Human Talk

Rachel sighed; it's been a few days since she managed to get her Sight back. She bit her lip as she poured herself a cup of coffee. She was awake around the same time as everyone surprisingly. Usually she was the last one awake because she slept in often. She supposed...that maybe she just felt uncomfortable now. Everyone noticed that she was getting easier to distract, and harder to get focused.

She shook her head. Lynx made it very difficult to get the Sight back, but that didn't mean that there weren't a few scars or wounds that weren't healed. In fact, since Lynx had been awoken, there wasn't a time when she didn't say or comment when someone had something to say. Making her doubt whether or not she was being used… While she said that she didn't care anymore…it didn't mean it didn't hurt.

Donatello noticed that Rachel looked spaced out. Again… It was becoming a routine. She's spaced, someone talks, she jumps, laughs, and tries to focus, and spaces out again. A repeating motion that had him a bit worried. It wasn't like the gentle kid that he knew of. Something had happened when she got her Sight back. Something had to of…

Was she being used? Rachel glanced over her shoulder just to see who was in the room. She didn't know anymore. She didn't know how to act, how to smile, she started hanging around Michelangelo and Nao more and more than anyone. It wasn't a surprise, seeing how she and Mikey were once attached to the hip, but it was a bit of a surprise that she started pushing her sister away.

Brianna sighed sadly. She didn't bother saying anything to snap her sister out of spacing. Since the Journal incident Rachel had been putting herself at a distance. Her expression sad, she thought about her past…

It was the same thing happening all over again.

Fighting tears, she got her tea and looked to Don, "I'm gonna join Raphael and Leo for a bit of light training," she smiled at his scowl, "Don't worry, I'll be careful," she patted his shoulder and left.

Leonardo and Raphael were sparring. Leo wasn't surprised to see Brianna at the door, but what did surprise him was that Don hadn't tried to stop her or anything. Then again, he was sure that he was trying to get Rachel to talk to him. Like it would happen… Rachel won't say anything. When asked she just laughed and said it was just their imagination. He managed to get one of the Sais out of Raphael's hand and tried to get the other one but was blocked and thrown back.

Bria took this opportunity to jump in, duck down into a roll, and as she was coming back forward she lifted up onto her shoulders and kicked Raph's hand that had the Sai, making the weapon fly into the air. She then turned on her hands and swiped the red-banded ninja off his feet. All with enough momentum to do a flip onto her feet and catch the Sai as it came down.

She grinned and rubbed her left shoulder with her free hand, "Maybe I shouldn't have rolled…but hey, not bad for being a little rusty, huh?"

"Not bad," Leo commented, "Although I doubt you were hardly rusty to begin with."

"Oh please…If I wasn't rusty then why was I hurt in the first place? I really need to work on my defense and senses…which I'm confused about because I'm much better at defense than I am offence. That's why I call myself a protector…" Bria huffed, "Sorry, I'm rambling…"

She scowled and then tossed Raph his Sai when he was standing, "Alright, what's the plan for training since I still have a limit on what I can do…"

"The sense thing that you need work on might be a good idea," Leo said, "I wouldn't want to fight… you'd have Don come for both of us."

"True," Brianna chuckled, "Alright, let's see…" she bit her lip in thought, "What would Master Splinter do to teach you to sense your opponent better?" she tilted her head at him.

Raphael rolled his eyes, "I'm outa here…good luck Leo," he teased as he stuck his Twin Sai in his belt and left the room.

Leonardo just rolled his eyes and started to explain to Bria. Donatello had just come out of the lab as Raph just got out of the room. "Done training already?" He teased Raph, "That's new. Usually you and Leo are at it for an hour or more."

"Yeah, but Bria came in and now the two love doves are figuring out what to do for a training session," Raphael told Don, "I was going to go out and find Casey so he could take me to some of his favorite spots…unless you need me for anything?" he raised an eyebrow. His brother did look curious about something.

"It's just a random question, honestly," Donatello said with a wave, "I was just wondering what it felt like. Being human, I mean."

"For one thing, Donny, you're never random. It's just a fact," Raph folded his arms but then sighed, "To be human…it's…different. A whole lot easier like when I work on my Shell Cycle, and when I train. However…it's harder. I can't explain why…being human, there's a whole lot of new emotions, new and heightened instincts, and way more things to do and go out there," he waved his hand toward the outside, "Back to the training part of it…with all of the things we've learned combined with this extra height and the extra agility without my shell, I can see and occasionally feel exactly how Bria got her speed and power."

Raphael smiled sadly, "I do miss being a turtle, of course…I feel like I don't have that sort of connection with the rest of you like I used to."

Donatello smiled back at Raph, "You're still our brother, human or not. That connection will never break. You were saying that there are a lot of emotions and instincts get stronger. Care to tell me more?"

"Well…" Raph nibbled on his bottom lip as he thought. As he had been explaining some of it, they had headed back toward the lab and now were sitting down. "I don't know about everyone else, but for me at least…The instinct to protect is stronger. I'm…" he chuckled, "I've mellowed out since I became human, and I'm not as predictable as I once was," he smirked as he playfully poked his brother.

He smiled and then continued, "I worry a bit more now about the rest of you…and since one of the first things that happened to me when I walked out of this lab room was the fact that I had my first kiss with Rachel. My feelings for her have grown and developed rapidly since then…When I was still a turtle, because we weren't of the same species, we both were unsure of how we felt and it this thing between us…love, didn't have a chance to grow then."

Raphael found something to fiddle with as he tried to explain these new things to his still-turtle brother, "So I guess that's one majorly huge thing about being human…is that things seem to be clearer and you have more confidence about those kinds of relationships. Things can get confusing at times…like when Casey was trying to explain to me about stuff since he and I are so close in personality. However," he chuckled, "It's easier to understand the others."

Donatello nodded. He wondered for a long time what it was like, being human. He could see that it had a positive effect on Raph. He did mellow out; his temper wasn't bad as it was when he was a turtle. It seemed to him that was all Raphael needed, was that change. It wasn't doing him any good being a turtle even though he knew Raph missed it.

He also saw how Raphael was with Rachel… The subtle gestures that he was sure no one else would have noticed, unless they were really looking. He knew that Raphael knew why Rachel was pushing her sister, and most of them away. Why she was keeping close to Nao and to Michelangelo. Why she was being distracted. To understand…it had to be a bit easier. The Raphael he remembered and knew wouldn't really have listened to Rachel…

He wondered what it would be like if he turned human. Would he be able to get together with Lily easier? Would it be easier for him to work on the things that he wanted to invent? He didn't know. He did wonder though, if the transformation would be good for him as it was for his older brother. Leo wouldn't be too happy knowing what Don was thinking.

"…Did the transformation hurt?" Donatello finally asked.

Raph snorted, "I was unconscious, bro, what do you think?" he chuckled, "Though…I remember Rachel telling me once that when we had our arms pressed together…" he pulled the sleeve up on his right arm looked at the scar where their artery veins had been connected, "…that it felt strange…at bit uncomfortable, yet pleasant."

"Now don't look at me like I've lost my mind since this is going to sound geeky and complicated, but of course YOU will understand…" he huffed, "Well…the way Nao did it made most of her blood transfer into me to replenish my supply, yet some of my own went into her so she wouldn't be completely drained, so we would have an even amount in the end. Then Rach told me that when Nao had to separate us…" he rubbed the scar absently, "That that was the only painful part. Since I was out-cold, I didn't feel a thing."

Don remembered. Rachel had quickly fainted after Nao severed the connection. "Just wondering…" He murmured as he thought about it. "After all there are some cases when a completely out cold person can feel some sort of pain." He shrugged. He smiled at Raph, "Thanks for letting me question you bro. I know how much you used to hate that."

Raph scowled playfully and was about to retort when Lily bounded in, her hazel-gold and green eyes wild.

"Donny-Don! I'm hyper and 'need to go out and burn off some energy' as the Triplet Trio told me," Lily put her hands on her hips in mock frustration, but the grin was still there. The Triplet Trio was the nickname given to Rachel, Brianna, and Nao; "Will you come on patrol with me?!" she bounced over and wrapped her pixie arms around Don's bicep, "Choudai?!" she pleaded in Japanese as well.

Raph chuckled and patted his brother's shoulder as he responded to the 'thank you', "No prob, Donny," he smirked and waved as he stood and left the lab.

Don glanced over at Lily after Raphael left and said, "Rachel told you?" That was hysterical. That girl had Matt and he was as hyper as one could get, and she never, ever bothered telling him that he needed an outlet. Then again, for all he knew, Rachel might as well be the outlet. "Well…I guess it can't hurt. We haven't done much for patrolling. Why not?" He shrugged, "I'm in."

"Yay!" Lily grinned and pulled Donatello from his lab chair. She took his hand and bounced impatiently to the door, where she picked up his Bo and handed it to him. She was about to dash for the training room to get her Bo, but Nao had beat her to it, already standing there with it in hand. Grinning, the Neko took it from the Hybrid and then dragged Donatello along with her, "Bye minna!" she called before she had Don out the door with her.

It was Twilight, Dusk just now turning into Night and Shadow, "Sweet, we should be able to get to a building so we can watch the sunset!" Lily cheered.

"We need to be careful, Lily," Donatello warned her, "Not only do we have enemies wanting bloodshed, but it's still light out and people still can see."

"That's what shadows are for, silly, at least for the regular Humans," Lily told him and then a shiver rippled through her, "Dang it, forgot my cloak, be right back," she turned on her heels but Nao was – once again – ahead of her by the doorway with the article in her hands, "Thanks, Nao-san," she nodded and took the cloak, watching as Nao just shook her head in amusement and then disappeared back inside.

Lily turned back around and slipped on her special cloak. Unlike the rest of them, she didn't wear white or dark colors when out on patrol. Instead she wore all white, silver, and grays. The cloak was pure white, a perfect camouflage with the snow, her kimono top was silver with a white sash, and her leggings were a light grey. Actually, the shadows were more her enemy than her friend, as Brianna had once stated. "Let's get goin'," she smiled and jumped into a near-by tree, landing just light enough so not to disturb the snow-covered branches.

Don just rolled his eyes amused and found himself following her, using the branches and the shadows for cover. They walked for a little ways when he finally posed a question, "Lily, can I ask you something?"

Lily glanced toward the direction of the setting sun, but smiled ruefully and turned on the branch she was on carefully to face him, staying more with the white snow on the branches than the trunk of the tree like he was, "Anything, Donny-Don," she smiled encouragingly, "Ask away."

"When Nao transformed you.....did it hurt? I asked Raph, but he was unconscious so he didn't feel anything," Don shrugged.

"A little, hai…" Lily answered a bit hesitantly, "But there was also relief; relief that I no longer had to scrap for food, hunt mice and rats, and/or getting some sort of disease that only felines can get. Being human – well, a humanoid – is so MUCH easier yet harder at the same time. A couple abilities have dulled just a bit…mostly my keen hearing, yet everything is so much clearer and I can understand better than I used to."

Lily thought for a small moment, "The pain…was nothing compared to how I felt afterwards. The pain was mostly the different blood mixing with mine, I felt like a live-wire. However, it was over fairly quickly." She smiled sheepishly, "Sumimasen, I'm chattering…"

'All of it is exactly like what Raph said,' Donatello thought to himself. He shook his head, "It's okay, I expect it," He grinned at her, "You are energetic."

Lily beamed exaggeratedly and then laughed, "I don't know why," she admitted, "You know me, I just randomly get hyper," she bounced in her spot and then flipped lightly over to his branch and landed easily on his shell, making him bend over even with her little-to-none weight, "Though, when I'm not you hardly leave your lab. You groan every time you even have to pull yourself away from a new gadget to train, and during meditation if Nao doesn't play her flute your mind is just as bad as Mikey's…though, of course, more organized, yet still just as busy. Maybe I should get hyper more often so I can get you to get some fresh air."

"You caught me at the right time. I was just finishing talking to Raph when you came in. If it had been with the gadget and everything, then I would have groaned or told you that I was busy and if you would consider taking Bria or someone." Don sighed, "Of course you would just pout and make me come so either way I'm here."

Lily stuck her tongue out a bit in that playful way of hers, "Good," she smiled and then slid from her lying-down position on his shell. It was darkness and shadow now so she dropped to the snowy ground, "Come on, Donny-Don. We got some crooks to catch and people to save!" she pranced along the ground, waiting for him to join her.

Donatello rolled his eyes, 'Dear god, Lily's been hanging around Michelangelo a bit too much...' He jumped down to the ground and decided that maybe for once he shouldn't really care. After all, it had been awhile. The duo ran hiding in the shadows, watching the streets with careful eyes. Lily was right after all, they had things to do, and catching crooks was a big one.

However, neither saw the danger lurking in the same protective shadows that only the specially-gifted knew how to use.