My Best Friend

Author Ishi Tatsu

Chapter 9

I woke to a sharp pain in my knee and I rolled slightly to avoid whatever project I dragged up on to my bunk. Suddenly I was falling but before I could shout hands caught me and rolled me back. "Easy there Donnie," Leo's voice penetrated my sleep fogged mind and I remembered I was on the couch and why.

"Thanks Leo," my smile turned into a grimace as I sat up properly my bruises having hardened over night.

"How are you feeling?" My older brother asked concern in his tone.

"Nothing a soak in Epsom salt can't fix," I said trying to adjust into a more comfortable position. That was when I noticed it; there was something off… if it was to be a normal day that is. Looking at my watch, I notice it's a little late for it to be this quiet.

Leo's not our leader for just being oldest, he knew us better than we knew ourselves. Even if I had asked where our missing brothers were he would have answered the same as he did when I didn't voice my concern.

"They haven't come down yet," he folded his arms looking up to the door that was closed tightly shut. To be honest I wanted to hear raised voices, to be bothered by a hyper Michelangelo throwing his weight around as he shot off a string of words so fast that it was difficult to make out individual words. A part of me needed it for reassurance that everything was normal. Raphael could be moody, I was used to his voice missing for hours as he went up top or decided to mess with something in his room. But my baby brother, he was the norm here. He was a constant that bolted down our reality and reminded us that life wasn't all about tinkering, training, or fights. It being so quiet, I could feel a bitter, sour feeling start to settle in the pit of my stomach. Perhaps, there was something we could do to get them out of that room up there, maybe after breakfast we could hang out, try to relax a little and then wiggle out what was wrong. Get a step up on how to mend things, how to deal with this situation.

At that statement of mind another memory surfaces and I smack my forehead, "It's my day to cook. " Leo's eyes shifted from Raphael's bedroom door to me a curious gleam starting to arise and I explained, "I've yelled at Raph and Mikey enough about getting in the way when I'm cooking that they won't come out of their rooms until I'm done."

Leo grinned probably remembering some of the shouting matches, now that it was mentioned, "You go soak I'll take care of breakfast."

"I can do it," I reassured him pushing myself up to my feet slowly.

He placed his hands on my shoulders, "Something is going on here and I want everyone in top form. Soak, I'll do breakfast." What didn't help, was that the curiosity that had been in his eyes was fleeting, flickered away like the candle flames he trained with, only to be replaced with a guarded glaze. There was something that he was not willing to talk about, perhaps a suspicion. Pressing him to say what he held his tongue on was asking for trouble, usually a jinx of some sort. Being the most curious one out of the family, I knew this from experience.

Leonardo walked me part way to the bathing room. He was familiar with how boring I found soaking alone in that huge Japanese style tub and didn't want me getting distracted. He gave me a parting pat on the shell before I went in alone. Goodie, just what I wanted, a boring moment in time with absolutely nothing to do but to think about how bizarre things have developed at home. For a moment I stared at the bath tub wanting little more than to turn around and go to the kitchen or my lab, but Leo would find me either way and shove me back to this very spot.

The tub was three feet deep and seven feet square, big enough for five injured martial artists to rest together. I tuned the industrial sized tap on and as it filled to half I added the Epsom salts. We only bought it in ten gallon buckets because anything smaller and we would be at the store almost daily. Or to be more precise April or Casey was at the store daily. I could only imagine the looks April would get, but Casey; he had some sort of bruise daily that was particularly nasty looking because of all the Purple Dragons he messed with.

Finally it was ready and I lowered myself in slowly smiling at the slight burn glad that it was less than I had first anticipated. The water was set to that the perfect temperature so that as long as I remained motionless I would not be scolded.

As I lay I let my mind wonder I had a few online friends that were into unexplained and other ambiguous fields of science. Because all of this stuff started happening after being subjected to that house; I would need to get the address and as much background as possible before hand. A basic internet search would be a descent place to start. But I can't forget the …. A sudden cooling of the water pulled my attention fully to the surroundings. That wasn't right, I had only started to ponder, I've been lost in thought to the point the water had gone cold before, but… the top half of the water was still hot.

Looking down I watched the water, it sat there innocently slightly opaque from the salt crystals but still transparent enough that I could still see though easily enough. Wait a minute, there is something there by the back corner. Something pale. In a kneeling crawl I tried to get a better look only now some light reflections obscured my view. The water sloshed in my movements, light flickering from water rippling high and swooping low. There wasn't anything in the bath when I was filling it right? Something could have come out of the faucet when I wasn't looking… reaching down I closed my hand around something. Something that was dry ice cold and with shape and texture reminded me of nothing so much as a small wrist; one I could not see. Then it had me and yanked me under. Ninja reflexes had my ankles hooked over the edge of the tub stopping my decent as I tried to pry my hand free. I still saw nothing as thin, soft filaments touched my face and small hands tried to crawl up my arm.

Suddenly something had my ankle too. Whatever it was was stronger then the girl in the now freezing water for with one yank I was gasping for breath on the wooden slats that surrounded the tub. Those same hands pushed my head up as I coughed, thick fingers on my wrists. I screamed at the flair of pain that was choked by a few more coughs. I opened my eyes, salty water stinging as the cold glare of Raphael's focused on my torn up wrists and hands. His teeth were gritted, if I thought he was livid before when we had found him outside the house with Mikey, I was sorely mistaken. The growl that rumbled in his throat as he yanked me to my feet and cruelly thrust my hands into the deep sink, turning on cold water. Soap stung as he scrubbed cleaning the wounds.

"Raph, wha-"

"Shut up," he hissed, a clean hand full of water splashed against my eyes washing out the Epsom salt. Blinking, I could see well once more, as plenty of water was spilled over my eyes over and over.

"Raph, I can see just fine," I spat out some water that slicked into my mouth. That was when I saw them, the scabs that were thick and dark against his skin running from shoulder to wrist. "What the shell happened to you?" It came out more of a whisper than an actual question.

My hands now clean, were then taken into a painful hold. I couldn't help the shout that came out of my mouth when my brother wrapped a towel around my hands, applying a pressure I couldn't wait to let up. I was so wrapped up in trying not to let another scream well up that I did not hear Leo's footsteps, but I sure did hear the stand off, nearly call out for a challenge, voice that he spoke in, "Raph."

"I thought you were with Mikey," that look Leo had, the one he was receiving in return. I felt a tremble in my chest and shoulders. No, NO! We're not enemies of each other; they shouldn't be glaring like that, like the other was a foot soldier. I was about to say something when Leo's shoulders relaxed, his eyes closing as he let out a slow breath, his eyes opening to trail down the large scab that was on Raphael's other shoulder. He looked at the towel around my hands, concern evident now, "What happened?" His voice was softer than usual, as if he was talking to a fragile butterfly.

"I don't know," my voice still rough from coughing.

To Be Continued...