A/N: Thank you Sticherbell for your continued support. I hope everyone else is enjoying this one.
Yoshi peered over the building's edge to watch a figure take on three more. Two bodies already laid to one side unconscious. The shadowy figure took out another with little effort. As soon as the guy turned his attention to one of the two remaining assailants, the other pulled a knife. Yoshi saw the blade flash in the moonlight. He growled and without thinking descend on the man. The knife fell away, sliding to a stop beside the vigilante's boot.
Yoshi had just enough time to duck behind the dumpster as the guy turned to see who'd helped him. "I know you're there. Show yourself."
Yoshi groaned. Well, he'd stuck his foot in it good this time. He fumbled for the holo-projector at his waist. The boxy unit sprang to life as footsteps approached him. Once he was sure it was working he stepped out and nearly ran into the guy he'd seen the other night. The blonde haired young man tilted his head. "Who are you?"
Yoshi took a step back. "I was just returnin' a favor." He turned to leave but the man spoke up.
"You're the guy from the other night, right?"
Yoshi turned back to look at him. The guy was watching him with curiosity. "Yeah, you took one of mine, so I figured I'd take one of yours."
"Well, thanks. I didn't see this." He held up the knife. "Someone might have had an awful mess to clean up, if you hadn't have showed up."
Yoshi waved a dismissive hand. "I just happened to be in the neighborhood."
The young man tossed the knife to the side and it stuck in a wall. He put out his hand. "Cole."
"Huh?"
"My name is Cole."
"Mine's Yoshi." But he didn't reach for the offered hand. The human would be able to tell he wasn't normal if he let him touch him.
Cole slowly lowered his hand, curious brown eyes watching him. "Uh, okay."
After another moment of being stared at, Yoshi huffed. "What?"
"Well, you don't really look like a Yoshi to me." Cole admitted.
Yoshi almost laughed. The guy had no idea. "It's a family name."
"Oh. Sorry man. I get it, believe me. That's how I ended up with Bernard as a middle name."
Yoshi chuckled. "That is pretty bad."
Cole glanced at his watch. "Hey, man. I got to go, but maybe next time we can bust some skulls together. You're not bad in a fight." He gave one of the fallen punks a kick. "I'm sick of these creeps terrorizing my hood."
Yoshi grinned. "I hear that."
Cole started for the alley entrance and stopped to raise his hand in farewell before disappearing around the corner. Yoshi couldn't help his distrustful nature. Had the encounter been an accident or a setup of some kind? He mounted the roof above him and decided to shadow this Cole. If he spotted anything suspicious he'd make sure to avoid him in the future. Yoshi slipped along the rooves keeping out of sight and watched Cole enter an apartment building. The place was obviously occupied, curtains and potted plants decorated windows, and some apartments glowed with dim light. The place looked normal enough.
He watched for a long time but Cole never reappeared out the front or back. Finally, deciding the guy must just be an ordinary human with a vigilante complex, he left to complete his patrol.
It was nearly a week later before Yoshi ran into him again. He was sprinting along the rooves, lost in thought as usual, when he spotted someone laid out on one with a couple empty beer bottles scattered around. Turning on his holo, he approached cautiously. If the guy was drunk and passed out, he didn't want to leave him there to fall off the roof later. "Hey, man, you okay?"
When the person lifted their head, a pair of brown eyes looked back. "Hey, dude. I ain't seen you in a bit. Where you been hiding yourself?" Cole didn't sound particularly happy. He settled onto his back again, his arms tucked under his head.
"Nowhere." Yoshi deflected the question. "What are you doin' up here?"
"Trying to get away from my mom." Cole watched him as he approached. "What are you? All the crime is at street level."
"Yeah, but rooftop travel is faster though." Yoshi eyed the two empty bottles. "That bad?"
Cole snorted, his gaze going back to the moonless sky. "You got no idea. She's been on my case all week." He made his voice higher, obviously trying to imitate his mother. "Get off your lazy butt and get a job already! Do you think money grows on trees! I'm not supporting you the rest of your life! All you do is sleep and eat!" He made a face. "It's not like I don't look for jobs. There just ain't any for guys like me. I ain't exactly the book smart type."
Yoshi sighed. He'd been getting something similar back home the past week. His father had been riding his shell hard since the incident with Kaz. He barely had time to himself, between training and the garage. He folded his arms. "Family can be a real pain sometimes."
"You sound like you could use one of these too." Cole nudged the mostly full six-pack towards him with his foot.
Yoshi shook his head. "I prefer to stay clear headed on patrols."
