CHAPTER 5

RAPHAEL:

In the month that followed, I grew to hate Yukio. And at the same time, his sister became more and more welcome. It wasn't for all of the wonderful conversations we had. Hell, we hardly spoke 2 words to each other. But she talked to Mike. She talked to Mike a lot. And for the first time in months, he talked back.

I didn't hear it. I was too busy trying to stay strategically placed between him and her jackass brother. But I saw the results, however subtle they were. It wasn't like he got better overnight. But the first time he joined us for a meal without being forced to, I think everyone took notice.

"So were you ever close with your brothers?"

I paused and stepped back before I was seen. I wasn't normally the type to eavesdrop, but I couldn't help it. The question struck me. I was curious as to how, and if, he would respond.

"Yeah, I…" he answered hesitantly. "Up until a few months ago, actually."

"What happened?"

That question, he didn't answer. He probably would've shocked me into a heart attack if he had. "They worry about you, you know," she continued, undeterred.

"Yeah, I know."

"Talk about you a lot more than you know."

From the teasing tone in her voice, I could tell she was leading him on. And he walked right into it. "What do they say?"

She laughed quietly. I peeked into the living room and saw them sitting on opposite ends of the couch, facing each other. "Nothing bad," she smiled. "They just worry about you, like I said."

He made a face. "That concerns me."

"Why?"

"Just…"

He looked up and immediately fell silent. Someone had walked in. I followed his gaze and groaned inwardly. I stepped out of my room and made my presence known. "Hey Mike. Rei."

I turned my eyes toward Yukio. He glared at me, then turned away, like I knew he would. I smiled to myself and walked into the kitchen.

YUKIO:

"{Do you realize that there is no food in this house?}"

I scowled at my sister's choice of words, and turned my attention to Leonardo. "{We must get food,}" I agreed.

He sighed. "{We need money first. I'll take care of it tonight.}"

"{What will we do until then?}" I demanded.

"{Exactly where do you guys get your money, anyway?}" Rei interrupted. I turned and glared at her, but realized that I too was interested in the response.

Leonardo and Raphael, who had been graciously silent so far, exchanged glances. They made no attempt at answering. "{You steal it,}" I realized in disgust.

Leonardo sighed. "{No, we don't steal it. Not… really. We just bust a lot of drug deals.}"

"{Blood money,}" I scowled.

Anger flashed in Raphael's eyes. "{No, stupid, drug money. There's a difference. And before you go judging us, you try living on nothing, when nobody knows you're alive and nobody cares. You do whatever the hell you have to do to make ends meet.}"

Leonardo glared at him, and they exchanged words in English. Rei chuckled. I did not ask what they had said. "{What will we do for tonight?}" I demanded again.

"{Shut up, Yukio,}" Raphael snapped. "{You'll eat, okay? I promise.}"

I shot him an evil look and he smiled back.

LEONARDO:

There was something about the air that I didn't like. Something threatening, but I wasn't sure exactly what. Regardless, we had to go. Thank god for Vinny's, and for the fact that they fed us for free.

"Hey Raph?" I called up ahead of me. He turned and looked over his shoulder. "Ease up, will ya? Something's not right here."

He stopped, turned fully around to face me, and crossed his arms over his chest. "{What is it?}" Yukio asked from beside me.

I shook my head. "{I'm not entirely sure. Something just... doesn't feel right.}"

"You're paranoid, Leo," Raphael informed me, a smirk on his face. I ignored him.

I sighed. There was no getting through to him. But at least he was listening, even if he was being a smartass about it. He gave us a minute to catch up. "Is it safe now, Leo?" he grinned as we approached. "Can we go now or are the boogy-monsters gonna get us?"

"I oughtta hit you, you know that?" I shot at him, somewhat annoyed.

He laughed. "Try it, Leo. I dare you."

