I'm finally back. I'd like to thank anyone who has been patient enough to wait for this chapter. I don't deserve it, but I really appreciate it. I hope my writing is still as good as before and brings you some kind of entertainment, even for a moment. I'm really busy and tired from work, but I'm gonna try to make a schedule of some sort to help me write more from now on. Nothing is set in stone, but I'll think of something.
Please enjoy!
Ch. 10
Night on the Town
Raph's P.O.V.
It had only been a week since the night Casey helped us with the Foot. He and I spent a few nights keeping guard around the lair, knocking down any stragglers from the bots that invaded. We were able to bust more than a few head and had a hell of a good time doing it. Even with the cocky attitude, he wasn't a bad guy and actually fun to hang out with. But even with the fun and extra training going on, there was one thing eating at me.
Nia and I had not been able to really be alone and talk since the night Casey jumped us. We obviously liked each other- which I still can't believe- and we hadn't been able to do anything about it. Ever since the Foot got into the lair, Splinter has been keeping us in the lair more and training us longer. Being stuck in training with everyone else didn't give me a chance to talk with her alone. Until today.
Nia was having trouble with the kata Sensei showed us today and decided to stay in the dojo to train a little longer. Thankfully, none of the others wanted to train anymore and left her alone. This was my chance to ask her…
And yet here I was, standing frozen outside of the dojo, unable to make myself walk in. Nia was standing in the center of the room, practicing the kata with her tessen. I saw how focused she was and thought about waiting to speak with her after she was done practicing. But it had been so hard to get a moment alone with her this past week, I might not get another chance. This might be the only chance I have alone with her. I stepped away from the doorway and shook my head.
"Okay, c'mon," I muttered to myself. "Stop being a wuss. You can do this!"
Man, I'm being stupid. Why was I so nervous? I don't get nervous about anything. It wasn't that big of a deal. The worst she could do is say no. But… what if she did say no? I groaned and smacked myself in the head. Don't be stupid! I thought. I clutched my fists, took a deep breath, and turned to walk into the dojo.
Nia was the only one in. Thank god.
I stepped further into the dojo and cleared my throat. Nia paused in the middle of her kata to look at me. She smiled as she slowly continued the move.
"Hey dude, what's up?"
"Nothing much," I said, trying to sound casual. "You getting some extra practice in?"
"Yeah. I've been feeling a little rusty with my tessen lately and I wanted improve a bit."
"Cool."
She turned away and went back to her stance. I stepped away a little bit to pretend to do some stretching, trying to come up with something else to say. But I had nothing. Screw it, I thought.
"Hey, Nia?"
"Hm?"
I took a deep breath. "Did you have anything going on this weekend?"
Nia giggled. "Me and the band are playing at the wedding this Saturday, remember?"
"That's… that's tomorrow, right?"
"Yep," Nia's movements slow down a bit. "I'm pretty nervous about it. It's not exactly the same as when I was singing on Halloween. But, our practices have been really good and I've memorized the music well. I think I'll be okay."
"Sure you will," I told her. "If you can handle a bunch of idiots in costumes, you can handle a few adults."
She raised an eyebrow at me. "We were in costumes too, you know."
I frowned and she chuckled. I hesitated before asking again.
"Well, what about Sunday?"
"Nothing planned then," she stopped moving and turned to face me. "Why?"
I could feel my stomach twist and my throat start to dry up. Just say it. I cleared my throat and spoke as confidently as I could.
"Well… if you're not doing anything, then maybe we could go to Murakami's and get something to eat."
Nia's eyes lit up. "Oh yeah! It's been a while since all of us have been there together. I've been craving his gyozas for ages."
My shoulders slumped as I gave her a defeated look. She thought I was talking about everyone. I shook my head.
"Actually, I thought maybe just you and I could go together. Um, without the others."
Nia's eyes widened as her tessen fell to the floor. She gasped and quickly picked it up, looking embarrassed as she placed it in its holster. Her face was turning pink. I could feel myself blushing too, but I ignored it.
"Is… is that something you would wanna do?" I asked cautiously.
Nia glanced at the floor, fiddling with her hands as she bit her lip. She has a bad habit of doing that. She always does it when she's nervous or thinking too hard. She moved her bangs behind her ear as she looked up to smile at me.
"Yeah… I think I'd like that."
I stared. "Yeah?"
She nodded. For a moment, all I could do was smile at her. I couldn't remember the last time I felt this happy or relieved. I just couldn't believe she actually said yes. It was only after a few seconds that I realized that we were just standing there, staring at each other. We both seemed to realize it at the same time because we blushed and turned away from each other.
"Cool," I muttered. "Um… we'll see each other Sunday?"
"Yeah, Sunday."
"Great." I turned to leave but stopped. "Oh, good luck on Saturday. You're gonna nail it!"
Nia giggled. "Thanks."
I turned and walked out of the dojo, feeling a million times better than I had before. I felt so stupid for all the worry and fear I had before. Of course she'd say yes. We both wanted to try and see where this would take us. A date is just the first step, right? Which brought me to my next step; setting up a date.
Nia's P.O.V.
"Girl, hold still, I'm trying to finish your eyeliner."
I rolled my eyes. I don't wear makeup. Like, ever. I've never really had any until I met Vanessa, and even then the only times I've worn it is when she would buy something new and beg to test it out on me. She loves doing makeup for people and says she has fun doing on me because I don't ever wear it. She had insisted on doing my makeup for the wedding, and she was really taking her time with it. I had been stuck in my room with her attached to my face for half an hour now.
