CHAPTER 14

SPLINTER:

"Sensei, I need to talk to you." I looked up from the creek that ran through the lightly wooded yard. Raphael stepped forward. "I didn't wanna disturb you, but it's important."

He knelt beside me, head bowed respectfully. "What troubles you, Raphael?"

"Master, there's something about Yukio that you don't know."

I sighed. "Raphael, you can not allow your distaste for…"

"It's not about that!" he cried, looking up as he interrupted me. Then he realized it, and fell silent, cutting his gaze away.

"What troubles you so greatly, Raphael?" I questioned. "That you would continue to argue with your brothers on a subject that is of no importance."

He looked up again, a pleading look on his face. "But it is important. He's putting us all in danger. And I have to wonder who the threat really is. The guys who are after him, or him."

I stared for a few moments at the worried expression. "What reason do you have to consider Yukio himself to be a threat?"

He bowed his head. "Sensei," he started hesitantly, "he practices your exact technique." I felt my eyes widen slightly in surprise. Raphael looked up. "I fought with him," he mumbled. "When he was trying to kill Michaelaneglo. And he used a move to take me down that I've only seen executed by you and Leonardo. There ain't too many places he coulda learned that stuff from, Master. And you know he didn't learn it from you."

I considered that for a moment. "His father was my student, Raphael. He could have taught him my technique."

He shook his head. "Uh uh. You told us before that you only taught his father for a few years. He's too advanced. His moves are too complicated to be taught in a few years and retaught without influence sixteen years later."

I considered that for a moment, and said nothing. Raphael stood to his feet. "I think your new ward's got connections to Shredder. And I thought you should know."

MICHAELANGELO:

I awoke to a scream, and was instantly out of bed. I threw the bedroom door open without thinking and sprinted down the stairs. There, I saw Rei bent back over the kitchen table, trying to stay away from two black figures. They were advancing slowly, heads down. I tensed, surprised. My first thought was that they were foot soldiers. But they weren't. They didn't have the familiar red bands that signified a connection to the foot clan.

One held katanas in his hands, the other had no weapon, but I saw shurieken between his fingers. She'd be dead if she made any attempt to move, and I had a feeling she knew it. I looked around. Where were my brothers? They weren't here. I knew that immediately. I cringed. What were the chances I could take them down? A lot less than the chances that they could kill me. My hands felt along my waist instinctively, but my weapons weren't there. Of course they weren't. I hadn't carried them for months.

A year ago, I wouldn't have needed them. We'd been trained to turn our surroundings themselves into weapons. Anything could be used offensively. But right now, my mind was drawing a complete blank. I tensed. I knew I had to do something. But if they were half as threatening as they looked, they already knew I was here. There was no chance I even had the element of surprise.

I reached for the nearest object and threw it in their direction. All I could do was hope I could stall them until... what? Until someone came to save me? That was pathetic. But it wasn't like I had much of a choice at this point.

They spun and in a flash, they were in front of me. I didn't even have a chance to gasp. Damn, how could anyone be that fast? Suddenly, a rag was over my face. I choked and gagged, trying to push him away without breathing. But he won. A sweet smell surrounded me, and I slipped away.

***

I moaned slightly as the world slowly came into focus. I was tied tightly, sitting down. As I forced my eyes open, I saw darkness. A figure moved and I tried to envision it, but my eyes wouldn't focus. Exhausted by the effort, I closed them again. "You are awake," a voice called quietly.

I jumped, startled by the closeness of the speaker. He was on my right, no more than a few feet away. I turned and stared into the blackness. "Who are you?" I whispered. My voice was raspy, and I wondered how long I'd been out.

"My name is Nikko Ken'ichi."

I moaned slightly as a jolt of pain shot through my head. I closed my eyes again. "Why did you kidnap me?"

"I seek only Yukio," he informed.

I considered his words for a moment. "Why?" I finally managed. "What do you want with him?"

