A/N: The movie referenced in the start of this chapter is an anime. The main character in it is a female, anti-terrorist cop in Tokyo in the not-too-distant future. She is a cyborg whose biological components are basically just her brain and spine, though she looks like a normal woman for all intents and purposes. Even so, she is starting to question her own humanity. Through the course of an investigation she uncovers an advanced AI program that claims to have developed a 'ghost' of its own. Since the line between man and machine can be very difficult to distinguish in this future setting, the main distinguisher between the two is the presence of a soul or 'ghost' in those that are considered 'human'.

One of her cyborg abilities is a cloaking device that makes her all but invisible to the naked eye, except for some light distortion around her frame on occasion. However, the cloak does not extend to the clothes she is wearing, except for a few items that assist with it, so she only wears special boots/leggings, a belt and a curtain-like mask when invisible. I'll see if I can dig up some links to more info on this movie to post on the back-ground thread for this series at SS. Despite my terrible synopsis, it is a brilliant movie that I highly recommend to anyone that loves Japanese culture, awesome artwork, or just a darn good story IMHO.

CPQ, thanks a-plenty for beta-reading this; always appreciate you doin' this for me chica.

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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Stepping out of the movie theatre into the early evening, Raph shivered and pulled his trench coat collar higher against the icy fingers of the wind cutting through the city streets, and any glances from the crowds and traffic they shared the street with. Leading the group down the side-walk Leo, Don and April were caught-up in an avid discussion regarding the possibilities and implications of a machine developing a soul, though Leo was looking a little lost as Don and April started reverting to their own dialect. Behind them Mike was re-enacting his favourite bits of dialogue from 'Ghost in the Shell' for Tau as she laughed along with him.

Raph gave a low chuckle himself. He still couldn't quiet believe that she'd allowed Mike to dress her up so. But then she had been pretty nervous about the prospect of walking the streets; especially during daylight, as they had to get to the cinema on time. She was wearing the short, black wig again; tied up with large pink bows on either side of her head making the hair stick out almost at right angles. Mike had found the long, pink skirt dotted with a sunflower motif in a clothing donation bin. The yellow flip-flops were another relic from their childhood 'dress-up' collection, and the jumper was a hand-me-down from Don.

The woollen, violet pullover had been such a childhood favourite of his brothers' that he had steadfastly worn it until the day it simply refused to stretch all the way over his shell. He'd even needed a bit of help to get it off again. The neck of it had been stretched to the point it kept slipping down her right shoulder (she kept it pulled up snug to the left side of her neck to ensure her tattoo remained concealed), revealing the grey strap of the singlet she had stubbornly refused to replace with a frilly lilac blouse.

He had to admit he'd felt a little nervous too, during the film, but it was mainly due to the fact that no matter how he'd shifted in his seat they always seemed to end up touching. Not that he minded that, in the end he'd even pulled her head onto his shoulder… to stop the damn pigtails in her hair from tickling his cheek. The fact she hadn't objected to him leaving his arm around her shoulders was nice, not quite as nice as the feel of her hand coming to rest lightly just above his knee. However, he had also quickly added that to his list of reasons he hated wearing pants.

Still, she had abruptly shrugged him off just before the credits. He'd actually opened his mouth to complain when the movement of someone leaning forward further down the row caught his eye. Breathing a sigh of relief, he was glad Leo hadn't spotted the way they'd been sitting; the last thing he needed was a lecture when he hadn't done anything!

The last two weeks had been their own special kinda hell. He was sure she was torturing him. It wasn't anything she did, really, or said; it was her smile. The coy, little look he caught her giving him on occasion. At first he'd dismissed it; sure, they weren't fighting anymore, but he doubted she would be hugely happy with him again for some time. In the end it was Mike that had made him realise that she reserved that particular smile for him. His brother had come up with the theory, and had even flirted with her outrageously enough to eventually earn a playful bop on the head from her, but never that softness in her eyes, to prove it.

Even so, he'd staunchly tried to ignore it, not wanting to let his frustration get the better of him again. It was the same reason he tried to ignore the way her usual singlet and jeans moulded to her figure. At least he didn't have to worry about that at the moment, the jumper was too baggy and long on her to reveal her curves much, though the skirt she was wearing did show off her ankles nicely… he caught himself with that thought.
'Her ankles? I must be goin' nuts!' ran through his mind as he shook his head briefly to clear it.

