The moment I heard yelling, I knew that Leo and Raph were at it again. It
was the day after my little adventure with the Foot and nearly being blown
up by a bomb. I was still feeling the stress from the night before, but I
did sleep well in spite of it. I think Don's affections had something to
do with that. I was surprised what a little making out could do for one's
ability to rest! It had been a nice break from the anxiety I had been
through for so many hours.
To be honest, what happened at the wharf all seemed like a nightmare. Who in their right mind would think anything like what I had gone through could ever possibly happen? The events were so much like a bad Hollywood movie that it seemed too surreal to be – well – real. Never in my wildest imagination would I think something like that could happen to me. Yet, over the course of the past month and a half my life had changed so dramatically that I guess it was only a matter of time.
I was amazed of the changes in my life just six weeks could make!
As I listened to the two brothers argue it became apparently clear why they were. It was about my idea that I shared with Donny from the night before. I guess he had shared it with his family, too, because now it looked like it was causing a lot of trouble. By the sound of it Raph liked the thought of moving out of New York, but Leo didn't.
"Look you moron, stop being an ass! We need to get out of the city" Raph yelled.
"No, I told you we can't. We have to stay here. It's too dangerous out there!" Leo replied loudly and insistently.
"Dangerous out there? Hell, Leo, it's dangerous where we are! Can't you get that through your thick head?!" Raph shouted angrily.
I was still in my bedroom but it didn't take much to hear what was going on in the living area. I cringed knowing that I had caused problems and that the two least cooperative members of the lair were now in a heated argument together.
"Raph, I'm serious...no way are we going to move clear across the country. I don't care if Min has airline tickets; we're not going to move!" Leo seethed.
"What're ya afraid of, ya big sissy!" Raph shot back.
"I'm not afraid of anything, Raph. It just doesn't make any sense, that's all. We already have a home here. We can move if it ever gets dangerous but we don't have to move three thousand miles just to find a safe place. It's stupid and that's all there is to it!" Leo was now yelling at the top of his lungs; I think he was losing control.
"Look, dip-head, I stood guard for six hours AFTER battling dozens of the Elite Foot at that wharf. You 'n Mike were gone looking for a new place for what – how long? Five hours? What'd you find, Leo? Anything remotely decent?" Raph glowered.
I didn't hear anything coming from Leo.
"I asked you a question, Leo. What'd you find through all that sledging through muck and yuck?"
Leo answered, but I couldn't make out what he said.
Raph, I guess, couldn't either.
"Speak up, oh great leader. I didn't hear you." Raph sneered.
"I said 'NOTHING'" Leo's bellow echoed throughout the lair.
"So, you found nothing at all and you know as well as I do that the Foot don't waste any time in answering our rebuttals. You know as well as I do that they were plann'n on hittin' our place today! You know that, don'cha, Leo?" Raph was now sounding very sarcastic at this point.
I was sure Leo was ready to pop him one; it was only a matter of time.
But Leo didn't. I had to admire him, though his stubborn resolve to not even consider moving irritated me like nothing else.
"What about Splinter, Leo? He can't defend himself the way he used to. What Shredder did to him years ago took a lot out of 'em. At the very least, he needs – no, he deserves some peace and quiet and a better place than New York, especially during the winter. Don't you care about Splinter, Leo?" Raph seethed back.
"Don't you EVER accuse me of not caring about Splinter, you hear me, Raph. I care more for him than you could ever possibly do!" Leo replied angrily, just short of shouting.
The next thing I heard was a crash and then the sound of someone's shell hitting the concrete floor of the living area. Another sound came to my ears, this one a guttural growl, and then another sound of someone getting punched. More crashing and then more punches.
Good grief, were they trying to kill each other?
Grabbing my robe and slipping it on hurriedly, I ran out of my room only to be met with the sight of the two formally arguing turtles locked in hand to hand combat. It was Raph and Leo and they were gripping each other in a furious battle of wills. They moved so fast it was hard to tell who was who. Then, as they came to a physical stalemate, I could better discern them. The expression on their faces was far different from the night before. Now they were angry, not just defensive. The glare from Raph's eyes was lethal, but I had to include Leo's in that description as well. I had never seen them like that before and it scared me more than how they looked last night fighting the Foot.