He was silent. For a minute, I thought he might have left the room. "Are you hungry?" he suddenly asked. He was on my other side now, and much further away.

I pondered his movements for a minute, then his words. "No," I finally answered. I really wasn't.

"Are you sure? You haven't eaten in two days."

"Is that how long I've been here?" I demanded.

"Yes. The drug had a powerful effect on you, for some reason. It was not supposed to render you unconscious for such a long period of time."

I breathed deep. Drug. For a moment, it was silent. I closed my eyes again. The smell of food nearby made me open them. "I will untie you if you do not try to run."

I was too weak to run if I'd wanted to. Besides that, it was dark in here and I had no idea where I was anyway. I could be on the other side of the planet for all I knew. "Okay."

There was a quiet hiss, a sword being pulled from its sheath, and the ropes fell away. I brought my arms in front of me and rubbed my wrists. My whole body was sore. It hurt to move. He handed me a bowl and I took it hesitantly. The weight of it almost caused me to drop it all over my lap. "You are still weak," he reminded me. "Be careful."

It was some kind of soup. I recognized it, but didn't know what it was called. Splinter made it occasionally. I suddenly realized that I really was hungry. It also eased the burning in my throat. I drank it quickly, saying nothing. The figure in the room with me did not speak, either.

"Do you feel better?" he asked when I had finished.

"Yes," I mumbled back. My eyes had finally begun to adjust to the darkness. I could see the outline of the figure clearly now. But his face, and the rest of his body, was covered. It was a black dogi, mask, gloves, padded shoes. A red band around his upper arm had a symbol on it, but I could not see it in the darkness. He sat in a chair a few feet away, running a dark colored cloth over his katana. I tensed.

"You're ninja?" I questioned, although I was pretty sure I already knew the answer to that.

"Yes," he answered plainly.

"You speak English," I observed.

"Yes. My mother was an American. We spoke both languages in our household."

"So do we," I answered. It seemed odd to strike up a conversation with the guy who'd just drugged and kidnapped me, but I was interested to find out what he hoped to accomplish by keeping me here.

He seemed a little stunned by my response. "Where did you learn Japanese?"

I smiled. "I think the better question is where did we learn English. Our sensei came to the states from Japan. He taught us his language. We learned English from TV and radio."

Now I'd really confused him. I knew it, but he said nothing for a long time. "What are you, exactly?" he finally questioned.

I sighed. "Mutated turtles," I answered. "It's a long story."

"Well, we have a long time."

The invitation was obvious. I shifted nervously, but didn't answer. He didn't press for a response. "You spoke of a sensei," he finally spoke. "What does he teach?"

"He was formerly shido-shin of the foot clan," I informed. He froze and looked up. I immediately noted the tension. "But that was before they turned... bad," I stammered.

He studied me for a moment. "How so?"

I swallowed hard. The tension in the room had skyrocketed with the mention of the foot. "One of his students turned on him," I explained hesitantly, "and assumed leadership of the clan. He corrupted it, while our sensei fled to the states."

After a moment of nervous silence, he looked back down at the blade in his hands. "You sensei is Hamato Yoshi, then?"

I don't know why I was surprised that he knew that. It seemed the entire country of Japan knew Splinter. "He... was, yes," I answered quietly, deciding to be honest. "He was mutated just like us."

"Into a turtle?"

"A rat," I corrected.

He paused for a moment, and looked up at me, as if he were trying to determine my truthfulness. I shrugged. "You don't have to believe me," I sighed. "I don't really expect you to."

"If Hamato Yoshi is your sensei, why do you not practice his form?"

I opened my mouth to reply, but I had no answer. That was a question that required years of explanation. But really, it had happened almost overnight. After April's death, I didn't feel like doing much of anything. I'd kept it up for a while. For a few days, I'd tried to escape reality the same ways Raph did. But I didn't like alcohol and I didn't know women, so that left the streets.

