A/N: Sorry for the long delay with this chapter, t'was a bit of a struggle this one! Bit o' good news though, in the time it has taken me to get this chapter polished to the point I'm happy to post it, I've gotten the next three chapter written in full! Darn thing is on a roll now, especially since I think there are only another couple of chapters in it to write, and I've made a conscious effort to make each chapter after this one a bit shorter to make 'em easier to read. So, long story short, updates for this series should be fairly regular for a good little while to come! (touchwood, lol!)
I should warn ya that there is a bit o' swearin' in this Chapter, and a few Aussie and English references too. If you find yourself wondering just what a 'duffle coat' or a 'golden wattle' etc actually is, I'll post links with some info on 'em in the TT Series Background Thread I have going at SS. To reach my forum at SS, just click on the 'homepage' link on my profile page here at FFNet.
Many thanks to Artykidd, 'Anonymous' (though I'm thinkin' I know who ya are -grin-) and virtual wenrog for the reviews since I posted my last chapter; I always love getting your feedback!
And a big virtual bunch of roses each to CPQ and Artykidd for beta-reading this chapter, 'tis hugely appreciated chicas!
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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"Gees, hurry up you guys!" urged Raph, giving the empty section of couch beside him a brief pat. "Case said they were only a few minutes away!" Leo and Don shared a commiserate look as they made their way over after jumping down from the second level, Leo still drying his hands with a small towel.
"Well, if you and Mike hadn't deserted, leaving us to finish all the cleaning up in the bathroom…" he accused as he and Don sat heavily on the couch.
"We wouldn't have got dinner done on-time." Raph finished for him.
"Obviously…" muttered Don sardonically under his breath, eying the way his brother was sitting laid back, hands cupped behind his head, with his feet up on the coffee table.
"Welcome to the Channel Six News Bulletin for this Thursday, the second of December. In tonight's headlines; the NYPD are urging citizens to use extra caution on the streets in the lead-up to Christmas, in light of the recent escalation in gang-related violence. The Mayor is down-playing criticism that he has done little to avert the hostilities between rival gangs…"
"Ahem." Seated in his usual armchair to watch the early evening news broadcasts, Splinter quietly got his sons' attention and looked over toward the elevator doors. All three followed suite out of curiosity, to see the doors hiss open a moment later. Quick-as-a-flash Leo hid his cloth in the cushions behind him and sat up straighter, trying to look as if he weren't hiding anything.
"Hey guys!" called April enthusiastically as she stepped into the Lair, each hand carrying a plastic bag. Walking in beside her friend, Tau grinned and gave a little wave with her one free hand. Looking utterly exhausted, Casey trudged along behind, barely able to peer over the mound of shopping in his arms before he dumped the whole load unceremoniously on the coffee table. Raph still shot his friend a glare despite managing to move his feet out of harms' way… just.
"Hey fellas, wha'sup?" asked Casey as he straightened, ignoring Raphs' dark look and wondering why Leo and Don were sharing a smug smile.
"Dinner almost!" admonished Mike as he made his way over from the kitchen. "Whoa! What a load! So what didn't you guys get, huh? This isn't all for Tau, is it?"
"Heh, no!" assured Tau, pulling off her black wig with relief and shaking out her own hair. She ran her fingers through her loose tresses briefly before hunting in her pockets for a band to tie them back with. Out of luck she shrugged lightly, leaving her hair to fall free as she joined April in sorting out their bounty. A wily little half-smile chased the scowl off of Raphs' face; he surreptitiously felt for the little hidden compartment on his belt that was now almost full of small loops of elastic.
"There was a sale on." April continued the explanation "So we took the opportunity to pick up some cheap supplies too." she beamed, pulling large five-litre pump bottles out of a couple of bags to put them on the table in front of Splinter, two were shades of cream and two shades of green.
"Domo… Thank-you April-chan." bowed Splinter from his seat "I have been running low on such supplies. I must admit however, I favour the Jasmine scented shampoo…"
"I know; the Apple's for Tau." April smiled as she finished adding to a small pile of bags on the far end of the coffee table, placing the majority out of the way on the floor for now.
