Searching

Chapter One

It's funny. What grabs you. Not physically, mind you. Just… an invisible hand, pushing towards a destination that you are unaware of. Like you should have known you were going there in the first place.

Leonardo shook his head of his thoughts as he gazed over the city. Their city.

'Focus.' He reprimanded himself, with a tone that was much harsher than the one that he used with any of his brothers.

Sighing, he rubbed the back of his neck. His brothers had gone home over an hour ago. Only he persevered… only he was still out there; watching over a city that didn't want him. Didn't know him. Didn't want to know him.

'One more trip around.' He told himself. 'Then it's back to the lair.'

He raced the wind; jumping from rooftop to rooftop. Swinging down fire escapes with the ease of a learned gymnast. Years of familiarity obvious in his movements.

He landed nearly silently on a ledge, near the fire escape. He leaned against the rusting metal gently. He didn't know why he spent so much time out here. Hiding and watching. He chuckled softly as he corrected himself. He did know why he did it. He was searching. But for what, he didn't know.

"Are you gonna stay out there all day, or what?"

Leo almost fell off the ledge as a soft, feminine voice came wafting to his ears.

"Oh, I know you're out there." The voice continued. "And judging by your silence, you didn't expect to be seen. That, or you're gone already" The voice dropped off as it spoke.

Leo stopped, muscles tense to jump. Every bit of training, every fiber of his being screamed at him to run. To leave before he was seen.

But he couldn't.

He was frozen, stuck in his place. Slowly, he could hear sounds coming from the window that the voice floated from. Because, there really was no other way to describe it. It floated.

Leo's eyes closed slowly, as he realized that it was the sounds of quiet crying that reached his ears.

Not knowing what to do… or if to do anything, he waited. Stood in his spot, waiting for confirmation that the 'voice'… and the person that it belonged to… was okay. He stood, even as the rain began falling, slow at first, but picking up speed.

Finally, fighting his very instinct, he snuck over closer to the window.

"Are you okay?" He whispered.

He could hear startled movements from the person inside the window. But they never leaned forward to see who was out there.

"I… how did you get so close to my window without me hearing you?" The voice asked. There was a melodic ring to it that Leo really couldn't describe.

"It's a gift." Leo heard himself say. Had he just been witty!

"Well," The voice chuckled lightly. "It's my gift to hear things like people sneaking up on me… See how well that worked."

Leo found himself grinning. He moved to inch closer but stopped when the laughter hesitated.

"Maybe… Maybe you shouldn't."

"Why did you let me get this close?" He asked.

"You have a nice voice." She replied.

He opened his mouth to protest, but she cut him off, laughing. "I know, I know… Not a good reason. But I've never been wrong with reading people before." She paused. "But, I figure… You wanted to break in, you would have done so a long time ago."

He blinked. She was… so sure the way she talked. Like she knew everything. "You… you don't know that."

"Well, come on then, Tiger, and rob me."

"I have to go." He said suddenly, and moved to leave. The last thing he needed was someone yelling about getting robbed.

"No, don't!" Suddenly, a head popped out of the window. "Don't go."

Leo looked at the person belonging to 'the voice'.

Dark blonde hair flew about as the winds blew around her. Leo sucked in a breath. The person matched the voice. There was something… harmonious about her. Like she was… He shook his head. Then he looked closer. She was still staring straight out… at… nothing?

"I'm still here." Leo said quietly.

Her head snapped over to face him, and he realized the mistake that he made. How had he gotten so careless?

He cringed, and he… waited. For a reason he can't fathom, he didn't run.

He looked at her. She didn't say anything. There was no widening of the eyes… no drop of the mouth. No scream. There was… nothing.

She blinked.

He felt his face drop. "Listen," He began. "I'd appreciate if you don't, um, say or do anything about the way I look. I shouldn't even be here right now letting you see me…"

"Then why are you?"

"I… don't know." Leo whispered, almost painfully.

There was a pause.

"Well," She finally began again. "If it's any consolation… You look fine to me." She grinned then.

Leo hesitated. "Um, what?"

She grinned again, but it was sad this time, Leo noted. "I'm blind." She said simply.

He started.

"Oh come on." She said. "That was supposed to make you laugh."

He grinned weakly. "I… didn't know. I'm sorry."

She waved her hand dismissively. "I'm a big girl." She said, and then she smiled. "I'm Miranda… but call me Randi. What's your name, big boy?"

"Leonardo. But call me Leo." He said, just as slyly. What is going on with me?

"As in DiCaprio?" Her nose wrinkled.

He chuckled. "No…"

"Good."

There was another pause. "I… should go." Leo said. She frowned slightly.

"I'm sorry." He found himself apologizing. More silence.

"Well, it was nice talking to you." He continued.

She nodded silently.

He moved to leave, but stopped when she began speaking again.

"Come back and visit again." She said.

He took in a breath. "As long as you stop letting strange people into your window."

She laughed. "How strange can you be?"

He just grinned. "I'll stop by when I can."

"I'm holdin' ya to that, Tiger."

"Alright. Goodbye Randi."

"Goodbye Leo." She said, then leaned back in the window and shut it.

He waited a moment, then jumped down from the ledge and continued on his way home, a new bounce in his step.

"He's gone." A black clad man turned to his partner. "Should we follow?"

"No." The other man said. "Our instructions were only to watch for her. This was just an… extra bonus." He took the binoculars from the first man and peered through them again, stopping at the window ledge that had just been vacated.

"We will let the others know. This is a tremendous find. Master will be pleased."

The first man nodded, and opened his phone, speaking into it. "Hello? Yes. We have some… interesting information for you…"

Author's Notes –

I know, I know! I shouldn't be writing ANYthing else while I have two fics that still need more chapters. But ya just can't fight the muses…