But the pain was too much, and I couldn't control the anger. I killed more people in that one week than I had in my entire life, including a child. He was only thirteen, I found out later. He'd stolen a guitar from a pawn shop, and I killed him. I didn't mean to, but I did. Kneeling next to his lifeless body in that alley, I had a moment of sanity. And I realized that I was out of control, and dangerous. I went home, and hadn't picked up a set of nunchucks since.

I shuddered at the memory. "I used to," I finally answered him. "And my brothers still do."

"Your brothers are like you?" he checked.

"Yes," I answered. "And Splin... Yoshi taught us from when we were small."

"Why do you no longer practice his teaching?"

"I..." I started. "That's difficult to explain."

"It must upset him greatly."

I stared at him for a moment. I hadn't considered that before. "Yeah," I mumbled. "It probably does."

"And that doesn't concern you?"

Of course it concerned me. But I knew that it would upset him even more if he knew what I had done with his teaching. I closed my eyes and hung my head in shame at the memories. So much had gone wrong, so much had changed in so little time. And I found myself totally changed almost overnight. It was so wrong...

"I've changed a lot in the past few months," I mumbled, looking away. Why was I telling him this? This guy just kidnapped me. Why was I talking to him at all? My brothers were going to kill him when they found us.

"In truth, your testimony does not surprise me," he answered. "You have an air about you that is unmistakable as a ninja's. Yet you do not fight back."

I smiled slyly. "Maybe I was just waiting to see where you'd take me. Strategic infiltration."

He turned the sword slightly and looked at me. Words were unnecessary. The threat was perfectly evident. I shrugged inwardly. I had no intentions of attacking him. He could kick my ass, even if he weren't armed, and I knew it. He'd already done it once.

My mind drifted back to the attack in the living room, and suddenly, a thought struck me. "Where's Rei?" I demanded.

"She's here," he answered. "Sleeping. She's just fine."

"Sleeping or drugged?" I challenged.

"She's asleep." He nodded to a corner of the large room. "Over there. Go wake her if you want."

I squinted through the darkness and saw her faint outline, lying on a mattress on the floor. The ninja moved, and my eyes darted back to him. He sheathed his katana and reached for the bowl. "I will be back," he promised.

He disappeared quickly, almost as if he'd vanished into thin air. I looked around the room and stood, walking toward the wall. It felt like cinderblock, and cold. The only light came from a narrow window at the top of the room, about eight feet up. Outside, it was dark. Only moonlight came through. I grabbed the ledge of the window and pulled myself up, so I could look out. I saw a driveway, and another house. We were in a basement.

I dropped back down to the floor and walked across the room to where Rei was sleeping. I knelt next to her and brushed her hair out of her eyes. She moaned softly, and curled up into a ball. I noticed that she was shivering. It was kinda cold in here.

Careful not to wake her, I lay down behind her and slipped my arm around her waist. I could feel her tremble in my grasp, and she moaned again, like she was in pain. I sat up slightly, concerned. No, she wasn't in pain. She was dreaming. I brushed her hair back and kissed her cheek lightly. "Shh," I whispered, kissing along her jaw line. "It's okay."

She breathed deep, and I thought I heard her whisper my name faintly as she snuggled closer to me, and fell silent. I slipped my fingers underneath her shirt and caressed her skin gently as I rested my head in her hair. Our body heat mingled and I sighed. I wondered how long it would be before we got out of here.

RAPHAEL:

I slammed his back to the wall, holding him by his shoulders. "{I don't believe this bullshit about how you don't know anything,}" I growled. "{Who the hell is this guy and what does he want with you?}"

"{I have told you,}" he replied. "{I know nothing.}"

"{Raphael, just calm down,}" Leonardo advised. "{That's not going to get us anywhere.}"

Reluctantly, I let Yukio go. I knew Leo was right, but I hated it. I hated being so damn helpless. "{Is it safe, even, to assume that they came looking for Rei and Yukio?}" Donatello challenged. "{I mean, for all we know, Shredder could've set this up.}"

"{If Shredder knew how to get to the lair, he wouldn't have left it untouched,}" Leonardo answered.