"Do I really need that stuff?" I asked Vanessa, eyeing the sharp, black pencil in her hand with worry. "I mean, I know I needed a lot for the Halloween show, but is this necessary?"
Vanessa gave me a stern look. "Nia, you're going to a wedding. Weddings are one of the few events in the world where everyone should be dolled up," she held my chin up gently. "Now hold still."
"Sorry," I said sheepishly. "I guess I'm nervous."
"You ain't got a reason to be worried," Angus stared into my mirror as he messed with his hair. "You've already got your first-time jitters out of the way, so this show should be a little easier."
"And there's not going to be nearly as many people there as there was on Halloween," Vanessa added brightly as she carefully applied the liner. "It'll be a piece of cake."
"I hope so."
Angus stopped messing with his hair and turned to look at me. He gave me a concerned look and walked over to stand in front of me.
"What's wrong, Nia?" he asked. "This isn't just normal nerves, is it?"
Vanessa stopped applying the liner and frowned slightly at me. I didn't say anything at first. The truth was it wasn't just nerves. All day, I've had this stinking feeling in my stomach that something bad was going to happen. I wasn't sure if I was just jumpy from all the fights we had been in or if I was just overreacting, so I didn't bring it up. But, the way they were looking at me, I had to say something.
"It is a little," I admitted. "But… I don't know. I just have this feeling that something bad is gonna happen. I don't know what, but…"
"Nia, what could possibly go wrong?" asked Vanessa. "It's not as if the Kraang are gonna burst in and crash the wedding."
"I wouldn't put it passed them," I muttered. "They're annoying enough to do something like that."
"But, even if they did, it's not like we couldn't handle them," Angus said, putting a hand on my shoulder. "We've all gotten stronger since they tried to invade, and I wouldn't mind havin' a rematch."
It was true. Ever since the incident with the Technodrome, Angus and Vanessa were learning to better defend themselves. Angus had been taking boxing lessons again, and Vanessa was practicing with butterfly knives late at night with her uncle. They both had even been asking for a few pointers from Splinter. They weren't nearly as skilled as me and the guys were, even April was more advanced than them, but they could definitely hold their own in a fight if it came down to it.
"Hopefully, we won't have to worry about that," I looked over at Vanessa. "You finished yet?"
"Well, I did want to try putting some mascara on, too. And maybe…"
"Hey, could I get some of that?" Angus asked, pointing to the foundation. "I've got a red spot on my chin that's been buggin' me."
It was another 20 minutes before she was finally finished and would let me move again. But, despite the time it took, I had to give her credit. She knew that I wasn't comfortable wearing too much makeup and put on just enough to notice, but not too much that it made me look like a different person. The skin on my face looked flawless, the soft teal color around my eyes made them pop, and the clear pink gloss on my lips made them shine. I wouldn't let her put blush on me though. It just felt like too much for some reason.
We didn't have to dress too formally for the wedding. Angus was wearing dark blue button up and a black jacket, and the rest of the guys were wearing similar clothes. I was wearing a short, cocktail dress that Vanessa had helped me buy a week before. I don't really wear dresses, or even skirts, but I actually liked this one. It was a soft, blue-gray color with a floral lace pattern and short sleeves, and I could actually move around in it pretty well. Vanessa tried to convince me to wear heels, but I put my foot down on that one. I didn't need to get into a habit of wearing shoes that would morph my feet, so I went with some simple black flats. Vanessa offered to let me borrow her diamond studs for the night, but I wanted to keep my blue moons in.
Surprisingly enough, Angus helped me out with my hair. He said most of the other kids in his music classes were girls, and they would ask him for help all the time. He didn't do much, just helped me brush it and pin it up, but hung around my face so nice and neat it looked like he spent hours on it. The final piece of the outfit was the small handheld bag Vanessa was letting me borrow. She gave it to me to put make up in so I could touch up later, but I found better use for it and decided to put my T-phone and tessen in there as well. I can't afford to go out unarmed these days. Finally, we were all done.
The boys were all sitting in the pit, getting ready to watch some more SRMFF. They had all taken their spots on the couch and cushions and Mikey had a big bowl of popcorn in his lap. Vanessa moved around us, leapt into the pit, and sat herself right next to Mikey, who instantly put an arm around her as he handed her the popcorn.
"Wow, you look amazing Nia," Donnie said, smiling at me.
Leo nodded. "That dress looks great on you."
"The bride's gonna be jealous," Mikey sang loudly.
I could feel myself blush and laughed at him. I glanced over at Raph and saw that he was staring at me with his mouth slightly open. I could feel my face growing even hotter and gave him a small smile. He cleared his throat and tried to sound casual as he laughed.
"I thought Halloween would be the last time we'd see you in a dress."
I rolled my eyes. "I don't think I'll ever not wear a dress again as long as she's around," I stated simply, pointing at Vanessa.
"You can thank me later," she said loudly, not even looking at me as she snuggled up closer to Mikey.
"Lavinia."
I turned and saw Master Splinter coming out of the dojo and walking towards us. I nervously scratched the back of my head as I walked up to him. He looked down at me in silence for a few moments before his face broke into a loving smile.
"You look absolutely wonderful, dear," he said lovingly. "I hope you perform excellent tonight."
I beamed up at him. "Thank you, Sensei. I should be back by 9 tonight."
Angus' phone started to buzz again. "That's Martin, they're on their way to the skating rink. We better get going."
I gave Sensei a quick hug, waved to the others, and off we went.