I ignored him and walked forward. There was something wrong. It was like we were being watched. Could Raphael not feel that? Why was I the only one who knew? But I did know. I knew it beyond a shadow of a doubt. Raph continued to make rude comments, most of them in English for the sheer fact that Yukio did not like the fact that he could not understand the language. In the month that had passed since Yukio and Rei had come to live with us, Raphael had spoken less Japanese than he normally did in a week. What he did speak was riddled with insults and slang, and I knew it was just to spite the language and culture of the teenage boy that he had chosen to make enemies with. Only in Splinter's presence did he control himself, as we all knew that Splinter would be just as offended as Yukio was.

Once we reached the surface, Raphael fell silent. There, he could feel the danger as clearly as I could. And he realized I wasn't just being paranoid. There was something wrong. The alley was empty, the back door half-hidden by garbage cans. I looked around once more before knocking on it. Suddenly, as if it were a crescendo in a musical piece, the danger escalated. I could feel the attack coming and spun around just in time to see throwing stars hurling through the darkness. They weren't aimed at me.

"Yukio, get...!"

I stopped short as Raphael tackled Yukio to the ground. I stepped in front of them and reached onto my back, pulling my katanas from their sheaths. I scanned the area thoroughly, but saw nothing. In a moment, Raphael was standing beside me, weapons drawn. There was nothing. Even the intuition of danger was gone. There was no one here.

"Where'd he go?" Raph asked.

I glanced back at Yukio. He was standing with his back to the wall, his face white as a sheet. If not for him, I would go find out where the attacker had disappeared to. But I wasn't about to leave him here with Raph. That was homicide. The door I'd knocked on earlier opened and the familiar man stepped out. "Leonardo," he smiled. "Raphael. Welcome."

I glanced once more at the darkness around us and turned to him. "Why are you standing at my door with weapons in hand?"

I sheathed the katanas and smiled in return, trying to calm the uneasy feeling in the pit of my stomach. "False alarm," I assured him, although I highly doubted that. Those shurieken didn't come out of nowhere. Someone had thrown them. And the obvious target was Yukio. I didn't like that.

SPLINTER:

"Sensei, {are you awake?}"

The worried tone in Leonardo's voice spoke volumes. I sat up. "{Come in, Leonardo.}"

He slipped into the room and closed the door behind him as I lit the oil lamp next to the bed. "{Is something wrong?}" I asked. "{It is very late.}"

He bowed slightly. "{Yes, I know. I apologize. Were you asleep? I didn't mean to wake you.}"

I shook my head. "{I was not sleeping. Is everything alright?}"

He sat down on the floor beside the bed, legs crossed underneath him. "{You never told us under exactly what circumstances are Rei and Yukio here, in the states?}" he questioned. "{Are they in danger? Is that why they're here?}"

I considered that for a moment. "{Why do you ask?}" I replied after a moment of hesitation.

He sighed. "{We encountered... something. Someone attacked us, but they were gone before I had a chance to see who it was.}"

His words confused me for a few seconds. "{You did not see your attacker?}"

He shook his head. "{We were in the alley, behind Vinny's, and someone threw three shurieken. We think Yukio was the target.}"

"{Was he injured?}" I asked, concerned.

His eyes fell. "Iie. {But we couldn't leave him to try and find who had thrown them. We never saw anyone.}" There was a moment of silence. "{I gave the throwing stars to Donatello and he confirms that they were tipped with poison. We fear it may have been a ninja.}"

His fear was fully justified. Shaken were not a choice weapon for the average offender. If this was true, and I had no reason to doubt Leonardo's account, then Rei and Yukio had been followed. For what reason? It had been my understanding that they would be safe in the United States. I had not pressed for details concerning Tang Shiro's business dealings for that very reason. Now it seemed that I was caught unaware. Perhaps it had been no coincidence that Shiro had sought me out, rather than another with a less notable reputation.

"{I do not know what danger they faced in Japan. Tang Shiro said only that he had made wrong decisions and he feared that they may be in danger if they remained in the country. We spoke with the assumption that they would be safe upon their arrival in New York.}"

He sighed. "{Well, I fear they may not be. His ability to stay hidden and to leave so quickly and silently suggests that we may be dealing with someone of equal rank at least.}"

I nodded slowly. "{Then we must take every precaution,}" I answered, "{to ensure their safety.}"

REI:

I awoke to the sound of someone knocking on my door. "Rei? We need to talk to you and your brother. You awake?"