Mike and Don were standing off to one side, their backs to my presence and trying to stay out of harms way. But they were close enough to the action that they had to move clear of the two ninjas every now and then as the fight escalated. Don hadn't noticed me yet, but Mikey did. He quickly walked over to me and said quietly, "Maybe you ought to go back to your room, Min?"
"No, I started this problem. I need to apologize..." I started to say and tried to step forward.
But then Mikey took my arm and pulled me back towards my room, "No apology will work here. They have to get it out of their system. You'll just be in their way and get hurt in the process."
Surprisingly, I did a quick one-eighty turn and slipped out from his grip, walking back to where I was, "NO, I will not be treated like a child, Mikey. Maybe my idea wasn't explained right, okay. Maybe if Leo would give me a chance to..."
But in the next instant I saw Don approach me. He came up to me so quickly I barely could take a breath before he whisked me up off of my feet and carried me back to my room.
"Don, put me down this instant. How dare you..." I stammered indignantly.
"Min, stay out of it! This is something that they have to work out themselves." Don interrupted me as he continued his march towards my room.
"Maybe if Leo heard what I had to say about it..." I started, but was – again – interrupted.
"Leo is angry right now – with you for interfering! I wouldn't go approaching him until Raph is done!" he explained.
"What? You mean Leo would hit me? What about this ninja honor stuff and not hitting women, and..." I couldn't believe that Leo, out of all of them, would hit me. Mr. Mini Splinter himself practiced too hard at perfecting the mores of his martial arts.
"No, he wouldn't hit you; but he could certainly banish you and if he had Splinter to back him up, we'd have to obey him." Don said as he put me down on my bed.
"Banish me? After rescuing me last night he would go ahead and kick me out?" I asked, suddenly sober and not wanting to get involved anymore.
Don sat down next to me and took my hand. "Yes, he could do that. He's not Jonin, but he is our leader; despite Raph's protests." He looked at me and smiled, "Besides, if you were banished, I'd have to go with you!"
"Why...why would you have to go with me?" I asked innocently. Ah, yes, the kisses last night. I had momentarily forgotten about them with the entire ruckus going on.
"I love you, Min, and I just can't fathom spending the rest of my existence here in this hole without you. If you had to leave, then I would leave, too." He was quite serious.
"You couldn't leave, Don. Your brothers need you! "
I was flattered, of course, but it was true. The four brothers benefited each other like a well put together piece of machinery. Where one would fall, the others would pick up.
Don was the obvious brain in the family; his intellect providing them all with amenities and comfort that made their existence bearable. He could think through complex problems and find answers seemingly out of thin air. Plus he had a sense of compassion and sensitivity that I think his siblings lacked. He was always reminding them of the 'heart of the matter' to any situation.
Leo was the obvious leader, though frustrated for the moment. His skill at determining their course of action probably saved them countless times. He took charge when chaos seemed to be overwhelming them; last night was no exception. Though I would have challenged him on his decision to dispatch the remaining Foot who had kidnapped me – especially Jack – I knew that it wasn't done flippantly. Sometimes being a leader forces one to make the hard decisions. The end results were you had to live with those decisions.
I kind of wondered if maybe what I was hearing and what I just witnessed was only the fallout from that painful fact.
Raph was definitely the brawn and the power behind whatever plan Leo had and if he decided to follow it. The red-masked turtle was rebellious and loved doing things his way, but in the end he was always the one that pushed through any obstacle. He was full force all the way; no hemming and hawing about Raphael. Once he made up his mind, it was a done deal. This morning was no exception. He had decided from the get-go that leaving was a good idea – despite Leo's objections and what appeared to me to be a plain old fashioned fear of the unknown.
Mikey lightened things up, of course. His wit brought a sense of fun to what would be an obviously depressing life. Yet after seeing him work his chuks the night before, I was convinced more than ever that his expertise with his ninjitsu was greatly underrated by his wisecracks and his brothers' not taking him too seriously. The fact that he wanted me out of the room showed how concern he was for my welfare. That and the fact that he seemed to know his brothers better than they knew themselves told me that Mikey was quite intuitive.
