His True Love

Disclaimer: I deny any ownership of any adult or adolescent transformed shadow warrior chelonians.

Lenni: As to when Rama is going to get into trouble you have a bit to wait yet as her part of the story doesn't really come into play until later on. I need Don and Raph to certain place in their relationships before I get into Rama's side story.

Chapter Thirteen – The Difficult Female

RAPHAEL:

While we all took our turns guarding Sara during her evening work I found just standing around and waiting to be the hardest thing of all. I didn't have a great deal of patience and time seemed to go on and on with no end in sight. It was enough to drive a normal person insane. I won't say what it did to me!

Playing it cautious and being patient was Leo's line of work not mine and I'd just as soon be breaking up crime somewhere on patrol then standing around in an alley being bored out of mind.

But I knew my brothers were no keener over watching Sara then I was, but for them it was for far different reasons. Then again Sara wasn't too keen on us hanging around watching her either and I think the only reason she allowed it was because we didn't harass her clients.

So we all sort of tolerated it and what we did simply because it needed to be done and there was just no getting around it.

Sara at least only did as much as she felt was necessary to pay her bills and give her a little extra which meant if she earned good pay early on in the night she was willin' to go home and take it easy. Or take a few days off to work on her studies as far as she was concerned her nursing came first. What she did at night only permit her to afford her goal.

She did have her regular clients and those ones I never saw much threat in, but even so I was far too much of a ninja to think that they wouldn't harm her even if they were regulars who paid well for her services. People I knew could be bought.

It was the clients who weren't regular that I really worried about because those ones who knew what they were capable of or what they might do, or who they were actually working for. So for the clients who were unknown to Sara would always have my ninja skills and instincts up.

Tonight as usual was another boring night of waiting to be relieved so I could patrol for a while and blow off steam beating up on some of the scum and low life in the city.

I watched a guy walking towards Sara, he had greasy dark hair a cold sneer on his face, his arms were muscled but not really built, telling me he worked out some but not to much that it was all that massive muscle you'd find on a body builder.

He wasn't all that different from numerous other guys who walked or drove around the streets at night looking for a little female companionship. For some reason though I didn't like him my instincts told me that there was something all wrong!

I stood in the shadows watching as he singled out Sara and began to chat her up talking in low voices and that sneer on his face turned to a suggestive leer that I didn't care for one bit.

I did not like him and I wanted to go out there and scare the life out of the creep send him packing but I knew the rules no interfering with Sara's clients unless, of course her life was in danger, suddenly I resented that rule.

Should have expected it I was never much one for keepin' to rules anyways.

I faded back into the shadows and made it to the rooftops in record time so I could keep an eye on Sara and her John as they made their way to the hotel that many of the hookers made use of.
From the rooftops I had the perfect vantage point and I also knew if anything serious happened I could make it down to assist Sara in a matter of mere seconds, not even that.

As they walked I noticed her John slowly edging Sara ever so subtly closer and closer to the buildings that lined the sidewalks. It was done ever so smoothly, subtly even.

Yet there was no denying that for some reason he was maneuvering her away from the streets. If my ninja senses weren't on high alert before this move was all I needed to put them there.

I knew there was an alley just before the hotel and I had a sinking feeling what ever was going happen was going to happen there.

I kicked it into high gear to the alley dropping down further back from the street and landing as silently as a cat, even with more stealth and silence, if you can believe it. I didn't betray my presence in anyway.

My eyes quickly scanned the shadows along the building and I spotted two guys closer to the street lying in wait bodies tensed and a feeling of nervous excitement and anticipation lingered around them.

I looked out to the almost well lit street and could see Sara and her client just starting to walk by suddenly he gave her a hard shove pushing her in the alley.

" Hey watch it I don't go for rough stuff!" she snapped quickly, " You think that way get yourself a different girl."

Too late she must of realized the creeps trap for her as the two who were waiting in the shadows grabbed her, pulling her back into the shadows clamping a hand over her mouth.

The John gave a soft low chuckle " Too bad baby cause we are into rough stuff. You're going give it to us just the way we want and when it's done were going silence Red's little bird for good."

I bristled so Red had found out Sara was still alive and as expected he didn't like it one bit.

Sara lashed out with a fast front snap kick aimed right at her John's jewels but he grabbed her leg and twisted it sharply " That a girl make it interesting and so much more fun for all of us" he laughed a bit.

I decided I had enough I learned all I truly needed to know, and since the three lowlifes were in the shadows, I decided it was time to make myself known to the lot of them.

I tossed a handful of shuriken not using them to embed in them, though the thought was tempting, I wanted to inflict pain on them. Let them know that there was someone else here and maybe to shake em up a little too.

As a ninja I wasn't suppose to leave a trace and I felt tossing them to scratch was enough to unnerve the petty crooks that I was dealing with.

" What the?"

" Someone is here!"

Suddenly all three of them turned scanning the darkness their attention diverted from Sara for the briefest of moments as they tried to make sense of the shadows and darkness of the alley.

" All right whose ever out there playing games better show themselves now!" Sara's client snapped glaring about acting tough.