"{And he wouldn't have waited until we all left to attack, either,}" I added coldly. "{He would've wanted us all there. That's just his style. He's stupid like that.}" I turned and glared at Yukio. "{They came for him,}" I pointed. "{And I think he knows exactly why.}"

Yukio straightened. "{I do not understand you, Raphael,}" he snapped. "{Regardless of why they were here, the fact of the matter is that they took my sister as well as your brother. And I want to find them just as much as you do!}"

"{Yukio is right,}" Splinter affirmed. "{We must first find Michaelangelo and Rei. Then we will know why they were taken captive.}"

I clenched my teeth. There was something very wrong about this, but I knew better than to say anything in Yukio's presence. I turned and left the room, ignoring a request that I stay. Jessica followed me.

"What did they say?" she asked quietly, closing the door to our borrowed room.

I growled in frustration, but said nothing. Sitting down on the bed, I buried my face in my hands. For a moment, it was still. Then I felt her move to the bed, and sit behind me on her knees. Her hands went to my shoulders and she massaged gently. "I'm sorry, Raphael," she whispered.

I didn't answer. She didn't try and force me, only kneaded harder at the tense muscles. I breathed deep a few times, trying to control the anger. "I'm worried, Jess," I mumbled.

"I know," she whispered.

"And that bastard isn't talking."

She was quiet for a moment. "Maybe he really doesn't know anything," she suggested quietly.

"No," I answered firmly. "Not when someone spends the time and effort to track him down, give him a warning, and follow us halfway across our country to kidnap his sister."

"What if it's not him at all?" she whispered. "What if it's Rei? She was the one they took, after all."

I remembered the note in the lair, and shook my head. "It's not Rei. It's Yukio. Or maybe his father, but he knows whatever it is."

She massaged at my neck and shoulders, saying nothing. I closed my eyes, trying to sort out my thoughts. I couldn't just sit here and hope Yukio would tell us something. If Mike was in danger, I had no right to sit here and do nothing. But at the same time, I knew there was nothing I could do.

REI:

I felt warm breath on the back of my neck as I opened my eyes slowly. A cinderblock wall was a few inches in front of me, and it took me a moment to remember where I was. I looked down, and saw an arm around my waist. If it hadn't been green, I probably would've panicked.

I rested my hand on his, pressing my back against him. He breathed deep and turned his wrist to intertwine his fingers with mine. "You awake?" he whispered quietly.

"Mmm hmm."

He squeezed my hand gently. "You're not hurt, are you?"

"No. Just a little scared." I pulled away from him and turned onto my back. He smiled slightly. "But I feel better now that you're awake."

He raised himself on one arm, the other one raising my shirt to just below my breasts. He began to trace little designs on my stomach. "He feed you?"

I nodded. "There's two of them. Only one of them speaks English. The other only speaks Japanese."

His arm slipped around my waist and he leaned down to kiss my neck. I tilted my chin up and smiled slightly. "How are we gonna get out of here?" I whispered.

He pulled away and sighed. "I've checked the door. It's bolted shut. A few months ago, I might've been able to break it down. But not now."

"What about the window?" I suggested, pointing up at the narrow opening toward the ceiling. Early morning sunlight was filtering through it, into the basement.

"I thought about that," he replied. "And it's a possibility. You could probably fit through there. But I think I wanna see what this guy wants, you know? I mean, usually when you kidnap someone, you don't usually feed them and leave them untied and unattended."

"Yeah," I agreed quietly.

"He wants something, but it's not us."

I reached up and traced the outline of his mask, my thoughts drifting. "I don't wanna be here, Mike," I whispered. "But you know, I don't really wanna go home, either."

The smile fell from his face and he sighed. "Yeah. I know."

I turned and pressed against him. "Do you believe… what my brother said? Any of it?"

