Reflections

Matt and Andrew were in the living room both were waiting for Rachel to come out. What they were NOT expecting was her to basically fly out of the room.

"Whoa…major change," Matt commented dryly, "Shall we talk about what's just happened?"

"It's…nothing really," Rachel laughed, "You know, stupid concerns. All cleared. Now. Where's sissy?"

Andrew raised an eyebrow and then folded his legs, "Do you think you can read it? It's one thing to talk about it, but another to do it completely."

Rachel frowned. Yeah. That was true. Andrew always had a point. "I…I'll read it tonight," She said to him, "and see what there is. Maybe…just maybe it won't be so bad."

"Like digging up someone's grave on the full moon and trying to bring them back to life?" Matt asked.

Rachel sweatdropped, "Seriously. Matt, I wish you'd stop with the horror movies. That's just scary."

"And disturbing," Andrew seconded.

"Come on! Where's your sense of description or adventure? Wouldn't that be a bit exciting?" Matt asked.

"Robbing a grave at full moon just to get my Sight back?" Rachel deadpanned, "You honestly think I'll go that far?"

"What if Raph asked you?" Matt asked slyly.

Rachel just paused, "I think I'd ask him if he's lost his head and refuse."

"Riiight," Matt giggled, "How long do you think that'd last Andy? I'm willing to be that if Raph asked her to do anything that she thought was crazy would only be a few minutes."

"I'm thinking seconds," Andrew replied, "Barely an argument."

"I'm not a betting round guys," Rachel sweatdropped, "Really."

"Okay, so maybe you're not," Matt agreed, "But still, don't you catch my point? The journal says to dig up a corpse, you'd dis it. If Raph asked you, I think you'd do it unwillingly and grudgingly…"

"Like some love-sick puppy? I'm not that type of person Matt," Rachel said. Her voice turned soft, "You know this."

"Better than anyone," Matt nodded, "So. Whatcha going to do now? Read the journal?"

"…Yeah," Rachel admitted, "Yeah."

Andrew sighed, "Can you do it alone?" He gently looked at her. "No offense, but I don't think I seen you ride your motorcycle since you made your boyfriend crash."

"That's true. Maybe I'll still feel guilty about reading it," Rachel said, "But……I'm going to try."

"How many times did you try to read that today tops?" Matt demanded.

"……Okay so I failed that last sixteen to seventeen times…" Rachel confessed.

"So what makes you think you're going to win this time?" Andrew asked.

"……I don't. I lost my Sight, I don't know what's going to happen, I don't even know what my mother had to do to get her Sight back when she lost it. And she's lost it three times. This is the first time I ever lost mine. I'm sure that if she lost hers three times the remedy can't be that bad." Rachel shrugged.

"……Can't or won't?" Matt asked.

"…Oh…I see what your guys are doing…you evil little snake and rat," She pointed at Matt and then at Andrew. "You guys are trying to double-cross me. Trying to make me doubt myself…"

"Wow…… She thinks so highly of us," Matt said sarcastically. "No, Starlight, that's not what we're doing." She smiled. "We're worried about what troubles you'll have to go through if you're going to do it alone. I mean……sure I'd read the journal if it was mine to read, but……if it was someone close to me, I don't think I'd be able to alone. I'd ask you or Andy to be in the room with me, and maybe read it aloud when I can't read anymore." Matt started playing with her skirt. "I mean, that's what you'd do for us."

Rachel groaned, "Oh I hate you."

"Nice Matt, playing the guilt card," Andrew smirked, "Works every time."

"You're still not reading the journal," Rachel went into the dojo.

"Okay……WAIT HOW DID YOU KNOW?!" Matt yelled just as Andrew cracked up.

Nao walked out just as Rachel walked into the training room. She threw a candle at each of them, "Andrew, Mathew, make yourselves useful and help me set up the mats for meditation," she ordered. She had a wooden flute dangling from her belt since her hands were full with a couple more candles and her personal meditation mat.

"Hey...Nao." Matt pointed at the flute. "Why do you have a flute with ya? To help relax everyone when their doing meditation?"

"Very good," Nao nodded, "But hush, please. It's a surprise," she smiled and walked over to them, "You see, the second day I was here I decided to play my flute for them. They all loved it so I just made it a daily thing. Then, a week after I started I caught Mikey looking at a new video game April had given him…and then later that day during evening meditation he was reading through a comic book. I told him that if he didn't touch a video game or read a comic for several weeks during meditation, that I would play again. He also had the fact that he ruined it for everyone on his mind, so now today I'm surprising 'em."

She grinned and nodded to them, "Come on and help me set up," she said more calmly this time.

Matt did a zipper motion. She may be a nose, but secrets were secrets. Like hell she'd give them away unless hired.

Andrew just rolled his eyes. The flute…even though it was wooden, it reminded him that Rachel used to play the piano, but had quit. Matt used to bug her, and she'd just refuse. He looked at his hands…maybe…he should play again.

"Thinking?" Matt asked as she was helping Nao lay out the mats.

"A bit…" Andrew admitted.

"It's been a while since we did anything together," Matt commented.

"…You know I have to admit I'm a bit envious of you and Rae," Andrew told Matt.

Matt didn't seem surprised, "Why do you say that?" She asked as she straightened it out and placed a candle down.

Andrew was doing the same. He was silent for a bit, "I'm not sure. I guess it's because Rachel and you have this……I don't know...way of creating things from nothing. Didn't you guys meet in New Hampshire when she was living with her aunt?" He looked at Matt.

