"Why don't you get some rest, Jimmy." Erika pushed his hair out off his eyes.
"Oh kay." He said weakly. The girls all cooed. Four quick kisses pecked his cheeks and they all filed out.
"Poor Flash." Lita sighed, walking beside Noriko.
"He's such a little trooper." Noriko added. Maddie closed the door quietly and turned around.
"Hope we're not late for the movie." She laughed and took Raphaels hand. He grumbled, tailing after her. "Come on," She pulled him closer and whispered into his ear. He smirked and followed beside her. Leonardo rolled his eyes, watching them walk off together. Why any man would crawl after a girl like that elluded him. Then again, later the next morning after they returned, he would catch an anxious Maddie adjusting a scarf around her neck; to hide a promenent hickey from her Uncle.
Nikira glowered into a broken mirror. It was the nearing anniversary of the battle of the Kerda. Look what he had to show for it. A long scar had formed permenantly down his eye ridge, over his eyelid, and ending on his cheek. Cursed turtle. He sneered and pivoted away from the mirror. Damnedest coucil, thorn in my side. He walked up towards the stone pedestal where the ancient crystals sat. They were already glowing in response to his thoughts. They weren't happy either. No, I do not need Tatakai… no, I'm not being repugnant. He frowned. That blighted turtle. He will pay…
Michelangelo held his breath, sneaking into Leonardo's room. It was a dangerous mission, but somebody had to do it. Well. No one had to do it. He just wanted to.
Leonardo slept on his stomach, the blanket pulled over his head. Michelangelo cackled silently, tiptoing up behind him. This was so good. He fought back a grin, taking out the giant super soaker. Standing over the bed side he aimed it right at his brother.
"Hey Leeeeeeeeooooo." He whispered. No response. "Leeeeeeeooooo, wake uuuuu-uuuuuup." He nudged him with the barrel of the gun. "I have a present for youuuuuu… BAH!" The next second he was trapped in a full neilson, his arms hanging helpless in space, and therefore the gun.
"If it's a cold shower, thanks, but I've already had one." Leonardo said into his ear.
"You set me up?!" Michelangelo wheezed for breath from the uncomfortable angle he was trapped back to.
"You try something like this every year, Mike. I'd be an idiot not to expect it coming." Mike waved his arms around in a vain attempt to be freed.
"Yeah, well did you expect this! Now Raph!" Leonardo looked at the doorway. "…Raph?" Mike looked at the door as well, his smile fading. His spirtis diminished as his backup failed to arrive.
At that moment Raphael was very much awake. In bed, but awake. Maddie lie over his matress, on leg hanging over the edge. Raphael laid over her almost, one hand wandering up her thigh, under her short red skirt. The other around the back of her shoulder, idely pushing down the strap of her tank top and bra. Her one arm was drapped around his neck, pulling him closer while they kissed, stroking the back of his neck. She ran her fingers over the cords that popped up, moaning softly as he slipped his tongue in her mouth. Raphael cheered to himself, having successfully reached the fabric of her panties. Maddie curled her arm farther around his thick neck, encouraging him further when he suddenly stopped.
Raphael looked up, aware of being under close scrutiny. He praid to god it wasn't Splinter. Oh god let it not be Splinter. But it wasn't. He broke his face away from Maddie, Joey's eyes burned right through him. Maddie turned her head to the door, her face immediately turning red.
"… get off 'er." Joey ordered. Raph took his hand out from her skirt, and sat back on his knees, raising his hands up. Joey glared at him for another moment. Then looked down at Maddie. She laughed nervously and sat up, running her fingers through her hair.
"Um… I'll go make breakfast." She got up and left the narrow room, passing by Joey quickly. He immediately turned to glare at Raphael again.
"…nice shade a' lipstick." He commented. Raphael touched his finger to his lip, when he took it back it was smudged with Maddie's bright red lipstick, that apparently traveled over his face, and down his neck.
"Thanks."
"… I swea' ta god… You try anything… even think of tryin' anything… I'll cut off ya dick and nail it to yer door." Raphael's eyes widened. "Got me kiddo?" He nodded slowly. "Alright then."
"Raph!" Michelangelo called down the hall. "You traitor!" He added as he was dragged down the hall by Leonardo in a head lock. "I'm gunna get you for this!"
