Chapter 2---Raph Meets His Match
--"You expectin a hedgehog, or somethin'?"
She twisted her arm out of his grasp. "No. I just didn't believe your companions."
"What do you mean? *I'm* the only one who's awake."
"I'm not talking about the living," Arista said matter-of-factly. Her eyes slowly appraised her would-be captor. He was bulked up with muscles upon muscles, and wore very little except for protection at the joints of his limbs. Slung in his belt were two weapons, and a red eye mask. The ends snaked over one shoulder like hair. *This guy works out.* she thought. "Where I come from, we have never--"
"We're not little green aliens, sweetheart. Our native home is good ol' earth," he challenged.
"Well, sweetheart, I'm not from earth," she countered briskly. His attitude was getting on her nerves. There was her darling, unconscious on the bed, and this turtle had the audacity to keep her from finding out what's going on? He was in for a big suprise.
"Just what in the hell are you talking about?"
She wasn't facing him when she smirked. That got his goat. * Well, boy-o you're gonna find out, aren't you?* "A little hard of hearing, are we? I said where I come from, we don't have giant talking turtles."
"Well, what DO you have?"
"Giant talking, fire breathing dragons. And I thought you were going to ask all the questions, hot shot."
The turtle clenched both fists and jaw, saying nothing for a moment. He watched the woman head into the infirmary and quickly followed behind. "What your name?" His voice was harsh and clipped, as if she had tried what little patience he had.
"Arista."
"Why you here?"
"You brought us here."
"But why are you *here*?"
Arista was silent, edging around the corner to see her companion on one of the beds. She glided to his side, her face unreadable. He was unconscious, like a corpse. His skin was still that faintly pale complexion with the tattoo slashed across his face. They had folded his hands on his stomach, left over right. She could see the outline of the Dragon tattoo on his wrist. His midnight black hair was still braided with the forelock draping over one ear. Her fingers grazed along his still hand. Her voice was soft and calm with more than a hint of saddness.
"I do not know."
The turtle blinked, not necessarily knowing what else to do. Definitely a hottie, and though she was not 'bulked up,' her muscles were lean and wiry.
"Do you have a name?"
Her query broke him out of his contemplation of her body. "Huh? Oh, it's Raph."
"That's nice."
"What's that supposed to mean?" He asked, getting defiensive again.
"Arista looked up, her defenses bristling again. "What do you think I was implying?"
"Why don't you tell me?" he countered, not likeing her attitude at all. "You're the one who nearly got her arm sliced off."
"Oh, a great big pissing contest, is it?" Arista spat, turning to face Raph head on. "What, since I'm *vulnerable,* and you have two sai, you get to be 'settle down, little girl'?! My Gods, you need an attitude adjustment. My Promised is here, just lying here, and you're acting like a smitten five year old. Why don't you just throw a snake in my hair, or something?" Arista gestured wildly.
She suddenly felt the slam of a body against hers, and then the wall at her back. Her wrists were painfully wrenched above her head and pinned to the wall. Raph held them with one hand as the other held a sai to her throat. "Okay. You move like ninja, you know the weapons, hell, you have a funky katana, for crying out loud--"
"UniKazi? You have him?" For a moment, she lost her present position to the thoughts of her blade.
"Who are you working for?" Raph growled harshly. "Who's your Master?"
"I have no master," she protested, forcing away a grimace of pain. She wasn't going to him the satisfaction of knowing he was tearing at the sutures in her arm.
"Then where'd you learn what you know?"
"Let me go."
"Not until you convince me you're not some spy."
Arista's eyes blazed from grey to violet as she glared at him.
"What's going on, here?" Called a voice from the doorway. Arista glanced over Raph's shoulder to see two other turtles with weapons blazing.
"She's a spy, Leo," Raph gorwled softly, never tearing his eyes off her.
She turned her attention back to Raph. "Oh, please! There are more important people to spy on my list than YOU."
"She's as silent as any of us," he continued. "If that katana isn't proof enough--"
"It's not," Leo countered, walking forward. He had been awakened byt the shout, and he looked the part. "Let her go, Raph."
