Verhältnis
"Lost in darkest blue Endless labyrinths weaving though Will you stagger on,
with no star to light your way?"
"Closure" had been all the shivering haggard turtle had been looking for. That was all really, just closure an ending of some sort; it was not that much too ask was it? Not really...OK and maybe an act of empty revenge, which of course she would have never advised... not on her behalf, never on her behalf; but never had he anticipated what he had found in the fortress where the creature had entrenched for so long, certainly not that, for it was, or at least it should have been impossible.
"Wallowing in your victory aren't you?" he remembered the creature saying rebarbatively on his back while he observed the bright pod in the middle of the room that had shaken him so and once again turn his world upside-down.
"Victory?" he had trembled in a bitter rage, he should have just blown the place to smithereens to shut him forever! anyway, he could if it was even possible to kill it, something he had begun to doubt. But no, he had actually believed that confronting it would... Had it lost its mind, hell maybe both had already while it had wrecked the world again just.. hundred times worse than he remembers and even thought possible, destroying everything for everyone and yet it was just playing the victim that narcissistic bastard.
He had replied bitterly as a reflex "What does it matter... Leo is.." he had gulped painfully "is better off dead anyway, far from your reach monster!"
"Dead?" The creature had asked absentminded "Yes! that would have been preferable... much more preferable...30 years and that is all you got? Makes me regret allowing your pitiful you existence to linger this long as I swore to her... to even contemplate that allowing your filthy presence near..." he said with a disgusted tone "might shake her up, but obviously it has not, it is futile as if I would allow your to defiling presence near her any further, none of what I have done has manage it either" words that made Don chill "so I guess it is hopeless. Out of time, out of reach until the end of time or whatever that is."
He despondently lifted his stare from the place she had vanished into thin air as the voice of the time master Simultaneous spoke.
"You turtles are an unending source of trouble aren't you, She, however, did get away with it," he ended with a scoff "a full timeline reset rippling even here impressive indeed, sadly you seem but a poor replacement, so now.. what do we do? it seems the unraveling has restarted at a faster rate guess somethings are beyond her predictions as well"
"Kill it!" he blurted bitterly
Simultaneous answered unfazed and a tad disappointed "as she did in the first or was it second version of it after you altered the timeline, I fear it might not be as simple as that, besides she... might remember it after all and come back to scold me for ruining things and that is not a chance I will take" he said with a chill.
"From where or when I come from... believe me there is nothing more to ruin..." the turtle said ominously.
"So you say you are supposed to be the smart one aren't you?... her arguments were better" replied Simultaneous not a bit impressed by the turtle's statement.
"when you look at me what do you see?
this costume I weave disfiguring me..."
"So... hear this" the turtle read in the run down patched history oddities book she had just found "King Peter became King of Portugal in 1357. He then stated that he had secretly married Ines, who was consequently the lawful queen, although his word was, and still is, the only proof of the marriage. Legend has it that he had Ines's body exhumed from her grave and forced the entire court to swear allegiance to their new queen by kissing the corpse's hand?... Ahh? .. I am not entirely sure is that supposed to be romantic or downright creepy" the turtle in blue pondered out loud as they quietly hanged around reading while the others were out scavenging "What do you think Don?"
"X to the ninth... darn what?" The turtle in purple absentmindedly replied focused on his calculations.
"Oh, nothing just some trivial weird thing. Sorry for interrupting." The turtle in blue said closing her book and heading to the dojo.
The turtle in blue entered the dojo hoping to have it all for herself only to find the red one punching the bag.
"Yo!" Raphael said while Leo idled in the threshold pondering how to make her next move not look as though she was running away saving face and turf unlike what she seemed to be doing a lot lately. Since the last she needed was the enmity particularly of the loud-mouthed turtle in Raph who would not let her forget any weakness shown until the end of times.
The also doubting Raph finally muster a greeting "So what's up!" He said leaving his mistreatment of the punching bag looking for some space too... "promise I am not trying to... darn...ya, want me to leave?" Leo shook her head and took a hesitant step backward but stopped herself "Is not as if... it is your home and were here first so whatever" Leo said unconvinced heading for a spot in the center to start a kata she was not so happy but time had shown her again and again that showing doubt or weakness with Raph was never an option.
Raphael resumed his punching the bag activity while Leo got fluid into the kata sequence she had chosen.
"You two got into a fight or lo...quarrel or some kind?" Leo look at him Inquiringly "quarrel?.. with whom?" regretting her actions had been obvious. "You and you know since we got back.. you two... wht.. none of my business anyway so how have you been?"
"Fine" Leo responded uncommitted.
"yeah right!" Said Raphael a bit sarcastic and punched the bag again...
Leo sighed but recognized the opportunity to settle things and get answers she so desperately needed and seize it with her biggest critic "Just how bad?" she said as held the bag holding the punch.
"What are ya..?"
"How bad it has been? How bad have I been?" Leonardo demanded in her the full leader tone mode, hoping it would not turn into the mess her last heart to heart had, but wanting to get to the bottom of it with someone not holding back looking at him right in the eyes.