"Do you really need so much?" asked Leo, glancing between the large bottles and Tau, he could understand why Splinter needed it… but she didn't have half as much hair as his father.
Tau gave him a grin.
"Yep. It's not like this stuff goes off or anything. And it's cheap, effective and comes in bulk!" the girls shared a knowing smile as Casey rolled his eyes behind them. "And believe me," she continued, reaching over to grab the bottles despite the small plastic bag she still held "you don't want to know me on a bad hair day! I'll just take these upstairs…"
"NO!" she started in surprise at Mikes' yell, turning back quickly as she felt Splinters' paws on her hands guiding her to put the bottles back down.
"Why don't you show us what you brought for yourself first?" the Sensei suggested with a warm smile.
"Uh…, ok." Tau agreed uncertainly, wondering what was going on.
"Here you go." encouraged April, handing the girl one of the bags from those left on the table. Putting her confusion out of her mind Tau extracted a thick jacket to show-off to her friends.
"I shouldn't feel the cold top-side anymore with this!" she grinned, slipping on the dark blue duffle coat. Next there came a couple of plain, long-sleeved t-shirts, both grey, and a large packet of hair-ties. Tau wondered why Raph had scowled at that point, but didn't get a chance to dwell on it as Mike snatched up the small, black plastic bag she'd carried in herself. She hadn't put it on the table, leaving it on the floor by her feet instead when she'd pulled on her new jacket.
"Hey!" she lunged to grab it back, Mike easily keeping it out of her reach.
"So, did ya get anything interesting? Like a real birthday present? Huh?" he taunted as she failed to catch the bag again.
"No. Give me that!" she ground out in a dark tone; Mike quirked a curious eye-ridge at her before quickly turning away to look in the bag for himself.
"GAH! Mike, that's private!" she yelled, managing to reach around him to snatch the bag closed before he got to see anything more than a glimpse of something crimson.
"Aww, but you gotta show… OW!" Mike cried as he turned back, getting a sharp cuff up-side his head from his brother; he hadn't noticed Raph get to his feet.
"No, I don't." stated Tau emphatically, clutching the bag protectively to her chest as she turned her back on him, nose in the air.
"Yeah!" agreed Raph, glaring at his brother and poking a finger at him to make his point "She doesn't have to show you anything,…" his voice softened as he turned to the girl "but you c'n show me, right?" he grinned cajolingly.
"Uh, no. It's, uh, none of your business…" she flustered, grasping the bag even tighter. Splinter stood to interrupt the proceedings.
"My sons, perhaps the greatest gift we can give Tausha is a little something to keep to her self. Hmmm?" Begrudgingly the two turtles nodded in acquiescence as Tau gave the Sensei a grateful smile, tucking the bag into one of the inside pockets in her jacket for safe-keeping.
The incident seemed to be forgotten instantly as the door to the tunnels opening caught everyone's attention.
"Finally!" grinned Mike in greeting as the Professor and Leatherhead entered. Leo shot his cheeky brother a small reprimanding frown as he led the way over to their friends.
"Our apologies for being so late." offered Honeycutt, after everyone else had welcomed them. "I'm afraid we almost ran into some maintenance workers and had to take quite a detour to avoid them."
"Where were they…?" Leo started to interrogate the newcomers, Mike ignoring him to bounce happily a couple of times.
"Now we're all here we can eat!" he declared, as the group started to move away from the door.
Don gave his exuberant brother a sceptical look,
"'We're all here'? What about Angel, isn't she coming?"
"Uhhhh…" Despite Mike's sudden dithering it was Casey who answered with a shrug,
"I did ask 'er, she said she was busy doin' somethin' else tonight."
"Hmm, that's odd. She's never turned down an invite from us before…" pondered Don, rubbing his chin. Mike gave an uncertain laugh and an over-bright grin to assure his brother;
"I'm sure it's nothing to worry about Donnie… Hey, April, let us do that!"
