"Soooooo... Raph." The brothers exchanged glances. Michelangelo drew his lips in and folded his hands behind his back, gingerly stepping about the room. "How's going....?" Don watched closely for a response. Raphael raised his eyeridge. "You..... hungry?"
"I'm tired." He informed them.
"You want some crackers! I have some under my bed!" Mike chirped. Raphael looked at Don, then back to Mike. The back door nearly bashed its way through the catches as Michelangelo leapt to the other room. Don grimaced.
"He's been drinking a lot of coffee." Mike came leaping back in, clutching a box of 'nilla wafers' out in front of him.
"See! Crackers!" He set them on Raphaels lap and stepped back. ".... Have some!" Don looked at the box, then at Raphaels wrists, nearly merged against the arms of the chair with duct tape, then at Raph. He was looking rather dryly at Michelangelo, whos grin was beginning to fade.
"Magnificent."
"Mike, will you put these back in the kitchen." Don took the box back and gave it to Mike. He frowned and returned them to his room. "Do you want some water or something?"
"Sure. Water."
"Mike, get some water." Don called back. "Anything else?"
"....I can't feel my fingers. Can you take some of this crap off already." Donatello frowned.
"You can't feel your fingers?" They must've taped it too tight. The circulation was getting cut off. He came forward and knelt by the chair. "Lemme see." The shiny grey tape came about three inches up from the wrist. He took up the free fingers and began examining them.
The next thing he remembered was being on the ground, up against Splinters bed. He was coming to, just as Mike was running in with the water. A jumble of rope and tape was left beside the chair. Raphael was no where to be found. Almost. A pair of feet disapeared out the top of the car, through the escape hatch. Aptly named, he mused.
"Hey!" He struggled to his feet. Mike yelped and dropped the glass, looking at the empty seat. Reverberating footsteps bonged across the top of the metal roof. The ceiling puckered in as each foot made a heavy landing. Don stuttered. "Wai-Hold-STOP!"
Leonardo leapt up the crate staircase, drawing his swords. He knew he had equipped them for something. He adjusted his grip on the hilts as he landed upon the roof of the last car. The rythmical and pounding sounds from Raphaels less than graceful sprinting made the subway sound as if the trains were running again.
Raising his swords, Leonardo prepared himself to restrain the oncoming turtle at all costs. He was tempted to hurt her, but didn't want to injure his brothers body. He still needed it. Then again, a wound might persuade the spirit to vacate. Hmm....
Raphael stopped short at the other end of the car, skidding short on his heels. Waving his swords in a more graceful manner, Leo displayed the sharp blades. Mike and Don were the next out onto the train cars, but didn't think to come up on them.
"That's far enough."
"Look, I just wanna get outa here."
"Well... you'll have to get through me first." She seemed to think on this for a minute,
"Fair enough." He let his swords down just so as he and his brothers came forward. She closed her eyes. Donatello jumped down to get some more rope.
Leonardo fought to hold his swords as he flew off the train car. The paper recycling bin softened his fall with a definite 'Thrunch'. Dozens of papers flew up in a puff of literature. What the hell?
He grabbed the rim of the container and pulled himself up. Raphael hopped off each of stair crates, down to the floor. He missed a few steps, but picked right up, making a bee line for the ladder topside. Leo went to rock himself out, and stopped.
Splinters cane rested on the floor, and caught Raphaels foot. With a yelp he fell forward. Straight onto his beak. Leonardo cringed. Don and Mike emmerged down on the ground and stood back. A painful groan emmanated through the otherwise silent lair as Splinter looked down on his son.
"Where the hell are we going?!" Raphael shouted as Gwen threw open the main door. He looked back, but no one was following. "Hey-" She jerked his arm again and pulled him outside.
"C'mon!" She hissed. It was his first look outside. It looked like somewhere in the village. Definitely much safer than his side of town. He didn't get a real good look before Gwen pulled him into an alley. A rather clean alley. At least no bums. When she pressed him against the wall, he could feel the individual creases of the bricks against his back. "Raphael, do you trust me?"
"Huh?"
"C'mon! Do you trust me?"
"What, uh... yeah, I guess." She furrowed her brow. The street lamp cut her face into shadows, but he could still make out an unpleased look as her hair began falling in front of her eyes. She tossed it back quickly and asked again.
"You have to be sure!" Sure? Did he trust her? Could he trust her? Well, he trusted her so far. Why not go all the way.
