A/N: This has been one of the easiest chapters for me to write so far. It's been floating on my hard-drive for over a week now so thought I'd post it early. Always gives me a smile to read it. Hope you like it too! I have completed the next chapter, but don't know if I'll post it on Monday. That one has been a toughie, and I'm still tinkering with it.
A/N 2: Want to thank The REAL Cheese Monkey (sorry, you're probably getting bored of hearin' this from me) and artykidd for your reviews and support. I really do appreciate it a lot! Also want to thank SilentWater13 and Elisa1984 for putting my scribblings on your alerts lists. And last but not least, thanks to Dragolover1 (I've got a vague reference to Jackie Chan in the next chapter for ya!) and nosidam48lovraph for putting this story on your favs lists!
Wow! Feel really honoured! Thanks again all!
Disclaimer: I don't own the TMNT, or any related characters (much to their relief, I'm sure!) If there is anything else in this story you recognise from somewhere else, then I don't own that either.
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Raph moved through the stagnant evening air in a slow kata, the concrete warming his feet. His usual perch on the water tower roof still held too much heat from the recently set sun to be comfortable yet. Over the past couple of weeks since his second lot of detention had finally finished he had found himself returning to this rooftop whenever he left the lair on his own. The first time it hadn't been his intention to do so. He had just found himself lingering here, giving the missing section of the rampart a wide berth. Since then however, he always made it his first and last port of call.
Tonight he was on his way to meet Casey. The local hockey league grand final was being played in Central Park, a huge oak tree next to the stadium offering a secluded vantage point. The view wasn't always great through the leaves, but you couldn't argue with the price. Or the ability to be out on a night like this without having to wear a trench-coat.
He wasn't sure why he made time to hang out here. Or rather, he wasn't sure what he would do if she ever showed up again. At first he had thought he wanted to thank her, make sure she hadn't been punished for helping Mike escape. But every time he'd waited here and she hadn't shown up had felt like an insult. He knew that wasn't really fair, she had no way of knowing he was waiting here. That just made things worse in a way. It wasn't anger he was feeling now exactly, although it was definitely akin to it. He just felt… 'tense' was the only word that seemed to fit.
The damn pigeons took off with their usual clatter. Raph scowled, not bothering to turn and look at what had spooked them this time, it usually wasn't anything at all.
"Ugh, fuck it."
He turned to leave, reacting faster than thought to block the sheathed sword descending on his head. She leapt backwards with a laugh; at him? That was the last straw. He attacked, channelling his frustration into his blows. The feeling of his fists striking the scabbard, her arms and hands as she blocked too exhilarating to bother drawing his sai.
She was quick, managing to evade or block every strike. But he was quicker, not allowing her any opportunity to strike back. Despite this she was smiling, her eyes shining. Raph's grimace involuntarily evolved into a grin. He found he enjoyed this style of skirmish, a battle more of reflexes than muscle. His initial aggravation evaporated quickly and he started to take care not to follow through with too much force when he connected a blow.
He drove her backwards across the rooftop. Too preoccupied with the battle she didn't notice the skylight until she backed into it, the raised mounting buckling her knees. She lost her balance with a cry, her back hitting the glass lightly before her hold on her weapon arrested the fall. Luckily she had gripped the saya at either end. Raph now held it in the middle, a huge smirk on his face. He locked her legs against the concrete surround with his own, securing her against a fall but effectively trapping her in her precarious state.
Sighing with relief Tausha gave Raph an expectant look, waiting for him to pull her up. He just leered even wider. Realising he was enjoying leaving her dangling there she shot him a dirty look.
"You gonna help me up or what?"
"What's the magic word?" Raph stifled a laugh at the outraged expression on her face.
"Will you just pull me up already?" She tried in vain to escape, but with her legs trapped at right angles she couldn't regain her balance, even as she managed to pull herself up to her scabbard as he held it at arms length over the casement. With a resigned huff she glared at him again over his hands.
"Please?" she barely muttered. Without hesitation he stepped back and drew her to safety.
"That wasn't too hard now, was it?" he taunted with a dirty grin once she regained her feet. She gave him a look cool enough to freeze the Hudson then turned her nose in the air.
"Well I guess we are even now, so we can go back to being enemies again." She folded her arms in an over-dramatic grump. His expression fell into one of confusion.
