The Legacy

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

Chapter Eight - Sai Thief

Raphael:

The whole time Shay had been pregnant I had dreaded the birth of the unborn child, I knew something like that could really change all of our lives. While I knew that the child could be mine, I wasn't really sure if I was ready for the responsibility of raising a kid.

I had enough to deal with as it was with patrols, protecting the city, fighting the Foot how was I supposed to add caring for a child into all that chaos?

I know, don't do the deed unless you are willing to do the time, but at the time the deed was done, the fact that a child could come of it hadn't really crossed my mind. I mean who would guess that mutant turtles and humans could bring forth a child? I could have been sterile from all the mutation, we could have been incompatible that way.

All I knew at the time was Shay offered me a special sort of companionship and I took it but we were too much alike, in our worst ways, and I suppose in the end it was only natural for us to break up and for her to go to Mike.

Mike had loved her since he had brought her home, and he was quite willing to accept the responsibility of raising the child, and was willing to do so no matter whose kid it was.

Still I couldn't help but think of everything we would lose when the kid entered our lives, screaming, crying and smelling up our home.

Our home didn't need any help in the smelling department that was for sure.

I was determined to have nothing to do with her, let the others fall all over her like a bunch o' idiots. I wasn't going to.

Then she was born a tiny helpless thing, Heck I swear we had sewer rats bigger then she was when she was first born, and I am not including Splinter into that.

Due to her having a great deal of turtle genes she was crawling around the lair in days and getting into everything, kept everyone on their toes the first little bit.

Mike and Rama's room was set off from the rest of ours, so there was less chance of us all losing sleep when she woke up screaming for whatever it was she needed. Mike was the only one who lost any sleep, except for when she was teething or sick then her screams could have woken the dead. Guess what they say about misery liking company is, oh, so true.

Of course Mike also missed a great deal of practice time as caring for Rama was the first priority.

But her appearance into our lives proved one thing, to me, that we weren't half as alone as we thought we were at first, that maybe there was a chance for us to have something more then the lives we had been living to this point, even if we couldn't live topside with the same rights as any other American citizen.

In spite of all my intentions to have nothing to do with her I found myself taking an interest in the kid, and yes liken the rest of the family I was quite willing to make a fool of myself over and about her.

The older she got the more attached I had become. I felt kind of bad for the kid knowing what kind of life she had been born into, the deck of life was all ready stacked against her, from the day of birth on and it wasn't likely that it would be any easier on her then it had been on the rest of us.

I figured with all the marks against her that I could at least be her friend, a partner in crime, someone who she could have fun with and not have to worry about a bunch of rules. Far as I was concerned rules were made to be broken.

Mike and I had always been the big rule breakers in our family, combine that with Mike's love of practical jokes and we were able to pull off some stuff that was just sheer genius. Splinter didn't always catch us in the act but if he found out any of our crimes later he would still lower the boom.

Of all of Rama's rules, and she had a great deal of them, the one rule I fully agreed with was the weapon rule. I could fully understand why Mike got hard on her when she opted to break that one rule.

Problem was I never knew when the kid was going make a play for my weapons, I could be wrestling with her in the dojo and the next thing I would know one of my sais was leaving with Rama. Or she could cuddle up close for a hug, kiss or a story from her favourite Uncle and in a wink of an eye I would be minus a weapon.

She didn't do it all the time, so it was hard to judge when she would next strike and I never, not once felt it, saw it or caught her at it.

The kid would have made one hell of a pickpocket course she was born a ninja, and for someone in the infancy of training she showed extreme stealth.

Next time she opted to play her sai stealing game though I would have to get mean with her, and I wasn't really looking forward to it.

I knew my sais were generally safe for about three or more days after a successful mission on her part, after that who knew when or where she would decide to strike again. Trying to be on guard 24/7 around her was just too much, especially when I wanted to relax.

In the interim Mike gave me an idea what to do when and if she decided to strike again constantly reminding me to be firm and to not give in.

I hoped Rama wouldn't do that to me, I mean I liked our relationship just fine as it was, if I started cracking down on her I could lose the favoured uncle status fast.