"I am now," I called back, rubbing my eyes. I sat up and stretched, the blanket falling off my shoulders. I hadn't bothered to get dressed last night, and I was half-naked.

"Well, come on in the living room. We gotta talk to you."

"Right."

I yawned and fell back on the mattress again, spread-eagled. I didn't want to get up. I'd had a hard time sleeping last night, and I was exhausted. A burst of willpower brought me up to a sitting position. I hit the radio on the bedside table and let music fill the room. That would help me to wake up, I knew. I hung my head between my shoulders for a minute and breathed deep before standing up. For a few seconds, I felt like my legs were going to fall out from underneath me. I steadied myself and looked around for my clothes.

I was the last one to arrive in the living room. Everyone was there, and they looked up as I walked in. I leaned forward on the back of the couch. "Something wrong?" I asked.

"{How much do you know about why you're here?}" Leonardo questioned.

I stared at him for a moment, confused. "{I know very little,}" I finally answered, somewhat bitterly. "{My father never found it necessary to tell me the reasons behind his decisions.}"

All eyes turned to my brother. He shifted nervously. "{I know nothing.}"

I knew that was a lie, but I remained silent. Raphael glared at him "{What do you know?}" he demanded.

"{Yukio, we believe that you and your sister may be in danger,}" Leonardo explained. "{And if you want us to try and protect you, we need to at least know what we're dealing with.}"

A hardened look crossed Yukio's face. "{My father did not discuss his business dealings with his children,}" he replied, his voice indignant.

"{What business was he involved in?}" Donatello questioned.

"{He was a building contractor,}" I answered.

Yukio glared at me. "{Quiet, Rei,}" he ordered. "{You know nothing.}"

"Kieuseru, Yukio," Raph shot back. "{She can talk if she damn well pleases.}"

I glanced at him, surprised that he would use such language in his sensei's presence. "{Enough,}" Splinter warned. Raphael fell obediently silent. Splinter turned to Yukio. "{Your father had enemies. What do you know of them?}"

Yukio shook his head. "{My father and I did not speak of personal problems.}"

"{His personal problems landed you halfway across the globe,}" Raph answered. "{I find it hard to believe you know nothing about why you're here.}"

Yukio glared back at him. "{Unlike some people here, I do not disrespect my...}"

"{Enough!}" Splinter ordered forcefully. "Raphael, if you cannot control yourself, you will be asked to leave."

Fury streaked across Raphael's face. "I didn't...!"

He stopped when he saw the glare on his sensei's face. Leonardo's expression mirrored the annoyance. Raphael let out a frustrated growl and walked out of the room. I sighed as I watched him leave. "{What kind of enemies could a building contractor have had?}" Donatello thought out loud.

"{I never considered his work to be my concern,}" Yukio reaffirmed.

Michaelangelo mumbled something into the space between his chest and his knees. He was hiding his face, and I barely heard him. "{What did you say?}" I asked.

He breathed deep and sat up, but kept his eyes trained on the floor. "I said maybe it had nothing to do with work," he mumbled, in English. "Sometimes people refer to things as business, but they don't mean it like that."

"{Did he actually say it was work related?}" Leonardo asked Splinter.

My brother stood up. "{Why does it matter?}" he demanded. "{My father was a good man. He would never compromise the safety of his children!}"

Leo rose to his feet. "{We don't mean to imply that he...}"

"{I know very well what you're implying!}"

I glared at Yukio. "{They're just trying to help,}" I shot at him. "{And you know it. Relax, will you?}"

He walked away. I stared after him. Leo collapsed on the couch again. "{That could've gone better.}"

"I'm sorry," Mike whispered.

"For what?" I questioned.

He shrugged slightly. "I shouldn't have said that."

I grinned. "Earth to Mikey. Yukio doesn't even understand English. He had no clue what you said."

Michaelangelo hung his head, and said nothing.