Tau hung back a little as Mike and Don rushed over to help April lug the rest of the shopping into the kitchen, Casey tagging along behind them. Leo was still engrossed in his conversation with Leatherhead and Honeycutt as he led them to the dining table, the places already set complete with plates. Splinter was walking over to gather his bathroom supplies off of the coffee table when one of his ears flickered, turning back towards Raphael as his son stopped to ask Tau if she were alright. Raph was concerned about an odd look that had come over her face at Mike's earlier declaration.
"Yeah… I'm fine." she assured him quietly, not meeting his eyes. He wasn't convinced.
"C'mon, I know you better'n that. What's wrong?" he questioned; his tone a little short. She started to shake her head, but seeing him cross his arms with a determined scowl she thought better of it.
"It's nothing, really. I just… When Mike said 'all here'… It's my first birthday without…any family." she sighed, inspecting the ground.
Feeling he should say something to console her, but not sure what, he cupped her chin gently to raise her face, waiting until she looked up
to give her a crooked half-smile.
"Hey." he murmured. Tau attempted a brave smile of her own before she stepped close to run her hands up his arms to his shoulders. The hand he'd held her face with he shifted to the back of her neck, tangling his fingers in her hair. He felt a warm tear drip onto his skin as he gently pulled her head against his shoulder.
"Sorry." she whimpered.
"It's ok." he assured softly, wrapping his other arm loosely about her waist.
"Soooo, April, what did Tau get, huh?" probed Mike as he put away some of the supplies she had brought.
"In all honesty Mike, I don't know." she shrugged, passing him the goods to go in the kitchen pantry "I tried all afternoon to get her to buy something nice and fun, another dress or something, but she was so stubborn about not 'wasting' money on anything she thought she didn't
need. In the end I gave her thirty bucks and marched her into a, um, 'ladies boutique' and told her she wasn't allowed out until the money was gone!"
April shook her head with a laugh. "I did feel a bit rotten doing that, but the look on her face was priceless, and I was at a loss at how else to get her to buy something…'impractical'. We waited outside for almost twenty minutes before she came out again, and she absolutely refused to show us what she'd gotten either! Actually, my guess is it's just a pair of underpants, or something basic, and she's kept the rest of the money for her savings. I've never known anyone to worry so much about having a day off of work, it's not like they didn't give her permission to! In the end it doesn't really matter what she bought; I just wanted her to get something out of the ordinary for her birthday... What?" she asked a little defensively as she noticed the huge, cheeky grin on Mikes' face.
"Oh, it's just, ah…nothing." he flustered, failing to wipe his face clear of the expression despite figuring it might better if he didn't share the extra clue he'd spotted. Deciding a change of subject was in order he hurriedly glanced about, finding the solution in his hand. "Holy moly April! This is salmon, the good stuff! You didn't have to get us this!" he exclaimed, pointing at the tin.
"Oh, it wasn't a problem Mike. Like I said, there was a sale on; this stuff was almost as cheap as the brand you usually get." she assured.
"'Almost as cheap' huh?" quoted Don, catching the end of their conversation as he approached, leaving Casey to finish storing supplies in the fridge. "You're too good to us April." he smiled warmly in gratitude. She returned the smile with a chuckle,
"No I'm not! You boys are…"
"Hungry!" interrupted Mike, closing the pantry door and pulling back a cloth from where it was draped over open rolls already piled with salad on the bench-top. "Time to serve out! We can't just leave this lot to stay warm in the oven; the fries'll turn to charcoal! Get everyone to the table will ya Donnie?" With a resigned sigh Don wandered out of the kitchen to comply with his brothers' request, quickly followed by his two friends as Mike 'shooed' them out as well.
Tau had only dared to leave her head on Raphs' shoulder for a minute. By the time Don was calling everyone to dinner they were stood a step apart again, as she managed a real smile once more. Feeling a little warm she slipped off her jacket, leaving it over the back of the couch as she and Raph made their way past it to join the others.