"Not before a nice dunk in the sink you won't." Leonardo dragged him from eye shot of the doorway. Michelangelo yelped. Raphael tried to stifle a smile, Joey turned back to him
"Oh yeah… happy birthday."
Noriko straightened the creases of wrapping paper, humming a tune she had stuck in her head earlier. She sat on the floor against the foot of her bed, surrounded in a clutter of wrapping paper and tape. Lita sat across from her, tying a blue ribbon around an already wrapped box. She had been the most reluctant to agree to the idea of giving presents to only their own advisor. But the other girls had thought it was a great idea, so she inimically acceded. Not before sighing and rolling her eyes.
"Man, I can't do this." Lita fumed and threw the ribbons down. Noriko smiled and leaned over, trying the ribbons in a neat bow. "You wanna trade turtles?" Noriko laughed, sitting back on her knees. "Guess not." She mumbled.
"Oh Lita. Why do you malevolent to Leo? He's such a nice guy."
"God, He's so full of himself! I can't stand him."
"Is he really that bad?"
"Yes." Noriko taped the wrapping paper in place.
"You two are so perfect." Lita shuddered.
"I don't want to think about that." Noriko shrugged.
"That's what Don says."
"Well Don can kiss my be-hind."
"Oh Lita." Noriko sighed.
"How could you even say that? I thought we were friends."
"Fine. Forget I said anything."
"Fine I will."
"So what did you buy him." Lita sighed.
"Oh, some stone garden thingie. Splinter has one." Noriko smiled.
"I bet he'll like it."
"Better. Put me out 30 bucks." Lita turned the wrapped box around. "I though Don already had Doom?"
"It's a sequel. Mike suggested it."
"Speaking of which, shouldy they be back already?" Noriko tied a ribbon around her box.
"I think half the fun is in getting the pizza."
"PIZZA!" Michelangelo's voice bellowed up with the slam of the door downstairs. His brothers could be heard laughing and chattering raucously along with him. "You guys would not believe what happened!" Lita looked to Noriko, who smiled slightly, tugging the ribbon tight. "Is anybody there!"
Donatello sat cross legged by Splinters chair, his brothers sitting around the den. Pizza boxes and soda cans once again cluttered the coffee table. This time crumpled wrapping paper was stuffed in them however. Mike wore ribbons around his neck like necklaces, sitting still while Splinter read a japanese sonnet called 'of age'. The only ones that seemed to understand it however were Leonardo and Noriko.
Leonardo nodded to himself as he listened. Raphael sat next to Michelangelo on the couch, holding the hand of Maddie who sat beside him. Erika and Lita sat on the floor by Splinters seat, Noriko sat on the floor beside Leonardo in the opposing chair.
"Ya sore-no uchi ni, toshi o toru." Splinter bowed his head, his students doing so as well. "…It is a late hour. We should all retire on the events of the day, and reflect."
Donatello picked himself up and moved aside as Erika and Lita began picking up the garbage off the table. The turtles gathered their things and returned to their rooms silently. Splinter let the side of his mouth perk up, watching his sons file off down the hall…
"Leonardo," He stopped and turned back. "May I speak with you…"
Raphael lay on his bed alone in his room, thumbing through one of the comics Donatello had given him for his birthday. It was some magna thing. Not a lot of words, lots of hot girls. He nodded to himself, flipping through the pages. A candle on his night stand flickered, casting shadows everywhere, making it hard to read. He couldn't have his light on after hours.
A southpark poster now adorned the wall above the head of his bed, from Michelangelo. And beside it a japanese scroll that read -Brookland Bad Ass. That was from Leonardo. The expression on Splinters face was priceless. That was an added bonus. Not the only one he would receive that night.
The door in front of him opened quietly. Raphael looked over the top of his comic book, running his finger down the edge of the remaining pages. Maddie closed the door behind her discretely, twsiting the bolt around to lock it.
Raphael walked his eyes up from her feet, tilting the comic book down as he did so. She had become clad in a 'not-so-innocent-you-want-me-and-I-know-it' lingerie. Her hair was tosled atop her head with a clip, a few renagade strands hanging down over her collar bone.
She smiled with a shy inviting quality, rubbing her knees together. Raphael pressed his lips together, setting his comic book down on his lap. She said something like 'Happy birthday', but he couldn't tell. The blood already rushing to his head. "Well?" She smiled nervously.
"… You are the best girlfriend ever."
