His True Love

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

Chapter Thirty Five – Digging

LEONARDO:

  It took a few weeks before Ramiela started to calm down and start showing signs of returning to her normal self again.

I knew Mike had spent most of his time catering to Ramiela's needs and helping her get over the trauma of Shay's final betrayal, as he had spent all that time caring for her I wasn't too sure how he, him self was now dealing with the problem.

There were times when being ninja and having the ability to close off your thoughts and emotions from those around you could end up causing some problems to grow far out of proportion and harder to deal with in the long run.

Yes we could pick up such things but being ninja we were trained how to close these things off as well, and if you closed off certain events then you might be able to kid yourself that there really was no problem to be dealt with.

I had learned it took time to do a bit of digging but digging was rewarding, as it would turn up the truth of the matter at hand. Digging could be painful and delicate work but often necessary if it was to prevent certain situations that might crop up later if it was ignored instead of dealt with.

Now that Ramiela was returning back to normal I figured it was time to see if Mike was as fully all right on the subject as he acted.

Shay had once meant something special to Mike as important to him as Jen was to Don or Sara to Raph.

I smiled as I thought of Sara and Raph, I knew she would be good for him as I had all ready detected slight changes in Raph's attitude that could attributed to Sara alone.

The other day the newly engaged couple had gotten into quite an argument over Sara wanting to return to her night work.

She had informed Raph point blank that engagement or no engagement she still had bills to pay and it would be business as usual and if he couldn't handle it then he could forget all about marrying her.

I knew Raph wasn't about to take that ultimatum lying down. He didn't want her returning to that lifestyle she was engaged to him and he didn't want her being with other guys even if they didn't mean any thing to her.

For awhile both of their anger and boiling tempers could be felt throughout our entire home as the two tried to get the upper hand on the other.

The anger had dissipated quickly when Raph pointed out that Sara's exams were closing in and she might make better use of her time studying so she could pass.

" You fought damn long and hard for a nursing certificate and now you want to possibly just throw the thing away," he had snapped at her.

Sara backed down and as she calmed down quickly she then was able to get Raph to calm down as well. In all of her anger Sara could not refute that statement or put it down to Raph just being his usual boneheaded, thick shelled self. He cared about her and he wanted to help her.

So they agreed that he would continue breaking up drug rings and giving her the money so her bills would be cared for. She meanwhile decided if this was the end of her hooker career she would have herself tested for any diseases before marrying.

Sara had confessed to Karena later that she had thought Raph was only trying to force her into early retirement as he didn't care for her night work and she was fully aware of it. She hadn't stopped to think that he had other reasons in mind.

Perhaps originally Raph's only intent was to get her off the street on the basis of their engagement but it wasn't enough to deter his equally head strong young lady friend, however his feelings and caring came to the front.

The depths of those feelings might shock Sara if she could ever feel them but the rest of the clan wasn't in the dark about them or how he felt towards her.

There was no digging to be done to know that Raph felt a great deal for Sara.

I thought for a moment of our teen years, not all that long ago really when we were constantly at each other. I hadn't been too sure how to get my irresponsible brother to grow up and saw it as a failure on my part to get him to smarten up. Raph stubbornly refused to give in and I was just as bad. Both of us were so sure that we were right. That I hadn't seen until some years later that I had only made matters worse and had contributed to the problem instead of easing it.

It was Karena who pointed these things out to me and informed me that if I wanted Raph to change perhaps I might do well to start with myself first. It was amazing how Karena could provide an insight into my own nature that I wasn't even aware of and more important was how she helped me see it for what it was.

I knew she had changed me for the better and being father had changed me again. I couldn't wait to see what changes Sara would have on Raph but I had no doubts she would be an asset to us, as Raph seemed to heed her.

The times I had to dig with Raph was usually after court executions much as Raph let on it didn't bother him I knew otherwise for he was still trained as the rest of us were, to value all life and no matter how necessary it was, it created some conflict for him. He used his attitude and remarks to cover it up and he would never freely admit to it.

But a little digging revealed the truth more often then not and while Raph truly was able to get over the executions and probably handle them better then the rest of us ever could, I knew it was not an easy task he did when we requested it from him.

I had all ready searched the entire lair and found no sign of Mike since it was evening time and Ramiela was all ready tucked in bed asleep I figured Mike must have gone for a walk. I had a feeling though that I might be able to find my brother easily enough.

I headed topside and checked a couple of Mike's favourite spots to no avail and then headed to the rooftop garden we were all familiar with. All of us would go there for our own reasons I found it a wonderful place to meditate at night and Splinter would sometimes join me, Mike enjoyed the plants and the fishpond, Raph liked to go there to be above everything and Don came there to star gaze.

As expected I found him there sitting on the swing.

" Hi Mike mind if I join you?"

" Hey Leo go right ahead" Mike sat up and gestured to the free spot now on the swing.

" Ramiela seems to be getting back to her old self again," I said casually as I sat down beside him

" Yeah but I still don't think she'll be forgetting Shay any time soon Leo. I've been trying to figure if I ought to dump all those cards and letters Shay sent when Rama was a baby. I only held on to them because I felt she might want them one day" Mike began he shook his head " now I'm just not sure."