--"You expectin a hedgehog, or somethin'?"
She twisted her arm out of his grasp. "No. I just didn't believe your companions."
"What do you mean? *I'm* the only one who's awake."
"I'm not talking about the living," Arista said matter-of-factly. Her eyes slowly appraised her would-be captor. He was bulked up with muscles upon muscles, and wore very little except for protection at the joints of his limbs. Slung in his belt were two weapons, and a red eye mask. The ends snaked over one shoulder like hair. *This guy works out.* she thought. "Where I come from, we have never--"
"We're not little green aliens, sweetheart. Our native home is good ol' earth," he challenged.
"Well, sweetheart, I'm not from earth," she countered briskly. His attitude was getting on her nerves. There was her darling, unconscious on the bed, and this turtle had the audacity to keep her from finding out what's going on? He was in for a big suprise.
"Just what in the hell are you talking about?"
She wasn't facing him when she smirked. That got his goat. * Well, boy-o you're gonna find out, aren't you?* "A little hard of hearing, are we? I said where I come from, we don't have giant talking turtles."
"Well, what DO you have?"
"Giant talking, fire breathing dragons. And I thought you were going to ask all the questions, hot shot."
The turtle clenched both fists and jaw, saying nothing for a moment. He watched the woman head into the infirmary and quickly followed behind. "What your name?" His voice was harsh and clipped, as if she had tried what little patience he had.
"Arista."
"Why you here?"
"You brought us here."
"But why are you *here*?"
Arista was silent, edging around the corner to see her companion on one of the beds. She glided to his side, her face unreadable. He was unconscious, like a corpse. His skin was still that faintly pale complexion with the tattoo slashed across his face. They had folded his hands on his stomach, left over right. She could see the outline of the Dragon tattoo on his wrist. His midnight black hair was still braided with the forelock draping over one ear. Her fingers grazed along his still hand. Her voice was soft and calm with more than a hint of saddness.
"I do not know."
The turtle blinked, not necessarily knowing what else to do. Definitely a hottie, and though she was not 'bulked up,' her muscles were lean and wiry.
"Do you have a name?"
Her query broke him out of his contemplation of her body. "Huh? Oh, it's Raph."
"That's nice."
"What's that supposed to mean?" He asked, getting defiensive again.
"Arista looked up, her defenses bristling again. "What do you think I was implying?"
"Why don't you tell me?" he countered, not likeing her attitude at all. "You're the one who nearly got her arm sliced off."
"Oh, a great big pissing contest, is it?" Arista spat, turning to face Raph head on. "What, since I'm *vulnerable,* and you have two sai, you get to be 'settle down, little girl'?! My Gods, you need an attitude adjustment. My Promised is here, just lying here, and you're acting like a smitten five year old. Why don't you just throw a snake in my hair, or something?" Arista gestured wildly.
She suddenly felt the slam of a body against hers, and then the wall at her back. Her wrists were painfully wrenched above her head and pinned to the wall. Raph held them with one hand as the other held a sai to her throat. "Okay. You move like ninja, you know the weapons, hell, you have a funky katana, for crying out loud--"
"UniKazi? You have him?" For a moment, she lost her present position to the thoughts of her blade.
"Who are you working for?" Raph growled harshly. "Who's your Master?"
"I have no master," she protested, forcing away a grimace of pain. She wasn't going to him the satisfaction of knowing he was tearing at the sutures in her arm.
"Then where'd you learn what you know?"
"Let me go."
"Not until you convince me you're not some spy."
Arista's eyes blazed from grey to violet as she glared at him.
"What's going on, here?" Called a voice from the doorway. Arista glanced over Raph's shoulder to see two other turtles with weapons blazing.
"She's a spy, Leo," Raph gorwled softly, never tearing his eyes off her.
She turned her attention back to Raph. "Oh, please! There are more important people to spy on my list than YOU."
"She's as silent as any of us," he continued. "If that katana isn't proof enough--"
"It's not," Leo countered, walking forward. He had been awakened byt the shout, and he looked the part. "Let her go, Raph."