Lita yawned as she stumbled into the kitchen. She clumisly tied the robe around her waist on her way to the coffee machine. Maddie and Raph were already up. Raphael sat at the table, watching Maddie. He glanced at Lita briefly as she entered. Maddie worked at the stove with a smirk, scrambling eggs. Lita grinned to herself. She was privy to a little secret no one else appeared to know yet. She had sat up with Maddie fixxing her hair and partaking in giggly girltalk before she had gone down to Raphaels room the night before.
Leonardo and Donatello were downstairs as well talking with Noriko. Erika had taken a bowl up to Flash for breakfast. Splinter and Mr. Tagahasi spoke in quiet japanese at the kitchen table. They seemed to be becoming best of friends. Uncle Joey was unaccounted for. He'd had a date the night before. He'd been going out more and more lately.
Lita poured herself some coffee and sat on the counter, blowing off the steam. The kitchen seemed approprietly crowded. However, when the entire gang was together in the one room it got packed, fast. Lita looked over at Leonardo, Donatello, and Noriko. They were speaking in japanese again. Or at least Noriko and Leonardo were. Donatello was listening in. She didn't want to admit she was jealous, but she was.
"Hey Lita," Maddie whispered, as if she was afraid to disturb the conversations. "How do you want your eggs?"
"Oh, scrambled I guess." Lita shrugged and looked into her coffee. Maddie nodded and went back to work.
"Could you go check if Mike's up yet? I don't want to have and make breakfast all over again."
"Sure." Lita jumped off the counter and set her mug down before leaving the kitchen. Her first guess was that he was sleeping in. And when Mike sleeps in, he does it marathon style. She continued down the side hallway to his room, third on the right. "Mike," She opened the door and peeked in. "Break- oh." He wasn't there. Which meant he was probably upstairs with Erika and Flash. She closed the door and went to leave when she saw Leonardo coming for her in the hall.
"Lita, may I talk to you?"
"Sure." He stopped a few yards away and suggested they speak in her room. "Why not." She shrugged and followed him back out.
Once in her room Leonardo closed the door partway. Lita threw her covers back over her bed, making it somewhat presentable, not knowing quite why. She sat on her bed crossed legged and waited for him to begin. Leonardo cleared his throat, standing off by Maddie's bed.
"I've been speaking with Master Splinter about the events that took place last week." Lita moaned.
"Not this again."
"The events that neither you or Maddie seem to remember." Lita crossed her arms and looked at the door. Lo and behold, Mikey pops in. He flashes a grin and looks between the two. Leonardo doesn't tell him to leave, so he stands in the doorframe. This is looking more and more planned every minute. Lita looked back to Leonardo.
"Even if we don't remember, it doesn't mean anything happened." She counted on her fingers. "We went to go out, we were tired, so we came back and fell asleep… and didn't remember coming back." It was a lost cause, but she didn't want to admit he was right. She didn't remember a lick of what happened in the ball court. And knowing Leonardo, there was no doubt something completely embarrasing he had in store for her.
"No way!" Mike piped in in humor. "Dude, Leo was totalling carrying you two home over his shoulder." He started chuckling. "It was pretty funny."
"How would you explain that?"
"Mike's crazy."
"Everyone else remembers the same thing." Lita sighed in exasperation. She was glad she hadn't blushed about being reminded about Leonardo bringing her and Maddie in.
"Fine, whatever." She sucumbed to the logic. Leonardo took another breath.
"We want to put you under hypnosis." Mike took the cue and left the room.
"What!"
"Just so we can see what happened."
"So get Maddie! She was there too ya know."
"It has to be you, Lita." He answered before she had a chance to ask. "You were closer to the Traveler then she was. Maddie has concussive amnesia, while yours came from inside your own mind. It would be easier to uncover. And if we did use Maddie, bringing up memories from the last week might also bring back memories from her car crash. It's much safer to use you." Lita huffed and crossed her arms tighter, looking away. "Lita… this is important."
Thick insense wafted through the small room as Splinter sat himself down. His room was contained, and now lite, only by candle light. He never took to the electric lamps, or tree lights the way his children had. Leonardo and Lita sat on the rug across from him, waiting. Lita had just been woken, as directed, and was still woozy. Splinter reached over and lit one final candle.