It wasn't a long walk to the skating rink. I knew short cut in the sewers that would get us there in 10 minutes. When we got there, I pushed up the manhole cover and peeked out, making sure no one was around. Then, I pushed the cover out of the way and crawled out. Angus crawled out behind me.
"I never thought the sewers would be such a good way to travel," he said as he helped me move the cover back. "I've been walking around them with y'all so much, I've started using them on my own more. I took a path to get to school the other day and got there 20 minutes early."
I laughed. "Glad we could introduce you to the convenience of the sewers."
We brushed ourselves off and began walking down the street. The skating rink was only a block away from here. It was only 7pm, we didn't need to be at the reception hall until 8. With nothing much to say, I listen to Angus gush about Paige finally being able to crawl on her own as we made our way to the rink.
Pretty soon we were walking along the sidewalk across the street from it, and we looked both ways before running crossing over.
"Where are they?" Angus asked as he looked around the front of the building. "They should've already been here."
I looked around. "You think they parked in the back?"
"Martin said he'd park in front."
Angus took out his phone and started to dial Martin's number. As he did, I glanced around the whole lot to see if maybe the others were just parked out of sight or something. Just as I was about to give up, I spotted Martin's red car parked on the opposite end of the parking lot.
"That's them, right?"
Angus turned to look where I was pointing and frowned. "Yeah. Why the hell are they parked over there?"
I shrugged as we started to make our way over to the car. The inside looked completely black, and it was difficult to see the others inside. Angus, looking irritated, dialed Martin's number again, probably to ask why he was being creepy.
Suddenly a loud, upbeat ringtone started playing out loud just as I stepped on something. Angus and I both jumped and stopped in our tracks as soon as we heard the music. I looked down and frowned at whatever I had stepped on. It only took me a second to realized that it was a cell phone. I picked it up and looked down at the screen- the caller ID showed Angus' number.
"That's Martin's phone…" Angus said lowly.
We looked at each other before turning to stare at the car, parked slightly at an angle away from us. I held my hand out in front of Angus to keep him behind me. I reached into the handbag and pulled out my tessen, opening it and holding it out in front of me. We both slowly made our way closer towards the car and I reached my hand out to grab the door handle. I quickly yanked it open and aimed my tessen, but I didn't see anyone in the front. I looked into the back but didn't see anyone there either. I turned to Angus and gestured to the car.
"Get in."
"Wha-"
"Get in!"
I grabbed his jacket and pulled him closer to the car. He muttered irritably as he made his way into the drivers seat and I shut the door. I turned and looked out all over the parking lot, trying to see if I could catch anything moving. I held my tessen out as I started to take a few steps forward, ready for something to come out and charge at me.
Suddenly I heard a loud bang from behind me and whipped around. Something large just landed on top of the car and was crouching low. I could see enough to tell it was a mutant animal. It raises its head, and I gasped as I recognize the bobcat from Athena's 'army' I had seen on Halloween. I think her name was Whacker. As soon as I saw her, I instantly threw my tessen at her. It went for her head, but she blocked it with an armored forearm. That's when I noticed that she was wearing silver armor, complete with chest plate and forearm guards. Where did she get that?
I sprinted forward and just managed to grab my tessen before she landed on the ground and tried to swipe at me. I quickly leapt back and raised my tessen to block her attacks, the metal on her arms clanging loudly. This was bad. If these guys are here, then that means Athena is here too. But why? Why tonight? Did she do something with the others?
As I continued to fight, I heard the sound of a car door slamming and I looked up to see Angus starting to sprint towards me. Before I could tell him to get back in the car a large dark shape suddenly swooped down from the roof, heading straight for him. It was already on him by the time I realized it was the hawk, Blade, who was clad in armor similar to Whacker. He grabbed Angus and suddenly pulled him into the air. I could hear Angus yelling and cursing as he was being carried away in the dark sky.
What do I do?! At that moment my mind snapped to my T-phone. Donnie had installed a new alarm system in the phones ever since April got cornered at school. All I had to do was press the button and it would send my location to all their phones with an emergency call. It was much easier than sending a mass text. I just needed to get far away long enough to activate it.
Whacker went to punch me, but I managed to grab her wrist and stop her. I closed my tessen, held it out and jabbed her in the head. She half screamed, half growled as she backed away, clutching her head in pain. I took the opportunity to turn and sprint across the parking lot towards the street. I quickly pulled out my phone and looked for the emergency feature on it. I breathed a sigh of relief as I found the app and pressed the button.
Just as the call went out, I felt something ram into me and push me down onto the ground. My phone flew out of my hand and skidded a few feet away as I fell on my side, hitting my head on the ground. My vision flashed and little stars appeared in front of me. It took me a moment to realize something heavy was pinning me down. I tried to turn my head and saw a large black wing hovering over me. Probably the bat, Slaze. I could hear him huffing and snarling above me. I struggled to move and looked up to see my T-phone laying just a foot away from me. At that moment a large foot came down and stepped on it, smashing it to pieces. My mouth fell open and I let out a strangled moan.
"My playlists…"
"Oh, you have more to worry about than that."
The figure stepped forward and crouched down. It was the fox, Rouge. He wore the same smirk he had the night they took Paige. He was in similar armor like the other mutants, though his looked shinier and more impressive.
"Boss wants to see you, sweetheart," he said smugly. "Are you gonna make this difficult for us?"
I glared and immediately tried to move my arms to swing at him, but Slaze pinned me down even harder, making me cry out. Rouge shook his head.