"No," he answered immediately.

I buried my face in his neck. "I don't either," I agreed. "I love you."

He smiled and nuzzled against me. "I love you too, Rei-chan."

"You'd better," I whispered back. "My brother wants to disown me over your ass."

"Mmm," he acknowledged. "But you love my ass."

"Among other things," I grinned.

I didn't hear a thing until he spoke, and almost gave me a heart attack. "{Breakfast?}"

Michaelangelo sat up so fast, he nearly hit me in the face. He spun around toward the voice, dropping his feet to the floor. I looked up and saw Danno Kin standing a few feet away. He held a tray of food in his hands. "{Don't do that!}" I cried.

He smiled faintly. "{I thought you might like some food.}"

Of my two captors, I liked Kin more. Perhaps only because he allowed me to see his face. That at least gave the impression that I was talking to a real person. He was young, maybe twenty, with dark, sad eyes and ruffled hair. He wore the same dogi as his masked partner, Ken'ichi, but did not cover his face. I felt more comfortable with him. But Michaelangelo was comfortable with no one.

"{Where are we?}" he demanded. "{And who are you?}"

Kin bowed and gave his name. "{You are not in danger,}" he assured. "{We have no quarrel with you.}"

"{Yeah, I've heard that before,}" Mike shot back. "{What is it you do want?}"

"{I want Yukio's blood,}" a voice behind him answered. Kin stepped aside and Ken'ichi advanced slowly. "{I have no quarrel with you.}"

His words struck me, and sent a cold shiver down my spine. "{Then why are you keeping us here?}" Mike snapped. "{And what's your problem with Yukio?}"

Ken'ichi's eyes darted to me. "{I had hoped he would come looking for his sister. That is the only reason why you are here.}"

"{Why did you take me?}" Michaelangelo pressed.

"{I believe you know where I can find him if he does not come.}"

Mike groaned, frustrated. "{Look, you found the lair and we ran away. Then you found where we went. What the hell do you want me to tell you? I don't know where he is. And if I did, I wouldn't tell you!}"

"{Your brothers might,}" Kin replied.

"{And if they don't?}" Mike challenged.

Ken'ichi and Kin exchanged glances. "{Then we will find him ourselves,}" Kin answered. "{As we have said, we have no quarrel with you.}"

"{Well, I know three mutant turtles that are going to have a big quarrel with you when they find out you kidnapped us.}"

He sighed. "{I don't wish to fight your brothers. I want only Yukio.}"

I stared at him, a feeling of dread sweeping over me. "{Why?}" I demanded. "{What has Yukio done?}"

The two ninjas exchanged glances. "{He murdered our sensei,}" Kin finally whispered. I gasped, shocked.

"{And his entire family,}" Ken'ichi added, his voice ringing in bitter anger. "In cold blood."

I could not speak. How could they say such a thing? Yukio would never do that! Moreover, how could he kill a master of the martial arts? Yukio was good, but he was not that good.

"{What?}" Michaelangelo answered for me. "{Why?}"

"{We are of opposing clans,}" Kin explained. "{Do you know the difference between a black and a red ninja?}"

Michaelangelo nodded. I did not, and I was glad that he went on to explain. "{They're opposing forces,}" Mike mumbled. "{Aka-i-ninjutsu is considered the good side, Kan-aka-na-ninjutsu relies heavily on magic.}"

Kin considered that. "{Not all black ninjas practice magic. There are many dark forms of ninjutsu.}"

"{Yeah, what's your point?}"

"{There are only five remaining ninjutsu ryus in Japan,}" Kin went on. "{Three of them are considered red clans, the other two, including the foot, are black. I am of a Aka-i-ninjutsu clan. Yukio is of the foot.}"

I felt my eyes widen as I finally realized what he was saying. "{No way!}" I cried. "{I do not believe this!}"

Mike glanced at me, then back at the two ninjas. "{If Yukio's part of the foot, why isn't the lair crawling with Shredder's goons?}" he demanded.

