((Here we go..chapter 3 once again. I'm hoping to have all 11 or so chapters posted by Monday or Tuesday and then start the new stuff. Thanks Rein for the review. I'm glad I did my part in making your husband think you crazy :) ))
My dad put me down and ushered me back to the train even as Raphael kept yelling at the both of us. Michaelangelo trailed behind with a half-hidden smirk as he watched Raph trying to deal with some pain as he climbed back in the car.
"Need some help, Raph?" he asked jumping in and offering his hand.
Raphael growled and he pulled himself up. "Shut up, Mike." He closed the door and knelt in front of it with his head down groaning. When he looked up, it was with pure fire in his eyes and they glared straight at Dad. "Next time, Leonardo, why don't you let your son in on the plan so he doesn't fucking freak out!"
"What plan?" I interrupted confused. I looked up at my father who was returning Raphael's glare and ignoring my question. "Dad? What plan?"
Moments passed and I heard the train whistle blow as we pulled out. Finally, my father looked down at me with a sigh. "Ren, there is a lot going on right now that's hard to explain…"
Raphael snorted at that and Dad turned back to him. "Don't you ever quit with the attitude? I would have thought that you had outgrown it by now."
Raphael stood up with some difficulty. "Don't. Start. I will not put up with it." He got closer and, although I backed up, my dad stood his ground. "I will toss your sorry ass off this train in a heartbeat." He and my father stood toe-to-toe, eye-to-eye and his voice lowered. "You art notchunin of this clan anymore, Leo. I am."
"Raph…"Michaelangelo started in protest as Dad looked like he had just been kicked in the groin himself.
"Stay out of it, Mike," Dad said softly, never taking his eyes of his brother. "Raphael's right."
"Damn straight, I'm right," Raphael said. "And unless you want to challenge me right here and now, I suggest you sit down."
It was completely silent for almost a minute and neither my father nor Raphael would look away. My dad's fists clenched and unclenched and he seemed to be fighting a battle with himself.
"Stand down...or fight, Leo," Raphael repeated through clenched teeth.
Dad turned away and went to sit down in the far corner of the car.
Michaelangelo didn't say anything, but he was looking at Raphael with undisguised fury. And much to my surprise, as Raphael also turned to walk away, I didn't see the look of satisfaction that I had expected on his face. There was a hint of disbelief and if I didn't know any better, I would say there was also a touch of sorrow.
I stayed as close to my father and as far away from Raphael as I could after that. I don't think I've ever been so confused in my life and being exhausted wasn't helping matters either. My brain felt numb as I tried to make sense out of what was going on. I knew now with a great deal of certainty that my father and his brothers had kidnapped me. I wondered briefly if I would ever see my mom again. Sadly, the thought of never seeing her again didn't bother me as much as I thought it would. But like I said, we weren't exactly close.
I looked at Raphael who was sitting uneasily on the floor and I smiled because I knew that it wasn't too comfortable for him to walk either. He and my dad didn't seem to like each other too much and they hadn't spoken since that last confrontation. I would really like to know what all that talk was about clans and challenges. What I did know was that I really hated Raphael.
Michaelangelo, on the other hand, I liked him a lot. He sat down beside me and reached into his satchel to pull out a deck of cards. He began shuffling them enthusiastically.
"Wanna play?" he asked.
"I…uh only know how to play 'Go Fish'," I told him with an apologetic sigh.
He grinned. "Me too. Cheaper that way. I lose less money gambling." He started to deal. "You want dealt in, Leo?"
On the other side of me, my dad looked completely lost in thought. It seemed as though the weight of the world was on his shoulders. He looked up at the mention of his name. "Hm? Oh. No, Mike. You guys play." He smiled at me. "Be careful, Ren. Your Uncle Mike used to be quite the card shark." With that he stood up and went away to another corner of the train to be alone.
"You playing, Raph?" Michaelangelo called out to the lump by the door. Raphael just ignored him and pulled his hat further down over his eyes. Michaelangelo shrugged and starting dealing. He winked at me. "Didn't really want him to play anyway."
I nodded and picked up the cards as he dealt, venturing carefully. "Can I ask you a question, Michaelangelo?"
He eyed me sternly. "Sure, if you stop calling me Michaelangelo."
I blanched, frightened that I offended him. "Sir?" I asked fearfully.
To my relief, his face softened and he laughed. "No, Ren, that's not what I meant." He held his cards close to him. "I mean, I am your uncle. You have any threes?"
Relaxing I shook my head. "Go fish. So, Uncle Michaelangelo, do you have any sixes?"
He tossed a card to me. "No, I don't think I like that either. How 'bout Uncle Mike?"
"Ok." I watched him study his cards for a second before saying again. "Can I ask you a question, Uncle Mike?"
He didn't look up. "Yeah. Do you have any tens?"
I handed him two of my cards. "What's going on?"
He stared intently at his cards for almost a full minute as if the answer was written on them, and then he looked up with a crooked grin. "That's a pretty broad question, Kiddo. Can you be more specific?"
I thought about that and then shook my head. "No, not really." I hesitated because I didn't want to make him angry and then plunged ahead anyway. "I think you know what I mean anyway."