"Yeah, I thought so."
With one quick movement his fist connected with my face, and my vision went black.
Raph's P.O.V.
Murikami didn't close his restaurant until 11pm, so I knew I would be there soon enough that he would still be inside. Once I got there, I snuck around the building and peeked through the windows to make sure it was empty. After making sure it was safe, I ran around to the back and knocked on the door. The guys and I have been coming through the back for a while, ever since we almost got spotted by a couple walking by the front of the restaurant one night. I knocked a few more times before I heard footsteps on the other side. I took a step back as it opened and Murikami stepped out.
"Hey Murikami, it's Raphael."
"Ah! Raphael-san! So good to see you."
I stared at him for a moment as he laughed. I laughed too and shook my head.
"How've you been, man?"
"Very well, thank you," he paused for a moment then said, "Oh, are you alone? Have your brothers lost their taste for my cooking already?"
"No, no," I chuckled. "Nothing like that. I just… I wanted to ask you something."
"What is it?"
Even though I knew he couldn't see me, it felt like he was staring at me through those dark glasses. I brought my hands together and cleared my throat.
"You close at 9 on Sundays, right?"
"Correct."
"Well, if it's not too much trouble, Murikami, I was wondering if you'd be willing to stay open just a little later tomorrow night?"
Murikami smiled. "Of course! I miss having you all in my restaurant. No one else orders my pizza gyoza, and I must admit I have a lot of fun making it."
"Ah, no, it wouldn't be all of us."
Murikami frowned. I swallowed hard.
"Um, you know Nia?"
"Of course! Wonderful girl, isn't she?"
"Yeah, she is…" I sighed, but I shook my head and continued. "Well… it's actually just going to be me and her tomorrow."
Murikami raised his eyebrows for a moment. Then he let out a soft "Oh…" and grinned. I could tell that I didn't need to explain it to him and groaned.
"Yeah, um, would that be alright?" I asked. "I mean, just this once?"
He let out a loud chuckle and nodded. "Absolutely, Raphael. I would be honored to have you both here tomorrow night."
"Really? Wow, thanks man!"
"No trouble. I should be empty by 9:30. Just come by after then and I'll let you in from the back."
"Sure," I turned to leave. "Thanks a million, Murikami. I owe you one!"
He waved in my general direction as I ran around the building. I could feel myself grinning like an idiot the whole time I ran home.
I could feel myself growing more excited and nervous. I did not want to over think anything, but I could not stop thinking about it and what I should do. One thing I had not thought about yet was how to explain to the guys why only me and Nia are going to get food. We did not want the others to know about this yet- not until we can figure it out for ourselves. Personally, I do not want to because it's not their damn business, but I know we can't keep quiet about it forever.
I was looking at one of my comics trying to distract myself a bit, but it was not really working. I had been staring at the same page for half an hour. The others were too busy watching TV to even notice me. Donnie gave me a funny look earlier, but nothing else.
"Oh man! I can't believe Impractical Jokers is still going on!" Mikey said, laughing as he rolled around on the beanbag chair.
"I can, this stuff if hilarious!"
"Nia's really missing out," said Donnie. "She loves this show."
I glanced up at the TV to see Sal being forced to read something crude off a flashcard one of the others had written. I laughed and shook my head. Nia loves comedy and she really gets her fix with this show. If she was here, she would be laughing her butt off with the rest of us. The thought of her smile made me grin.
"You look really happy seeing that guy get his teeth smashed in," Donnie said offhandedly.
I snapped from my thoughts and turned to look at him, then looked back at my comic. There was, indeed, some poor dude getting his face punched, teeth flying across the pages. I huffed irritably.
"You would be too if you saw what he did before."
"I don't get what you see in those," said Donnie. "And I don't get why Nia reads them, too."
"Because she has good taste," I told him firmly. "Just ask her when she comes back."
"When is she supposed to get back?"
"I think she said 9."
Suddenly, all of our phones started going off. A loud alarm was blaring from the speakers and the screens were flashing red. Leo, Mikey and I stared at our phones, confused. Donnie, however, was suddenly up on his feet.
"Oh god, it's an emergency call!"
"A what?" asked Leo.
"I installed an emergency alarm in all the T-Phones, to let the rest of us know when one of us is in trouble," he explained quickly and angrily. "Right after April was attacked at school. Did none of you listen to me when I explained it?"
"That depends," Mikey started. "Was I eating pizza or drinking a shake while you were talking? 'Cause if I was, I probably didn't hear it."
I marched over and knocked him in the head. He frowned at me, rubbing the back of his head. Donnie didn't even flinch at his statement though and was staring at his screen.
"It's coming from Nia's phone!"
"What?"
"Where is she?"
We all ran forward to crowd around Donnie as he flipped through the screen. He pressed a button and a map popped up, a bright green dot sitting in the center.
"There she is!" said Donnie. "She's behind the skating rink that's a few blocks away from here."
"But she's supposed to already be at the wedding across town," Leo said confused. "What is she doing there?"
"Who cares?" I snapped. "She's in trouble! We gotta go help her!"
We all nodded and turned to run out of the lair.
Nia's P.O.V.
I could hear the distant sound of rushing water as I slowly started to come to. I knew where I was before I even opened my eyes. I could smell it in the air; I was in one of the deepest parts of the sewer, a whole level below my home. It took only a second for me to remember what had happened and I immediately tried to stand, but the moment I moved I realized my arms where bound. I turned and saw that I was tied to a metal pole with my hands behind my back.
"Let me go, damn it!"
