When she disappeared from his sight, he settled near his children and sat in a seiza position and began meditating. He knew that things would get interesting soon.
Walking to a Bar
Chantée was in a stunning blue and white dress and a small jacket to protect her arms from the chill. She had on low heels because of what she does, which requires her to stay on her feet for a while. Jewelry accentuated her features as she travelled to one of the most popular diners. When she got there, she was instructed to wait for a while and to get ready for her chance to perform.
It didn't take her long, and before she knew it, she was out on stage gazing out into a crowd of customers in lavish clothing. She waited for her cue to begin singing after the piano flew through the ears of those listening.
"The whispers in the morning
Of lovers sleeping tight
Are rolling by like thunder now
As I look in your eyes"
"I hold on to your body
And feel each move you make
Your voice is warm and tender
A love that I could not forsake"
Here, she controlled her voice as she went to fortissimo. Many of the customers were watching her performance with awe.
"'Cause I am your lady
And you are my man
Whenever you reach for me
I'll do all that I can"
Chantée went back down to piano. Her eyes were closed as she continued to sing.
"Lost is how I'm feeling lying in your arms
When the world outside's too much to take
That all ends when I'm with you"
"Even though there may be times
It seems I'm far away
Never wonder where I am
'Cause I am always by your side"
Her unused hand was suspended in the air right above the microphone to the side with palm facing the mic.
"'Cause I am your lady
And you are my man
Whenever you reach for me
I'll do all that I can"
"We're heading for something
Somewhere I've never been
Sometimes I am frightened
But I'm ready to learn
Of the power of love"
"The sound of your heart beating
Made it clear suddenly
The feeling that I can't go on
Is light years away"
You could hear the beauty and strength in her voice as she kept singing. Many people were hit with an intense sensation as they watched her perform.
"'Cause I am your lady
And you are my man
Whenever you reach for me
I'll do all that I can"
"We're heading for something
Somewhere I've never been
Sometimes I am frightened
But I'm ready to learn
Of the power of love"
"The power of love
The power of love
Sometimes I am frightened
But I'm ready to learn"
"Of the power of love
The power of love
As I look in your eyes
The power of love."
Chantée trailed off quietly. It was silent until the establishment erupted into a cacophony of people clapping, cheering, shouting and much more. Chantée merely smiled and bowed to the large crowd.
This was the life she lived.
The Next Morning
Leonardo sat up with a yawn before looking around. He saw that he was on something really soft and that his brothers were still sleeping next to him. He made a move to get up when a voice spoke up behind him, startling him in the process.
"Good morning, Leonardo." A sweet voice greeted him. He turned around and saw the nice mama from last night sitting next to his papa.
"Aahh..." Leo gurgled out as he started to crawl towards the two. Chantée and Splinter watched with warmth as the little terrapin made his way to them.
When he was close enough, Chantée scouted him into her arms and tickled him under his chin lightly. Leonardo giggled and tried to catch her hand but she would always tickle another spot, gaining more peals of laughter.
"I believe this is the most happiest I have seen Leonardo in the small time I have had him and his brothers. They do not always get to have such happiness as we have had to constantly move to avoid human activity down here." Splinter explains. Chantée gave him a questionable look before humming in thought.
"I see. Well, I plan to give them some fun and remodel this place. From what I know of the system and routes and the managers of the sewers, this place is hardly ever touched. You could also tell by how much webbing and dust you see down here. I'd say you have a fairly good chance of staying here for some years before anyone comes to check out this place, so don't worry about moving anymore." Chantée explained as she sat little Leo in her lap and made food for the child.
Splinter nodded his head in acceptance and saw that another one of his sons were waking up. It was the darker turtle, Raphael. The terrapin wiggled from the hold Michelangelo had on him and rubbed his eyes. He looked around, confused before seeing the tall rat-man and blonde girl. His emerald eyes watched as his older brother got fed out of some weird container that reminded him of when he was first born. He let out a chirrup seeing Leonardo eagerly feeding from the bottle. The blonde gave the slightly smaller turtle to Splinter and coaxed the younger one towards her. Raphael crawled over to her and was gently cradled between her crossed legs before she prepared another bottle.
"Good morning to you, Raphael," greeted the teen. Raphael cooed and waited a bit impatiently for the nipple to be placed into his mouth. Chantée softly giggled at the restlessness of the babe before conceding to his want. Raphael was contently sucking away at the food while he held onto the bottle with a little support from his mama.
"May I ask you a question, Splinter?" Chantée asked as she turned gunpowder-blue eyes to brunette ones. The humanoid-rat turned his attention towards the young woman and nodded.
"I do not mean to pry, but... I have noticed the shadows in your eyes. The shadows of guilt, betrayal, and deep seated sadness: as if you have lost something— or someone, of importance," at this, Splinter barely suppressed a flinch, "are you willing to tell me what happened and how you all came to be?"
The brown rat inhaled before letting out a deep sigh. He shifted Leonardo in his arms as his eyes gained a far away look.
"I do not mind answering your question, Miss Chantée, for this is a story that has both broken me yet gave me more to live for. It all started..."
And so Splinter, or as he was known as Hamato Yoshi, told the "human" girl how he lost his humanity but gained a mutant family. Chantée stayed quiet through it all, along with the two terrapins. It shocked yet amazed the blonde with how much such a caring man could go through and still keep living like he do, though she guesses that such strength came from him having someone— someones to live for. Though she was not too surprised about the mutation thing. After all, she knew a little too much about what it was like to be mutated; though in the case of Splinter and the turtles, it was much quicker.
As he finished the tale, Chantée drowned in her own thoughts about revealing what she is and what had been done to her. It was a sore topic for her, but she gathered that when it came up, she would tell it all.
But, in the meantime...
*Chu~*
Splinter was surprised by the contact to his furred cheek. He stared stunned at the girl who gave him a blushing, warm smile.
"You have a really strong spirit, Splinter. I am honored to know such a kind person regardless of their state of being. Maybe, one day, I will tell you of myself. I feel I can trust you, but I am still under the effects of my past. Please excuse me for keeping such information from you," explained Chantée. Splinter gave an agreeing smile then their attention was drawn to the youngest two turtles.
Now that everyone was awake, the "lair", as Chantée jokingly called it, became more noisy. She and Splinter observed the tots as they interacted with each other and the toys Chantée brought from the apartment.
She noticed that Donatello would play with the shapes box and toys. He would scrutinize the plastic shapes and then look at the box to see which shape goes through which hole. She could tell that this one would be a very inquisitive one and, maybe, a little inventor judging by some of the building blocks around him in little towers.
Raphael would find any toy people he could find and use the one in his hand to beat them down. He would laugh as he knocked them over and then do it all over again. He was quick to anger when he noticed that Michelangelo tried to take one of the men away and would chase his brother off with the other tot laughing at his reaction. Chantée could definitely tell that the dark terrapin was a passionate, if violent, turtle.
Next was, as previously mentioned, Michelangelo. He was a very happy turtle as she knew from taking care of him. He was playful and full of smiles. He tried anything he could think of that would bring smiles to the other tots even if it meant being a bit upset at. She already knew that this fun little turtle loves attention and being surrounded by happy people.
Lastly, Leonardo. This child did not do much but he definitely seemed to worry for his brothers. Especially when one of them did something that caused them to hurt themselves. It was really sweet though she could also see a bit of a leadership quality in him. If he was not being occupied with something, he would be with his brothers and watching what they were doing before being roped in. He was generally quiet, almost like Donatello, but he always made an effort to stay with his brothers.
All in all, she could not ask for a better family. She would protect this mutant family with everything she has.
Even if it killed her.