Cole sat up popping off the lid to a third bottle. "Suit yourself. But me, I've had it with my giant annoying family and I wasn't planning on going anywhere but here." He took a swing, set it aside before flopping back onto the roof.
Yoshi's interest was piqued. "You got a big family?"
Cole gave a mirthless laugh. "That's an understatement." Then he chuckled for real. "I got this one cousin that always smells like sausage and when he comes over the dog always tries to eat him."
Yoshi allowed a half smile. "Is that a good thing or a bad thing?"
"A definite good. That brat deserves it as many buckets of water he's dumped on my head." He chuckled. "Too bad that little yappers too small to do any real damage."
Yoshi snickered and sat down not far away. "Oh, he's one of those cousins."
Cole rolled his eyes. "Yep."
They continued to chat for a long time, much longer than Yoshi had intended. He found he had a kindred spirit in Cole as they complained about their lives. At some point Yoshi ended up with a beer and they laughed about different things. A distant light suddenly caught Yoshi's gaze and he realized it was nearing dawn. "Hey, I got to go. See you around, Cole."
Cole nodded, his eyes closed. "Sure thing, Yoshi-man. I gotta make up some excuse why I was out all night anyways."
Yoshi chuckled and bounded off into the growing light. When he reached the sewer entrance, he pressed the button hoping that no one would notice him coming in. The place was still mostly quiet but the TV was on and a single figure sat on one of the couches. Stepping inside and closing the door behind him, he approached cautiously. His shoulders sagged when he realized who it was. He frowned. "Mom?"
Cat lifted her head and blinked at him. "Hmm. Hi, sweetheart. What are you doing up?" She noted the direction he'd come from. "And where have you been?"
He blushed slightly. "I was just takin' a run in the sewers. What are you doin' up?"
She smiled slightly. "Couldn't sleep." She gestured for him to sit with her.
He complied, sitting beside her. "Mom, are you okay?"
She nodded, wrapping her arms around one of his large ones. "I just wanted to spend a few minutes with you alone. Is that okay?" He grunted and looked at the TV. She smiled. "You remind me so much of your dad. You've grown up so much." She touched his cheek, her emerald eyes filled with memories. "But you'll always be my baby boy."
Yoshi's blush returned with a vengeance. "Mom…."
She chuckled. "I know, I know. You're a tough guy too." She squeezed his arm. "Now tell me, where were you really?"
Yoshi wondered briefly if she could smell the alcohol on his breath. His mother wasn't prone to fits of anger like his dad, but he knew if he lied she might get upset. He hadn't really done anything wrong. Well, not really. He sighed. "I made a friend."
"Oh?" She looked up at him a bit concerned. "Do they know about…?"
"No. He thinks I'm human. I had a holo with me."
She relaxed resting her head against his shoulder. "Tell me about him."
While he talked, she closed her eyes. Her senses filled with her child – the rumble of his voice, the feel of his skin and his scent. Although Yoshi resembled Raph, his voice wasn't quite so deep. His skin was a little smoother, partly because of his age and partly because of her human DNA. And his scent was not as musky as Raph's, it was lighter and fresher like rain.
After just a few minutes, he realized she was asleep. He smiled and shifted so he could lay her down on the couch and cover her with a blanket. As he watched her, he thought of just how delicate she really was. He forgot at times how soft and breakable she could be. When she was awake, she was like a force of nature that not even his father would stand against. He bent to place a kiss on her cheek. "I love you, Mom."
Beady eyes stared back through the vid-screen. "Well?"
"I've made contact. Phase one is complete. I will need troops for phase two."
"How many?"
"As many as you are willing to spare me, my lord."
There was a maniacal laugh. "My entire army is at your disposal then. When will you need them?"
"Not yet, but soon – very soon."
"I shall be waiting anxiously. I do hope you are more successful than your predecessors."
"I intend to be."
"If you are, your reward will be great."
"I appreciate that, my lord. But after what you told me," he smirked, "I would do this for free."
Raph was surprised and a bit alarmed when he woke up alone. Not bothering to put on his gear, he jumped up and hurried into the hall. The lair was still quiet and he walked through it, checking the security panel near the elevator as he did. He let out a deep breath of relief when he spotted Cat on the couch asleep. He gathered her gently into his arms, letting her head rest against his shoulder. She snuggled deeper, burying her face against his neck and drawing in a deep breath.
He couldn't help the small smile. Even in her sleep she knew him and wanted to be closer. For a lingering moment, he stood, allowing the feel of her small firm body in his arms to be etched into his memory. He took in the feel of her warm breath on his skin, the way her hair tickled his chin, and her deep familiar scent. She smelled of green apples and motor oil, and below that him. Letting out another heavy sigh, he started to carry her back to their room.
