May 12, 2009
I tapped at a dark green arm, cooling on my cheek even as the temperatures outside rose. The sewers didn't feel such a heat until June, which I learned over this last year. I still felt warm in May, like I always did in every month except the winter. And in the winter, I was cold. I was much cooler this last year with Raph, and he was warmer this last year with me. Together though, the room was always warm, and it wasn't because of a heater.
Last night we didn't get raise the temperature though; we didn't get in the room until four in the morning. We spent the night together, the six of us, Haley, the turtles, and I sitting around the table in living room. A board of Clue was on the table, and I was the green guy against the others. When we got bored, and Don won the game, we moved to Uno, which Mikey kicked all of our butts at it. That broke out into a tickle fight, four of us on Mikey. I got an arm, Don got the other, Raph sat on Mikey's legs, Haley got his head, and Leo got the fun of actually ticking Mikey. The poor turtle was left on the ground with tears leaking from his eyes, and his stomach in pain. After that, we moved on to Monopoly.
We didn't do these things regularly. Well, we tried to play a game every Sunday. It was an old family tradition of mine, we would all give up our Sunday day and spend it together playing a game. Usually, it was a game all of us liked, and as a very mature group of eighteen-year-olds, we all loved playing Twister. Haley or I won those usually because we were smaller and more flexible, but occasionally Don would win, and every so-so often, the others would too.
We didn't regularly spend the whole night playing games, but today was important. Leo was leaving at five in the morning. We were supposed to get ready for his leaving, but Raph and I were laying down for twenty minutes to enjoy this last night of normality. As normal as it got around here at least. At three in the morning, the TV, our background noise originally, shot a picture of a black-suited figure. My history appeared on the news, still going over my disappearance a year ago, and if it had something to do with the collapsing of Shredder's Tower. We ignored it of course, but when my emblem showed on the TV, I felt my right hand itch. A memory of wiping a wall in blood itched my hand, but Raph made me forget by holding my hand.
Leo was leaving in twenty minutes, heading for the amazon. Master Splinter thought it'd be good for him, good training for becoming a leader, and to help him get over killing Shredder. I thought it was a bad idea, because what could going to the remote amazon do with becoming a better leader? In the Amazon, the only person you had to worry about was yourself. No brothers to pester you, or a retired murderer to annoy you every morning when you woke up, or a random woman that insisted on training with you every time she came over...
Haley was a lot better than a year ago. After the fall of Shredder, the Purple Dragons let their hostages go because there was no superpower to help them. And apparently, Hun skipped town after Shredder disappeared, so the Purple Dragons broke into smaller gangs that fought each other more than they fought the police. The house Haley's family was lucky to find was completely burned, so they found a flat nearby. Haley's dad was cool, from what I'd seen of him. After I retired, I disbanded from any human interaction beyond April, Casey, and Haley, because me and other humans was dangerous for so many people. Haley's family was an occasion once every three months, while Haley herself was once a day.
"We should go say goodbye," Raph murmured, his arm under me tensing, getting ready to move. I sat up, sitting on the edge of the bed while Raph scooted next to me. I stared at my hands, feeling the little tingles come back in my fingertips. I didn't like killing people, but I did like saving people. Giving up being the Black Mask Terror was the easiest thing I'd done, but giving up saving people was the hardest. I would have tried for the police force, or go to college to get a degree in law, but I was wanted with a death sentence on my head. A penalty like that was extinct nowadays, but I killed close to 1500 people in New York City alone, and I'd evaded the police many times now. There was no way my face could be shown around the city without me getting into trouble.
The tingles in my fingers were the physical memory of running my hand over a hard surface to put my bloody mark. Every now and again, when I'm alone in the living room at three in the morning, I'll get the tingles. And I'll start to think about my mask, put in a box in Master Splinter's room. I'll then start to think about what if, and I'll turn to the news and see what the latest crime was. A rape report, gang violence just down the street, an explosion in a bank, and I'll imagine what could have happened had I been there. Would another girl or boy be saved from years of therapy and people saying 'It's not your fault.'? Or another gang quelled from being choked in fear of being found? Or a bank not losing a couple million dollars just because their security was faulty?
Raph placed his hand on mine, and the tingles stopped. I looked over at the terrapin, and his honey-colored eyes stared back at me. He smiled, lacing his fingers into mine, and I remembered why I never went out. I was happy where I was, right here, right now. I'll get the tingles to go out and do what I did for a year, but then I'll remember Raph was like me. He didn't kill anyone like I did, but his suit of armor was next to my mask in Master Splinter's room, headless. His chains were hanging above the Sewer Sweet Sewer sign, right next to the old masks the turtle's used to wear. Above the chains were my twin katanas, and the black gloves Karai had given me to wear while playing Night Terror.
"Yeah, we probably should. Leo would be lost without us there." I answered jokingly. Raph's smile got a little wider, and he stood up. He tugged at my hand, beckoning me with him.
"Come on, soldier, let's go say goodbye ta the fearless leader."
A/n: And the rewriting is complete. I might go back through again and add more stuff, I have an idea for an off chapter or two. And when I come back it'll be with the second installment (again). It's called 'In The Eyes' for now, but we'll see when I get it published.
Thank you for reading this far. I would love to hear any thoughts you have. I'll always read them.