"Wassup?" asked Casey, walking beside him.
"Nuthin'!" replied Raph, a little sharply.
"Heh heh yeah." drawled Casey with a taunting grin "I can't get the image of that chick outta my mind either!" he missed Raphs' evil glare to continue "If that's the way o' the future I can't wait till I get arrested by some mostly naked, not-quite-invisible babe! And you guys were right, it was even better on the big-screen!"
"Huh? Oh, the movie! Yeah, right Case, whatever…" Casey eyed him dubiously for a moment.
"You sure you're alright?"
"I said 'yeah'!" snapped Raph. Casey threw his hands up in surrender.
"Ok, gees! Chill, will ya?" Raph only tugged his hat down further in reply.

Half a block later April brought them to a halt under a bright red fluorescent sign reading 'Valentino's'.
"Sorry guys, I'll only be a few minutes, I just have to pick up the cakes for tomorrows progress meeting at work. You coming Casey?" she asked as she opened the door, the warm smell of fresh bread and chocolate escaping from within. Casey quickly followed her inside, leaving the rest of the group to drag Mike away from the scent into the mouth of the alleyway that ran down the side of the building. They were careful not to go too far, around fifteen meters from the sidewalk the building was undercut by a loading bay wide enough to accommodate having a couple of cars parked within it as well. Light spilt from it, probably from an open doorway set out of view in the end wall of the alcove.

Raph leaned his back against the wall, glad to be sheltered from the breeze. His brothers looked a little chilled too, but Tau was practically blue; hugging herself and stamping her feet in an attempt to warm herself. She scowled a little as she jerked the errant jumper back up onto her right shoulder, only to have it start to slip down again almost immediately.
"Brrrr! Where are the 30 degree days when you need 'em?" she griped.
"30!" exclaimed Mike "It's not that cold babe! And I'da thought you'd want it hotter?"
"She does Mike." Don explained, giving the top of her arms a rub and getting a grateful smile from her for it, though it didn't stop her shivering. "They use the Celsius scale in Australia, so that's 86 degrees Fahrenheit."
"Ooh!" nodded Mike.
"It'd be getting close to summer there now, right?" Don continued, asking Tau directly. She replied with a despondent nod.

Seeing her stood there so miserably; Raph got a sudden inspiration. Stifling a smirk with a frown for his brothers, since they weren't doing that much to help her; he swiftly undid the front of his coat to pull her hard-up against him, enveloping her in the thick material too. Her small gasp of surprise at being yanked off her feet quickly changed to a grateful sigh as she snuggled into the warmth of his arms.
"Raph…" started Leo in a dark warning tone.
"What? She's cold!" Raph sharply cut him off, stating the obvious.
"Yeah, cut 'em some slack bro!"
"You know Leo; sharing body heat is a very efficient way to keep warm."

Raph succumbed to a smug grin as Leo rolled his eyes, giving up his current argument with a shake of his head. His smile suddenly became very brittle however, as she squirmed slightly. He wondered what the hell she was doing, running a chilled hand down the side of his plastron towards his belt. Unfortunately, or so he thought, it wasn't any of the myriad possibilities that flickered through his mind as she tugged the handle of one of his sai to the side, out of the way of her ribs. She quickly settled against him again, curling her hands behind and over his shoulders with another small, contented sigh.

Casey was starting to pace a little, already bored at looking at the few rolls, cakes and other treats left in the glass cabinets lining the walls. Thinking the proprietors hadn't heard the door chime when they had entered, April rang the small bell on the counter. It was still another couple of minutes before a harried looking Italian matron made her way through the doorway from the kitchen to the serving-counter, the door swinging shut behind her.
"Oh, Miss O'Neil! I'm-a so sorry to keep you waiting!" she flustered, wringing her hands in her apron.
"It's not a worry Mrs Valentino." assured April "I guess you're a bit busy tonight, huh?"
"Si, si. Busy." nodded Mrs Valentino vigorously, glancing back towards the door she'd come through, "Now how can I-a help you?" she smiled nervously.
"I just need to pick up the cakes my work ordered earlier."
"Oh? Oh! Of course, how-a silly of me; forgetting. They're all ready to go, I'll just-a fetch them for you." the elder lady flustered as she hurriedly backed through the door, closing it behind her again.

A couple of minutes later Casey wandered over to wrap April in a hug from behind.
"Do you think there's something wrong?" she asked him, a little concerned at Mrs Valentino's demeanour and the unusual wait. Casey shrugged, his attention given over to nuzzling her ear. A loud bang, metal on metal, that seemed to come from the kitchen made them both start.
"There is something wrong, we should help." breathed April.
"It's probably nuthin'…" another loud bang interrupted Caseys' whisper. They shared a brief look to settle their agreement, before they snuck around the end of the counter to listen at the door. Casey grabbed Aprils' hand as she went to push it open; silently indicating that he should go first.