As soon as everyone was seated, squeezed in around the table on the collection of mis-matched dinning chairs, Mike started bringing out the food he'd prepared. First, a couple of large serving bowls; one full of coleslaw, the other French-fries, and then a platter of big, ready-made burgers.
Noisily everyone set about serving themselves, Casey not bothering to grab anything else before he took a bite out of his bun. His happy munching slowed as his brow furrowed in confusion. Cautiously opening his roll, as he forced himself to down the first bite, he pulled a grimace at its contents.
"What the hell? Why've ya put a slice o' beetroot in here… and a fried egg?" he scowled at Mike as he set about dismantling his meal, plonking the offending items on his plate in disgust.
"'Cos they're 'Aussie' burgers lame-brain!" Mike explained with a laugh as Casey reassembled his sandwich, to his liking.
"Yeah? Well 'Aussies' are damn weird, if you ask me!" shot back Casey, taking a large bite of his altered meal to underscore his point.
Tau chuckled at the exchange, swallowing before treating Mike to a huge, grateful grin.
"And they do taste almost like they've come from 'Hungry Jacks', Mike! Even the sauce is…similar. Thank-you!"
"Aww, its nothin'!" he assured as she leaned over in her chair to give him a brief clasp around the shoulders with one arm, "I just added a little powdered sugar to the ketchup for ya."
Casey grunted dismissively, re-considering the egg on his plate before he picked it up and ate it in one bite.
"They're alright I guess, but I'd rather a 'Whopper' from 'Burger King' any day." he grumbled, glancing around the table with a confused look for the few sniggers his comment earned him. "What?" he demanded. Don managed to answer first, despite his mirth,
"'Hungry Jacks' is what they call 'Burger King' in Australia, Casey. They're the same thing!"
"Huh? You're kidding?" he shook his head in disbelief, continuing his mutterings to his plate as he started dissecting a second burger. With a roll of her eyes Tau decided to fight fire with fire.
"This from a guy who's country invented the 'peanut butter and jelly' sandwich! Now that's weird!"
The rest of the meal passed with a light-hearted (for the most-part) discussion on cultural differences; Mike clearing his throat to gain the attention of all as everyone finished. Raising his plastic cup of cola he proposed with a grin,
"A toast? To Tau; Happy Birthday, babe. You might not be sixteen anymore, but ya still sweet ta us!" She blushed slightly as the rest of the group joined the toast.
Putting down her glass, April turned to fish something out of her handbag, hung over the back of her chair.
"Here, I thought I'd save this for your party." she smiled, offering a small package to the girl. Tau took the parcel, giving her thanks and taking a moment to read the return address on the back before giving a massive grin and tearing into the padded envelope to reveal two CDs.
"They're from the guys back home! Oh man, have I missed listening to this stuff!" she exclaimed, turning the cases for Raph to have a better look as he leaned over to see.
As Tau got distracted discussing the music with Raph, the table was quickly cleared by his brothers; Mike re-emerging from the kitchen to proudly place a large, round cake in the centre of the table. It was a little lop-sided, the stiff meringue on its sides cracked in places, but not enough to dislodge the cream and slices of fruit on the top of it. Still, Tau gaped at it in awe.
"Oh Mike! You shouldn't have! Is that… Is that what I think it is?"
"Yep! It sounded so good when you described it to me, how could I pass up an opportunity like this to try making a Pavlova? Does it look alright to you?" he asked, a little anxiously.
"It looks absolutely perfect!" she assured in all seriousness before she stood suddenly to give him brief hug in gratitude.
Taking their seats again, Mike shifted nervously under the scowl his brother shot his way behind Taus' back. It seemed he was soon forgiven though, as they all enjoyed the gooey treat; especially since Tau chose to lean against Raphs' shoulder as she slumped in rapture over the taste.
