By now you are grown, and into a lovely woman.
You are our pride, and fill our hearts with joy every day.
Your smile is like hundreds of butterflies, and your beauty is an ocean of white lotus. Our hope is that on the mainland, you can grow in your love.
Our beautiful daughter.
We love you very much, and leave you this token of our pride.
May all your days be filled with the light you have given us.
All our love,
Mama and Papo
Lita let out a shuttered breath and folded the letter back up. She sat on the beach facing the ocean. It was night, the moon was full and high in the sky. The water sloshed up on shore, beconing to her. But this was no time to for a swim. There weren't any white lotus in it anyway. Lita held the letter to her stomach, a few tears dropping onto her legs. Clouds were gathering above head, faint with thunder.
Single tears slowly turned to streams of tears, and faint thunder turned into a storm. Winds picked up, and the water sloshing on shore turned to waves. Clouds began to drift in front of the moon, and blotted it out.
Lita wrapped her arms around herself and rocked back and forth slowly. Rain made the sand damp and sludgy, and made her hair stick to her face. A crackle of lightening and thunder lite up the sky.
"Don't cry, little sweetheart." A deep husky voice came from out of nowhere. Lita gasped and looked where it had came from. A tall man stood beside her. He had deep ebony skin, and short white hair. He wore a gray blue uniform, with many strange symboled medals hanging from the breast. She found him strikely handsome.
"Wh-who are you?" Lita swallowed back the lump in her throat. He hitched up his pants and sat down on his haunches.
"I'm a friend." At closer inspection, she saw he had a neatly trimmed white goatee, and a pair of piercing blue eyes. They soothed her.
"Did you know my parents?"
"No." He reached up with one of his big hands and wiped away the tears on her cheek. "I didn't know your parents."
"Oh." She wiped her other cheek with her hand.
"But I'm sure if I did know them, they wouldn't want for you to be sitting out in the rain all alone." He took his hand back and rested his elbow on his knee.
"Well, I guess I'm not alone now." She laughed nervously. He laughed as well, a deep chuckle from the bottom of his stomach that he didn't let escape out his mouth.
"No. No your not." Another crack of thunder sounded. Lita wrapped her arms tighter around herself. "Tell me why you're sad, Lita."
"I don't know." She said softly, looking away.
"I think you do." He put the back of his hand under her chin and turned her face towards him.
"…I just… just feel so…"
"Alone?"
"Yeah." He put his hand back.
"Tell me about it." She rubbed her arm.
"…I don't know… my parents gave me away when I was a baby."
"Yes."
"I just… No one's ever…really… you know… liked me." She looked up at him and he stroked his goatee. "I mean, sure I have friends and stuff… but… there's just something missing."
"I see."
"I want my parents. But they…… didn't want me …I guess."
"I'm sure that's not true."
"It is, though… people have been giving me away all my life… I just-" Her throat caught. He put his hand on her shoulder. The rain was splashing right off his uniform.
"Lita. You're parents loved you very much." She looked up at him and he nodded. "So much, that they wanted the best for you… even if that meant sending you away from them."
"… I don't understand it." He rubbed her shoulder.
"I know… But if they could be here right now, I'm sure they would tell you how much they loved you." Lita took another shuttered breath and held the letter tighter to her stomach. "And Lita," He took one of her hands. "I want you to remember something."
"…Yeah?"
"Remember… that somewhere out there… there's someone that loves you very much… That's your family now." She swallowed. "When ever you look at your hand… I want you to remember that… alright?"
"…Alright." He brought her hand up to his lips and kissed her palm. His goatee and mustache tickled her hand. She felt a shimmering electricity sprint up her spine.
"Good." He let her hand down and stood back up. "You'll be alright, Lita." He straightened his uniform.
"Wait, who are you?" He smiled.
"A friend."
"Bu- wait!" He held his hand up.
"A friendly reminder… look out for the wave." She looked at the ocean, just as a tall wave was heading towards shore.
"Oh. Right." When she looked back he was gone. "Damn, that's annoying." She jumped up and ran back towards the hotel before the waved caught up with her.
Raphael glared into the mirror, wiping his face off with a towel. He used his hand to turn his face to the side, still keeping his eye on the mirror. A wide grin spread over his face and he left the bathroom, back into the room he shared with Leonardo.
"Now this," He turned his head to the side to show the profile. "Is a handsome mug." Leonardo raised an eyebrow of one of his closed eyes as he at on his bed meditating.
"Did you discover this yourself?"
"Oh, I've always known." He threw the towel back in the bathroom. "Mads just brought it to light earlier this evening."
"Oh really."
"Yessir. Of course I think she might've just been trying to get me to sleep with her." He sighed.
"She must think you're a piece of meat."
"Ouch… Well, brother dear, when it comes down to it, which one of us will be sleeping alone tonight?"
"I suppose this means you'll be in Maddie's room tonight." Raphael went rummaging through his bags.
"Sure does."
"Did you think about Lita?"
"Hey, Lita's cool."
"Hmm."
"Oh, sweet innocent Leonardo." Raphael walked up to his brother. "Someday, maybe you'll be ready to take the step into manhood." He patted his shoulder. "But for know, you can sit in your room alone and choke the chicken."