So for even one of these brothers to high tail it to parts unknown would have unbalanced the family and with tragic consequences as a result. Where they were isolated from any serious outside help, these four mutant turtles needed each other in the worse possible way.
If only they could understand that.
Don continued to look at me, "I'm serious, Min. If you had to leave...it would – well – just kill me."
The look on his face was so serious and yet I realized right then that he was sincere. But then a thought occurred to me that scared me to death. I was afraid to bring it up, but considering what was going on in the other room and that I truly felt their leaving New York was necessary, I had to say something.
"Don, I don't plan on leaving New York." I knew I said it quite abruptly, but there wasn't any other way to voice it.
His eyes widened when I said that.
"What do you mean? What if we leave, Min? Aren't you coming with us?" Don's voice started to get a little wobbly, like his emotions were ready to betray him.
Gulping and taking a big breath, I explained, "When Brandi was dying and she knew it and she was still conscious, she made me promise never to leave her." I saw tears form in Don's eyes as my own eyes started to fill, "Don, I can't leave New York. Brandi is buried here. I visit her on her birthday and on the anniversary of her death. Both are hard to do but I do it because I made a promise to her."
He was quiet for a long time, looking down at his feet. Don understood promises and the honor to keep them. He also knew the wisdom of his family leaving New York. He squeezed my hand gently and as I looked at him I saw a couple of tears run down his cheek and fall onto his lap.
I felt awful and not because I had just dropped this newest bombshell on him.
I cared about him, that was certain, and under any other set of circumstances I would have done what I could to make them all stay – just so I could be near Don. But, it would have been very selfish of me. They needed to get out of town. At the very least so the police and authorities wouldn't find them. If the Foot had infiltrated the precinct then it was a good bet they would instigate an all out hunt for them by involving the law. I knew I was right. My job, then, was to convince Leo of this fact.
Considering how angry Leo was at the moment and the fight that was still going on in the other room – based on all the thumps and Splinter's plea for them to stop – I knew I had my work cut out for me. I also decided to give the two battling turtles the time necessary to expend their energies and frustration. Once they were done and exhausted I would then migrate into their midst.
With Don as escort, of course!
I was in no shape to go toe to toe by myself with the 'leader of the pack'.
To be honest, what happened at the wharf all seemed like a nightmare. Who in their right mind would think anything like what I had gone through could ever possibly happen? The events were so much like a bad Hollywood movie that it seemed too surreal to be – well – real. Never in my wildest imagination would I think something like that could happen to me. Yet, over the course of the past month and a half my life had changed so dramatically that I guess it was only a matter of time.
I was amazed of the changes in my life just six weeks could make!
As I listened to the two brothers argue it became apparently clear why they were. It was about my idea that I shared with Donny from the night before. I guess he had shared it with his family, too, because now it looked like it was causing a lot of trouble. By the sound of it Raph liked the thought of moving out of New York, but Leo didn't.
"Look you moron, stop being an ass! We need to get out of the city" Raph yelled.
"No, I told you we can't. We have to stay here. It's too dangerous out there!" Leo replied loudly and insistently.
"Dangerous out there? Hell, Leo, it's dangerous where we are! Can't you get that through your thick head?!" Raph shouted angrily.
I was still in my bedroom but it didn't take much to hear what was going on in the living area. I cringed knowing that I had caused problems and that the two least cooperative members of the lair were now in a heated argument together.
"Raph, I'm serious...no way are we going to move clear across the country. I don't care if Min has airline tickets; we're not going to move!" Leo seethed.
"What're ya afraid of, ya big sissy!" Raph shot back.
"I'm not afraid of anything, Raph. It just doesn't make any sense, that's all. We already have a home here. We can move if it ever gets dangerous but we don't have to move three thousand miles just to find a safe place. It's stupid and that's all there is to it!" Leo was now yelling at the top of his lungs; I think he was losing control.
"Look, dip-head, I stood guard for six hours AFTER battling dozens of the Elite Foot at that wharf. You 'n Mike were gone looking for a new place for what – how long? Five hours? What'd you find, Leo? Anything remotely decent?" Raph glowered.
