Mona Pov
His hair is soft against my fingers, his cheek firm as it leans into my hand. Tears well in my eyes, the sadness of the moment is enough the tear my already broken heart into a million shreds of tattered fabric. His eyes are sealed shut, and I long to stare deeply into those comforting emerald orbs once more, even if it's just a quick glance. I miss him so much.
My hands drift away from his face, and instead to his hands. I hold them in my own, imagining his fingers squeezing mine back. It's a sense of relief, the pretending, because the faintest of smiles creeps upon my lips, and I heave a long, heavy sigh.
Across the room, Mikey is talking to Donnie, reciting a story from when they were little. His words are barely audible, just a muffle, as he whispers the tale in an upbeat tone.
Focusing my attention away from my surroundings and back on Raphael, I open my mouth and begin to speak, not planning the words as they roll out of my mouth. "Hey Raphie-boy," I start, rubbing small circles on the backs of his hands, "it's kinda hard to keep a conversation going by myself, you know. So you better wake up soon, because we need to start making life plans." I chuckle softly, as in to reassure myself that I'm not crazy for talking to my unconscious boyfriend.
"I, um, started planning our wedding the other day. The colors'll be red and pink, for obvious reasons. We won't have that whole, 'grooms family, brides family' seating arrangement, everyone will sit together, because it's the day we unite two families. The wedding will be held in the woods, the area lit up by lanterns. Lightning bugs will fly around us as you slide the ring onto my finger, then I'll do the same for you. When the priest—wait, no we won't have a priest, not a professional one, anyway. We'll have a close friend wed us, like Casey. Anyway, when the signal is given, you'll lean forward and press your lips onto mine; and that'll be the start of us. Raphael and Mona Hamato."
Tears streaming down my face, and I bite my lip to keep from sobbing. "Raph, please wake up. Please, please, please." I wrap my arms around his neck and nuzzle my nose against his cheek.
His natural musk is the only thing I seem to my breathing, and mine must be the only thing he's breathing, too. A tear drops down off my face, and onto his nose.
We sit—I sit–like this for a long time. I no longer bother muffling my sobs. Suddenly, though, a loud sound comes shooting into my ear; an inhale. It's sharp and loud, and I jerk away out of shock. When my eyes fall upon Raphael, my heart skips a beat.
His eyes are wide open, staring at the ceiling as he catches his breath. "Raphael." I murmur. His head jerks down and to the side, and those beautiful, stunning and alluring eyes meet mine. "Mona."
He sits up quickly, leaning forward and grabbing my face. A hand on each cheek, he leans in, his lips smashing against mine so fast that I barely have time to register it all. The heat of the moment is so hot, it burns me, the flames licking at my fingers as I run then through his hair. My face is warm, and it only takes me a few seconds to kiss back. When I do, there's no sigh of us stopping anytime soon. We move swiftly together, our lips dancing. I want more than just a kiss—being kept apart for nearly a month was wretched and it feels as if we haven't touched in years—but I know I'll have to wait until he gets out of the hospital for any real action.
"He's awake!" I hear Mikey shout out as he scuttles towards us.
Raph pulls away, to my dismay, so he can embrace his baby brother. On the other side of the room, Donnie lets out a moan, indicating that he too, is awake.
Raphael Pov
Mikey turns away, heading towards Donnie's bedside. Mona stays though, holding my hand tightly. Her eyes stay rested on mine, and I'm slowly becoming lost in an ice blue sea that smells of love and passion. Her face is red and blotchy, making it obvious that she's been crying. I reach up and wipe away a strayed tear, to which she smiles.
Neither of us say a word as doctors and nurses, followed by Casey and Leonardo, come filing into the room. I'm asked dozens of questions, and it seems as if I'm repeating my answers over and over again. My main focus through all of this is Mona, because I know that we both have a lot of filling in to be doing.
With the matter of three hours, dad, Claire, and April all managed to wake up. Who didn't, though, was Karai.
Me and Donnie were let out of the hospital around 9:30, having been the first to be released from our comas. The other three would be out by tomorrow morning.
Holding Mona's hand tightly, we stroll down the halls, her head rested on my shoulder, the widest smile on her face. Casey walks next to us, keeping up with the brisk pace we've set. Donatello informed us that he'd be staying behind as late as he could, so that he could be with April. "I'll catch a ride home with Leo and Mikey," he'd told us as we departed.
We reach the parking lot, and say a round of goodbyes to Casey, who'd be heading home for the night, while Mona was going to be sleeping over at the penthouse with me.
