Ch 6 Back to the Village.
Raph walked down the hall and out past the bathing room thinking Leo possibly went back to the guest room. He eventually found Leo in the garden, sitting on the little bench and staring into the small pond. Occasionally he would throw bread crumbs into the water and smile when the ducks and little fish came up to eat them.
Raph walked over to him and took a couple of crumbs from his hand. The two smiled at each other as Raph tossed the crumbs into the air and the fish came up from the water to eat causing the ducks to squawk loudly.
"This is fun." Raph said, sitting next to him. "I don't usually get to sit and relax like this."
"Really." Leo looked at him in surprise. "I would think you would do this all the time."
"Nah." Raph said, watching as Leo emptied the crumbs from his hand. "I'm usually busy with learning the things I need to learn to…" Raph's voice trailed off as he thought about his upcoming nuptials.
"You're not happy to be getting married?" Leo questioned.
"I'm seventeen." Raph groused. "What's there to be happy about."
"You will be living in a palace and marrying into royalty." Leo pointed out.
"Yeah, well, trust me." Raph said standing up. "That's not as great as it sounds." He crossed his arms and looked around the garden. "Especially if you don't know the person you're marrying."
"You must know something about her?"
"Only what I've been told." Raph said with a huff. He looked down at Leo and motioned for him to follow. "Sensei wants me to walk with you to the village." He informed him.
Leo looked up at him with narrowed eyes. "I am not a helpless girl on a morning walk Raphael." He told him sternly, standing up and pushing his way past Raph and toward the entrance of the house. "I don't require an escort."
"Neither does April." Raph told him just as sternly as he followed him into the house. "Sensei wants me to get a present for my…fiance." He said sarcastically as he walked past Leo and made his way to the other side of the house where he grabbed a large basket that was used to carry food. He handed it to Leo and looked at him with a smirk. "Do you have your list?"
Ignoring the attitude, Leo patted the pocket of his kimono and the two were just about to walk out the house when a voice called out to them.
"Are you two going to the village?" Mikey asked.
"Can we come too?" Donnie asked. "Master Leatherhead has dismissed us for lunch and I want to show Mikey the bookstore."
The two ran past their brothers before either could tell them yes or no. Leo shrugged while Raph grumbled something about annoying little brothers. Leo smiled as he walked out the door and followed the two younger turtles down the path and toward the village.
Raph and Leo walked side by side while Mikey and Donnie ran ahead. "Careful up there." Leo yelled out as he watched Mikey jump over a fallen log slightly off the path. He looked at the list and frowned.
"Something wrong?" Raph asked.
"She wants me to buy apples." Leo told him. He tried to hide his nervousness, but Raph caught the tone in his voice regardless.
"I'll get them." He told him. "How many?"
"A dozen." Leo said reading the list. "It looks like she wants to make some pies."
"Oh yeah." Raph tapped his chin. "I believe Master Splinter is expecting to host some dignitaries soon."
Leo suddenly looked very nervous again. "From where."
"I'm not sure. I believe from the eastern providence somewhere."
Leo nodded and attempted to relax but his mind was reeling with questions of who these dignitaries might be. They continued into the village and while Raph went to the fruit merchant, Leo walked over to the other stalls where he picked out a variety of vegetables, meats and other foods along with a variety of teas.
As he made his way from one merchant to another, he couldn't help but notice the stares the villagers gave him. He did his best to ignore them and finished getting the food needed. As he continued his food shopping, his eyes caught the movement of a large mutant tiger with an eye patch over his right eye. The two stared at each other and Leo felt a twinge of fear clench at his heart. He looked away quickly when someone bumped into him. When he turned back to where the tiger had been, he was not surprised to see the large mutant was no longer there.
Leo drew a breath and continued on his way. He eventually met up with Raph and noticed he was holding a small box. "Found something for your fiance?" He asked with a smirk as Raph added the apples into his basket of food. Raph gave him a warily smile and grunted his reply. Then together, the two turtles made their way to the book merchant's small store. It was a small wooden structure found almost in the middle of the village. The two boys walked in and took a brief look around. Their eyes quickly found the two younger turtles standing in the corner reading a large book and laughing. They made their way over to them.
"What have you got there?" Raph questioned.
"Hey Raph, Leo." Donnie smiled and waved them over. "We're just reading a book of poems." He answered.
"We were thinking you might like them to give to your betroth." Mikey said with a teasing tone as he snickered. "Listen to this one." He was about to read one when a low and menacing growl from the older turtle made him stop. "Or not.'
They put the book away and the four youths decided to look through the bookstore, each going off in different directions. While the other three made their way over to opposite areas, Leo made his way over to a small book rack in the corner almost hidden from view of the other three. He grabbed a book and began to scan through it. He kept his eyes focused on the book while his senses were focused on the figure coming out from behind the black curtain that separated the main book room from the small storage room.
"I was beginning to think you were no longer interested in getting your money." A deep voice whispered to him.
Leo huffed but kept his temper in check. "Because of you , I was arrested and now I have to work off a dept and serve a month long sentence." He explained. "When do I get my money?"
"You'll get it after you finish working." The tiger informed him. "I still have clients that request you."
"I have already fulfilled my end of the bargain." Leo turned toward him with fire in his eyes. "I just want my money so I can leave this village and get to where I have to go."
"So you intend to run away before your sentence is up?" The large tiger laughed. "You'll get your money tonight cub, after you service two more of my clients." Tiger Claw told him. Leo was just about to open his mouth and protest when the tiger nodded toward the other turtles. "You do not want me to let them know about you and how you have come to know me." Seeing the nervousness in Leo's eyes, the tiger smirked. "And I'm sure you do not want the Foot clan to know of your whereabouts?"
Leo's head turned back toward the other end of the store where his brother and the others were still searching the shelves of books. At the mention of the Foot clan he swallowed hard then looked back to Tiger Claw and hung his head. "What time?"
Tiger claw placed his paw underneath Leo's chin. "That's a good turtle cub." He said mockingly. "Be at the brothel at midnight. Afterwards, I'll give you the money I currently owe you, and maybe an additional amount if our clients tip well."
"You better." Leo snarled. He removed his head roughly away from the large tiger and turned back to look where his brother was. Much to his relief, Mikey and the other two still seemed to be off doing their own thing. He placed the book he had been holding back on the shelf and was just about to walk over to Mikey when Raph came up next to him. "Who were you talking to?" He asked.
Leo turned to him startled. "No one." He answered. "Why?"
"I saw you talking to someone in the shadows over here." Raph told him. "At least I know you were talking so I assumed you…"
"I was reading a book out loud." Leo told him, somewhat annoyed. "Since I do not read well, it helps me to read out loud to help me learn." He picked up the basket full of food and began to walk away from him. "I need to get the food home so can we please leave now."
Raph watched him walk away, he turned back to the small corner and narrowed his eyes, certain he saw the small curtain to the adjoining room moving.