They both seemed confused by that. I was, as well. "{Who is Shredder?}" Ken'ichi asked.

For a moment, Michaelangelo seemed dumbstruck. Then he sighed. "{When Oroku Saki came to the states, he took on the name and persona of the Shredder,}" he explained. I had heard of Saki from my father, but I had never known that he was still alive. "{We still run into him from time to time, when he's around. And we're always dealing with the foot clan.}" Mike paused, and cut his gaze to the ground. "{Well, my brothers are.}"

Ken'ichi sighed. "{Yukio does not know Saki,}" he informed. "{Nor do we. Yukio was trained by the sensei Saki left in command back in Japan.}" I could say nothing. I was not entirely sure I believed this account. "{We, too, deal with the foot, though they do not exhibit such a high profile as they once did under Saki's control. They are the primary source of ninja assassins in our country. The best trained, and most successful.}"

I stared at them. "{You're trying to tell me that my brother is an assassin?}"

Kin's eyes met mine. "{We know nothing of his standing in the clan. He could have been a member for only a few years.}"

"{A few years?}" I repeated in disbelief. "{That's not possible. We would have known.}"

"{Only you did not,}" Kin explained. "{Your father...}"

"{My father never would have approved of such a thing!}"

I felt Michaelangelo's hand on my shoulder, trying to calm me. I was seething with anger at their accusations. "{He perhaps did not understand what his son's involvement in such a clan entailed.}"

"{He knew as well as you did that Yukio had taken an interest in the martial arts,}" Ken'ichi continued.

"{But knew nothing more until Yukio explained that he was in danger.}"

"{I do not believe you!}" I yelled. "{You killed my father and now you seek to kill my brother!}"

I tried to stand, but Michaelangelo grabbed me around the waist and pulled me back, onto his lap. "Woah, Rei, easy," he whispered into my hair. "Let's not piss these guys off, huh?"

"Let go of me," I growled.

"Just relax," he whispered. "Please."

I had no choice. He was holding me still.

"{We did not kill your father, Rei-san,}" Kin informed quietly.

I looked up. "{He is alive?}"

The two dark figures exchanged glances. "{He took his own life,}" Ken'ichi told me. "{In an attempt to spare his dignity. But we did not threaten him any more than we have threatened you.}"

Mike's grip on me loosened. I felt as if the air had been stolen from my lungs. He had committed suicide. My eyes filled with tears as I gasped air, and I turned my face into Michaelangelo's neck.

MICHAELANGELO:

I gave Rei a lingering look, then turned my eyes to the ninjas. "{Did you speak with him?}" I demanded. "{Before he died?}"

Kin shook his head. "{You must understand, Michaelangelo-san. The entire string of events took less than twenty-four hours.}"

"{What events?}" I questioned calmly. "{What exactly happened?}"

Ken'ichi sighed and took the sword off of his back as he sat down on the floor. He placed it in his lap, perhaps in a warning. It didn't matter. I wasn't about to try anything. "{Our sensei was killed when he returned home, late at night,}" he sighed. "{We don't know the exact circumstances of his death. We do know that his entire family, his wife and two young children, were slaughtered mercilessly.}"

"{Throwing stars left at the home bore the symbol of the foot clan,}" Kin continued.

"{So you know it was the foot,}" I assumed. "{But why? And how do you know it was Yukio?}"

"{We had recently intervened in a job Yukio was assigned to carry out,}" Kin explained. "{That was our first clue.}"

Rei tensed, and I held her tightly, silently begging her to keep quiet. I wasn't totally sure I believed this, either. But I wasn't any more sure that I didn't believe it.