The two of us slip into Mona's car, me in the passenger seat, Mona in the driver's. My hand reaches over to rub her thigh as she starts the ignition. She looks at me, a mischievous gleam to her eyes, and a coy smile on her lips. "You're in a coma for three weeks and you wake up all flirty?"
I don't attempt to suppress my white-toothed grin, it's far too big to weigh down as I stare at Mona. Hey hair is pulled back in a fishtail braid, and her face is completely free of makeup. She knows I like her better than way, without all of the powder caked on her skin, hiding her natural features; I wonder if I'm the reason she left it behind. "Guess that's what happens when the first thing I wake up to is my beautiful girlfriend," my voice his low and quiet, making me sound more sensual than I intend to.
"Well, then it's good that I'll be sleeping over tonight then, huh?"
"Seems to me like it is."
Mona leans forward and give me a quick peck on the lips before driving off. The entire ride, the only thing I can think about is my lips traveling down her luscious body, and it seems to be enough to intoxicate me, because I zone out for the rest of the trip, my mind soaring elsewhere.
Leonardo Pov
My eyes fixate themselves on Donnie's turned back, a heavy glare weighing my eyelids down into slits. He's talking with April, and their voices are as giddy as children on Christmas as they make plans for a date, just for a sense of normalcy after what's happened. I bite my tongue until I taste blood, finding it rather disgusting that my little brother is currently talking with his girlfriend as if I weren't across the room, sitting as close as possible to my unconscious fiancée. Should I even refer to him as my brother anymore? He certainly doesn't think of me as one, judging by the stories little Michelangelo has recently given into telling me. Donnie, the boy I trusted more than anyone—other than Karai—has given up on sharing his secrets with me, with only the fact that Raphael is his blood brother to reason with? Obviously he doesn't think of me, nor Mikey, as a brother anymore, so why should I think of him as one?
I glance up at the clock. 10:00. I don't have to leave for another half-hour, but still, I'm itching to get out of here. But, do I really want to get out of this hospital? I know for a fact that I don't want to go home. Mona and Raph will be there and although I don't have a thing against them, I want more than anything to did database myself from them, because I'm really not in the mood another in-love couple. So perhaps I want something more, like to leave my own skin, to be something different. I heave a sigh as I realize that that's exactly what I want.
So desperately do I long to leave my body and be someone different. But not entirely different, just different from who I am now. I want to be the old Leonardo DaVinci Hamato, the one who isn't human and would never think of becoming one. I want to erase everything that happened upon leaving the sewers. I liked it far more better back then, I always have and always will, because before we were humans, before we were heroes, before we were crime fighters, before we were a unit, before I was leader, we were all just brothers. We held each other when we were scared and wrapped blankets around each other when it got cold. We survived together, with little food and the dirtiest of water. I remember oh so clearly the excitement of having something to eat, no matter how small it was, that wasn't algae and worms. We all tried so hard to be happy with what we had, and we were.
Now, in this new society, we are greedy, and even the best things don't occupy us for long. We crave what we can't have and were always begging for more and more, because one is never enough for us, not anymore.
I shake my head and stand up, letting go of Karai's hand as I do so. I don't give her my usual kiss goodbye, I'm too busy worrying about getting out of here and far, far away.
I feel a shift, though, as I near the door. Donnie and April are staring at me, I can feel their eyes burning into the back of my neck. Donatello excuses himself momentarily and follows after me. Rounding the corner, landing myself in the hall, I don't wait up for him. If anything, I pick up my pace, wanting anything but conversation. Right now, the only thing I want is to reach my destination without confrontation. It isn't too much to ask for, is it? Clearly it is, because Donnie's hand rests on my shoulder and he discontinues my fast tread. "Leo, where are you going?"
"I'm leaving," I answer, turning around to face him.
Donatello wears a wary expression, one that I'm quiet used to receiving, whether I'd like to admit to it or not. His burgundy eyes are full of concern and compassion, but his mouth is a flat line, radiating sternness. I know better than to brush it off, Donnie doesn't give anyone this look unless it's called for; he highly dislikes cruelty, even in its simplest forms.
"But we still have another half hour . . ," Donnie trails off, seemingly confused. For such a smart guy, he certainly is oblivious to most everything.
"I know but I'm getting kinda tired, I was just gonna head home a little early."
"The car, though-"
"I'm gonna walk," I explain, cutting him off.
With a furrowed brow, Don bites his lip. I'm convinced he's going to put up a fight, but then he nods and says a quick "see ya soon" before heading back to April.
