Raphael

It weighed too much on my mind. I had been trying to sleep for only half an hour, but I knew I wouldn't be able to move past this. Rising from my bed, I moved towards the exit of my room. Along the way I stopped to set the bookcase back up in its original place. All the crap that fell to the floor I simply kicked away. "I'll clean it up tomorrow," I muttered. Passing through the curtain, the living room behind it seemed abandoned. All lights were off leaving the open space pitch black.

"They all musta gone to bed already," I whispered to myself. Silently I crept through the lair, if my bros were asleep; they needed to stay that way. I traveled over to where the hall branched off from the main room. Making sure to be extra stealthy, I approached the door at the very end. I knew this was probably a mistake, but I couldn't keep going on with this feud between us. Did I want to be her best friend? No, I just wanted to get along with her.

When I reached the door, I turned the knob slowly. To my surprise it was unlocked and I peaked in. The sight before me made me blush and made me choke on air. Senshi stood before me. Maybe stood isn't the right word... she was kind of dancing. I could tell that she was holding herself back, probably because of her injuries, but still. She looked amazing. Her eyes were shut as she spun and moved to the beat of the music in her ears. Dim light bounced off of her body, highlighting her bare legs, arms, and abdomen. Senshi's body was smooth and muscular, but still held gorgeous womanly curves. Really I never thought of super skinny women as very attractive in the first place. But damn, looking at Senshi know was—

Then I saw them. At first I couldn't quite make them out but when the light hit just right, they all became clear. The skin on her back, legs, arms, and chest was covered in scars. Many were short or long ridges, like past knife wounds. Other sections of her skin, mainly on her back and right side, were bumpy and discolored. What had happened to her that could have caused this? Who was Senshi, or better yet, who was she?

I shut the door again, tonight was not the time to try and repair things. Heading back towards my bedroom, I knew I could sleep now. I don't know when or how I would do it, but now, more than ever, I wanted to get to know Senshi and get along with her. Not because of how she looked or the skin she wore, but because of how honest she appeared when she danced.

Senshi

That night, I dreamed of nothing... and it was beautiful. All through the night there were no nightmares, no heartbreaking memories, just rest. When I found the gift of my IPod returned to me, I spent at least an hour stretching and bending my body to the sounds around me. The physical movement made my sides burn and my knee ache, but it was the one sure way to accelerate my healing. From years of experience, which really probably isn't a good thing, I've learned how to push past the pain and work out my wounds.

When the smell of burnt toast woke me in the morning, I was pleasantly surprised to feel little pain left over at all. Sure I was still stiff, but otherwise I felt decent. Through my life as a soldier, I learned how to recover quickly. Still, for the accident I was in, it should have taken another day or two before I got to this point. I shook my head, "Most likely I wasn't as damaged as I thought."

I stretched my hands past my head and pointed my toes. Pushing away the over-used comforter, a yawn escaped my lips. My legs swung over the side, and my torso rose after them. I got to my feet firmly. Reaching my mound of clothes, I plucked out a pair of high-waisted pants made from a stretchy material. Over my head I slipped on a matching black shirt, this one looser, with long sleeves and a collar that covered the back of my neck and smoothed into a V in the front. I tucked it into the waist band of the pants. I sat down and fished out the roll of black wrap I kept. From my knee to my instep, my hands worked to cover each leg in the binding before I slipped the black shoes on over.

It felt good to be in more of my normal clothes again. Once again covered in black, I tugged at knots in my hair as I left my borrowed room. Outside I found the boys out eating breakfast in front of their television. Leonardo and Donatello lounged on the sofa, while Mikey hunched over a bowl of cereal before the T.V. screen.

"Mornin' Senshi," Leonardo nodded between sips of his steaming tea.

"Buongiorno," I replied.

Donatello widened his eyes as he looked me over, "You look... well today."

"Thank you, I am feeling much better actually. I tend to heal quickly." I said through a smile.

"Good to hear," a forth party whispered when he entered the room. I looked to my right to see Raphael enter with two plates heaping with toast. He walked up towards me holding both plates between. Once again, he matched his brothers with his series of leather straps and bandages. At each of his hips, a sharp sai rested in his belt. The red mask hid his eyes, "Dark or light."

I chose the platter of lightly burnt bread. With a small grin, Raphael took a bite of the top piece of his blackened bread. When he turned and walked back around the couch, I noticed something I hadn't before. Across his shell was a large crescent shaped suture line that bubbled from the side, disrupting the natural pattern. I narrowed my eyes, what could have done that, it's not a normal scratch... but, then again, who was I to judge scars?

Raphael slumped down on the ground, right of Michaelangelo. Without any words, he held out his plate and each brother silently took a slice. I bit my cheek to keep from laughing at the sacrifice happening before me. Raphael sighed and it made me wonder when the last time he had eaten his entire meal without help. I checked myself though; I didn't need to get comfortable here.

Trying not to alienate myself however, I knelt down to eat a few feet away from Michaelangelo. Subtly I touched my forehead, sternum, and shoulders before I ate. It wasn't my belief, but something I carried on after watching Marco do it at every meal. I got a sideways glance from Raphael but pretended not to notice. The first bite I took of the warm bread reminded me of how it had been over 24 hours since I last ate. Abandoning control, my plate was empty before I knew it, and a satisfied feeling filled my stomach.

Looking around, all four boys were caught up in a cartoon playing. "What is this?"

"Only one of the best shows ever," Donatello answered, "the name's Code Lyoko."

"These kids have to go into this virtual world to battle an artificial intelligence," Leonardo continued, "it's pretty—"

"Radical," Michaelangelo interrupted.

"Never seen it?" Donatello questioned.

I shook my head, "I haven't watched a television since I was seven years old. It was never allowed."

The room was silent for awhile. I felt eyes on me, but my attention was on the character wielding tessen in the show. She wore an abridged version of a geisha's garb and her presence seemed to lead the rest on their mission. As she fought animated monsters around her, my palms began to itch. I missed my tessen.

I stared wide-eyed at the screen. This was the first time I had watched anything out of reality in twelve years. It caught me off guard on how much I enjoyed the show.