"Yeah. I mean, yes. Yes I trust you."
"Good. Now say 'In perfect love, in perfect trust.'"
"!!!!!What?!"
"Say it! And mean it!" She hissed. Geez! Is she pushy or what. What would be next 'propose to me or else!' "Hurry!" Alright, well he trusted her. He guessed he could love her.... like a sister! Yeah.... like, um... a sister.
"Alright, alright. In perfect love, in perfect trust." He watched as her hands slid into his. They locked through his fingers and pressed them palm to palm. That same electricity ran up his spine, and he fought an urge to shiver it out. In perfect love, in perfect trust. He felt like a feather. Or he felt like he weighed a feather. His breath was coming from far down in his stomach. Gwen looked up at him slowly, a glassy look to her eyes.
And that's when it happened. Raphael had never been in an airplane before. Had never sky dived, or parasailed. But he knew undeniably he was flying. Or floating at least. Looking down he saw the ground at least a few inches below where his feet were. His skirt rippled with an updraft of the alley. Then he was higher. Several feet. Then a good story up. Then above the rooftops. He could see all the air ducts from the buildings, and down to the cars parked on the street, and up at the black sky all at the same time.
"Let's get you home." Gwen said. But her voice was like in a sleepy stupor. She shook it out of her head, and released on of his hands.
"Uh...." That's when the flying started. Over the buildings, like a pair of birds. Or a pair of supermen. The cool night air turned into a wind as they flew through it. He could feel it flow all the way down his shirt, and it was cold as a bitch.
"You're going to have to show me where you live, Raphael. Tell me how to get there."
"Well...." Oh great. He got to take her to his home. What a nauseating thought.
"Just guide us there. I'll do this stuff."
"Um.... yeaaaaah...." They veered off to the left. "Holy cow!" He had done that. Gwen giggled.
"That's it."
"Right..." They sped along over the city. Far enough up so they wouldn't be spotted by the winking lights of cars below. Or by the lights of appartments buildings beside them. They even passed Aprils station. But the lights in her office were out.
Flying around above the city, he almost forgot what he was up there for. The darkness before dawn swallowed him whole. Literally. He closed his eyes and savored the feeling of swimming through the color black.
The trip took shorter then he had began to hope. Soon they were diving down over the rivers edge, around into an open pipe the size of a minivan. It still was a long walk though, so they continued to fly. The closer they got, the more Raphael dreaded getting home. So far Gwen had said nothing about their whereabouts. But she was in for a surprise when he had to show her that he actually lived down here.
"Is this it?" She asked, just as he was trying to pass the door over. He hoped it was too dark for her too see. But there it was. The stupid lights were on. They stopped, and finally touched ground. It felt like he suddenly put on a million pounds, and had to grab the wall to keep from falling to his knees. The familiar edge in the wall seemed so shallow with his new fingers, he chipped a nail.
"Damn it!" It didn't feel nice. He began picking at it, then saw Gwen, looking down the ladder to the lair. Damn it! "Well..... come on." He walked around the otherside, forgetting about the nail. He knelt down, hitching his skirt up, and grabbed the first rung. He never realized how grungy the ladder really was. Ew. Swinging a barefoot down onto a lower rung he climbed down, not risking the possibility of the event in which he made another ass of himself by sliding down.
The floor seemed colder than usual. He bit his lip and hopped aside for Gwen to climb down. Looking around the den, he didn't see any of his family out. He could tell they were there by the bucket of chicken on the table, and Leos swords were resting beside them. He would never have left without them. And he would never have left them laying around either. Gwen joined him and gave a little squeak when her feet hit the floor. She didn't notice the swords.
"Yo!" Raphael cupped his hands to his mouth and hollered. A head suddenly peeked out of Splinters room like it had been waiting there. Obviously. A pair of brown eyes blinked a few times. Mike emmerged from the room, pulling out his nunchucks. He got in a ready/defensive stance, and Leonardo came out after him. Gwen shrieked. "Hey, assbite. It's me!"
"Raph!" They chimed. He could help but let out a playful and triumphant laugh. Side sitting on the railing, he slid down the stairs. The longer legs made it a little hard, but he kept his balance. When he hit the ground he stumbled a few steps, then looked back.
"Heh." That wasn't so hard.