My head snapped up as I heard Angus' voice and saw that I was in what looked like a large empty area that connected the sewer tunnels. The yell had come from the other side of the huge circle I was sitting in, and I saw Angus being tied to a pole by Blade. I looked over and noticed that three other figures sat tied to the poles, all still unconscious- Martin, Joseph, and Ace. I felt my blood run cold as I stared at their slumped figures, noticing a dark bruise forming on Joseph's cheek and a bloody scratch on Ace's right leg. Martin, thankfully, appeared to be unharmed.
"It's about time you woke up."
My eyes lifted to the level above me and landed on three figures- Rouge, who was fanning himself with my tessen, giving me an arrogant smirk. Blaze, who stood firm and unmoving, arms folded as he glared down at me. Standing between them, sporting a beautifully wicked smile, was Athena. She was wearing armor similar to her comrades, except she was the only one with a full set; complete with chest plate, shin guards, and silver gauntlets with what I assumed were "battle claws", making her talon-like nails look even more deadly. I could not help but wonder where the hell she had gotten such attire.
"I knew Rogue hit you too hard," she said disappointedly. "I told him to be as gentle as possible. Now we've wasted a whole hour."
"It's not my fault she wanted to be difficult," Rogue said in a bored voice as he continued to fan himself. "Besides, she could use the beauty sleep."
I felt my anger spike as I watched him handle my weapon so casually without care. I started to struggle against my binds when suddenly Whacker rushed up to me, holding a dagger up to my neck.
"Stop resisting so damn much!" she spat. "You're lucky Athena doesn't want us to hurt you."
"Take a pill, Whacker. She's not our enemy, she's just a bit stubborn. We have to be patient."
Whacker and I glared at each other for a moment before she let out a low hiss and stepped away. Athena leapt up and spread her wings, causing her to almost float to the ground in front of us. She looked over at me for a moment before she turned to look down at the others.
"Interesting pick in friends, Lavinia. I was surprised to find you knew anyone who was so… normal. I mean, April is one person, but these three don't have an entire alien race after them." Her voice was casual as she paced in front of all of them. "I dug as deep as I could and didn't find anything. Nothing connected to the Kraang or any of your enemies, not even something as simple as fishy family members. They're just a group regular high school city boys."
Athena stopped suddenly stopped pacing in front of Martin. She stood still for a moment before taking a few steps forward and kneeling in front of him. I stared as she gently grabbed his chin with her hand and lifted his head up, and I thought I could see his eyebrows twitching.
"Perfectly normal, all three of them," Athena's voice was so low I was surprised I could still hear it. "It makes me cringe."
"Get the hell off him!" Angus yelled at her.
Athena's head snapped to him so quickly I heard her neck crack. Her purple eyes were piercing even from here, and Angus was silent when they were on him. He did not faulter or back down though and glared back at her with anger I hadn't seen since I told him about Paige's kidnapping.
"Ah, you must be Angus, right?"
Her voice was sweet, but there was no mistaken the venom in her words. She stayed on her knees as she crawled her way towards him, her eyes never leaving his. She advanced on him, and Angus shook his head as she grasped his face, forcing him to face her. Her smile terrified me.
"Oh yes," she sighed. "I have something special planned for you."
"Leave him alone, Athena," I spoke loudly, trying not to let my voice shake. "Whatever you want, take it up with me. This isn't about them."
"Oh, but it is."
Athena raised a gentle hand and graced it almost lovingly against Angus' face. He snarled and tried to move but to no avail. She chuckled before letting go and finally standing up.
Okay, calm down. I told myself. I knew for a fact that I had pressed the emergency button on my T-Phone, so the boys must have gotten it. I wasn't sure how far away we were from the skate rink, but they couldn't have taken us too far, especially if all she wanted to do was talk. All I had to do was distract her long enough for them to find us.
"So, what's with the armor?" I asked, trying to sound casual while keeping my tone harsh. "I can't imagine you've had time to shop with all of your scheming."
She chuckled. "Funny you should ask. I took the liberty of borrowing it from your family's one and only nemesis."
I'm so stunned that for a moment I forget about everything else. "Shredder?!"
"Yes! Well, borrow is a strong word. My friends and I were able to track down one of his warehouses that was getting some armor delivered, and we helped ourselves to some of his prizes."
"Why would you steal from the Shredder? What do you have against him?"
"Oh, it's nothing personal, Lavinia. We needed supplies and he unknowingly delivered," she stated simply. "But, I do happen to know that he has been working alongside the Kraang for a while, and I for one don't have a reason to trust anyone who aligns themselves with them. If he wishes to be allied with them, then he is our enemy as well."
I shook my head. "But why would you need armor in the first place?"
"Well, after the misunderstanding on Halloween I realized it would be nice to have a little protection if your brothers decided to make things difficult for us."
"If you'd just leave us alone-"
"You and I both know that isn't an option, Lavinia," she cut across me. "You and I still have a lot to discuss, and you still have a choice to make."
I glared at her before glancing back at the others. "But what about them? Why drag them into this?"
"Isn't it obvious? You're a very talented musician Lavinia, and you have an incredible voice. It's no secret that someone like you would have ambitions of taking it somewhere," Athena gave me a pitying smile. "But, I'm afraid trivial stuff such as that is too distracting for you. You have so much potential and a much higher calling than the life of a singer, and I'd hate to see you lose your way. So, I've taken it upon myself to get rid of your distractions, starting with your bandmates."
My heart stopped for a moment. "W-wait, are you- What are you going to do?"
