Disclaimer: I do not own TMNT.
A/N: Hey, guys. I just wanted to say I'm sorry that it took so long for me to upload this. I've just been kept very busy with the drama of the divorce and I moved across the 算ry, and it's just been nuts. I'm sorry about that. Thank you to everyone who has reviewed. They mean a lot to me, and I love reading them. So please keep them coming. R&R, guys!
11
Raphael sat silently on the edge of the training arena, 番ing Leo and Mikey fight it out. It was obvious Michelangelo was gonna win. Leonardo may have been the leader, but he didn't know the 他s as well he'd like to think - he was too busy sucking up to Splinter. 'Sides, Raph was the only one that could really read their younger bro. That's how he was always able to beat him.
Not that it mattered, though. Not that anything he did mattered. Being a good brother or a good fighter wasn't going to 賃 what he actually was. It wasn't going to 賃 the way she saw him: As a turtle. A mutant. A freak.
'You're not a monster, Raphael - I've seen monsters.'
Raph felt his grip tighten on the T-phone that hung from his belt as Mia's voice rang inside his head. Back to the sewer beneath the alley near her apartment. Where Mia had run 後 him and thanked him. Then hugged him.
'I wish there were more people like you in the world.'
More people like him. That was exactly the opposite of what the world needed, Raphael 意, scowling. More selfish people wanting 物s they couldn't have and that they had no business wanting. Those weren't the kind of people the world needed. No, what the world needed was more people like her.
People so stupid they'd consider working alongside their ex-dealers just to help their family. Which was the worst idea Raph had ever heard, including all the horrible ideas Mikey came up with on a daily basis. But the fact that she'd even think about it while knowing risks definitely said something about how far Mia was willing to go for her family. It also said that she was an idiot. A huge, huge idiot.
Raphael was definitely going to have to chain her to her couch.
"Raphael?"
The sound of Splinter's voice pulled Raph from his reverie, and he looked up to see his 主 standing beside him, gripping his staff tightly as he 番ed the 他s fight.
"Yes, 主 Splinter?" Raphael asked him.
Splinter stood for a moment, 番ing the 他s silently. Then he said, "Your 友 - your Mia - she has learned to walk the path of light after a lifetime of darkness." He looked down at Raphael. "Be careful with her, Raphael, and help her stay to that path."
Raphael frowned at him. "Or what?" he said. "主, Mia's life is a little messed up, but I really don't -"
"Then why do you doubt her so, my son?" Splinter asked, looking down at him.
Raphael stared at him silently, not knowing what to say.
Splinter sighed and looked back at the fight. "She is a good person indeed, but you must try to guide her."
Raphael was silent for a minute. Then he nodded. "I understand, 主." Then he looked away. As much as he hated to admit it, he knew Splinter was 右. If he wasn't, then Raph wouldn't have even been thinking about that job Mia had been offered at the Bradford Dojo.
Mia walked silently beside Troy down the sidewalk to her building. He held one of her hands in a death grip, squeezing it uncomfortably. The 他 was in her pocket, her fingers wrapped around the T-phone. Clara walked in 前 of both of them silently, occasionally throwing a glance back at Mia. Mia stared back at her, her dark hair obscuring her frown, hiding her worry.
Troy had never done something like this 前. He had never forced her to do anything she didn't want to do. He had never been like this before. Controlling. Not since she'd gotten off her crutches, anyway. Was it payback?
But for what - for never calling him back last weekend?
That didn't make any sense, Mia 意, as they 発ed up the stairs to her apartment. She took the key out of her pocket and unlocked the 前 door. Troy pulled it open for her. "Get in," he told her.
"C'mon, Clara," Mia said, beckoning to her sister.
Clara followed her silently.
As soon as the door closed behind them, Troy pushed Mia down on the floor and she landed on her knees with a dull thud. Hard. He ripped her backpack off her shoulders. "What are you doing?" Mia yelled at him, 番ing him go through the bag. She sat on the floor, trying to figure out what was happening.
Why was he doing this?
He ignored her and rifled through the books and 紙s that were inside. Then he threw it on the floor when he was done. "I'm helping you get ready for the 党!" he spat at her. He reached down and grabbed her by the neck of her hoody.