"I must confess, Australian traditions always seem to have a way of incorporating fruit, which I do appreciate." smiled Splinter, attempting to wipe the tacky, soft meringue from inside the cake off his whiskers.
"It is times like this I do miss being able to ingest foodstuffs." the Professor lamented slightly, taking another 'sip' of his oil.
"It is a shame, my friend." nodded Leatherhead briefly before tossing the second half of his slice into his mouth, his jaws and tongue working noisily as the sticky treat clung to them.
Relaxing back in her chair, sated and happy, Tau gave Honeycutt a brief consolatory smile, before widening her grin as she addressed the group.
"Thank-you, everyone, for giving me such a wonderful birthday..."
"It's not over yet…" interrupted Don, rising from the table "we have something else to show you too!"
"Wha…? No, you guys have done plenty enough for me…" Tau tried to argue as Raph pulled her to her feet, the rest of the group following suite.
Don led the way across the lair, up the stairs and into the second alcove, explaining;
"Well, I suppose technically this isn't a gift for you, it's kinda for April and Casey and anyone else who might end up staying with us too. It's a project we've been meaning to complete for quite a while, since before you came to stay with us in fact. But, I think you'll
appreciate it anyway." With a grin he opened the bathroom door, Tau already smiling herself in anticipation.
As she'd guessed, the bathroom that had been in a state of renovation up until now was finally completed; even the clothes washer and dryer were whole and set neatly against the far wall. But the main thing she was hoping was now functional still had its curtain drawn, blocking her view. Mike leapt to the fore, hand ready on the material as he waited for everyone to file into the room, before he dramatically revealed their masterpiece.
"Oh my." whispered April.
"So? What d'ya think?" Mike prompted Tau for a response.
"It's… It's beautiful!" she stammered at the image that had been wrought in the mosaic lining the shower cubicle walls; a branch featuring fluffy balls of yellow set amid dark green leaves dominated, on a cream background.
"What is it?" asked Casey and Leatherhead in unison.
"A 'Golden Wattle'!" explained Mike, beaming with pride. Don gave the two girls a sheepish smile,
"Originally we were going to do yellow roses. I know they're your favourite April…"
"But its damn hard finding enough tiles in different shades of yellow that work well together!" interrupted Mike, in a rush "So in the end we decided to go with something a bit simpler. And since Raph was no help what-so-ever, Donnie looked up the national flower for Australia and we went with that. Besides, April will always be with us. At least this way we have a reminder for when you go…" his
excitement dissipated a little as he petered out into a slightly awkward quiet.
"So really it's for everyone that comes to stay with us." Leo picked up where Mike had left off, after a moment. "It should make for a much more pleasant experience than the last time you lived here, April. You'd have a chance for a bit of privacy and room to yourself, at least."
"Oh, this is so sweet of you guys!" smiled April "But I'm not sure how much use I'll get out of it, you shouldn't have gone to so much trouble."
"It's no trouble at all!" Mike found his grin back "Even if you never live with us again, you an' Case still spend the night every now an' then. It'll get plenty of use, I'm sure! Now all we need to do is set-up a spare bedroom…"
"We already have a 'spare bedroom', Mikey." Leo reminded him, with a slight frown.
Tau ignored the continuing debate over how many the Lair could and should be able to accommodate to turn to Raph.
"Is this why you wanted to know my favourite flower?" she asked in a whisper. He gave her a strained smile in reply.
"Kinda; though Mike kept bugging me about it anyway. D'ya like it? I wanted 'em to do a picture of a horse, or somethin'…"
"I love it." she grinned, giving his shoulder a light nudge with her own.
The group spent the next few minutes admiring the work that had gone into the room, Tau making her way around the other turtles and Splinter to give each of them her sincere thanks, as did April. Finally, some started to make their way back down-stairs. Don and Leatherhead the first to leave as they started discussing a new gadget that was taking form in the Laboratory below; closely followed by Leo and Mike, still engaged in their debate.
It seemed coincidental that Raph and Tau were the last to leave the bathroom. Too caught-up in their own conversations, everyone else continued on out of the alcove as he stopped her outside her room with a gentle grip on her arm.