Creeping through the door into the warmth of the kitchen, Casey and April ducked behind one of the long stainless-steel benches that ran through the middle of the room. The far end wall was dominated by huge walk-in ovens; the end closer to them featured a large sink and drying racks, full of commercial sized pots and pans and other utensils.

Peering from their hiding spot, they noticed a door was propped open, leading to the outside. The Valentino family were gathered at another bench close to the open door, surrounded by a large group of street thugs. Mr Valentino was being restrained by a few of the youths, his arm being held out on the counter.

April and Casey watched as the elderly man shook his head. A punk stood over him with a metal baseball bat smirked,
"Wrong answer Pops." then whacked his victims' outstretched arm with his weapon. The 'clang' as the tip hit the bench echoed again. Whilst it was obvious the old man was in pain he barely uttered a sound. His wife was holding the end of her apron to her mouth, trying to stifle her sobs. Their son, in his early twenties, was struggling in vain against the trio that were holding and gagging him.

Creeping over to the racks of drying utensils, Casey quietly grabbed a long, heavy wooden rolling pin, handing it back to April. He took a large ladle and hefty looking metal spatula for himself. April started to fish her Shell-cell out of her pocket, about to call for back-up, when she decided not to bother; sure she spied the briefest flicker of movement beyond the door…

Raph had managed to relax again; Tau nestled snugly with her face against his neck. Her hands, still on his shoulders under his coat, had finally lost their chill. At the first 'bang', she had jumped, they all had really, and it had disrupted their embrace a little. At the second blow Leo, Don and Mike made their way over to the alcove to investigate.

With a groan Raph figured they had better make a move as well, reluctantly opening his coat to release Tau, Leo quick to motion them over. Realising what was happening inside the open door as the third blow was made Leo directed his team, getting them in position to strike. He was about to give the order to attack when he was pre-empted by a resounding "GOONGALA!" from the bakery.

In a heart-beat the turtles were through the door, the dozen punks taken by surprise and quickly overcome by the combined attacks from both parties. The last couple of thugs fell, one a-foul of Casey's spatula, the other being snapped backwards to the ground as Mikes' fist connected with his nose in concert with Tau dropping to sweep his feet forward from under him with an out-stretched leg.

Raph couldn't help but grin as her move caused the hem of her skirt to ride up above her knees for a moment; instinctively standing a little straighter as she rose to give him a quick, side-long glance up and down. Her appraisal ended with a flicker of a coy smile, her look quickly hidden behind a hand as she reached up to smooth her hair. Still it was enough to leave him a little fidgety, feeling as if he were suddenly unsure what to do with his hands. Shaking his head to clear it of the distraction he dragged the unconscious ring-leader up from the floor, grimacing at the arthropod depicted crawling up the guys' neck.
"Damn Scorpion scum!" he growled, dropping the hoodlum back to the floor with little regard for the dull 'thud' his head made against the linoleum.

"Who the hell are you?" demanded the younger Valentino, the brave timber of his voice undermined by the way he was backing into his father, away from the group that had stormed in through the outer door. Taking stock with a quick glance around Leo was relieved to see none of his group had lost their disguises in the fray; though he did a quick side-step to come between Raph and the huddled Italian family, realising his brothers' coat wasn't fastened and at risk of falling open.
"Uh, we're…" Leo searched for an explanation.
"Friends of mine," April interjected "they were waiting outside for us. Oh, Mr Valentino, I think your arm is broken!" she exclaimed, moving over to inspect the limb and draw the attention of the family. Leo snagged Dons' arm before he too could approach to have a look for himself.
"And I think we'd better get these punks out of here and be on our way." he 'suggested' to his kin.

Casey and Tau helped out as the turtles dragged the Scorpions out of the kitchen and tied them up a small distance away in the surrounding alleys. April stayed with the family, helping to calm them and keep them distracted whilst she wrapped Mr Valentino's arm in a sling to keep it stable on the way to the hospital.

As soon as the last of the goons were out of the kitchen, the Valentino's locked up and left, with many profuse thanks to April from Mrs Valentino. The rest of the group gathered in the shadows behind the red-head, as she waved the family fair-well until their car disappeared around a corner. Turning back to her friends with a relieved smile she cocked her head suddenly in thought.
"Darn it!" she frowned "I forgot the cakes!"