" It is possible that those things might only open what will be old wounds by that time Mike but then again Ramiela might one day want to know other things about her birth mom and she might find the answers in them" I replied softly " as a kunoichi she must learn the balance of in and yo."

In and yo were the ninja's version of Yin and Yang the two parts that encompassed all of positive and negative in one place helping a ninja to free his mind from such simple aspects as this is good, this is bad, this is black and that is white. No ninja saw in grey.

It was these concepts that Western Civilization found hard to accept in fact such thinking as good and bad were part of the theories and philosophies of contemporary Martial Arts schools.

" She is never going to be a true Kunoichi" Mike stated a small smile on his face " Our Clan thankfully doesn't go into the sexual aspect training."

" True and we focus far more on battle and fighting with weapons and mind skills then most kunoichi would receive but she will be needing those aspects more in her life" I agreed.

Kunoichi were suppose to have less battle training and were taught in more submissive ways of gaining their needs so traditionally the kunoichi was trained to please a man in any and every way but what few people realized, even those who might be aware that kunoichi were trained for such matters, was that male ninja were also trained in that way and if a preference for same sex was known the Jonin would send in a male ninja to accomplish the task at hand. Hence ninja catered to same sex couples.

In fact we were probably the first to condone such relationships though I really couldn't vouch for that.

I grinned, " Knowing her behaviour she just might become far more shinobi then kunoichi" I couldn't help but tease. I knew full well that the shinobi took the training of a kunoichi and turned rebel. They were rebel ninja.

" You are going have a problem if she does turn rebel won't you Leo, especially considering her future in the clan" Mike's tone was flat and hard.

I looked up at him " What do you mean Mike?"

 " You know her being a shinobi won't sit well if she has to be jonin one day." Mike declared simply.

" Mike…"

" No Leo, I know what you and Splinter are really training Rama for. It makes sense she is the oldest after all but I just…" Mike paused faltering slightly, " I just think someone else would be better suited for it is all" he finished quickly, then he looked away.

He knew that he had no right to say who was or was not trained for that position. That was up to the Jonin of the Clan alone. Though Splinter and I hadn't tried to hide the fact that Rama's training would take her eventually down that path. Splinter himself hoped that his faculties would last long enough to train Ramiela in some of the mental aspects of ninjitsu.

The whole problem was the five year age gap between Ramiela and her two cousins in existence at this time left the clan little choice in the matter. If there had only been a small gap of one or two years it might have been different the clan could have picked a leader from the three children. As it was Rama was the future Jonin and would be trained as such, while either Aiden or Kali were trained to become her chunin or second in command.

I didn't deny Mike's accusations just shrugged and stated " It can't be helped Mike."

" I know that Leo I just wish it could be otherwise," Mike admitted.

" Mike I know you cared for Shay once…"

" That was a long time ago Leo. It almost seems like another life time" Mike grumbled slightly. " You know I got over her and the feelings I once had for her after the last time she took Rama at the age of four."

I nodded " I remember that. I was just wondering if some thing else had come up for you since then."

" No what bugs me most is she almost killed Rama with her own stupidity in trying to keep us from finding her Leo. I can't figure out why she would want to hurt Rama like that."

" I don't think she really wanted to hurt Ramiela Mike. I think she wanted to hurt you though but you were too much for her so she hurt you by hurting Ramiela instead."

I saw Mike bow his head slightly " Well either way Leo it is going be a long time before I trust my heart to anyone again, that is if I ever do."

" Mike I hope you have a chance to meet someone special who will share her life with you. No one could enjoy being a father in the clan more then you, you love the kids so much."

" Maybe, one day Leo sure but that person has to accept both Rama and myself and you know how difficult it is even getting people who will accept us for who we are never mind taking on a kid from another relationship." Mike noted then he chuckled a bit, " besides I don't think Rama wants a mom at the moment."

" Don't be too sure about that she doesn't seem to mind Karena," I refuted.

" Karena is the exception to the rule and Rama has been crazy about Karena long before she became your wife." Mike admitted.

" You are all right then Mike?"

" If you want to know if I am fully over Shay yeah, any feeling I once had for her in that way is dead and as gone as she is" Mike replied the firmness in his tone assuring me that he harboured no more romantic feelings for Shay. Hurt feelings possibly, and it was to be expected with what Shay had done to Ramiela.

" All that really matters to me is that Rama herself is all right Leo" Mike confirmed my thoughts.

" That is as it should be Mike," I allowed.

The two of us sat and talked some more as night closed in around us before we headed home.

I was glad of the digging I had done and what it had revealed. Most of all I was glad that Mike was all right with things as they were because I knew now that he had let go of Shay and all she had once meant to him. He fully planned on moving on and learning from it.

Under the circumstances it was the most he could do and all that we could expect of him.

TBC

Reinbeauchaser: You do realize I hope that Raph only promised Rama three things.

1) He would be there for her as a friend and Uncle.

2) No one would take her place in his heart, which was reserved for Rama alone.

3) She would always be his favourite niece.

Personally I don't think Raph will have much of a problem keeping his promise.