"Are you ready Lita?" He asked. She nodded vaguely. Leonardo placed his hands on his knees, touching his fingers to his thumbs. "Then we'll begin." Lita yawned and blinked a few times. Splinter waited for her pulse to lower again, and picked up the stick of inscense placed in the triangle between them. He blew a puff of smoke into her face softly and asked her to close her eyes. She could hardly keep them open in the first place.
Lita didn't hear Splinter's voice. Only the images he suggested on her did she percieve.
She was standing on a vast brown plane. There were mountains far far out of the horizon, in every direction. The sky was a navaho white, the sound of faint atmospheric winds reached down from above. She turned around very slowly. The plane was completely deserted. Sand blew around on the ground, not knowing quite where to go.
Lita stopped to face a tree in the distance. As she got closer she saw the tree had no leaves. Long dry branches reached out in all directions. The tree was dying. When she came close enough she saw an apple hanging from one of the branches. She reached out and plucked it from the end of the branch. It had a rough supple texture in her hand. She brought it up close to look at it. It was red, and nondescipt. She brought it to her mouth and took a bit out of it.
Lita sat in a corner huddled up, a blanket drawn around her shoulders. Hundreds of other boys and girls were with her in the long room. Matrix soldiers patroled up and down the track between them. Their grey uniforms matched their grey featureless faces. Black slits worked as eyes, and as the only milstone on the face. Sometimes you could see the bulges in their back where their wings wanted to come out. Not tonight though. It was lights out. The black cement walls of the orphanage made the sleep room claustrophobic. Some of the kids cried out, and were swiftly silenced with a look from one of the guards.
Lita shivered and wrapped herself up tighter. It was so cold. Her long hair covered her ears and kept her head warm. Her eyes followed on of the soldiers, coming back up to her end of the room, near the door. His proton bayonet at rest at his side. She swallowed and rocked herself up on her haunches.
The soldier leaned over nonchalantly and picked her up out of the corner. He held her close to him and walked out. Lita clung to his neck, the grey blanket cloaked her back. She looked like part of his tunic now.
"Quiet now." He whispered through his mask. Lita peeked out from under her hair, looking down the cold cement hallway. She could see the other sleep rooms in the hall, soldiers marching back and forth. One could actually feel the icey attitude in the air. Lita shivered and tightened her arms around Sir Leonardos neck. "It's alright now… it's alright." They disapeared into the shadowy passage ways.
Tinkling music played a soothing tune, a little louder then the talking going on. The baby waved her fists around, looking at the bamboo bars of the soft thing. The air was warm, and smelled sweet. A face appeared over her and smiled. She smiled and giggled, reaching up to it. The face reached down and picked her up. It spoke to her in a deep voice, but smooth and soothing. She giggled and batted at its nose. A big hand took her little hand in its own and pressed it to its lips. She wiggled around as she was trasfered over to the other face. It held her close to the warm mounds on its chest and kissed her head. The baby looked up and curled her fists around the long hair that hung near her. She stuck it in her mouth and looked up at the face. It smiled, the big brown eyes narrowing slightly. But something was wrong. The baby cooed as its forehead as kissed. The soft voice whispered into her forehead and planted a light kiss on it again.
The baby looked at the faces as she was handed away. Another pair of hands took her and turned her towards the new face. It was a little like the other soft face, but it was whiter. The eyes were blue, and it had brown hair. Ruddy, not sleek. There was another face behind it, with the same white skin, and yellow/brown hair. It had a white stick in it's mouth that had searing red dots on the end, white smoke floating out of it. The baby coughed, and the face holding it cooed to her. It's voice was strange and different. The new faces exchanged a few words to each other and they turned away, putting the little girl over it's shoulder. The other faces were standing next to each other. The baby freed one of its hands and reached it out towards them. They didn't come for her.
A bamboo door closed and they were outside. The baby opened its mouth and began making as much noise as it could. The face with the stick in its mouth said something to the other face. She could see the house the faces were in receeding into the jungle. Her face began hurting, little tears ran down her cheek. Clouds thundered above her head, and she could hear rain breaking down…
Lita closed the door behind her quietly, looking at her feet. She wore Maddie's jeans, and Leonardos trench coat over her bathing suit. Sandy stood by the doorway of the kitchen, brushing Karens hair before she went to her friends house for the day. Kenny and Travis ran around trying to smack each other with hotwheel tracks. Piles of childrens toys and plastic bags leaned against the walls waiting to be sorted. "Here," Sandy handed Karen a fruit roll up. "Go wait for your ride." Karen disapeared into the kitchen and joined the other foster children in the persuit. Sandy turned to her and crossed her arms. "Well. I was wondering when you planned on coming home."