He wanted me to show myself, fine I would just not the way he was expecting. I closed the gap between us. I grabbed the two thugs on either side of Sara by the shirt collars and bashed their heads together before they even knew what was going on.

Dazed they sort of staggered as I spun them around and smashed them head on into the brick wall of the building.

All of this was done in mere seconds not even half a minute had passed and Sara's John was starting to get worried I could sense his bravado fading and fear creeping slowly in on him.

Before he could make a move though I rapped him hard across the head knocking him unconscious then I grabbed Sara and made for the rooftops without even slowing down I kept a hold on her as I jumped a few roofs to put distance between us.

Finally I sat her down to see how she was doing after the attack and the thrill of jumping rooftops.

She was shaking violently and even in the darkness of the night I could see her eyes had grown large from fright and she was taking large gasping gulps of air while low whimpers escaped her throat.

I could sense the fear that surrounded her but at the moment I didn't know what it was more due to.

I wrapped my arms about her, feeling her small frame shake uncontrollably against me " Its s'allright," I said softly as I could though my voice wasn't one that did soft that well.

" You're not hurt any are ya?" I asked.

" No just scared. I wasn't expecting it until it was almost too late" Sara admitted in a trembling voice. She raised her left hand to massage her forehead.

She was so shook up at the moment I had the feelin' she didn't even realize that I had jumped rooftops with her.

" Red knows you are alive and can still cause him problems. C'mon we are going home," I declared.

Sara glanced up at me as if she hadn't heard a word I had just said to her.

" C'mon enough work for tonight. Let's go!" I ordered briskly.

Sara suddenly stood up " No Raph I'm going back to work." She stated with a hard edge to her tone.

I shook my head in disbelief " Say what?" I demanded narrowing my eyes. Someone tell me I didn't hear what I thought I had.

" I said I am going to work" Sara insisted her voice gaining in strength and tone as she spoke. She raised her head in defiance but in spite of all that I could still sense her fear at the close call she had just been through.

Listen Sara Red knows you are alive and he is after you. You are under our protection and I say were going back. You don't need to be out here at this moment." I growled at her, laying it on the line.

" Yes I do Raph!" Sara snapped, " I'm not about to go into hiding because I'm afraid of what others will do to me. That is no way to live" She stated gently but firmly " If I give in this time, then it will make it easier to back down next time and I can't let myself do that Raph."

I glared at her but she met my glare with a hard look of her own. I could still sense her fear but under that was the courage and will to face that fear and to not back down. I admired that in her, but I still thought she was being a regular baka about the whole thing.

" Ya know I could just drag you back to the lair."

Sara nodded agreement not even refuting my words " You could. You could even make me stay in the lair whether I wanted to be there or not I don't doubt that one bit" she agreed amiably " But then I'd lose all respect for you and your family because I'm not your prisoner Raph and I won't care to be held against my will."

I cocked my head to one side " You don't need the money that badly Sara." I hissed at her stubbornness.

" This isn't about the money Raph and you know it. It is deeper then that" Sara replied casually.

I crossed my arms over my plastron wondering to myself if all women were this difficult as I considered her words in the back of my mind.

I knew what it was like to live in fear of the great what if…hell we had been doing it all of our lives after all it was nothing new to us. Personally I didn't care for it and a part of me wanted to risk exposure I think the only thing that kept me from doing it was the fear of where we'd end up if we were found.

Part of me really wanted to go the safe route. Do what Leo would have done talk, lecture or reason Sara into giving in and returning to the lair for her own safety.

I wasn't much of a talker and I know how it chafed me to no ends to be confined by the rules and dictates of what was considered safe for us. Besides I admired Sara's spirit her willingness to face her fear. I also knew it was better to face the fear while it was fresh then let it get a hold of you.

" I'll give ya an hour" I relented " That's it!"

Sara agreed though reluctantly I guess she finally realized it was a take it or leave it sort of deal.

I figured Red's men would be out for a while and even when they did come around I highly doubted they would come looking for more right away and an hour ought to be sufficient to help her gain some control over the fear of the recent attack.

Luckily the last hour went well she got a regular client almost immediately and by the time she was done she was ready to head back home.

As we made our way through the maze of the sewers Sara placed her hand gently on my arm " Raph thanks for doing that for me."

I just snorted and told her to " Forget about it."

" Raph" Sara spoke in a low whisper that seemed to echo around us ever so slightly.

I turned and looked at her seeing as usual a woman who was small in size but had a fierce nature to her.

" You know if you hadn't agreed I would have come back willingly. It's just I…" she paused and shook her head slightly " Couldn't let them win by making me afraid. You understand that don't you?"

Yeah, I understood that all right maybe better then even any of my brothers could, but I wasn't about to say that to her.

She took my hand in hers her long fingers caressing mine " I wanted to thank you for that." Sara whispered.

She stood up on tiptoe and kissed me.

I hadn't been expecting her to do this but I wasn't going to refuse her either I slipped my arms around her waist and pulled her tighter to me as I returned the kiss.

Difficult women might be but I had to admit they could add perks to an otherwise lonely life and existence and those sorts of perks I could get used to all too easily.

TBC