"Raph! You're here!" Mike and Leo ran up to him and they exchanged the family 'secret handshake.' A series on clasping handed and bopping knuckles which confimed his identity.
"Yeah, think you could get ridda' me, huh?" Mike laughed.
"Wow.... You're lookin' gooooood." He gave him a once over. ".....Reeeeeeeal goooood." He gave another very slow once over. Raphael suddenly felt very dirty.
"Hey, fuck off, Ass!" He pushed him back. Mike just laughed. Leonardo chuckled too. Then Mike caught a glimpse of Gwen, which took his mind to a semi-more appropriate place. He gave her a long look too. Although this one was more surveying then scoping.
"Who's she?" A combination of 'who's that person you brought down here we don't know' and 'who's she? Does she have a date for this saturday or what?' Raphael looked back at Gwen. She still stood on the upper platform, looking less frazzled than she first had.
"Oh, hey Gwen, come on down!" He called. He could see her swallow as she came down the steps. By this time Donatello had come out to see what what happening.
"Raph, are you ok? Where've you been." Leonardo demanded.
"I'm fine, where the hell's my body!"
"Um. In there." Mike nodded to Splinters room. "Hey." He nodded as Gwen came to stand beside Raphael.
"This is Gwen. I've been staying with her. These are my brothers. Leo, Mike, and Don." They nodded in succesion. Except for Mike, who got on one knee and kissed her hand.
"Mon cherie!" An excited twinkle in is eye tempted Raphael to kick him between the legs. Gwen blushed.
"Yeah, that's nice." Raphael pulled him up. "Now where's my damn body." He marched into Splinters room, dragging Mikey with him. "Let's fini-" He stopped short as he saw himself. It was like looking into a living mirror. That was him. But it wasn't. That was very much him, covered in duct tape, rope, and even a few chains, to a kitchen chair.
Splinter sat beside him, and almost gave a gasp as he saw Raphael. A bemused smile tugged at the corner of his mouth. Thankfully he didn't snicker like his brothers. That would just be unbearable. Gwen squeeze in beside Mike, and looked down at the bound turtle. She froze, then hid her mouth behind her hand.
"Oh my god.... Eva?" The nearly black eyes opened and turned her way.
"M-Mph! Mmm-Mphhh!!" Gwen fought to hold the laughter back.
"What the hell did you do?!" Raph shook Mike. He wasn't strong enough to shake much fear into him. It was more like flipping the milk container before drinking, rather than shaking up a can of soda so it blew all over the place. Mike just laughed at him. "Damn it!"
"She tried to escape, so we had to tie her up." Don slipped in a pulled the tape off the mouth.
"EEEEOOOW! Hey! That really hurt!"
"Sorry."
"Here. Let's get you undone and outa here." Gwen came forward to untie her friend.
"Thank god-"
"One second." Leonardo squeezed in as well and grabbed Gwens arm. "Not so fast." Raphael groaned.
"For crying out loud. Let's get this over with already."
"I want to hear the whole story first."
"Aw geez."
"Why don't you all sit down and talk. It might take awhile to even get her out of all this." Gwen said softly.
"Hell yeah!" Mike grinned. Leonardo and Raphael sat with Splinter on the bed as Mike, Don, and Gwen began to task of untaping Eva from the chair. Often Gwen or Eve would have to fill in the places Raphael didn't know. Which was pretty often.
By the time they were untying her ankles, the tale was finished.
"Wow! You got to fly?! That is so cool!" Mike exclaimed. "Did you use a broom or something?"
"Shut up, Mike." Raphael mumbled.
"You flew? How'd you do that?" Eva asked quietly. Gwen shrugged as Don undid the last knot. "Ack." She shook off the rest of the ropes and stood up quickly.
"Well......." Splinter stood up, and a his sons stood back. Fatiged eyes slowly moved between the two girls, giving them a sizing up of his own. Eva rubbed her wrists absently, trying to brush off the sticky tape glue, while Gwen hung her head in shame. "It appears that no harm has been done. That your intentions have been purely in..... play." Gwen looked up.
"We are so, so sorry." She met each of their eyes. They seemed to mirror an exhausted forgiveness for her. When Eva flashed a smile Leonardo made sure she noticed his frown. Mike, Don, and Splinter however had already forgiven her as well. "Here, let's um... get this done with." Gwen grabbed her arm, and pulled her out of the cramped car.
"Ow, hey, cut it out!"