Now it was Raphael regretting not leaving before.
Raph remained silent for a minute trying to find his voice.
"Ya still don't...Well... I.. well you have not... " he rasped been the word gulping in his throat but the tone in her voice commanding an answer while wandering where could master Splinter be to interrupt Leo's interrogatory.
"...Bad... OK," he said finally lowering his gaze his bottled anger muddling his throat "Hell ever since you returned it seem as all hell broke loose and ya have been hoarding the whole fricking nutjob menu!"
"Really?" Leo said unconvinced.
"Yeah really! Not knowing who or where you are, amnesiac, dimension jumping, scaring the hell off purple dragons and any... well more than usual. Hell, I don't even remember or pronounce half the terms Big brain used but I guess it was the whole psych book" Raph answered recognizing the old-time camaraderie they had once shared in simpler times.
"but I mean that us I have no idea what it means to... it must suck I mean we are all about.. but" He sighted as something dawned him "what the hell.. it is not as though ya would even remember this tomor..." he stopped lowering his gaze.
"Raphael! since when you hold your tongue for me" Leo asked a bit irritated.
Raphael had never been good at bottling his emotions and breathing in and out to reign over them so his reply came as a much-needed relief and a bit more brusque than his common sense would have advised "Ya want to know? You really want to know?... Well, fearless yo asked for it. Ok...here goes you disappearing with whoever is not exactly responsible no matter what, and whatever you and Big Brain.. well none of my business how are you cool with it?" he finally ventured something that had begun bothering him
"Darn has anyone even ask you what ya think or want.. I mean Splinter and Don I guess means well as he has enough opinions on that big brain of his to spare but since we all have sort of... I sort of assume but I mean" and the continued in a more decided tone "Look bro as far as I am concern ya should just do as ya as you want hell had it been me I sure would not have wanted Don, Splinter or anyone to butt in less know or take any shots. So here is goes Has anyone even ask you what you want to be? Not that is any of my business anyhow but seems kind of..."
"Weird?" Leonardo finished for him somehow a bit disappointed, Raphael no-nonsense approach had felt a bit refreshing the bro part in particular but at the bottom, it was more of the same after all so she prepared a noncommitted answer "I guess it is just something to... process I guess"
The noncommitted tone made Raphael react "What hell what does it even mean?!" the red-clad said, "another brush off as always!" having had an extenuating mental activity trying to organize his conflicting thoughts about it.
"So do you woke up one day and felt different I mean what does it even mean or work?" the red-clad said finally more to himself being unable to hide the frown on his head, "Really...that is why now you split with strangers. I mean why did ya leave like that again, hell why does it fell are you always on the verge of running away?"
Leo looked at him with her calculating glare for a while pondering her answer or hoping for an opening that came with and unexpected powering down that left Raph wondering if she would still be there when the emergency light returned.
Leonardo looked at him for a minute in the shadows and then slouched a bit since once he started talking he could sometimes be as meddlesome as Michelangelo save for the great "look at the shiny light" shortcut she could take with the youngest one to change the topic,
"to be honest, I still have no idea myself I am just me I guess. I do not feel" she winced a bit "any different, should I?"
"Darn" Raph said "at least answer why the hell did ya do it? Hhh? Ya know the whole... wedding disappearance act... you remember THAT at least right?" he doubted Leo sighed and decided to answer "That... Sorry about that I..honestly don't know"
"Come on!" You conveniently do not remember?" he said disbelievingly.
"No," She said unapologetically "I remember... I.. simply do not know why? I simply did not think it through.." she paused and sighed "and lost track of time... Raph I am so... " she said a bit hesitant " I don't run" she simply said, "I never do it is just sometimes... I just need some space that is all" She said almost in a whisper.
The light went up again making Raph chuckled at the irony of how simply she had put it
"so basically...you just... felt like it?!... Man, I am so answering ya like that next time I decide to split.. he said punching her lightly on the carapace.
"Well," Leo retorted "is not like you ever have elaborated much on your thug busting time outs with Casey either? and you leave ME to do the explaining."
"Yeah, but you forget I am not the responsible one Splinter Jr, turning missing now nin man?
"You are right, that is your exclusive prerogative after all" She replied,
"you insulting me?" Raph said a bit shocked She shook her head. Nah
"Was it even fun?" Raph asked looking at her
"I ..." She doubted
"not even an apology? hope you had your fun for we sure as hell did not." He said smirking and changing his tone "and just say something before you split again not that I care but you know you are not me so Team B they sort of expect you to be the responsible turtle here."
Ahem! The old master interrupted
Author's notes
It has been forever since I wrote this part, another looming epidemic about to be pandemic wrecked my trans-Pacific plans and the World is in no better state overall though some light beacons have appeared, unless we all work towards a better future the outlook is dim but well that is not entirely news. So why no try to finish this, so take care wash your hands frequently, avoid closed crowded spaces and keep safe overall.