…

It was about five days later when she managed to do the deed again.

I had come home tired and exhausted from a long night of patrolling and was just wiped, I was planning on a quick bite to eat and hitting my bed for some shut eye for at least six hours.

Rama came over to me soon as I sat down at the kitchen table.

" Uncle Raphiel you sick?" she asked

I thought that was kinda cute that she seemed to be worried about me.

" No I'm just tired," I told her messing her hair up with my hand.

" Uncle Raphiel go to sleep and have a nap?"

" Yeah right after I have my toast" I agreed through a massive yawn.

She patted my leg " Okay kiss good night."

I bent down allowing her to give me a kiss.

" Love you," she whispered after kissing my cheek.

Now I tell ya, is that kid great or what?

Then I saw she had turned with sai in hand and was making off with it as innocent as could be. Damn kid!

" Rama drop it!" I roared at her.

She laughed as if I was joking and sped up her pace starting to run, but her steps caused her to bump into Leo who was just entering the kitchen, she smacked into his legs and the sai got dropped clattering to the floor the ring of the metal tines on the concrete causing an echoing effect.

Mike turned scowling darkly towards Rama then glance my way sending me a mental message ' It is time to step up to the plate bro!'

Leo bent and picked up my sai " I figured that you ought to be trained enough to keep a four year old from taking your weapons Raph" he commented in his dry superior way.

Easy for him to say, he'd never been on this end of Rama's sticky fingers routine!

" That is it Ramiela I am fed up with this" I snapped sharply at her, actually I felt far more irritated at Leo at the moment.

Come to think of it I think I would prefer fighting with Leo, we were more evenly matched for one thing, but I had to deal with my kleptomaniac niece first before going after Leo.

Rama's eyes had grown large with surprise at my voice and words to her, her jaw dropped slightly like she couldn't quite believe that it was me; yelling at her.

" These are not toys to play with. You have plenty of toys" I snarked at her then grabbed her by the hand " Come on you little thief I am going break you of this sticky fingers bit, if it is the last thing I do!"

I hauled her into the dojo where I set her to a wide variety of exercises she very silently, without so much as a peep of protest went about the punishment I was dictating to her.

Only afterwards she refused to talk to me or her father, at least the kid was smart enough to include her dad in the silent treatment, she had probably figured out that it was because of him that I had acted in an uncharacteristic fashion towards her.

…

A few days later, only two days mind you, she did it again, this time while we were busy playing on the playground. She came up and tagged me on one side squealing.

" You gotta tags me now." Only as she left she was packing my sai.

Blast that kid, if she kept this up I was either going to kill her or tie her hands behind her back permanently.

This time while I scolded and punished her she turned on the waterworks.

" I be good Uncle Raphiel, no punishes. I loves you won't be bad" she told me through her tears and whimpers.

She said it so often that I started to feel sorry for her and was about to let her go, only I sensed Mike nearby, as if he had been expecting Rama to pull this on me, and he was silently reminding me to stay firm and do my job.

I have done a lot of hard things in my time, I have done things that I wasn't particularly proud of either, but standing there laying down the law to a distraught Ramiela was one of the hardest things I think I have ever done, she was breaking my heart with her sobs.

Being a bad ninja was one thing, I didn't mind that reputation, but I had never thought I would ever have to play the role to my niece.

I had to take the stance I most often took when Leo and I got into a battle over some thing, the legs slightly spread, my arms crossed over my plastron, a sneer of contempt on my face.

This posturing actually caused Ramiela to cringe before me.

Man, I was already sick of this and I had to wonder how Mike ever managed to stay firm with her.

After that she behaved her self for about four days and wouldn't you know it she snatched a sai right from under my beak while we were play fighting in the dojo. At that point I had reached my limit.

I mean this marked about the third time in a week.

I made her do some exercises then chased her into her bedroom telling her she could stay in there for the rest of the day except to come out for her lessons and to use the washroom.

Mike approved of the drastic punishment I had given he came up slapped me on the shoulder " You are doing a great job Raph, You really got a knack for this whole discipline bit."