"I'm sorry. I tried calling last night but there was a busy signal."
"Liar!" She was right. But admitting it now would be certain death. "Where were you." Sandy began circling her, drawing in for the kill. Like some kind of shark.
"At Faiths house."
"Hmmm," Sandy said, very interested. "That's fascinating. Because I called Faiths mother last night, and she said you weren't there." Lita bit her bottom lip, but didn't reply. "I called up the club and talked to Maura. She said you left."
"Maura said that?" Lita asked.
"Mm hmm… Where'd you get that coat?"
"I don't know."
"You don't know? Interesting…" She slid her finger under the coat lapel. "It's a little baggy on you… looks like a mans size." Lita tightened the coat around her. Sandy leaned over and sniffed the shoulder, twisting up her nose. "Smells like garbage."
"Oh."
"Something a hobo might wear."
"I guess."
"You guess." She wasn't about to tell her about how she spent 15 minutes breathing under boiling water. She had already been pegged as a liar. Sandy walked around closer to one of the walls, her hand nonchalantly picking up a plastic soft ball bat. "You know what I guess?"
"What."
"I guess you ran off to throw some cookies around with a bum!" She brought the bat up and cracked it against Lita's shoulder, sending her crashing into the wall. "You fucking slut!" She screetched. Lita grabbed her shoulder, slumped against the wall.
"San'y, Travis is wearing my socks! He won't give 'em back!" Kenny came running in.
"Travis, go get your socks out of the laundy basket." Sandy called. "Lita, get outa here." Sandy walked back into the kitchen.
Lita walked beside Maddie, chattering on about the most inane things she could think of. They were walking into an empty basketball court used by the rec. center. No one was using it now, so it didn't seem very safe to be walking through at the moment. But she didn't want to stop them both and walk back towards the lair. Maddie might just break out into sobs. Poor girl. Lita sighed to herself running her fingers through her hair.
Suddenly Maddie stopped and gasped. Lita looked up and shrieked in surprise. It was the Traveler. He wasn't wearing sunglasses, his eyes were cutting.
The next second she was under water. In some infinate ocean of types. She was just floating there in space. She couldn't see the surface, or the floor. She turned around in circles, looking for someone, or something. What was she doing here? But it didn't seemed to matter. She stopped and took a deep breath. It felt like the water was drawing in through her pores, and she breathed it back out again. The entire ocean drew into her, and she could breath.
The ocean disapeared as suddenly as it appeared, and she was back in he basketball court. She couldn't see Maddie, and Leonardo was standing in front of her, with his shell turned to her. The next second she felt her knees fall out from under her and she was on the ground. Leonardo appeared next to her the next minute, holding her head up.
"Lita…" His voice sounded far away. "Lita… are you ok?" She breathed out, a small puff of blue coming out of her mouth. She could feel the world spinning away from her. She couldn't hold on. "Lita… say something, please!"….
Lita took the apple away from her mouth and looked into it. The plain began spinning farther and farther away, until she was back in Master Splinters room, with the insense and candles. She was unsettled.
"…Lita, …how do you feel?" Splinter asked softly. All she could do was stare at the wall across from her. "Fine." He nodded. "You did very well." She nodded absently. "You should rest now, and let your mind settle. Leonardo, help her to her room." Leonardo went to take her arm, but she shrugged him off.
"It's ok. I'm alright." She got up and walked off under her own power…Leonardo watched her walk off, then looked back at Master Splinter. Splinter nodded to himself as the door closed.
"I feared this situation might arise." He stroked the tuft of fur under his chin.
"What is it, Splinter?"
"The Traveler has gained control of some parts of the elemental crystals He has learned to used part of it to manipulate Lita into giving him her power." He stood up and took out he candle snuffer from his cabinet. "Of course he had been intrudeed upon before he could collect her essence." He snuffed out some of the candels. "I'm curious as to what he has amassed by this time."
"What should we do, Master?" Leonardo looked up at him as he placed the nearly finished stick of inscense on his night stand and smudged it out.
"We must now retrieve what we can find of the elemental crystals, and hope that he has not collected them all before us."