Athena didn't answer immediately. After a moment of silence she raised her hand and snapped her fingers. Rouge and Blaze both leapt down from the upper level and stood over the others. Rouge reached down for Martin's wrist and held his limp hand in the air. He then grasped two of Martin's fingers, a wicked grin forming on his face.
"So, I'm going to give you a choice, Lavinia," said Athena. "You can either choose to leave the band willingly and give up these frivolous desires, or… I can make it so they never play again."
I couldn't respond even if I'd wanted to. My eyes were fixated on Martin's hand. Was she going to break them? Was she going to torture them? Horrible, violent images flashed through my mind, causing me to shake.
"M-Martin…?"
I gasped when I heard Joseph's voice. Athena and I both turned to look back at the others. Martin and Ace were barley stirring, but Joseph was shaking his head and blinking wildly.
"Oh look, he's awake," said Athena, and I could tell she was grinning. "This will be interesting. I wonder how you'll explain this one, Lavinia."
Joseph started to struggle once he realized he was tied up, and Blaze snarled threateningly at him. Joseph let out a choked scream and coward back, looking terrified. His eyes finally landed on me, and he looked even more afraid.
"Nia?!"
"Joseph, stay calm," I told him, trying to sound more reassuring than I actually did. "Everything is gonna be fine, I promise."
"Aw, don't lie to him like that, Lavinia," Athena turned back to me. "How do you know everything will be okay? You haven't made your decision yet."
"If you hurt them-"
"That's entirely up to you, my friend."
I glared up at her and snarled, "We are not friends, and we never will be."
Athena narrowed her eyes at me. Maybe I imagined it, but her purple hues seemed flicker as she stared back at me. I could feel the tension in my face begin to fade as an almost relaxed sensation washed over me. For some reason, I couldn't take my eyes away from hers.
"Are you sure about that, Lavinia?"
There was a loud thwack, and suddenly Blade was laying on the ground, unconscious. Athena finally broke her gaze with me and whipped around. Blaze, Rouge and Whacker looked from their fallen comrade to their leader, and all of them shrugged.
"What happened?!"
That's when I saw it. A glint of silver shot passed me, and Athena leapt back in surprised. I looked down to see they were throwing stars. The boys had come!
A figure dropped down right in front of me, and I knew instantly that it was Leo. I saw Raph, Donnie, and Mikey all land in front of the others, separating them from Athena's minions. All of them had their weapons out, looking ready to kick some serious ass. The mutant army was surprised and backed away, huddling in the center.
"What the fuck is going on…?" Joseph asked desperately, staring at the chaos all around him.
"I thought I told you to destroy the T-Phones!" Athena screamed.
"I did!" Rouge retorted. "She was the only one who had one though. You said only the T-Phones send the emergency signals."
"I was able to send the signal out before you destroyed it!" I told him gleefully.
"But how did you find us from there?"
"You may have destroyed Nia's phone, but we were able to track you using Angus' phone," Donnie smirked. "You should've brought your tech with you; she would've had the brains to at least turn the location off."
Athena turned her head around to glare daggers at Rouge- just her head. For the first time since I had met him, he looked scared.
"I-I didn't-"
"If we weren't surrounded right now, I swear-"
"Give it up, Athena," Leo raised his katana towards her. "You're out numbered. It's over."
"It's not over until I say it is!"
Then she reared her head back and let out a loud, piercing screech. Everyone who wasn't unconscious keeled over in pain, covering their ears. I was still tied up and had to grind my teeth through the pain. Athena raised her wings and suddenly shot herself into the air.
"STOP THEM!"
Her three remaining fighters instantly turned onto Mikey, Donnie and Raph, trying to get to the others. Leo wasted no time in untying me.
"Are you okay?"
"I'm fine," I told him. "They got my tessen though."
Leo reached in his belt and pulled out my kamas. I thanked whatever entities were above and hastily grabbed them. There was another less powerful screech and I shoved Leo out of the way before Athena was upon me. I managed to block her claws with my kamas as she pushed me onto my back.
"Go help the others!" I yelled.
Leo ran to go assist, and Athena turned her head to glare at him. She was about to get up, probably to chase him, but I grabbed her head and without thinking, headbutted her in the beak. She and I both yelled in pain as we rolled away from each other. I shook it off and quickly got back on my feet, grasping my kamas tightly as I stumbled into a stance. Athena turned to glare at me, flexing her metal claws menacingly.
With another screech, she charged. I managed to block her attack and shoved her away before swinging. She blocked me on the third swing and kicked me in the stomach, knocking me back a few feet. I managed to raise my blades in time to block her next attack. We pushed against each other for a few moments, teeth bared and glaring at each other. I quickly raised my foot and stomped my heel into one of her feet. She screeched and faltered, and I spun around to kick her in the head, knocking her to the ground.
I remained in a defensive stance, ready for her to pounce back. Athena clutched her head as she faced me, her eyes violently bright.
"Why are you making this so difficult?!" she screamed. "All of this- all of them are beneath you! Don't you know what you're capable of? Don't you know what you are?"
"Right now, I'm pissed off and done with your crap!"
I ran forward and made to swing, but Athena dodged and instantly gripped my wrist. She held it tightly as she suddenly pulled me into the air, high above the whole circle. I grabbed her arm to try to make her let go, but she wouldn't budge. She was staring at me with an icy expression that was very different from before. Her irises seemed to vibrate, her gaze maddening and scary.
"Don't make me do this," she said in a voice that was not her own.
"Athena!"