"Thank you for that touching sentiment."
"Glad to help." He gave him one last pat on the shoulder and went to the door. "Don't wait up." He grinned and closed the door behind him.
"I won't." Leonardo mumbled, uncrossing his legs and getting off the bed. The room was humid from Raphael's hot shower. Outside he could hear the wind howling, and rain pelting down. Maybe he could get some fresh air in the room. It was impossible to sleep with so much dampness in the air.
He pushed aside the curtains and opened up the window a smidge. Outside something caught his eye. It was Lita. She was alone on the beach… rocking back and forth slowly. Maybe he should go talk to her. He put his hand against the glass.
Rain and wind were flying into the room, he closed the window. A major storm was building up. Not wise to have the windows open. The room could cool off while he was outside. Leonardo turned around, only to have something else catch his eye.
There was a man in the room with him. Out of the shadows he could make out a long navy robe, with a light blue stripe going down the center. He put a hand to his chest and cleared his throat before there could be any reaction.
"Good evening, Leonardo." He had a deep silky voice.
"Who are you." He stepped out of the corner and smoothed his robe down. He had medium length white hair, greased back with a single shard of hair hanging over his face. His skin was a rich black, and his eyes an icy blue. It was a striking contrast.
"You should tell me."
"……Ardimus?" He bowed his head. "What are you doing here?"
"Your progress has been atroscious." Leonardos eyes widened. "In the name of common good, I've come to… how you say… 'straighten you up'."
"Oh… um… I'm sorry."
"There's no need to apoligize. Please, seat yourself." Leonardo sat on the edge of his bed. "I am disapointed, Leonardo."
"Why?"
"My livelihood, as well as your own, is at stake. The livelihood of all that remains of us is at stake, and still you ...flounder. You slack in your work. It's unusual I must say. "
"I slack? Lita's not even trying."
"This isn't about Lita. It's about you." Leonardo shut up. "In Delphus, the
nymph was the most powerful of her kind. She was a leader, and more then that,
she helped to hold the kingdom together after the invasion. She was very important
to us, and she should be very important to you.
It has been nearly two months, and I see little breakthough with her. I hold
you, as her guardian, responsible. If you had taken more time with her, I believe
she might be ready to fight at this point."
"I don't know how to teach her. She can't learn."
"She can learn. You're not teaching her right."
"Well fine. How do I teach her." Ardimus gave him a long withering stare, then went to the window.
"In every retraining of an elemental, there is something that needs to be given. Something that had been lost…. Maddeline was given companionship. Erika was given security. Lady Noriko her free thought."
"What should Lita be given?"
"Why do you think I should know. You're the one to be working."
"Right."
"Do you understand now."
"… I think so." Ardimus turned back around.
"Get to work." He walked back into the shadows, disapearing into the wall. Leonardo stood up and went to the wall slowly. He ran his hand over it and stepped back. …strange. He sighed and turned back around. His head was spinning. He went into the bathroom, retreiving Donatellos container of asprin. He popped two in his mouth and swallowed them dry. The wind was still howling outside, waves crashed onshore.
"I'll need a vacation to get over this vacation." Leonardo went back through his room, and out into the commons room. Lita sat on the couch, wrapped around one of the pillows, watching a three stooges movie. He came up to the opposite side of the couch, but she didn't look at him. "You should be sleeping."
"Raph and Maddie are courting in my room."
"Oh. Right." He nodded. "You can sleep in my room tonight if you want."
"Thanks, but this trip's been creepy enough." Leonardo narrowed his eyes. He turned back around and went back into his room. She could sleep out there if she liked. Stupid girl.
Raphael woke suddenly as the sheets were pulled off. He propped himself up on his elbows as his eyes adjusted. Maddie wrapped the bedsheet around her and went to the door.
"What is it." He rubbed his eye with his fist.
"I don't know." She opened the door, light streamed into the room. Outside the others were frantically throwing their things together. Raphael groaned and turned the clock towards him.
"It's 3 in the fucking morning." He rolled out of bed and came up behind her, resting a hand on her back. "What the hell are you guys doing?" Donatello stopped in his packing and turned to them.
"Hurricane, the pilot called, they're leaving in 10 minutes, whether or not we're there. Why aren't you guys packing?" He ran back to his room.
"Oh no." Maddie turned back around and ran back into the room. Raphael yawned and closed the door. Maddie let the sheet drop to the floor, and pulled on her panties. He took a moment to watch her dress and received a nasty look. "If your done getting a woody, maybe you can pack."
"Right right." He opened the door and slipped back out. Leonardo threw his bag at him, his own thrown over his shoulder.
"I packed for you, come on." He gave him a push to the door. "Mike, start the car." He tossed the keys to Michelangelo standing by the door, and he ran out. "Let's move it Maddie!" Maddie stumbled out of the room, simultaniously buttoning up her shirt and shaking her things down in her bag.
"I'm coming, I'm coming." She set the bag over her shoulder and hurried out. Leonardo threw the key on the table for the maid to find and followed Erika out, closing the suite up.
Michelangelo climbed into the back as Maddie took his place. Wind and rain whipped around the parkinglot, tearing up loose flowers from the trees and hurling them against the side of the door. Donatello slammed the door shut the tires squealed against the pavement in response.