"I've got a little something for ya too." he said with a warm smile, reaching to open her door with his free hand.
"Oh, Raph…, you shouldn't…" she flustered, unsuccessful in finding the strength to refuse the slight pressure he used to guide her through the doorway.
"Look." he interrupted her to point at the bed-side table. Tau instantly forgot her protests to walk over and gently pick up the three small picture frames, joined by hinges. The photos had been cut down to fit, and one of the joints was a little out of alignment due one of the hinges being a bit larger than the rest, obviously a replacement. The picture on the left showed her grandfather, riding a mare. The one on the right was a portrait of her mother. In the middle was the image of her birthday from a couple of years before, where she was
proudly holding up her sword amidst her family.
"I thought you might like a reminder that, even though they're gone, they'll always be with you." he explained softly.
He started to get nervous as she continued to stare intently at the pictures in silence; worried she didn't like his gift, but wasn't about to say so. The only movement she made was a slight twitch of her lips, and he had a sudden thought that she might be upset.
"They're not the originals, so don't worry; they're back in your album. I got Don to make copies…" he faltered as she looked up at him, her eyes glistening "…you ok?" With a quick nod she tried to smile, failed and settled for glomping him in a strong embrace.
"Oh, thank-you! Thank-you so much! You are the best friend I've ever had, d'ya know that?" she half-laughed, half-wept into the crook of his neck.
Astounded, it took Raph a moment before he wrapped his arms about her; teasing gently,
"Yeah, yeah; whatever." He hoped he sounded more nonchalant than anything, not wanting his voice to betray the disappointment he felt. He should be happy she was his friend, right? She chuckled, ending with a snuffle, and gripped him even tighter in response.
Raph enjoyed the cuddle, in no real hurry to end it. However, as her breathing settled back to normal after a couple of minutes, he felt the compulsion to say something, going with the first thing to pop into his head.
"So, does this mean I'm forgiven then?" he tried to joke.
"Huh? For what?" she asked, raising her head to blink at him.
"Uh, for the whole 'making you mad about bugs'… thing." This suddenly didn't seem like such a great topic to start off with; especially as she furrowed her brow, loosening her grip on him to lean back slightly.
"Is that why you did this for me? Just to get back in my good books?" her tone was wary.
"No. It's only, you've never said anything about it." he gave a dismissive shrug "It doesn't matter, 'k?" he appealed, hoping she'd let it go and just go back to hugging him closely again.
Tau tilted her head in consideration.
"Tell me; have you forgiven me for taking your sai yet?" she asked softly. He eyed her with a look that questioned her grip on reality.
"'Course I have!"
"Well, there's your answer then." she stated matter-of-factly, though her lips started to curl into a coy, little smile before she rested her head back on his shoulder, fitting her arms snugly about him once more.
Raph took a moment to brood over her comment.
"So, we're all good then?" he queried.
"Yep." she grinned, Raph hearing it in her voice as it took on a mischievous edge "Though… I suppose I do still owe you a little payback for that..."
"Huh? Oh!" he gasped, feeling her teeth on his neck. She didn't use enough force to break the skin, the suction she used was more painful. He was confounded for an instant, part of him wanting to push her off; until he realised he was instinctively tilting his head to give her greater access. It still hurt a little after his initial shock, but the pleasure of what she was doing quickly over-rode the pain.
He wasn't sure how many seconds had passed before the sound of wood clicking against stone outside the room made her break off the contact. However long it had been it wasn't long enough; he felt suddenly bereft as she took a quick step backwards, her own face colouring slightly as she glanced at the wall, the ground, anywhere but at him.
"Tausha, may I come in?" came Splinters' voice from the alcove.
"Um, yeah? I mean, yes! Of course you can." she flustered.