"What d'ya mean 'even'?"
"You saved my life, I saved your brothers, that makes us even doesn't it?" as if she were talking to a simpleton.
"How is Mikey by the way?" Raph scowled, feeling like he had somehow lost the upper hand, inexplicably pissed that she had asked about his brother.
"He's fine." He snapped over his shoulder as he started to stomp away.
"HEY!" Raph turned back with dark look, surprised to see concern on her face as she stepped hesitantly after him.
"I never said 'thank-you'."
"For what?" he growled.
"For… you know, saving my life..." she waved her hand at the skylight sheepishly "again." Raph raised an eye ridge.
"Oh, no problem." The confusion returned to overwhelm his burst of temper. She met his eyes with a shy smile. Accepting the olive branch he found himself returning the look. After a moment she dropped her gaze, fidgeting a little in the awkward silence. Raph followed the direction of her look and noticed she was only wearing half of a Foot Soldier uniform. The usual jacket had been replaced with a plain black singlet. Sweat making it cling tightly to her curves. The serpent on her shoulder glared at him from under a strap as if prepared to defend its roost.
"That doesn't seem to be Foot standard issue you're wearin' there." Raph tried to keep his tone neutral, just wanting to break the uneasy silence more than anything else. Her brow furrowed momentarily, she glanced down at herself and laughed.
"Oh, you mean this?" she pulled lightly on the front of the singlet.
"That's 'cos I'm not with the Foot. I just kinda 'borrowed' this lot. It probably doesn't help at all really, but it gives me a bit more confidence when I'm sneaking about. You know, look the part an' all." She shrugged with a lopsided grin.
Raph was taken aback slightly.
"You're not Foot? Then where the hell did you learn how to fight?" She quirked an eyebrow at him before answering,
"My dad got me into Jujitsu when I was a kid." She looked away, biting her lip before she continued in a quieter tone.
"Heh. My Mum made me quit it a few years ago, 'cos I managed to break my arm during practice. She told me to take up a sport where I didn't get tossed about, so I started doing Kendo and Iaido instead." She shrugged again with a sad smile.
"Mum was thrilled." She shook her head slightly and then gave him a curious glance.
"So where the hell did you learn to fight, huh?"
It was Raph's turn to fidget, unsure of how or where to start his explanation. He met her reassuring gaze, and after a moment the words just seemed to come.
"My father's been teaching me an' my brothers Ninjitsu ever since I c'n remember. It's kinda his way of makin' sure we'll stay…shit." Eminem's 'Lose Yourself' interrupted. Roughly extracting his shell cell from his belt Raph flicked it open.
"What?" a brisk demand. Tausha couldn't make out exactly what the caller was saying, but they sounded annoyed.
"10 minutes? Shit. Alright Case, chill will ya? I'll be there as soon as I can." Clicking the phone shut he looked up with a scowl. His mind occupied with figuring out the quickest route to his destination he asked distractedly
"Can we finish this later?" The girl looked a little shocked and then shrugged with a smile. "Sure. Next week. Same bat time, same bat channel?"
"Great!"
Raph leapt off the roof, sprinting towards Central Park. As he cleared the third alley of his journey the implications of what she had said struck him. They had made… a date? A sudden knot in his gut at the thought almost made him miss his footing. He shook his head violently to drive out the stupid thought. She was a human and still a Dragon at that, despite their truce. The knot eased, leaving an ache that diffused into his chest. He dismissed the unfamiliar feeling, pumping his legs harder to distract himself from it. 'Agreed to meet', like friends. Yeah, that was more like it.
Nine minutes later Raph swung himself up onto the branch next to his buddy.
"Just in time, gak face. Here." Casey shoved a beer in his hand. "So what kept ya?" Raph downed half the cans contents, burping before he bothered to answer.
"Just catchin' up with a friend." He grinned to himself before he tipped the can in his mouth again. Casey's eyebrow shot to the top of his head spotting his companions unusual expression.
"Anyone I know?" Raph finished the drink and crumpled the aluminium flat against the bough.
"Nope." Tossing his rubbish back in the esky balanced between them he rummaged through the ice and empties for another can.
"Ya gonna tell me?"
"Nope." The whistle to start the match sounded from below, ending the discussion.