As he started down the hall, a door opened and Sarah stepped out. She jumped, her eyes wide. Her hands came up to cover her startled scream, making it more of a muffled squeal. Inside the room, Donnie growled. Sarah pressed a hand to her pounding heart, her gaze darting into the darkened bedroom and back to the turtle in front of her. "Raph!" She hissed. "You scared the daylights out of me!"
He smirked. "Gettin' a little jumpy in your old age, ain't you, sis?"
She glared at him and started to spout a snippy comment, but the voice that came was from behind her. "Who're you calling old, bro?"
Raph glanced at his brother. Donnie looked a bit peeved to say the least at being woke like he had. They locked eyes for a moment, until Sarah spoke. "Is Cat okay?"
Raph glanced down at his spouse. "Yeah, she just fell asleep on the couch."
Sarah frowned. "She hasn't been feeling well, has she?"
Raph frowned as well. "No, but it seems to be gettin' better. The last few days she's almost been back to normal."
"Maybe it was just a touch of the flue or something." Sarah offered.
Raph resisted the urge to shrug and dislodge his wife's sleeping head. "Yeah, maybe."
Donnie's voice was a bit gentler when he spoke this time. "I could take a look at her later, if she wants."
"Nah, I already told her to and she said no. Besides, like I said she seems to be gettin' better." Raph stepped around Sarah and nudged his door open.
She frowned after them. Something felt wrong, she just couldn't put her finger on it. Donnie touched her arm. "What is it?"
She looked up into his concerned brown eyes. "I'm just worried about her."
He smiled a bit, stroking her cheek. "I'm sure she's fine or at least she's getting better like Raph said."
She frowned again. "Maybe."
He pulled her to him, kissing her soundly. She instantly melted against him, her arms wrapping around his neck. She moaned as his arms tightened around her, pressing her against him in the right places. She was vaguely aware of the door being closed and the lock clicking into place. She pulled away with a giggle as she felt his arousal rush her. "I have to go make breakfast, love."
"Not right now you don't." One of his arms slipped under her, lifting her like she weighed no more than a feather. "I just got a strong enough dose of adrenaline that I won't need coffee for at least a week. Now, you're going to have to help me work some of it off." Sarah giggled again as he lightly tossed her on the bed and covered her with his body.
Yoshi slipped across the living room, just as he'd done dozens of times in the past two and a half months, reaching the sewer entrance without incident. He glanced around one last time, before hitting the keys to open the door. When it opened, he jumped.
"Goin' for another midnight run."
Yoshi stared in shock at his father leaning against the tunnel wall. He opened and shut his moth twice before he made any noise. "What are you doin'?"
Raph shook his head not bothering to meet Yoshi's eyes. "You didn't actually think I didn't know you were sneakin' out, did you?"
The younger turtle sighed. "No, I suppose not. But if you've known all this time, why stop me now?"
"I ain't stoppin' you. I figure, if you get into trouble you'll let us know. Not to say I'm pleased with you takin' off on your own. Kaz did the same thing. Look what happened to him."
Yoshi stepped through the open door and hit the panel to close it. "Yeah, well, I ain't stupid enough to take on an entire gang by myself either."
Raph snorted. "And that's why I ain't bothered to stop you. That and I'd have to lock you in your room to do it. Which would last all of thirty seconds before you busted the door off the hinges. Then I'd have to deal with Donnie and maybe even Leo. So, no I ain't gonna stop you." He sighed. "Besides I know how you feel, all cooped up down here."
"So, what's the problem?"
"Your new friend."
Yoshi sighed inwardly. Well, of course his mother told him. It wasn't like he'd made her promise not to or anything, not that she would have agreed to such a thing. He frowned. "What of him?"
"You got to be careful, Yoshi. We've still got a lot of enemies, even if they don't raise their ugly heads too often anymore."
He scowled. "Don't worry. He doesn't know what we are and he doesn't know about anyone else. I've lived my entire life around humans. I know how they are. You've had me workin' in the garage since I was ten."
Raph frowned, not liking his son's tone. But the fact was, he was right. Yoshi knew how to behave around humans and knew how to deflect their interests. "Fine, just be careful. And you call me if you get into any trouble."
Yoshi grinned. "Of course I will." He cracked his knuckles as he started down the tunnel.
"Oh, and Yoshi." He turned back to his father, who had a wicked smirk in place. "Not a word to anyone about this. If Leo gets wind of it, it'll be both our shells." It was nice to still get one over on his big brother from time to time.
A/N: The next chapter is going to get pretty intense! -wipes sweat from brow- Trust me, its a ride!