Taking in the scene in the room as he came through the doorway – Raphael with one hand resting on his belt, the other cupping his neck as he looked away in a pose that screamed he was nowhere near as innocent as he was trying to appear, Tausha giving a nervous smile as she fidgeted with the set of frames in her hands – Splinter felt compelled to ask,
"I am not disturbing your conversation…?"
"No. Not at all." she assured in a rush.
"Oh, good. There is something I wish to discuss with you. I feel it is important, and that you may prefer to discuss it in private."
"Ah," unable to come-up with any reasonable excuse to deny the Master's request, she conceded with a crooked smile "Alright." After exchanging an anxious glance with Tau, Raph took the hint in his fathers' tone; leaving the room with an awkward bow.
Splinter took pity on the girl who could barely meet his eyes and was practically trembling with apprehension. Giving her a warm smile, he quickly took a seat on the edge of the mattress, draping her duffle coat that he'd brought with him over the foot of her bed.
"Please." he invited her to sit beside him with a sweep of his paw "You are not in any trouble." Cautiously she took his offer, her curiosity piqued as he extracted his Shell-cell from inside the top of his kimono.
"I have every confidence in Donatellos' assurance that the calls we make with these devices are untraceable…"
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It was getting late. The only light-sources in the room were the myriad pin points shining from the city spread-out below the floor-to-ceiling windows, the skyscrapers of Manhattan glimmering from across the East River, and a solitary, small candle. He knew he should blow it out. It was burning low; the wax had already created a rivulet running over the top of the chocolate muffin it was set on top of, to drip onto his desk. However, every time he leaned forward to do the deed he felt as if the flame were all he had left of her, once it was gone she'd somehow be lost to him forever.
It was stupid sentimentalism, he knew. And it pissed him off to be so weak; it wasn't like him at all. Or maybe it was just the aggravation he felt at the note in his hand that was making him so moody. By the flickering light he scanned the page again, starting at the top with that symbol; the one he would have gladly given his service, his daughter, his life for less than a year ago.
'It was our agreement that you manage our American interests, in the name of your own organisation; under the condition that you at least maintain the level of control we had prior to our consolidation in Japan, and your loyalty to The Foot Clan. Given the recent reports of increased activity detrimental to our cause from other organisations within New York City, that you seem unable to address, and your lack of co-operation with our requests and representatives, I remind you that your annual review is fast approaching. It will not be favourable
for you unless significant progress is made towards achieving our goals. Take this missive as warning that we will remove you from your position if you do not pay heed to our treaty.
Iuchiban - Jonin'
With a snarl he crumpled the note in his fist. This was his city. It always had been. He had sworn fealty to the Shredder, not the Foot; part of that deal had allowed him to keep his own organisation, run things the way he saw fit, so long as he also met his Masters' needs. That was before he'd discovered just what that 'Master' was. If it wasn't for those damn interfering reptiles he would never have learned…
He choked back the bile that rose with that memory. There was no-way in hell he was going to do anything simply because the Foot ordered him to. As far as he was concerned all of their equipment and supplies still in his possession were compensation for the shit he'd had to put up with; and Karai? He liked having her close at hand, where he could watch her suffer. So, no, he hadn't done anything to 'help' the Foot to extradite her to Japan as they wanted. Besides, right now, he had bigger things to worry about than some fucking 'annual review'. Let them come and try to 'remove' him. They'd have one hell of a fight on their hands.
The candle sputtered and drowned in its own wax, the sudden darkness jolting him from his thoughts of the Foot. He did have something bigger to worry about…
A long moment later a buzzing from his pocket made him jerk up-right in his chair, the resulting movement of air across his face made it feel oddly chilled. Brushing his finger-tips down his cheek he gazed blankly at the moisture he'd collected as he fished his mobile phone out of his jacket pocket.
'New SMS – Private Number' glowed on the phones' small screen. He furrowed his brow; no-one who had his number appeared without a caller ID. Figuring it was a wrong number, he opened the message anyway.
