A/N: Hey, so this chapter is gonna revolve around Raph and Scarlett. How often do y'all want Raph x Scarlett chapters? Also, if y'all have any ideas for chapters or characters or anything, just put it in the comments. Enjoy!
Chapter Eight
Raphael's P.O.V.
My brothers and I were sitting on the couch and attempting to watch TV while Mikey was chattering away over what nickname he should give Scarlett. I'm happy for Scarlett, and I've gotten used to her being around more and more; the questions and thoughts about her have almost all gone away.
As soon as we heard footsteps echoing the lair, my brothers and I flung up off the couch, heading towards the entrance of the dojo. Scarlett seemed excited about her weapon as Master Splinter presented it to her.
"A Kusari-gama." We all cheered and clapped as Sensei fit the chain and Kama in her two hands. Mikey then ran up to her, and in Master Splinter's voice, said, "And your new nickname is… drumroll, please… Peach!"
"Oh, my God! It's perfect! I love it, Mikey. It's so true, though."
"Yep, a Georgia Peach."
Once we'd all settled down from her weapon ceremony, I wanted to talk to Scarlett privately. I don't know why, but I feel different around her. I'm myself with her, but at the same time not; I'm comfortable with her, but at the same time not.
Master Splinter went to the kitchen to watch while Mikey cooked lunch, and Scarlett, my brothers, and I were on the couch waiting. I didn't want my brothers to know that I liked spending time with her, so I just asked her quietly when they weren't paying attention if she'd wanna come to the dojo and practice.
"Sure!" She got up with her weapons and started heading towards the dojo with me.
On the way, she asked questions about Ninjutsu and what we do as Ninjas. I told her that we fight local crime to keep the city safe, but to also have a little fun while doing it. She laughed at that and said butt-kicking sounded like a whole lot of fun.
I wanted to see what kind of a fighter she was and to know what I was going up against. "Go easy on me," she said when we were about to begin the first duel. I saw the nervous look on her face and couldn't believe I was looking at the same person who'd fought off two rapists in the alleyway.
"Alright," I said.
Almost instantaneously, Scarlett began swinging her chain around. I was trying to distract myself from it and focus on finding her weak spot, but couldn't because I didn't know when she was going to swing it at me or when she was going to use her Kama. I didn't want to hurt her or anything but knew that I'd have to step up my game if I wanted to win.
Just as I raised my Sai and began charging towards Scarlett, she swung her chain back and it immediately wrapped around my arm. The pain was so intense that I swear I heard my arm screeching out in agony from the blow. My eyes closed and I felt my body being pulled forward by the chain, by Scarlett.
Right when the pain started to fade away, a cold, intensely sharp blade was on the edge of splitting my neck in two. Cognitive thoughts and blood soon flowed to my brain and I realized that Scarlett had her Kama pressed slightly into the upper skin of my neck and that I was facing the floor, the only thing holding me her chain.
"Thanks for going easy on me," a devilish voice I somewhat recognized harshly, yet melodically, whispered in my ear.
With an evil, menacing smirk planted gently on her lips, Scarlett unwrapped my arm and helped me up. I stood in awe, horror, amazement, and bewilderment at her aggression and determination to win, to fight. No one had ever fought me like that before, and nothing I'd expect from a girl. How had she gone from being so nervous to so ready to win? I wondered silently in my head. I then gasped, realizing it was a trick.
Scarlett giggled when my eyes met hers. "Nice, huh? I fooled ya."
"No kiddin'," I replied, still in shock at her game. I thought over the fight and tried to figure out what had gotten me off track besides her tricks, and that's when I realized it: her weapon. The constant swinging was a distraction and set me off totally from the real threat. No longer did I feel that I had to be gentle with her, but rather, a sudden surge of prideful anger went through me, telling me that I could defeat any and everyone. "Not this time," I mumbled under my breath.
The first thing I saw was a flash of silver, Scarlett's chain, and then her body on the ground. I'd slid down beneath the swinging of her weapon, and swept my foot under her legs.
I raised myself back up, feeling proud of what I had done, but that was soon gone when she shrieked, "Ow! Oh, now you're asking for it!"
Scarlett threw her weapons to the floor and lunged herself at me, slewing me over like a pile of rocks. It was almost as if I didn't weight anything to her, and the anger I saw in her fiery emerald eyes was enough to make even Master Splinter cry. I couldn't really focus on what was happening, but knew that if I didn't stop her, we would both be in serious trouble with Sensei.
"Scarlett!" I yelped, prying her hands from my neck.
Just as I was about to get the rest of her off me, Scarlett flung backward and sat herself down. Her head hung in sorrow and what seemed to be an apology. "I'm sorry, Raph. I... I just wanted to win really bad."
When I looked at Scarlett during that one moment, I didn't see her, I saw myself just a year or two ago when I'd become so mad that I'd lost to Leo that I threw myself at him. "It's alright, we all have those moments, right?"
She smiled and looked up. "Yeah, I guess. You're not mad?"
"Nah... I've done the same thing with my brothers a bunch of times. I get it, you wanna win so bad that your mind just loses all control."
"Exactly," she replied. I sat down beside her and stayed there for a few moments in empathetic silence until she had to leave.
I laid on my bed, staring up at the ceiling while thinking about Scarlett. All the previous questions I'd had about her faded away as new ones came in. She was so like me; I could see myself in her so well, and I felt like we understood each other. Her aggression and determination towards me was enough, but her strength to knock me over like that was another story entirely. I could tell that she was going to be a skilled fighter already, just in the need of training.
I couldn't seem to get my mind off her personality, fighting spirit, and skills. They all mesmerized me but shocked me at the same time. How? Why? That's when I realized the problem.
"If the novel has a theme it is that of survival. What makes some people come through catastrophes and others, apparently just as able, strong and brave go under? It happens in every upheaval. Some people survive; others don't. What qualities are in those who fight their way through triumphantly that are lacking in those that go under? I only know that survivors used to call that quality 'gumption.' So I wrote about people who had gumption and people who didn't."
~ Margaret Mitchell, author of Gone With the Wind ~ (1936)