Michaelangelo scratched his head and frowned. "Yeah I guess maybe I do. You're pretty bright, you know. You must have some of Donny's genes in you."
I knew that he was changing the subject to avoid answering my question, but all the same this new name made me curious. "Who's Donny? You have any kings?"
"Go fish. Donny? Oh that's Donatello. Your other uncle."
I gasped. "How many uncles do I have?" Up until last night, I didn't know I had any.
Mike chuckled. "Just me and Donny and…" he tilted his head in Raphael's general direction. "Raphael."
I looked over to where he indicated. "Is Donatello like…him?" I didn't think I could handle that.
"No, Raphael is in class by himself. You have any twos?"
I put the cards down, not feeling much like playing anymore and looked Uncle Mike in the eyes. "Why does he hate me and my dad so much?"
Michaelangelo returned my gaze. "Look, Ren, there are just some things that your dad is going to have to explain to you. And just for the record, Raphael doesn't hate you or Leo. He's just…"
Several different words came to mind as Michaelangelo struggled to find an adjective to explain Raphael. But with my father so close by, I dare not say them. "I know," I sighed letting Uncle Mike off the hook. "It's complicated adult stuff that I'm too young to understand."
He patted my head sympathetically. "I'm not really sure I even understand, Ren."
I was quiet for a second and then said. "Why don't I tell you what I know and then you can tell me if I'm right?"
Uncle Mike nodded slowly. "Fair enough. You make a statement and I'll say whether you're right or wrong. Don't expect me to give you any other information though." He smiled. "You can't con a con man."
I returned the smile. "Ok…we're on our way to New York."
"Right. But, that's an easy one. I expected more from you." He shook his head in mock disappointment.
I chuckled and said, "Give me a chance, I'm just getting started. We're going to see someone named Splinter who is dying."
A look of grief passed over his face and he sighed. "Yeah that's right too. Your dad never told you about us or Splinter, huh?"
"No," I replied sorry for bringing it up. I didn't want to make Michaelangelo upset. "Will you tell me about him?"
Uncle Mike smiled weakly. "He's our…father."
"Father?" I echoed. "Another turtle?"
"Eh…no. He's not a turtle. He's….hey wait a second, I'm not supposed to give you information. I'm just telling you if you're right or not."
I sighed. "Well, it was worth a try. Ok…you and Raphael kidnapped me."
"Whoa…hold up there," he said holding up his hands in protest.
"Well, I remember going to sleep in my room and then the next thing I know Raphael is carrying me down the street. I'm pretty sure my mom doesn't know where I am…"
"Ren, it's not as simple as…" he started but I wouldn't let him finish.
"Am I right or not?"
"That's not exactly what happened. I mean…yeah we took you from your room, but we were told…I mean…your dad…" He sighed. "I'm better at charades."
"What's a chunin?" I asked suddenly, knowing I had him a little off balance and moved to take advantage.
"It's Japanese," a voice said from behind. We turned to see Raphael standing over us. I moved closer to Michaelangelo as Raph squatted down in front of me.
"Kinda means leader," Mike explained vaguely. "Kinda."
"Which is what I am," Raphael interrupted. "And you better remember it."
I lifted my chin a little and tried to pretend that he didn't scare me. "Why? Can't you remember it?" I put as much sarcasm as I could manage in that question, letting Raphael know exactly what I thought of him.
He got right up in my face. "When we get to New York, your dad has a lot to make up for and you've got a lot to learn about being in this clan. And it'll be my job to teach you."
Michaelangelo put his hand on my shoulder protectively. "Stop, Raph. You're scaring him."
"No he's not," I lied and then glared at Raph defiantly. "I don't belong to any clan. Especially not one that you're leader of, Raphael."
Raphael's face darkened and I backed up reflexively. Then he smiled which scared me even more. "Don't worry, Miren. We'll work on respect first." He walked away.
I took a deep breath, trying not to cry.
"Ren," Michaelangelo turned me to face him. "Everything's gonna be ok, I promise."
"I don't understand what's going on," I said angrily as the tears fell. "What clan am I a part of?"
"Seshuu," Mike said softly. "Your heritage."
I looked into his eyes. "My dad…" I tried to find the answers in my uncle's eyes.
Mike nodded. "His heritage."
"And…Splinter?"
"Master Splinter," Michaelangelo corrected. "Izou. His legacy."
I glanced over at Dad, who had not heard a word of the confrontation, and instantly felt sorry for him. My father never was what you would call overly bubbly or enthusiastic about life, but he usually had a quick smile and a kind of mellow nature. He was really good at burying his emotions, especially if he got angry or upset. So, the torment that I saw him going through hit me pretty hard, because he wasn't trying to hide it. What made it worse, was that I couldn't help him because no one would tell me what was going on.
With another sigh, I got up and made my way over to him. He looked up and smiled weakly at my approach. I didn't say anything. I just fell down beside him put my arms around him, resting my head on his lap. If my dad's mood was any indication of what lay ahead, we definitely needed to be able to lean on each other, because, right now, that's all we had.