Her and I both stopped and looked down. All of her minions were huddled against the wall, looking ready to quit or pass out any moment. The boys had them surrounded, their weapons pointed at the ready. Leo was glaring up at Athena, his katana aimed and ready in case she charged.
Athena's breathing seemed to settle slightly as she stared down at Leo. After a moment she slowly lifted her head to look back at me. Her eyes had lost some of the vibrance they had moments ago, and her expression had softened. She looked…sad. It was so shocking I wasn't sure whether I should feel relieved or terrified.
"My apologies, Lavinia," she said in her normal, sweet voice. "Sometimes my anger gets the best of me, I wasn't myself. Really, I wasn't."
Without another word, she let go. I screamed as I fell and hit the ground hard, and a sharp pain shot through my foot and leg. I let out a painfilled yell and Leo shouted for me, but I looked up in time to see Athena knock him back, causing him to fall into a pile with the other boys. She flew up into the air and turned to look down.
"Everyone, retreat!"
The mutants seemed to snap out of their groggy state and instantly started to fall back. Raph tried to get a few swings at them but missed. Athena waited until each one had left before turning back to me. She had a sickeningly sweet smile on her face as she raised her hand… my tessen held tight in her metal claws.
"I'll be sure to return this to you next time," she called out. "See you soon, Lavinia!"
She turned and shot out through one of the pipes.
"NO!"
I tried to get up to follow her, but an intense pain shot through my ankle and I fell to my knees.
"Nia, calm down."
"She has my tessen! We have to get it back!"
"Nia, she's gone."
"No, she-"
"Nia!" Leo grabbed my shoulders and looked at me seriously. "She's gone."
I stared up at him for a few moments, letting the reality sink in. I had lost my tessen. Athena had my tessen. My heart sank and my head was pounding, and for a moment I thought I was going to vomit. I gripped Leo's arms tightly to steady myself, and he held me there for a few moments, one hand rubbing my back gently. After a few deep breaths I sighed.
"Okay…"
Once the others had gathered themselves, we began to help the others. Angus was anxious to make sure our friends were okay, completely ignoring the bleeding scratch on his forehead. Martin and Ace seemed to be ready to wake up any moment, and Joseph looked nervous and hesitant as I untied him. I carefully held his face in my hand as I examined the bruise on his left cheek.
"Doesn't look too bad, you just need some ice," I looked him in the eyes. "Are you hurt anywhere else?"
"I-I don't think so."
I nodded and stood up, putting all of my weight on my good foot, and held my hands out to him. He shakily took them and I helped him to his feet. He gulped loudly as he rubbed his wrists.
"You, uh… you know how to fight, huh?"
I shrugged and nodded. "Yeah, I've been training since I was 8."
Joseph stared at me for a second. "Not going to lie, it was kind of hot."
Despite our situation, I could help but snort at his response. Raph instantly snapped his head to glare at him when he heard that, but thankfully didn't say anything.
"Good to know your sense of humor is still intact."
Joseph smirked. Suddenly, we both heard grumbling beside us.
"What the… wha-"
We both turned to see Martin shaking his head and trying to move- he was awake. Leo was helping untie him but suddenly stopped, staring in shock. In fact, all the boys stopped and stared at Martin, waiting for what was going to happen next. I started to make my way to him and instinctively stepped on my bad foot. I yelped and groaned, and Donnie immediately came over and put my arm around his shoulder, helping keep me up. Joseph went over to Martin, giving Leo a strange look before simply shrugging and putting a hand on his cousin's shoulder.
"Martin? Hey, can you hear me?"
Martin shook his head and clutched it with his hand. He blinked for a few moments before looking up. He blinked several times more, his eyes darting around at all for turtles. He let out a shaky gasp and tried to back against the wall.
"Hey, hey! It's okay!" I said quickly, and his eyes shot to me instantly. "You're safe now. These guys are friends, they're cool."
"I… th-that…" he swallowed hard and continued, "What the hell happened?"
"You missed it dude!" Joseph spoke almost excitedly. "When you stepped out of the car this giant bobcat or something caught you and knocked you out. They got Ace and I, too. There were mutant animals with armor and weapons, and these turtles here just jumped in and stomped them! Nia fought their leader head on, and kicked ass! It was so-"
"If you say 'hot' again, I'm gonna tie you back up," Raph stated shortly.
Joseph swallowed hard. "I was going to say 'cool', but… duly noted."
"We need to get out of here," Leo said quickly, then turned to Martin. "Can you walk?"
"I…y-yes, I can."
"Good," he turned to Joseph. "Could you two help your friend…?"
"Ace."
"Ace. He's still out and his leg is hurt."
Once Martin was able to stand, he and Joseph helped pick Ace up. He seemed to be fading in and out of consciousness at this point.
"Where to?" Angus asked.
"We… we should probably head to the lair," Leo spoke hesitantly. "At least to patch them up. Besides, they might be on the surface and the last thing we need is to get into another fight.
We all nodded in unison. Without another word, we started to make our way through the sewers. Finally, it was over. We were safe. But the loss of my tessen had left a bad taste in my mouth that wouldn't go away.
Sensei was upset and cautious for about two seconds when he saw my bandmates, that was until he saw how injured they were. He and Donnie assisted each other in cleaning and patching up the boys, as well as giving them pain killers. The boys were slightly more freaked out when they saw Sensei, but after a few calming words they seemed ready to trust him a little. Ace ended up waking up while Donnie was wrapping some gauze on his leg. Everyone expected him to freak out. Instead, he stated out loud that he must be either crazy or dying and lazily laid back to "accept his fate". We all chuckled at that, and I assured him that he was not crazy nor dying.