"Troy, wha -?" Mia choked out as he yanked the hoodie off of her, the fabric tightening around her neck as he did so. She reached out to take it back from him and then there it was:
The T-phone tumbled out of her pocket and landed on the floor.
Oh, no.
Troy stood, scowling at the phone, hyperventilating, his fists shaking. "What the hell is this?" he shouted, pointing at it. He reached down and grabbed Mia by the neck of her shirt. "Why the hell do you always have that 物 - it's a stupid kids' toy? Isn't it, Mia?" He shook her.
"Why do you care?" Mia asked him in a choked whisper.
An instant later, she found herself on the floor. Her face was bright red and stinging from where he had hit her. An odd sort of sense of deja vu began to fill her as she pulled herself into a sitting position. There was something familiar about this, but she wasn't sure what.
Mia stared at him silently, shocked. Her eyes filled with tears as realization dawned on her. "Clara, go to your room, please. Just go to your room." She said the 詞 without looking at her, never taking her eyes off of Troy's face. Her voice empty of all emotion.
Words her mother had whispered to her once.
Clara who had been standing in the doorway, gaping at the two of them confused nodded silently. Then she turned and walked out of the room, looking back at the scene over her shoulder.
Troy shoved Mia away from him harshly and she tumbled over backwards onto the couch, sobbing openly now. He bent down and picked up the T-phone. "Why do you spend so much time worrying about this 物?" he asked angrily, examining it.
Mia sat silently, praying that he wouldn't actually try to turn the 物 on. She stood up slowly and 発ed to cross the room. "It's nothing," she said, shaking her head. "It's just a stupid toy. It belongs to Clara, so give it back -"
"Oh, my God," Troy groaned loudly. "Oh, my God, Mia! Do you hear yourself - Clara this and Clara that." He scowled at her. "Don't you care about anything else?"
Mia stared at him confused, unsure of what to say. "She's my sister," she said, shaking her head. "She's -"
She was 断 then as Troy suddenly pinned her by her throat to the couch. "What?" he hissed at her, his grip tightening. "What, she is - important to you? What about me, Mia, what about me - aren't I important to you?"
Mia clawed at his grip around her neck, but he was too strong for her. She could never escape his grip. They both knew that. So instead she drew back both of her legs and kicked him in the stomach.
It wasn't very hard. Just enough to push him away from her a few feet and to make him drop the T-phone. Mia wasn't stupid, though. She knew she couldn't get to it - it was too close to him. Instead, she bolted to her feet and ran through the kitchen to her bedroom where Clara was. She ran inside and slammed the door shut behind her.
"Shit, shit, shit, shit," Mia said, knowing that Troy would be there in a matter of 乙s.
Clara stared at her silently, her eyes wide with fear and confusion.
"C'mon!" Mia said, grabbing her by the hand and yanking her into the closet. There was something in there. Something important. Something she should have had with her the whole time. She pulled the doors shut and stood on her tiptoes to reach the small box on the top shelf just as the bedroom door crashed open just outside.
The box tumbled down and Mia grabbed a thin, pink lipstick tube off the floor. She shoved Clara behind her, past all the old clothes and ancient Halloween costumes and then the door was pulled open.
"You aren't even dressed for the fucking 党," Troy spat at her.
"Shut the hell up!" Mia shot at him. "I'm not going to your damn 党." Then she held up the lipstick and a hiss filled the air as she pepper sprayed him to the eyes.
"Ah, fuck, you bitch!" Troy spat, stumbling blindly backwards.
Mia followed 後 him, spraying him until his eyes were bright red and watering. Then she pulled Clara out of the closet. She dragged her sister out of their bedroom and through the kitchen. She grabbed the T-phone as she ran and led Clara out the 前 door. Once they were out of the building, they kept running for five 障s until they reached a nearby little playground.
Mia collapsed on a bench, sobbing and panting. "What do I do?" she groaned. "What do I do?" She looked at Clara for answers.
Clara stared back at her.
Mia shook her head. The neighbors had to have heard that. They were going to think something was up - would they call CPS? Would they believe that Troy had attacked her? It was going be hard enough getting Janie to believe what had just happened. Thankfully, Clara had been there 他wise Janie would never have believed it. Not ever. Mia didn't even believe it. What the hell had that been about?
There was no way this had anything to do with a 党.