'gday dad. dont worry. im happy healthy doing fine :-)'
He breathed a sigh of relief, then stood with every intention of taking his phone down to what passed for his 'tech support' these days; namely the goons in his employ that had at least started college, to get them to trace the number. Before he made it to the door of his office his phone buzzed again, the same alert showing on the screen as before. He paused to check the new message.
'luv u'
Stood in the doorway between his office and living room, he tried to message back; forcibly throwing the hand-set against the wall with a growl as he received nothing but an error in response. Deciding not to leave his private rooms tonight, he headed to bed instead; gingerly collecting his battered phone from the floor and taking it with him, unconsciously cradling it against his chest.
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It must've been over an hour since he'd climbed into his hammock, but he felt no closer to falling asleep as he stared into the dimness of his room. Again he snatched his hand away from his neck as he caught himself fingering the bruise Tau had given him. Thankfully, no-one seemed to notice it after he'd left her room, probably passing it off as a result of sparring earlier that day. He hated to think of the lecture he'd get if anyone figured out what the mark meant.
The damage still ached slightly at his touch, but he couldn't seem to stop his hand from creeping back up to caress the spot. He didn't get it; she'd bitten him! If anyone else had tried that he would have floored them on the spot! As it was, he wasn't sure what it meant that he hadn't; or that he would really, really like for her to do it again. Or, even more so, that he would like to do it back to her.
That train of thought made him swallow thickly, rolling over onto his other side to study the stones in the wall beside his bed for the umpteenth time. He also wasn't too sure what she had meant by 'payback'. He had mulled on that for quite a while before he remembered he had once left a mark on her neck, and she'd been beaten for it. Maybe, he shouldn't be feeling this way at all, was it just his animal instincts coming into play? Had Tau actually wanted his family to notice the mark and give him hell over it?
He jerked his blanket high over his shoulder, exposing his feet. Growling with frustration, he wrestled with the heavy material for moment before deciding it was pointless trying to get any sleep before he got some answers. With a loud huff he threw back his covers, hopped off his hammock and had stepped out of his door before he caught himself. He couldn't just go barging into her room at this time of night…, could he? She was probably asleep already…, but if she wasn't…
He was continuing that debate in his head, unwittingly pacing between his bedroom door and the ledge that led on to her alcove, when an unexpected voice made him start.
"Problem, Raph?"
"No, Leo." Raph snapped sharply at his brother; who was stood outside of his own bedroom with his arms crossed and a scowl on his face.
"Doesn't look that way to me." Leo arched an eye-ridge as Raph stopped his pacing to glower at him.
"It's none of your damn, fucking business. Alright?"
Leo opened his mouth to retort, to be interrupted by an irate order from below,
"My sons, not at this hour! Resolve your differences in the morning!" Favouring each other with a parting glare, the two brothers retired to their rooms once more.
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Tau shot upright at the sound of raised voices. Though she couldn't make out what was being said through the walls of her room; she did recognise who was involved in the argument. At Master Splinters' voice she strained her hearing in an attempt to figure out what was happening, to no avail. In the end, she slumped backward to lie flat on her bed again with a groan. She was sure she knew what had sparked the confrontation, the same thing that kept her from finding any rest.
"What a mess… Idiot." she chastised herself in a murmur. It had been a stupid impulse, meant as a bit of a light-hearted joke; but the way it had made him clutch her tighter, and her own heart pound, had immediately proven it was more than that. How could she be so unfair to him? He was her friend, and that was all he could ever be. He was a turtle after-all. T-u-r-t-l-e. What would her father think, for a start?
There were many other reasons; good, solid, logical reasons they couldn't be more than friends, and she'd pondered them all tonight. She knew it was the only rational outcome. So why the heck had she followed that foolish compulsion? It was his fault; she'd concluded. All this was just a silly crush, a result of the novelty of finding there was a guy – no, male… no, turtle – who seemed to like her. If he hadn't kissed her in the first place, they probably would never have ended up in this state.
With a heavy sigh she rolled over onto her side again, her blankets a hopeless tangle, and resolved to apologise to him; the first chance she got.