Disclaimer: I do not own any of the TMNT, but I do happen to have a younger brother who is in possession of some of their merchandise. I would in a heartbeat do anything to own the TMNT, so if you guys have any suggestions on how I can make my dream a reality, please let me know! Also whoever parked their green mustang in front of my driveway, would you please remove it by 2:30, or I'll be forced to call a tow truck.
So, how are you all doing? Good? That's great!
Here's the deal: in this chapter, there will be many couple-y moments, so I warn you beforehand that this chapter is not for those who can't stand romantic walks along the beach and vomit at the thought of watching the sunset with their hand in someone else's. I'm sorry it must be this way, but I just couldn't stop myself. I am ashamed. Don't worry, once I get a few more stories up, there will be much more blood and gore! Heehee.
Also, it's only been an hour since where we left off. Plenty of daylight for an afternoon of fun.
On with the chapter!
After a long sun Rachel sits up and stretches, her sun kissed torso flexing to the movement. As she pulls her shorts and tank top back on, her attention is caught by the breathtaking rocky cliffs beyond the thick wood. Eyes never leaving the rock face, she asks, "Does anyone want to go on a hike?"
Leo knows it's now or never to get some alone time with Rachel, so he pipes up, "I'd like to," and stands up from his cross legged position, brushing the sand from the backs of his legs. Rachel smiles to herself and leads the way across the asphalt road over to the tree line, her eyes plastered to the ground as they stroll to the sharp vertical ridges ahead of them. They walk up the uneven terrain of rock with only a few words between them until Rachel asks Leo right out of the blue, "How do you and your family stay so close?"
For a second, he thinks she's joking or being sarcastic, but when she doesn't say anything else he replies, "Well, we try to talk to each other, and we grew up somewhere with not too many people our age, so I guess staying together for hours on end made us bond, whether we wanted to or not."
Nodding, Rachel admits, "My family doesn't really get along well. My older brother has always been full of himself and rebellious, thinking he doesn't even need us, or anyone for that matter. My parents were constantly getting on his case about being so selfish all the time and getting in trouble when finally at nineteen, he left home. He's 27 now, and I haven't seen him in…gosh, it must be three or four years. Last I heard, he was working in a big organization as a manager for a sector of this big tech company and dating some girl who was his secretary. At least that's what my parents gathered from his last phone call home, which was about six weeks ago.
"Because my parents constantly had their hands full with my brother, I always tried so hard to be good and quiet, and they never really got to know me with all the stress and the arguments, not to mention the stone cold silence after every fight that I didn't dare break, lest I would get my head chopped off.
"I guess not knowing me as much as they thought they should made them a little more tearful when I moved out a year ago, but I visit them at least once a week. They've been trying to do a lot for me these past eight years, and it's kind of funny to see my parents acting like they're still thirty five and kicking. My parents are the best and they love me so much, it's hard to imagine what they've put on the line for me.
"Even though we haven't seen my brother since Christmas about three years ago, his presence hangs heavy in our house. It's not like we pretend he doesn't exist; we just avoid talking about him because it's a little awkward to talk about all that's happened in our family. I just feel like it's my fault someti—"
She's cut off as she loses her footing and nearly tumbles backward to the sharp rocks twenty feet below. Thanks to Leo's lightning fast reflexes, he's able to hook his arms under hers, grasp her shoulder blades and pull her tightly to his chest, stopping her fall. Chancing to glance over her shoulder to where she would have fallen hadn't Leo been there, she breathes gratefully, "Thank you, Leo."
His grip on her slackens slightly making her heart leap back to her throat, but then she remembers, 'Leo wouldn't let me fall. I mean, he just caught me like, two seconds ago!'
Poor Leo's knees had buckled at Rachel's proximity and her genuine thankful words reverberating through his head. 'What's the matter with you? Don't let your guard down!' his brain screams at him, but he ignores it, allowing his mind to wander.
'She's so incredible, I feel so much at once around her. Naturally, I make an idiot of myself when I'm with her all the time but she doesn't seem to mind, just laughs and gives me a peck or something. How did I get so lucky? She had so many choices that night we met, why'd she pick me? It makes no sense…"
He only now realizes that she has her eyes completely focused on him and from just that look, he can tell she likes him, and it goes without saying that he feels just as strongly about her. The problem is it's so hard to find the courage, not to mention the words, to tell her. Rachel blinks suddenly and to Leo's disappointment slides out of his possession, continuing her climb. Leo releases a great gush of air, the moment to tell her gone by and follows her, the duo scaling the cliff slowly but surely.
