowed her to curl up against his side and for the rest of the night they watched old VHS movies until they both fell asleep.

Wait, if he fell asleep out here, then he didn't have his alarm clock and- his eyes whipped to the clock on the VCR. He grabbed Mikey and shoved her off of him, he was going to be late for work!

From the sudden movement the girl groggily opened her eyes, she heard the sounds of someone racing up the stairs. There was an opening of a door and frantic movements. Getting up, she followed, peering into the room that Raphael had just disappeared into. Her cheeks blushed fiercely as she caught a glimpse of Raphael taking off his clothing. She pressed herself against the wall next the door frame, a hand to her chest as her mind kept the image of his powerful body.

"Don, Donnie!"

"Wha-What?" The twin sat up on the bed he had fell asleep on.

"Meds?"

There was a groan, "Man, I'm sorry I forgot to tell you. The director lost a plant and it won't be back till today... maybe you should just call into work an-"

"You know I can't do that."

Mikey peeked in around the door frame just in time to see Raph roll his brother over and off the bed while grabbing a pair of pants. He slipped them on as he grunted, "And how many times have I told you not to fall asleep on the clothes I put on out the bed?"

"A lot," Don pushed himself up and flopped only his front half onto the bed. His face broke into a large yawn, "But you know I can't stay awake through storms like this."

"Don, I'm goin' to take Mike with me today to work okay?"

The younger brother went stiff, curling a little, grabbing at the sheets that smelled of his brother. "...Yeah..."

"Hey, don't be that way." Raph rounded the bed and sat down on the edge next to his sibling.

"How can I not be Raph? Yesterday, after all of that happened, you wouldn't even talk to me!"

"She was going to get hurt, seriously hurt Don!" Raph got up to his feet. Why was Don starting an argument? "This is New York! We're lucky that she ran into stragglers of Purple Dragons and not some sick whack job that would have wanted to rape her! God! What-what were you thinking anyway? Leaving her by herself!!"

Mikey backed away from the door, she had a feeling this was about to get very heated. Maybe she should go and get Leo... yeah, that was a good idea. Hurrying down the hall, she went into the room that she was staying with her sister. Leo was tucked into bed, sleeping peacefully when she was shook awake.

"Mikey?" She sat up slowly, "Is something wrong?"

"I-it's Donatello and Raph. They're yelling and- and I'm worried something might happen."

Leonardo pushed the blankets to the side and got out of bed. She followed her sister to the room where no women where allowed in. She pushed the door open further, the darkness inside only allowing the small amount of light from the street below to light the brothers. One shirtless, the other still fully clothed from the day before.

Donatello was on the floor, fists still gripping sheets, glaring at his brother, "I said I was sorry! What do you want me to do in order to amend the past?! I can't just rewind time and fix it!"

"I know you can't, damn it! But what I think you need to do is think about this more so that it'll never happen again! What if she didn't know how to fend for herself? What if it hadn't been Mike but Tangshan or... or mom?"

Finally Donatello snapped, getting up to his feet he shouted into his brother's face, "Don't you dare call that beast of a woman our mom. Tangshan is our mom now!"

Raph glared, shoulders squaring off, he shook his head. "Some times Don... you disgust me."

"Back at you, you pig-headed oaf!"

The older brother pushed past Don, he grabbed a shirt from on top of his dresser and pulled it on, "Whateve'a." Raph stormed out of the room, going past the sisters who had been in the hallway listening. When he disappeared down the stairs, Mikey looked to Leo then back to where Raph had disappeared. She didn't know what to do, there had just been a big fight because of her. Should she stay here and reassure Donatello that none of this was his fault or go after Raphael and convince him that he needed to forgive his brother? Her body did the answering for her as she quickly began to follow Raph. She called over his shoulder to her sister, "I'm going to work with him and talk to him. Take care of Donatello while we're gone!"

Leo watched her sister go, still dressed in Raphael's clothing from yesterday, jacket and all. The golden eyed woman peered into the room where Donatello stood silent in the darkness. She carefully stepped inside, "Donatello?" The dim light playing off of a pearled tear that trickled from his eye.

The genius barely looked at her before turning his head away his hands clutching into fists, "Not right now Leo." More tears came as he tried to steady his breathing. He had just batched his relationship with his brother; his twin. The one who had taken all the hits and strikes for him and he had just blatantly ignored the sensitivity of the subject. He knew that Raphael couldn't stand the thought of someone harming a woman. He bknew/b that his brother still looked at their first mother to be his only mother and that Tangshan was like an angelic aunt. But he couldn't help himself. He was tired of Raphael dwelling on the past, how he still worried about their mother across seas. God! How could he have been so stupid?!

Leo took one step, two, she paused for a moment waiting for him to yell at her. When he said nothing she took the last remaining steps to the man and wrapped her arms around him. She didn't know the depth of harm caused but she knew one thing; Raphael had been so cruel to Don. Couldn't that beast of a man see how much Donatello had tried, how it wasn't his fault? How Don did everything for him; why couldn't he see that?

From the unexpected hug Donatello hesitated for a moment, but the warmth, the comfort, it was too inviting. He clutched onto Leonardo, bending over enough to tuck her shoulder under his chin. He squeezed tightly and tears trickled down, "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry."

"For what?" She tried to keep her own emotions in check, it wasn't often she was exposed to such turmoil and emotional chaos.

"I'm sorry..." He only held tighter, her baby blue night gown bunching in his hands, his voice dying to a whisper, "I'm sorry."

--

"Raph!" Mikey followed him quickly, the long pant legs unrolled causing her to stumble. "W-wait up!"

The man sighed and waited at the side walk, his umbrella over his head. When she joined his side he looked at her with less than kind eyes, "What do you want?"

Funny, usually that would intimidate anyone who came near him, even Casey and Usagi but Mikey only gazed at him with those bright blue eyes that sparkled like ocean water.

"You say I go to work withs."

He looked to the side, "I... guess I did."

To Be Continued...