I didn't hear anything coming from Leo.
"I asked you a question, Leo. What'd you find through all that sledging through muck and yuck?"
Leo answered, but I couldn't make out what he said.
Raph, I guess, couldn't either.
"Speak up, oh great leader. I didn't hear you." Raph sneered.
"I said 'NOTHING'" Leo's bellow echoed throughout the lair.
"So, you found nothing at all and you know as well as I do that the Foot don't waste any time in answering our rebuttals. You know as well as I do that they were plann'n on hittin' our place today! You know that, don'cha, Leo?" Raph was now sounding very sarcastic at this point.
I was sure Leo was ready to pop him one; it was only a matter of time.
But Leo didn't. I had to admire him, though his stubborn resolve to not even consider moving irritated me like nothing else.
"What about Splinter, Leo? He can't defend himself the way he used to. What Shredder did to him years ago took a lot out of 'em. At the very least, he needs – no, he deserves some peace and quiet and a better place than New York, especially during the winter. Don't you care about Splinter, Leo?" Raph seethed back.
"Don't you EVER accuse me of not caring about Splinter, you hear me, Raph. I care more for him than you could ever possibly do!" Leo replied angrily, just short of shouting.
The next thing I heard was a crash and then the sound of someone's shell hitting the concrete floor of the living area. Another sound came to my ears, this one a guttural growl, and then another sound of someone getting punched. More crashing and then more punches.
Good grief, were they trying to kill each other?
Grabbing my robe and slipping it on hurriedly, I ran out of my room only to be met with the sight of the two formally arguing turtles locked in hand to hand combat. It was Raph and Leo and they were gripping each other in a furious battle of wills. They moved so fast it was hard to tell who was who. Then, as they came to a physical stalemate, I could better discern them. The expression on their faces was far different from the night before. Now they were angry, not just defensive. The glare from Raph's eyes was lethal, but I had to include Leo's in that description as well. I had never seen them like that before and it scared me more than how they looked last night fighting the Foot.
Mike and Don were standing off to one side, their backs to my presence and trying to stay out of harms way. But they were close enough to the action that they had to move clear of the two ninjas every now and then as the fight escalated. Don hadn't noticed me yet, but Mikey did. He quickly walked over to me and said quietly, "Maybe you ought to go back to your room, Min?"
"No, I started this problem. I need to apologize..." I started to say and tried to step forward.
But then Mikey took my arm and pulled me back towards my room, "No apology will work here. They have to get it out of their system. You'll just be in their way and get hurt in the process."
Surprisingly, I did a quick one-eighty turn and slipped out from his grip, walking back to where I was, "NO, I will not be treated like a child, Mikey. Maybe my idea wasn't explained right, okay. Maybe if Leo would give me a chance to..."
But in the next instant I saw Don approach me. He came up to me so quickly I barely could take a breath before he whisked me up off of my feet and carried me back to my room.
"Don, put me down this instant. How dare you..." I stammered indignantly.
"Min, stay out of it! This is something that they have to work out themselves." Don interrupted me as he continued his march towards my room.
"Maybe if Leo heard what I had to say about it..." I started, but was – again – interrupted.
"Leo is angry right now – with you for interfering! I wouldn't go approaching him until Raph is done!" he explained.
"What? You mean Leo would hit me? What about this ninja honor stuff and not hitting women, and..." I couldn't believe that Leo, out of all of them, would hit me. Mr. Mini Splinter himself practiced too hard at perfecting the mores of his martial arts.
"No, he wouldn't hit you; but he could certainly banish you and if he had Splinter to back him up, we'd have to obey him." Don said as he put me down on my bed.
"Banish me? After rescuing me last night he would go ahead and kick me out?" I asked, suddenly sober and not wanting to get involved anymore.
Don sat down next to me and took my hand. "Yes, he could do that. He's not Jonin, but he is our leader; despite Raph's protests." He looked at me and smiled, "Besides, if you were banished, I'd have to go with you!"
"Why...why would you have to go with me?" I asked innocently. Ah, yes, the kisses last night. I had momentarily forgotten about them with the entire ruckus going on.