"Yeah. I met her then," Matt nodded. She sighed and then said, "It's not something you should be jealous of Andy. You have a family back in Florida that would gladly see you again. Rachel and I? We don't have homes to call our own. Her mother and aunt died within a month of each other, and mine didn't……" She shook her head. "That's not the point. The point is, is that real family is sometimes stronger than the ones you make up. It's nice…if the ones made up were strong."

"So… you're jealous of Bria," Andrew noted.

"Just as you are jealous of me," Matt said. She straightened up the last mat and looked at Andrew with sad eyes, "Just as I'm jealous of you."

"Jealously leads to hate, leads to war, leads to bloodshed, leads to death…" Andrew said, "Why would you be jealous of me?"

Matt just smiled and turned to Nao, "Hey, do you mind if me and Andy stay and listen to you play? We haven't heard classical music for a long time. It would be a nice change. Pleaseeee?!" She batted her eyelashes as if it would help her.

Nao laughed softly, "Quiet, quiet," she said as she held her flute to her chest to hide it from curious eyes, "Mikey heard you," she chuckled, "Yes, you may stay, but it'll be a time for quiet, so no talking," she put a finger on Matt's lips for emphasis.

Matt nodded. Andrew was rolling his eyes. Yeah, this was going to be so easy. He blinked when the dojo door opened and Rachel and Bria stepped out. Rachel was holding her cheek, "What happened?"

"I got smacked with the Bo," She muttered.

"…How?" Andrew asked.

"When I twirled it," Rachel replied, "I guess I lost focus or something and hit myself with it."

Matt snickered and Rachel glared, "Oh shut up," She rubbed the sore spot and let her hand fall, "Why are you two still here anyway?"

"Nao was telling me what meditation was," Matt said smoothly, "And I told her that I wanted to see."

"You're making Andy suffer with your ideas," Rachel looked over at Andrew, "I sympathize."

"Thanks but you both are the cause of the headaches. Matt's just my night terrors," Andrew replied.

"Burn," Rachel nodded before taking her place at the mat.

After a while, Master Splinter came out to join them. Quietly, the brothers found their mats and so did the girls. Nao smiled as she sat down on her mat and glanced at Matt and Andrew, "Now, be quiet or I won't let you stay to listen to me play again. Got it?"

"You're playing?" Michelangelo blinked. So he hadn't heard wrong. Nao really was going to play the flute again. Rachel snickered childishly just as Matt pretended to zip her lips. Andrew just leaned back.

"Hai, Angelo, I'm playing again," Nao smiled. She watched as they all got settled and when she deemed them ready, she put her flute to her lips and started out with the song Fire. While she played, she watched each of them.

Everyone seemed to be relaxed. Leonardo thought that the song was haunting yet hopeful. Since they declared war, and Rachel's Sight was gone, they could attack. Since they knew how to seal it up, he knew they were at a big disadvantage. Yet, there was still hope. Just as the song was sad, and hopeful…

Donatello was painting a picture in his mind. Somewhere relaxing with nothing but the haunting song that was playing… No words could describe how powerful that song was. How strong, the one piece of music was.

Andrew and Matt both were glancing at each other. This song……Matt leaned forward, listening to it. It was like a war-song, or a mourning song. It was a song that could give up or not. A decision balance… Andrew sighed, the war…everything that was happening was almost…as if someone was hurting them, but wasn't. He remembered something Rachel had told him, before she had quit the piano.

Music can save lives better than any doctor or guardian. However, music is also a dangerous weapon, for it can make you doubtful and hurt you. Sometimes, it can kill you and you will never know. An instant death, but not a shock…


Rachel and Kimiko were just…silent. Kimiko remembered this song from when she was alive. Nao had asked her to be her audience for a new song she was practicing. Even though it was long, haunting, and hopeful, Kimiko remembered how difficult it was to come up with a good praise. She was so moved by the song, that she just bowed her head and didn't say a word. Looking back, Kimiko smirked. No words…no praise…there was no need for it. She knew that.

Mikey didn't see the sadness where everyone else did. Instead he saw the hopefulness of a new day. That things change, and even though there are times when the days feel like something was going to go wrong, it always twists into something right.

Raphael felt the hidden beat and felt himself swaying to it. Yes, it was haunting, but it was easy to just go with the flow and let it carry you. He hung onto every last note, waiting to see what the next one would be. He felt that was the point…to show that you need to savor each moment, but the next one arrives be ready to keep going.

Lily just smiled. She felt and was painting a picture just like Don.

Bria on the other hand was so wrapped up into it that she couldn't stop her voice from humming or carrying the melody out along with the flute.

Master Splinter smiled softly…he was doing everything his sons were doing all at once because he was spiritual enough to do such a thing.

Softly, carefully, Nao whirled the song into the one called Chi. She kept her eyes on the rest of them…

A little bit more uplifting. That was Leo's first thought as she started playing it. Something a bit more hopeful, and possibly a bit less sad even though it still had a bit of a haunting… He would have opened his eyes to think, but he couldn't help himself but to paint a picture. Just like what Don was doing to this one as well as the last one.

Matt had her eyes closed and was gently pulling at her skirt. Andrew could tell that it could sound better with some sort of accompaniment, but having it alone was also amazing. He hardly ever heard a flutist play and he admired how haunting and how hopeful the song was. Even though there was only one person that was playing it, he knew that it took real talent to put two emotions in it.

Mikey was still lost in his own little world. Quite happier to know that the song was a bit faster and also less haunting… It was more……excitable, yet a bit sad.

Brianna just listened as Nao played the rest of the song. As Chi ended, Nao had reached the 14 minute mark. Now one last song passed through her lips to finish off the meditation session…