I snorted, " I'll be happy if this breaks her of it Mike. After all being stuck in her room all day might show her how bored she can be when she acts up."

Mike laughed, " Not too bored most her toys are in her room, but you are right she is used to her freedom so it just might work."

Later that afternoon Mike and I both went in to her room to talk with her for a bit.

" Rama?" Mike said as he entered the bedroom.

She was busy playing with the keyboard Don had given to her for her birthday and didn't even bother looking up or acknowledging us in any way.

" Rama can we talk?" Mike asked.

" Go away, don't wanna talk. Hate you! Hate Uncle Raphiel too," She declared suddenly pouting slightly.

Hated me? She really hated me now? Great she used to love me now she couldn't wait until I got out of her sight.

Wonderful my punishing her had backfired she hadn't learned any thing other then to hate her uncle.

That was it I decided right then and there that I wasn't going to do any more of this crap. I didn't give a damn what Mike or Splinter said. I was as good as out of this deal, it was getting us nowhere, at least I couldn't see any sign of improvement in her behaviour.

Mike sat down on Rama's bed " You can hate us Rama, that is all right but we are not going away. You don't talk like that to us. You were the one who misbehaved and did something wrong" Mike insisted gently, then his tone grew harder and he raised a finger " Keep acting that way and you will find yourself in more trouble."

Sometimes I still couldn't get over the changes in Mike since he became a father.

Rama raised her head glancing at Mike who locked eyes with her staring her down, in seconds she bowed her head submissively before him averting her gaze.

" Sorry daddy" she whispered quietly.

Mike nodded accepting her apology. " Rama why do you keep taking Raph's sais?" he asked her.

She shrugged her shoulders " Dunno" came her simple response.

" You know Rama, you said that you don't like being punished, but you also know that you get punished every time you take Raph's sais from him" Mike stated, " So I have to wonder why you do it."

" Cause" Rama said.

" Because why Rama?" Mike probed.

She looked up at her father and heaved a heavy sigh before looking away again muttering " Just cause."

Mike must have realized that he'd get no further with her because he gave a frustrated sigh of his own " All right Rama I'll leave it at that for now, But one day I would like you to tell me, why you keep taking weapons when you know it is against the rule."

Mike stood up gesturing me out of the room.

I waited until we got to the living room where Splinter was sitting enjoying a cup of tea while watching a nature show on TV.

" I have had it! I am not going to do this any more. She hasn't stopped, if any thing she is getting worse not better," I growled irritably.

" She is testing you Raphael, she is used to you giving in. If you stop now she will win and learn nothing. Now is the time to be strong and hold your ground my son."

" I don't care I am not going do this any more. She all ready hates me isn't that enough?" I demanded.

Splinter arched an eyebrow in amusement while Mike laughed, I gritted my teeth together hating the feeling that I was suddenly being laughed at.

" She doesn't really hate you Raph" Mike informed me, " We used to say that to Splinter all the time remember? She is just mad at you and doesn't quite know how to express it other then I hate you! She doesn't really mean it. She still loves you Raph" Mike assured me, " And that won't change."

" I don't really care Mike" I snapped, " In one week she has done this stunt three times and I am not going to be doing this any more." I declared before storming out of our home.

True I didn't really want to see Rama get hurt on my sai but maybe it would be the only way to truly stop her. Like some kids didn't really understand the term don't touch it is hot until they got burned.

Perhaps it would take that much before Rama stopped, she sure could be a stubborn kid and that was one thing she had to of inherited from her mother, because Mike didn't get that mulish over things, sure he could be a little stubborn in some areas, but not that bone headed stubbornness that Shay and I both had.

TBC

Reinbeauchaser: What can I say the snake in the bed is an early sense of Rama's humour and forerunner of her April Fool's antics. Mike has his hands full with her, pity that I also have my hands full of her or so it seems at times. Yes children love to often play both ends against the middle when parent's are not on the same page. A gratitude for your insight.

Lenni: Very well then I won't mention that little joke again as it seems to spawn in you certain bouts of laughter. Then again laughter is good for your health. A gratitude for your insight.