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"So it's-a third left down that-a hallway, then first right, second left and then the second cubicle on the left? Si?"
"Yep!" smiled the receptionist. With a grateful nod the elderly lady settled the cloth covered basket on her arm and followed the directions through the offices of 'Cubesoft Inc'. Reaching her destination she paused for a moment, unsure how to announce her presence since the cubicle didn't have a door to knock on. Finally she gave a nervous "Ahem." Immediately the red-head looked up from her computer screen in surprise.

"Mrs Valentino!" April exclaimed "What are you doing here? Come in, come in!"
"Good morning Miss O'Neil. I realised that with all the fuss last-a night, I forgot to give you the cakes you were wanting to collect. So I-a brought them for you." Mrs Valentino offered April her basket with a smile.
"Oh, thank-you!" grinned April "You didn't have to do that, I was going to drop by during my lunchbreak…"
"It was the least I could do, to thank you for your help last-a night."
"Oh, it was nothing… I'm just glad my friends were there to help out." "Si! Si, please tell them all we are very grateful. I included some nice, fresh chocolate muffins in there for you all… on-a-the-house."
"Heh, I'm sure my friends will love those! Thank you! Are the police going to do anything to make sure you all stay safe?"

"Tch." the elderly lady muttered, her face becoming grave "We did not-a call. My Marcello, uh Mr Valentino, he does not like to involve police. We have some-a…'patrons' that took away the gangsters for us last-a night. Usually, we don't need to worry about such things, mostly. But these-a days, the young-ones, they are getting cheeky. No?" she smiled nervously.
"Oh." replied April, momentarily lost for words. She was curious, but deciding she probably didn't really want to know any more details about their security arrangements she changed the subject instead, "How's Mr Valentino's arm by the way?" Mrs Valentino sighed, shaking her head slightly.
"He has a cast for a few weeks. The doctor's, they tell him to rest. But my Marcello, he does not know how to do. Enrico, he's a good boy, but he is wanting his own life now. I worry; how we will keep the bakery going? My Marcello says not to worry, we've been through worse. And he's-a right, we have. But we are not so young anymore. The hard work, it takes it's-a toll on him. I'm-a trying to convince him to take on an apprentice, but he won't hear of it. 'The recipes, they are for family, for Enrico' he says, 'No-one else'."

"I'm sorry to hear that." April commiserated "If there's anything I can do to help…"
"Oh no, no, no!" flustered the old lady "It is we that are indebted to you. If there's anything we can do for you or your friends, please, just-a ask." Mrs Valentino fidgeted nervously for a moment before she met Aprils' eyes again with an over-bright smile. "But I have distracted you from your work, si? I am-a sorry, I'll leave-a you in peace…"
"It's no bother, really!" assured April, placing a gentle hand on the lady's arm to stop her turning away. "And I just had a thought… instead of an apprentice, would Mr Valentino accept a kitchen-hand to help you out? Even just for a couple of weeks until his arm has healed?"

Mrs Valentino tilted her head in thought.
"Maybe…, we did try to take on one a couple of years ago, but the young people today, they don't know the meaning of work, and they want so much pay!"
"Oh. It's just that the girl who helped out with the fight last night, she's looking for work. I'm sure she'd put a lot of effort in, and would probably be grateful for any money she could earn. But she has had a little…'difficulty' with one of the local gangs, so if you don't want to risk any more trouble I'll understand." April shrugged lightly.
"The young girl with the black hair?" asked Mrs Valentino. April frowned slightly in confusion for a moment.
"Oh! Yes, of course. Heh. She, uh, coloured her hair… the other day…" grinned April sheepishly.

"What kind of trouble is she in?" probed Mrs Valentino again.
"Um, she's actually left a gang, but they weren't too happy about it." replied April, a little distractedly as she tried to think of an explanation that wouldn't give too much away.
"And what's-a her name?"
"Ta…" April caught herself just in-time, giving herself a mental kick for being so caught up with worry over how to explain things she almost gave it away anyway "Uh, Natasha, yeah… sorry, we always call her by her nick-name…, heh." she petered out.
"Well, it would be a big-a help. And it is the least we could do…giving her a chance." murmured Mrs Valentino thoughtfully, "Could she come-a by the bakery tomorrow? Say at one o'clock? It will be up to Marcello… but I'll put in the good word, si?"
"Si. Uh, yes!" laughed April "I'm sure she'll be there. Thank-you!"
"No, no, thank-a you!"

After a brief flurry of continued expressions of gratitude and good-byes the elderly lady departed, leaving April alone in her cubicle to wonder if her off-the-cuff idea to get Tau a job interview was really such a good one…