Hanami – Chapter 11
Splinter woke before dawn and chuckled quietly to himself. Eight turtles sprawled around the living room. TwoSee and Frogger were curled up together on the farthest mattress. Their sister "Cabbage" had apparently managed to uncurl, she was tangled in her blanket and hanging off the edge of her mattress. Michelsngelo had pulled the fourth mattress close to Cabbage's, and then promptly rolled off of it, taking his covers with him. Donatello had commandeered the sofa, with Raphael laid out on the floor in front of it. Leonardo stretched out on the floor near to Shima's mattress. Splinter hefted himself from the sagging "armchair" Leonardo had built for him last night. Over the course of the night it stubbornly settled back into a primitive lounger, which was fine with Splinter, but made getting out of it quietly a tricky affair.
Splinter silently stepped over Leonardo, and reached to check Shima's chi. Laying his fingers on her skin, he pushed gently at her mind. Her spirit was much stronger, much closer to the surface than last night. He nodded happily. She would live. She was already on her way back. It would take time, but then, she had a long way to go.
Splinter slipped quietly upstairs to find an unoccupied room for his morning meditations.
Raphael felt his sensei leave the room. He turned his head. The sky was gradually lightening. He had been staring at the ceiling all night. Since he still didn't feel sleepy, he got up and slunk to the back door. What with the storm and the girls' arrival, he was dying to have some time to himself. Meditation was never his strong point, but some morning katas were sure to set him right. Snatching his trench coat from its hook, he slipped through the door and set out quietly across the icy lawn.
She had woken up to see the rat bent over her sister. She held her breath, willing him to leave FourSee alone. All he did was touch her: a gentle touch on the arm. Part of her mind cleared and a curious calm descended on her. "He's not gonna hurt us." She watched as the one she'd bitten got up, left the room and put on a coat on the way out the door. She sat up slowly, shaking her head to push away the funny feelings in her brain. Pieces of her mind refused to be silent. "The humans sedated you. You're always like this after they sedate you. Remember what OneSee always says." Her brow furrowed and she looked to her sister OneSee, the newly christened "Cabbage" hoping that OneSee would wake up and just tell her what it was that she always said. It was so hard to think. She looked around the room for clues. Many sleeping turtles: not helpful. Blankets, uh-uh. OneSee: yes, but she was still asleep. Try again. Then she spotted the glass of water… "Drink lots of water and walk it off!" The turtle on the sofa stirred. "Whoops! Said that outloud," she whispered. TwoSee sat on the mattress congratulating herself; she figured it out. She was a smartie every day. Then her brain kicked back in, and she got up to drink the water.
She'd finished the glass. She felt a little better. No one else had woken up. "Walk it off…" The one she bit had left through the back door. He couldn't be that far ahead. She grabbed a trench coat and stepped onto the back porch.