"I love you, Min, and I just can't fathom spending the rest of my existence here in this hole without you. If you had to leave, then I would leave, too." He was quite serious.
"You couldn't leave, Don. Your brothers need you! "
I was flattered, of course, but it was true. The four brothers benefited each other like a well put together piece of machinery. Where one would fall, the others would pick up.
Don was the obvious brain in the family; his intellect providing them all with amenities and comfort that made their existence bearable. He could think through complex problems and find answers seemingly out of thin air. Plus he had a sense of compassion and sensitivity that I think his siblings lacked. He was always reminding them of the 'heart of the matter' to any situation.
Leo was the obvious leader, though frustrated for the moment. His skill at determining their course of action probably saved them countless times. He took charge when chaos seemed to be overwhelming them; last night was no exception. Though I would have challenged him on his decision to dispatch the remaining Foot who had kidnapped me – especially Jack – I knew that it wasn't done flippantly. Sometimes being a leader forces one to make the hard decisions. The end results were you had to live with those decisions.
I kind of wondered if maybe what I was hearing and what I just witnessed was only the fallout from that painful fact.
Raph was definitely the brawn and the power behind whatever plan Leo had and if he decided to follow it. The red-masked turtle was rebellious and loved doing things his way, but in the end he was always the one that pushed through any obstacle. He was full force all the way; no hemming and hawing about Raphael. Once he made up his mind, it was a done deal. This morning was no exception. He had decided from the get-go that leaving was a good idea – despite Leo's objections and what appeared to me to be a plain old fashioned fear of the unknown.
Mikey lightened things up, of course. His wit brought a sense of fun to what would be an obviously depressing life. Yet after seeing him work his chuks the night before, I was convinced more than ever that his expertise with his ninjitsu was greatly underrated by his wisecracks and his brothers' not taking him too seriously. The fact that he wanted me out of the room showed how concern he was for my welfare. That and the fact that he seemed to know his brothers better than they knew themselves told me that Mikey was quite intuitive.
So for even one of these brothers to high tail it to parts unknown would have unbalanced the family and with tragic consequences as a result. Where they were isolated from any serious outside help, these four mutant turtles needed each other in the worse possible way.
If only they could understand that.
Don continued to look at me, "I'm serious, Min. If you had to leave...it would – well – just kill me."
The look on his face was so serious and yet I realized right then that he was sincere. But then a thought occurred to me that scared me to death. I was afraid to bring it up, but considering what was going on in the other room and that I truly felt their leaving New York was necessary, I had to say something.
"Don, I don't plan on leaving New York." I knew I said it quite abruptly, but there wasn't any other way to voice it.
His eyes widened when I said that.
"What do you mean? What if we leave, Min? Aren't you coming with us?" Don's voice started to get a little wobbly, like his emotions were ready to betray him.
Gulping and taking a big breath, I explained, "When Brandi was dying and she knew it and she was still conscious, she made me promise never to leave her." I saw tears form in Don's eyes as my own eyes started to fill, "Don, I can't leave New York. Brandi is buried here. I visit her on her birthday and on the anniversary of her death. Both are hard to do but I do it because I made a promise to her."
He was quiet for a long time, looking down at his feet. Don understood promises and the honor to keep them. He also knew the wisdom of his family leaving New York. He squeezed my hand gently and as I looked at him I saw a couple of tears run down his cheek and fall onto his lap.
I felt awful and not because I had just dropped this newest bombshell on him.
I cared about him, that was certain, and under any other set of circumstances I would have done what I could to make them all stay – just so I could be near Don. But, it would have been very selfish of me. They needed to get out of town. At the very least so the police and authorities wouldn't find them. If the Foot had infiltrated the precinct then it was a good bet they would instigate an all out hunt for them by involving the law. I knew I was right. My job, then, was to convince Leo of this fact.
Considering how angry Leo was at the moment and the fight that was still going on in the other room – based on all the thumps and Splinter's plea for them to stop – I knew I had my work cut out for me. I also decided to give the two battling turtles the time necessary to expend their energies and frustration. Once they were done and exhausted I would then migrate into their midst.
With Don as escort, of course!
I was in no shape to go toe to toe by myself with the 'leader of the pack'.