Once my bandmates got over the shock of it all we were able to explain somewhat. Who the turtles where, that they were who I lived with, how Athena seemed borderline obsessed with me- we gave them the short version, but still. Martin still seemed suspicious but calm, Ace tried to seem chill and nonchalant(but was definitely slightly freaked out), and Joseph couldn't stop going on about how cool it all was. Said it was like something out of a comic book. I was just so glad that none of them were scared or angry that I didn't want to tell him that living in a comic books isn't always as fun as reading one.
We came up for an excuse for ourselves as Donnie helped tend to my ankle. We were in a car accident on the way to the wedding, and were unable to make it. The dents left in the car left by Athena's minions jumping on it would help, as well as the boys' injuries and smashed phones(Athena had destroyed them in an attempt to keep them from being tracked). It probably wasn't the best we could come up with, but it was all we had. Joseph would have to finally call his friend to let them know using Angus' phone.
Once it was all said and done, Leo, Raph and Mikey all offered to help guide the boys back to their car and home to ensure they wouldn't be followed or attacked again. They hesitated for only a moment before they all agreed. They nervously thanked Splinter for his kindness and patience, to which he simply said, "Any friend of Lavinia's is a friend of mine, and is always welcomed here."
They each thanked the guys for coming in to save them, and sorry for any trouble. The turtles were gracious enough, safe for Raph, who looked smug as hell when Joseph thanked him.
Then they came up to me. They thanked me for helping them, and that they were sorry that they let themselves get used for bait against me. I told them not to think like that. I apologized for allowing them to get involved with this part of my life, and that I never wanted to see them hurt. We came in for a group hug. Even Ace was feeling more affectionate than usual. But, there was an unspoken agreement between us.
We needed to talk. There would be time to talk, but not tonight. We needed rest, and we all had a lot of thinking to do now.
That was last night. Tonight, I was in my room after being assigned bedrest by both Donnie and Sensei. Neither of them wanted me to risk hurting myself any more than I had. I understood being careful, but staying it bed all day was boring! I couldn't even listen to music until Donnie got a new T-phone for me.
Eventually I settled on just playing my guitar. I could always rely on music in one way or another to help pass the time. But, even as I played, all it seem to do was make me think of my bandmate, and of Athena. She knew about them, but how? Was she able to hack our phones and see our messages? Did she know where they lived? Would she go after them or their families? I was starting to wonder if being in a band was worth getting my friends mixed up in my crazy, dangerous life.
My thoughts were interrupted by a knock on the door.
"Come in!"
There was a pause before the door opened up to reveal Raph.
"Hey."
"Hey!" I smiled as I set my guitar next to me against my bed. "What's up?"
Raph didn't answer immediately. He stood in the doorway, half hidden by the door, shuffling his feet.
"So…" he coughed. "I, uh… I guess going out tonight isn't gonna work, huh?"
My face flushed as I looked down. "No… I guess not."
I was almost as upset about that as I was about losing my tessen. Raph and I had been skirting around our feelings for ages and now, when we want to see where it takes us, I get hurt and screw it up. technically, Athena screwed it up, but it was partially my fault as well. I should have been quicker; I should have been more careful.
"You're overthinking again."
I suddenly realized I was biting my lip and stopped, looking up at him sheepishly.
"Raph, I'm really sorry. I promise, as soon as my ankle is healed I'll make it up to you."
"Don't worry yourself, it's okay," he shrugged. "I mean, this is kind of our life. It's gonna happen."
I sighed and nodded. For a moment, I wondered if trying to go out was even worth it. We are almost always training or fighting or getting ourselves injured. Would there ever be a enough time? Raph finally stepped into the room, closing the door with his foot. He was holding his hands behind his back.
"So, I, um…"
Raph shuffled his feet some more before revealing his hands, which were holding large to-go bags with a very familiar logo on them.
"I figured we could just eat here instead," his voice was low and nervous. "I mean, it has been a while since we've eaten Murikami's."
I blinked at stared at the to-go bags before looking up at him. I could feel my face heat up even more, but this time I didn't look away.
"Raph, that's so awesome! Thank you!"
Raph grinned, looking very proud of himself. He sat on one end of the bed and handed me one of the bags. I started to dig in while he dug into the other.
"Wait, do the others-"
"I got some for everyone," he said quickly. "Told them I was getting dinner for everyone. They think I'm just being nice because you're hurt."
I nodded before diving in. I could tell by the smell that he had gotten our favorite pizza gyoza. But, I noticed a large container next to the box, and a familar smell wafting from it.
"You got me eggdrop soup?"
Raph grinned. "It's your favorite, isn't it? Don't tell the others, I only got them gyoza."
My chest suddenly felt light and fluttery, and I could feel adrenaline pulsing through me, urging me to do something. I carefully set the bag aside, reached forward and grabbed Raph by the edge of his plastron. I pulled him forward gently and gave him a sweet but quick kiss. It was the only thing I could think of.
"Thank you so much, dude."
Raph sat there for a moment, stiff and stunned. He swallowed and shook his head before giving me a small smile.
"Anytime."
It was probably the best gyoza and soup I had ever eaten, and for just a little while, the bitter taste left from my loss and defeat was gone.
I hope you enjoyed! For reference, Athena's battle claws are based off the claws from Guardians of Ga'Hoole, a grand idea from bluebarnowl.