It feels good to be alone. It really does. The feeling of freedom, and the inability to be judged is sensational, and a sense of clarity is enough to send pleasure rippling down my spine.
I've walked far, halfway across the city. As I traveled the distance, I tried to pry my thoughts away from where I was going, focusing instead on other thoughts. Thoughts of what I was going to do when Karai woke up. I already have a piling list of things we'll do, but the first thing on that list, and the most important to me, is wedding her.
Karai and I have been engaged since Christmas, and although we agreed on holding our marriage ceremony in Hawaii next summer, spring break at the earliest, I just can't wait any longer. I love Karai, and if any good came out of this wretched situation, it's that I've come to realize that no matter how many fights we get into, no matter how impactful the tragedy that strikes us is, I cannot life without Karai. She's the center of my world, the inner core that I wouldn't be able to function properly without. I never believed in true love, or soul mates, while growing up. I always thought of it as a necessity to fairy tale endings; "and they all lived happily ever after," just because they got married? No, it didn't seem realistic, not at all. That was, until I met Karai.
My entire world flipped upside down and I was suddenly trapped in a dark abyss that stretched on for miles and miles. There was no light, and for the longest of times, I didn't know what was going on with me. Eventually, I came to a realization that I was in love, and, sometimes, love felt as lightless as a cave, because if it's as true as it is in the stories, then you'll never know what's coming next. If it's fake, then you can see every twist and turn coming your way. Every up and down. Sure, roller coasters are fun when you can see the drops and the jerks, but they're even more exhilarating in the dark, when your passing through ruthless tunnels and don't know what's going to happen next.
I reach the place I was headed for; mine and Karai's former apartment. I heave a sigh as I stare up at the dark place, but I don't hesitate to climb the ladder to the balcony.
It just so happens that I know all of the loose spots in the windows, so it isn't very hard to get into the abandoned living space.
The place is utterly empty, and it takes my breath away. I never saw what the walls and rooms looked like bare, Raphael took the final try load of furniture to the storage unit me and Karai were renting. Sure, I saw and, obviously, helped in the packing up during the time when we were moving out, but I never could've pictured the place looking so . . . deserted.
I pace through the rooms, down the halls, around the living room.
This is where it all went wrong, I think to myself as I stare out at the living room from the kitchen doorway. This is where the incident took place. In this very living room, I witnessed my love get stabbed, murdering our unborn daughter. She was our creation, the only thing we were ever overly proud of fixing up. Never mind the relationship we'd cooked up, it was our daughter we cared about. She was to be named Sakura, and she would have my eyes—according to the demands of Karai—but she would have her mother's smile and laugh. My fearlessness and carefulness. The mother's passion and outgoing spirit. She was to be perfect, the only pure thing in this crazy, messed up world. She was going to be our daughter.
We would take her to the park on the weekends, and watch her play on the swings and teeter-totter with the other kids. At night we'd read bed time stories to her, and in the morning me and my baby girl would cook breakfast for Karai. I'd go to school and get a degree, and Karai would stay home with our daughter. We'd be a family of three, the happiest people on earth. Jealousy would rage through onlookers, and we'd be too caught up in ourselves to notice.
But, of course, that isn't how any of this turned out. Sakura is dead, Karai is trapped in a coma, and I'm drowning in thoughts of depression. Nothing is how it should be, and I can't tell whether or not I should feel guilty or sorry for myself. I could've protected my family, couldn't I have?
Clumsy me, I was wandering around the house while racing through my swarming thoughts and I've landed myself exactly where I promised I'd never show up at. Sakura's bedroom.
The walls are teal, but far back one is painted with a beautiful cherry blossom on it, it's flower and their letters blowing away, as if a gust of wind had passed through the deeply concerned branches. All of the furniture—the crib, diaper changing station, the rocking chair with its floral printed blankets draped of the back. Even the the closet is full of little clothes and shoes we bought for her. All because I ordered that they stay behind; I knew that neither me, nor Karai, would be able to handle seeing these items every time we went to retrieve something from our storage unit.
I trudge over to the rocker, and, hesitantly, sit down. Back and forth, back and forth, slowly at first, then gaining speed until I'm at a perfect pace. I feel relaxed, and my eyelids are getting heavier by the second. "Everything will be okay, Sakura, your mother will rejoice soon."
It's the last thing I say before drifting into a long sleep. And I don't know who exactly Karai will be rejoicing with; me or our daughter?