"{And Yukio was a friend of the family. He could have easily gained access.}"

"{Entrance isn't a problem for a ninja,}" I shot at him. He knew that. Why was he playing dumb with me? "{And how do you know it was Yukio you stopped? Did he tell you his name?}"

"{We saw his face.}"

"{And Yukio was once a student of our clan.}"

I was silenced. "{Our sensei was killed at close range,}" Ken'ichi informed. "{At the kitchen table. The killer sat across from him.}"

"{He would not have allowed a threat to get so close to him,}" Kin continued. "{If he had known it was a threat.}"

"{But with no proof, we did not want to act irrationally.}"

"{So we went to his house, posing no threat.}"

"{We found his father dead by his own hand. And a check of his computer revealed that he had bought two plane tickets to New York.}"

I shook my head. "{That doesn't make any sense,}" I answered. "{Why wouldn't he just come to America with his kids? Why kill himself?}"

Ken'ichi bowed his head. "{We do not know. Perhaps he did not wish to burden your sensei.}"

I considered that for a moment. Just how much did these guys know? "{When he arranged for his son's escape, he must have assumed that he would be killed,}" Kin continued. "{Falsely assumed.}"

I closed my eyes and breathed deep. Rei sobbed quietly against my neck. "I do not believe this," she moaned quietly, reverting to English. "They're lying."

"We have no reason to lie, Rei-san," Ken'ichi answered. "We seek to avenge our sensei, and you will never hear from us again."

She jerked away from me so fast, I had no chance to stop her. "Oh is that all!" she screamed. "You mean you just want to kill my brother? And here I thought it was something serious!"

Ken'ichi grabbed her wrists easily as she swung at him, but made no attempt to hurt her. I stood. "Rei, please," I started.

She jerked her wrists out of Ken'ichi's grasp and spun to face me. He let her go. "Please what?" she yelled. "I can't believe you! This is Yukio they're talking about! How dare you...!"

"Please try to calm down," I answered her, taking her hands. "I know this is a lot but..."

"I can't believe you!" she screamed writhing away from me. "I hate you! How could you do this to me!"

She spun and ran toward the stairs. We watched her go, the two ninjas doing nothing to stop her. Ken'ichi sighed as he turned back to me. "{I understand this is probably difficult for both of you,}" he sympathized. "{But I only ask that you consider it. We have no quarrel with you, Michaelangelo-san. And we don't wish any harm to come to you. We only seek Yukio, and not a fight with your clan.}"

I shook my head. "{Whether or not what you say is true, my 'clan' isn't going to let you kill someone they've been asked to protect.}"

Kin bowed his head. Ken'ichi nodded slightly. "{I understand,}" he mumbled.

Over his shoulder, I saw Rei come back down the stairs and move to a far corner of the room. She slouched down, bringing her knees to her chin, and hid her face. Our captors exchanged glances, and walked away, leaving the tray of food on the floor.

I glanced at it, then at Rei, and lay down on the mattress again. I wasn't hungry, but I picked at the food anyway. Finally, still not entirely sure what I was going to say, I walked to the corner. "Rei?"

"Leave me alone," she answered quietly.

I knelt beside her. "I'm sorry," I mumbled, brushing her hair behind her ear. She said nothing. I forced a smile. "You don't really hate me, do you?"

She looked up. "You don't really believe them, do you?" she shot back.

I sighed and pulled my hand back into my lap. "I don't know, angel," I whispered. "But I know that I'm gonna love you regardless."

She studied me for a moment, then threw her arms around my neck. "Oh, Mikey, I'm scared," she gasped.

I wrapped my arms around her. "It's okay," I assured her, nuzzling my face into her hair. "It'll be okay."

"No," she sobbed. "It's not okay. What if they're right, Michaelangelo? What if they're telling the truth?"

I closed my eyes. "I don't know, baby," I answered, brushing the back of her neck lightly. "I don't know. But listen to me..." I pulled away from her and placed my hands on either side of her face, drawing her eyes to mine. "I love you. Okay? I really do. No matter what."

She was still for a moment, then she forced a smile. "I know you do, Mikey," she whispered, brushing her fingers over the side of my face. "I know."

I brought her close and we kissed, long and slow.