When Leo finally has both feet firmly on the plateau, he lends his hands to Rachel to help with her last few steps. They look out at the beauty far below and beyond, breathing slightly labored from the climb. Searching for a sign of life, Rachel is oddly comforted that it seems she and Leo are the only two on earth. She wraps her arms around her body and hugs herself, then flings them out to catch the cool breeze, her long hair billowing away from her face.
Leo's eyes are fixed on her, the urge to tell Rachel how he feels nudging him. However, his pride forces his mouth to stay clamped shut. Rachel twists around to smile at Leo and feels the smile practically fall off her face, her arms dropping to her sides with a loud clap as she spots the conflict in Leo's dark eyes. Almost silently she pads over to him and slips her arms tightly around his body, resting her head on his shoulder with her eyes closed. His arms lay limp for a until an instinct kicks in and he hugs her about the waist, burying his nose into her hair to inhale the scent of her chestnut mane. In Leo's opinion, this is both the most frightening and amazing moment of his life. He just doesn't know which feeling to go with.
Vanessa releases a short sigh and mourns, "I can't even practice my Martial arts anymore, there's no one to fight with. I used to have uncle Mortu and grandpa, but now there's nobody."
"Do ya wanna practice right now? 'Cause I'll go against ya if ya want," Raph volunteers willingly. Shaking her head, Vanessa replies, "That's really sweet Raph, but it doesn't seem right to show off in front of everybody."
Her excuse is weak. Casey and April are too absorbed in yet another disagreement to notice anything around them, Sam and Mikey are making sandcastles with concentration, and Lily is towing Don in the opposite direction along the shoreline. Grinning at Don's gift of charming girls without even trying, Mikey's immaturity, and Casey's inability to either win an argument against April or back down, Raph remarks, "I don't think that'll be a problem."
The sight of her amused smile transforming in mere seconds to a sad expression drives Raph to offer, "Master Splinter could be yer Sensei."
This thought hadn't ever crossed her mind, and she looks up at him asking, "Could he? I mean, if it wasn't a bother?"
"It won't be," he assures, giving her a kiss on the forehead as he pulls her to her feet. Taking in a deep breath, Vanessa frees her hands and strides purposefully over to Master Splinter, kneeling in front of him and distracting the man from the strange conversation between Sam and Mikey. Shyly Vanessa ducks her head and mumbles, "Splinter, I was wondering...could you t-teach me…teach me…" Damn, she can't even get the words out! Taking in a breath, Vanessa blurts, "Could you instruct me in ninjitsu?"
Her eyes are so hopeful and Splinter's not one to be cruel, but it's so hard to trust after fifteen years in the shadows because of this exact fear; the fear of their secret getting out. Of course, she was friends with the Utroms, yet that means nothing in the great scheme of things. Master Splinter is fully aware that the danger of the Foot and the Purple Dragons has been escalating lately, especially since that Foot ambush recently as well as the ninja searching the sewers yet again for their home, and knows that the girls will need to be enlightened eventually, perhaps even taught how to defend themselves. Giving Vanessa a chance seems the best solution, so he orders, "Spar with Raphael. I would like to evaluate your skills."
Vanessa looks a little nervous as she rises and dusts the sand from her legs, moving to stand across from Raph, now planted a few meters from her. A bit intimidated, she bows respectfully toward her opponent, straightening and taking a fighting stance, prepared for anything. As she predicted, he rushes in quickly to attack her only moments after he bows.
'That is typical Raph,' Vanessa says to herself and awaits his assault calmly though she's not entirely sure she can block him. As his fist comes forward to hit her she takes the impact to her forearm, blocking the opposite as he throws another punch at her. Not too fazed, Raph tries to hit her in various places, sending his foot in randomly with moves that are bound to send anyone flying. But she just won't stay still! Dodging, ducking, blocking…it's impossible to hit her.
Now he's ticked. Chucking the idea of tiring Vanessa, