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"They did what?" He asked, in shock
The large reptile looked at her. They were in his home, well the turtle's old lair. She was sitting in a chair; he had cleared off, crying her eyes out. Already her eyes were red, the yellow bandanna soaked with tears. The tears ran down her face, till they dripped to the floor. Her black hair circled her face, partly shielding her expression.
His question reaching her ears, she looked up. Her eyes stared at him, her mouth curled into a blank state.
"They attacked me" She quietly said, before trying to wipe away the tears
What? Leather head wondered, why would they have…
Before he could even voice the question, she spoke again. Pushing the black hair from her eyes, she said "They were angry, death was in their eyes. They were happy when Tori hit me"
"Tori was the one…" He ran off, remembering the image of her bleeding
The red head was very close to Jasmine, or she had been…Had that much changed in five years? The two had fought yes, but they were, or had been like twins. Well they would be if twins were complete opposites, it was commonly known that the two were like fire and ice. He chuckled at the thought before turning his attention back to his friend.
"They are angry with me" Jasmine said, a solemn look on her face
"Why would they be? You couldn't have done anything" He fired back
"I should have searched longer; they think I have abandoned them. I wasn't there for them, they hate me" She replied, the thoughts consuming her
"Bullshit" He said, gaining her attention
Her eyes went wide as he continued.
"You and I both know that you were always there for them, that you searched for them. There was nothing else you could have done, you thought they were dead. They don't hate you, so don't make yourself believe anything other than the fact that your sisters love you!" He said this calmly and yet silently forceful.
The room went silent, as he let this soak in.
"I should have…" She started to blame herself
"You did nothing wrong" He reassured her
"No, I failed them" The turtle ignored his words
"No you didn't" The male answered, forcefully
"I could have been stronger, I should have searched longer" She shot back, standing up
"It's in the past" He growled
"Still they hate me because of those mistakes!" She snarled, as the two stared down
"They don't hate you!" He roared, raising his arms in protest to her statement
"Then why did they attack me! We both know that they would have never have hurt me!" She hissed, her eyes glaring at him
"I must know your sisters better than you then, because I know that they would never attack you" He answered
"Then why did they? Answer that with your logic!" She screamed in his face
He put his hands on her shoulder, looking down into her eyes.
"Look, I know this is confusing. You just found out they are alive and that you fought them. There is a logical explanation for it, but for tonight you just need to accept that they love you"
Her anger died down, as she started crying again.
"I just which I had known then, then I could have talked to them, hugged them" She whispered
"You can find them tomorrow" He assured her, giving her a hug
"Thank you" She said, pulling away
"Will you okay tonight?" He asked
He knew that she had suffered horrible nightmares when she had failed her sisters, where she blamed herself. Now that she knew that they were alive, there was no telling what memories would plague her.
"Yes" The word did not convince him
"Call me if you need anything" He said, as they went to the door
"Of course, but do me a favor" She said
"What would that be?" He replied
"If you hear me scream, don't break down the lair door" She said this with dead seriousness
"No promises" He answered
They both knew that he would charge like he was hell bent and rip it off the hinges if he thought she was in trouble.
"See ya later alligator" She said, leaving his home
"After while turtle" He called after her, making a horrible pun
She turned to face him and smiled, the first one in the hour she had been crying. After a moment, the turtle turned to make her way down the sewers. He watched as she vanished, he smiled.
Maybe everything would turn out alright; all they need to do was find each others. After all they were sisters, they couldn't really want her dead could they?
Night fell, still they were waiting.
None of them possessed patience; they all wanted to find her. Still they wanted to comb the streets. Still they wanted to hunt for the Elite member. Their bodies resisted these desires; exhaustion from hours of patrols was overtaking their minds. They were in the trees of central park, finding their beds for the night. They had slept on worse, the leaves and branches softer than the ground. Beside her was Simone, who was stripping leaves from the branches and pressing them into pillows.
"I'll take first watch" The eldest said from above her
Looking to her sister, Alice saw that she was watching the stars. She had noticed that Tori had been doing that a lot lately, just watching the sky. She had mused many times why, but never come up with a solid answer.
"Why do you watch the stars?" Her thoughts made themselves known
Both of the sisters turned to look at her. The grey bandanna then went back to her task, but still keeping an ear open for the answer.
Amber eyes stared at her in till she decided to answer, "It reminds me of her"
She fell silent, the youngest understood. No further answer was needed, it explained it all. Still she didn't accept that her sister was dead, even though she had held the body's hand. She desperately wanted her to be alive but there was no hope, no way that that was possible.
"It's ready" Simone said beside her before lying down
She didn't follow only to stare at her other sister, who still watched the sky. Staying like this, minutes passed in till the other turtle moved. Turning her head, the two stared into the other's eyes.
"Go to bed" Tori said gruffly, before moving higher up in the tree
She is hurting, but we all are.
Feeling the leaves crush beneath her, Alice turned to make sure she was near her now sleeping sister. Silently and gently she tapped on the elder's shell, feeling the ridges beneath her fingers. She was there, right beside her.
Her sleepiness began to overtake her, but still she looked into the trees. Fighting her drooping eyelids, she searched the dark space. Only the moonlight shone through the leaves, no person there.
She didn't see her.
Starting to panic, she sat up. She had seen her moments before but still…
"I'm right here" A disembodied voice said, comforting her
Her sister's red locks appeared in her sight, a smile on her face. Her sisters were there, well almost all of them.
"Goodnight" She whispered, giving in to the need for sleep
Now she needed to her only one other voice, but that could never be. Jasmine was dead; never would she hear a goodnight from her. These thoughts vanished, as dreams of happier times filled her head.
Victoria listened as her sister laid down again, her fears of her sisters missing gone. Again she climbed into the trees, looking out onto the city. They would never miss her if she went to search, if she looked for the murder.
They would never know she was gone, but still the thought never crossed her mind. Never would she leave them, what if they awoke to find her gone? What if she got herself killed and they were left alone? No, she would never leave. Despite her threats to kill the murderer herself, never would she do it. She had promised that she would protect them.
She had made a promise and she would honor it, for her sister's sake. It's what she would have wanted, for the younger two protected.
Staring into the sky, into the stars, she listened to her sisters' steady breathing.
They were still there and so was she.
Below ground, she let herself slid down the wall. The water ran through the dark tunnel, overpowering the sound of her tears. No matter what he said, she still blamed herself.
Calm down, she told herself, the others will be worried
Forcing herself to stop crying, the dark haired turtle took deep breaths. She wanted to keep sobbing, but she needed to put on a show. A distraction, so that no one knew. When she was convinced that her eyes were no longer red, she stood up and began to walk again.
Finally she reached the lair door, throwing on a smile before walking inside.
Time to put on a show, she thought, as she encountered her brothers.
"Hey" She said, walking into the kitchen
The four followed her from the living room.
"Where were you?" Mikey asked, as she set water on the stove for tea
She tried to avoid his face, he reminded her to much of…
"LH" She managed to spit out
"Something important?" Raph asked, an eye ridged raised
"Not really" She said quickly, trying to avoid…
Still she caught sight of it, that damn red bandanna. Why? Why did the hothead have to have the same colored bandanna as Tori's hair? Why?
The sadness rose up inside her, pushing it down she made her tea. Sipping it, despite the fact that it was scalding hot, she tried to distract herself from the pain.
"Well it must have been, you were gone for two hours" Leo commented, staring at her
Letting herself look into his eyes, she was calmed. Putting on a show was easier; no longer did she feel the constant weight of burden.
"Well I've been dead for five years, we had a lot to catch up on" Jasmine said, telling the half truth
"Ya hear that Mikey, she's a zombie!" Raph butted in
She giggled, before playing along.
"I will eat your brains!" She growled, staggering towards the orange bandanna
"I'm not scared" He replied
Fixing a blank stare to her face, she moaned before reaching for him.
"AHH!" Mikey screamed, running away
"Good one" Don complimented
"Thanks" Raph replied
Finishing her tea, she set the cup in the sink. Everything would be fine, she could do this. Only a few more minutes, then she could escape to her room. There were no peering eyes there, only a soft pillow.
But then everything changed, with four words.
Mikey delivered them, poking his head back into the kitchen.
"What can't catch me?"
That did it, no more pretending. The barrier broke, memories flooding into her mind. She fell of a cliff inside her mind, the darkness overtaking her.
Four little words, one question.
That's what broke her.
On the other side of the city, he watched the city rage below him. The city was bustling with life, so were the rooftops. Still they were searching for the turtles, with instructions to call their master with any sightings. Beside him were a dozen or so foot soldiers. His fellow elite were doing the same he was, leading a group across the city.
More groups search meant more of a chance of finding them.
He hoped that she and the others stayed inside.
They kept looking, as the night grew darker above them.
Leaping over the city, their laughter rang out.
She was in the back, watching her sister's backs.
This was the last night before…she had to go away
She didn't want to leave, but it was her orders. She was ordered to leave them, alone without her. Staying and protecting them was all she wanted to do…
The three had insisted on taking one last patrol before they were separated.
Suddenly a touch interrupted her thoughts, a slap to her arm
"Tag! You're it!" Alice shouted before darting away
"Run for your life, it siszilla!" Tori yelled sarcastically
She chuckled, before running after them. Easily she could have overtaken them, but she gave them the small hope that they would escape her.
Finally she narrowed in on a target…Simone
Noticing her sister's intent, the grey bandanna teleported away
"Not fair!" She growled in irritation
"What can't catch me?" Simone taunted
With a burst of speed, she appeared right behind her.
"Of course I can" She whispered in her sister's ear
The game went on, the night inscribing itself in her memory as her happiest memory of her sisters.
She felt the tears stream down her eyes, a pair of arms wrapped around her. She knew who is was, who surrounded her.
Leo, her brothers
Never did she want to open her eyes, not wanting to face them.
But she had to and she did…
Wiping away the tears, she looked for their reactions. All of them were confused, but also concerned.
"You okay?" Raph asked, as Leo stood her back up
Gently he set her back on her feet, with the utmost care.
She wanted to speak, but she knew that only sobs would come out. So she only nodded a lie…no she was not okay, but her answer was yes.
Calm down she told herself.
"I'm just tired" She whispered, giving them an explanation
The next thing she knew a hand was pulling her along, away from the others. Looking to the source, she saw Mikey smiling at her. The others followed slowly behind them.
"Then why didn't you go to bed silly?" He asked
She just smiled, as she was lead into her room. She turned in the doorway telling them that this was as far as they needed to go. A chorus of "good nights!" rang out, and then her brothers were gone only leaving Leo.
"Night" He said softly
"Goodnight" She replied, before giving him her own good night kiss
Moments passed in till the two separated, and then she slowly closed the door. Throwing herself in bed, she hoped to banish the memories. She hoped the worst would not come out to haunt her, the one buried the deepest.
Then sleep overtook us, but little did she know her wishes were not to be respected. The darkness was coming to the surface, ready to remind her of that night…
…the night she lost it all.
"Don?" Leo spoke
The four were standing in the living room, right out of her earshot.
"I'll run some tests in the morning, there's no reason for her to collaspe" The purple bandanna answered
"But this is what the third time this has happened? There must be something going on" Raph added
"There were tears on her cheeks" Mikey commented, making them fall silent
"She'll tell us when she's ready" Leo said
They all wondered, would she every be ready? Ready to tell them her full past, tell them everything?
No one knew the answer.
"Gnight" Mikey sighed, before heading to his bed
Don started to head towards his lab, when Leo cut him off.
"Bed" Leo suggested
"But…" Don started to argue
"You can do it tomorrow" Leo reminded him, steering him towards his room
"Fine" grumbled the younger, entering his room
That left only the two elders.
"You going to bed?" Leo asked
"What you aren't going to drag me off?" Raph snorted
"No, you're too heavy" Leo shot back
"That's muscle" Raph growled
"Whatever" The eldest chuckled
"I'm going to stay out here" The red bandanna said suddenly
"Why?" Leo asked
"I have a feeling that she's going to need us tonight" Raph answered
"You have a feeling?" Leo raised an eye ridge
"No, something is going to happen…I just know it" the answer came
"And you would know this how?" The elder asked
"I just do" Raph replied
"Psychic Raph…." Leo snorted
"Ha very funny" Raph muttered
"I'll take first watch then"
"Wake me and we'll switch"
"Midnight?"
"Fine with me"
With that the two separated, Raph heading towards his room. Leo settled on the couch, wondering what his brother meant.
She is going to need us? How?
His thoughts were overcome with sleepiness, but he ignored it. Finally his eye lids drooped and he blinked several times to stay awake.
Listening to the sounds around him, he heard the regular breathing of his brothers and Jasmine. The subway rattled faintly above his head, water running through the pipes.
Everything was fine, everything was normal.
Only for a moment, he thought, I will just rest my eyes.
Finally his light brown eyes closed, with the reassurance that the lair was at peace and not in any danger.
For a moment it was silent, only the sounds of sleeping turtles being heard.
…then a scream split the silence
"NO!"
His eyes flew open…
…she needed them
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