"Come on Raph." She positioned the two in front of each other, as Raphaels family filed out of the car to watch. "Just relax." Eva murmered some obscenities and fidgeted around as she prepared. Gwen stepped back and watched as her friend threw a spell off the top of her head. She pressed her green hands against her old pink ones. Nearly jolting as Raphaels spirit dove for his old body, Eva circulated back to her own. For a split second in the process, both bodies, being unoccumpied, looked undeniably dead. Leonardo turned to a mass of strained muscles.
Raphael stumbled backwards and fell onto his shell with a 'thud'. Evangeliene stepped back, and quickly reset her chakras. She closed her eyes and shook her head out. Don and Leo leapt forward to help Raphael back to his feet. He wobbled a bit, and held onto both brothers to keep his footing.
"Hey, you ok?" Gwen touched Evas shoulder. She nodded, long dark wavy hair bouncing.
"Yeah. Whew. What a trip." She flashed a grin and quickly ran her hands over her arms and face, as if remembering where everything was. "I'm so glad to have my center of gravity back. Ha!" Raphael pulled back from his brothers, and they set him down on the arm of the couch. His shoulders slumped forward and he looked at his knees. A new strong hunger had taken him out of no where. He felt like hurling. Everything was out of place. He shifted about and frowned, trying to set himself back into place. Still didn't feel right.
"Raph...." He looked up at Gwen. She was in front of him, his brothers had stepped aside, still staring at the pair of them. Everyone was watching them. He frowned and looked back at Gwen. She pursed her lips, looking down, and began chewing on her finger.
"Hey." He mumbled. She smiled and looked back up, taking the finger out of her mouth. The others turned away, pretending not to be listening. Eva even went as far as to whistle a 'inconspicious' tune. Mikey caught on and began humming along as they wandered around the den.
"How do you feel?" He closed his eyes and inadvertently let out a giant yawn. Donatello followed suit. "Tired?"
"Like shit."
"Yeah... you know how to meditate?" He nodded. "Well, do that a few times. You'll feel better pretty soon.... being away so long did that."
"Mm." He nodded again. The bathroom wasn't too far away. He wanted to run to it and hurl. He was sure he looked greener than he ever had in his life. "So.... what are you thinking."
"Hmm?" He looked down at himself. His green. Reptilian. Short. Mutated. Freak. Outright wierd self. Then back up to her. She caught on. "Oh.... well...." She smiled. "It suits you."
"Oh..... um...." He was really going to throw up. The chunks were begining to rise. Gwen stepped back.
"Now remember. Two wishes. Think about it. Give us a call when you want to use one. And don't forget, there's no expiration date." She added as she backed toward the door. Raphael nodded, and gracefully as possible, got up from the couch. Mike had to hurry to his side to help him hobble to the bathroom. He was afraid he might not make it. Mike nearly had to drag him along, and he made it to the toilet in time.
When he returned he found the comfy seat of the couch waiting for him with his brothers. Gwen and Eva were long gone. One of the talk shows they made fun of was on, and someone had reheated the bucket of chicken, which now sat on the coffee table with a six pack. Mike helped him to his seat, and he leaned back between Don and Leo.
A pie emmerged from the kitchen somehow with a bunch of plates and Mike sat in the futon. Some big chicks in little bikinis started cat fighting on staged and they all laughed. Raph grabbed a beer of the table. It was nice and cold. Beside it a clean little slip of paper rested. He picked it up as well and leaned back against the soft back of the couch. 'coven of the green goddess' was printed in blue ballpoint pen. Beneath it a phone number in carefully written numbers laid on the bottom of the paper. He ran his thick finger over the letters.
"Um, Raph?" Mike was looked over at him, with a hopeful and secretive glint in his eye. "You, uh, you gunna share those wishes with us, or what?" Raphael looked between his two brothers beside him. They each had either an eye on him, or the paper. Now, how could he forsake them by not letting them share in his good fortune. They shared everything. Brothers to the end. How could he do that?
"Screw you guys." Yeah. That's how.
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I'm seriously looking for suggestions on what Raph should use his wishes for. If anyone has any ideas please share! That would be rad. I haven't started the sequel to this, but I will. Yeah, anything goes.
Also, I should note, that witches can't give out 'wishes'. They aren't leprecauns. But they can tweak certain energies and whatnot. Which can be kind of translated to wishes. So if there are any witches reading this, please don't zap me!
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