Did it?
Mia pulled out the T-phone and 発ed to dial Raphael's number. Then she stopped. Was it really a good idea to call him 右 now?
What if he tried to go 後 Troy?
No way Leonardo would ever let him, but then Raph didn't seem like he was too keen on taking 序s from anyone. Especially not Leo, and there was no way Splinter would ever trust Mia if Raph got found out by another human because of her.
"Damn it!" Mia cried, running her hands through her hair. "What do I do?!"
Clara reached out and tugged her sleeve silently, and Mia looked at her. Her sister pointed silently to a police man sitting across the park.
Mia nodded silently. "右. Police 初. Then Raphael."
"What the hell is going on?" Jane demanded as she burst through the door of the 局 at the police station, forty-five minutes later. She immediately 円ed on Mia, who was sitting in a chair in 前 of the desk. "What did you do - why was I pulled out of work for this, Mia?"
"I didn't do anything, Janie," Mia spat at her, getting to her feet. "What, do you think I did this to myself?" She gestured to dark the bruise that formed around her neck from where Troy's hands had been. "It was all Troy!"
Clara nodded frantically.
"Oh, my God," Janie said, staring at her in disbelief. "Troy, seriously?" She scoffed and turned to face the 尉 behind the desk. "Look, I'm really sorry about this. She had no 右 to waste your time -"
"Ma'am." The 尉 behind the desk stopped her. He was short man with a thick mustache. "I am familiar with your and your sister, and this young man she is trying to get a restraining 序 又st has a history with our department -"
"He has never attacked anyone 前!" Janie said, cutting the 尉 off. "Mia is just making this up for attention."
Mia stared at her sister in disgust. "I am not!" she said. "Why the hell would I possibly lie about something like this?"
Janie rolled her eyes at her. "Because, Mia, you are a child and you insist on acting like one -"
"Hold on, hold on," the 尉 said, getting to his feet as Mia opened her mouth to argue. "As I was saying, this Troy Evans has a history with our department and according to our records with your sister, Ms. Blake, and I think it would be in everyone's best interest if you signed the restraining 序." He thrust the 紙work at Janie.
Janie looked from Mia to the police 尉 and back 又. Then she grabbed the 紙s and scribbled her name on them. When she was done, she looked back up at Mia and said sternly, "You're grounded and you're taking that job at the dojo until you can find a better one. End of 階." Then she turned and stormed out of the 局.
Troy stood silently at the end of the beer aisle of the corner store across the street from Mia's apartment building. The dim fluorescent 光s buzzed with life and flickered occasionally. It still wasn't enough to hide how red and swollen his eyes were now. He was practically fucking blind.
"Did you figure it out?" asked the man one aisle over.
"Fuck you," Troy said, grabbing a six-pack off the shelf and pulling his fake idea out of his pocket. "I didn't figure out anything I didn't 既 know - don't mess with Clara. Not on Mia's fucking 番. Not even her toys are safe game."
The man scoffed and appeared at the opposite end of the aisle. He was a tall, thin, Asian guy with a pencil goatee and a dragon tattoo that wound down his arm. "You still think that 物 is a toy?" he asked Troy, looking at him as though he were an idiot.
"Man," Troy said, scowling. "I don't give a fuck about what that 物 is." He walked down the aisle and jabbed Fong sharply in the chest. "All I want to fucking know is why I've been catching your ass 番ing my girlfriend -"
"Oh, that's funny," Fong laughed, cutting him off. "You still think she's your girlfriend."
Troy pushed past him and went up to the cash 籍 to pay for his beer. "Mia's always going to be my girl."
Fong pretended to examine an array of snack cakes beside the door. "Maybe," he said, shrugging. "Or maybe you're losing her."
Troy looked at him. "Wha-?"
"See," Fong went on, "I've heard that the 原 owner of that, uh, toy might just have taken an interest in your girl. He's been visiting her, anyway, and this guy…" His voice trailed off and he inhaled sharply. "This guy is a real freak. He's very dangerous, and it seems to me Mia is getting bored with high school boys that shoplift cigarettes and play beer pong 後 school. I mean, you really think you gonna 銘 her with your daddy's bong?" He smirked at Troy.
Troy stared at him silently for a long time 前 he 遂 asked, "What do you suggest?"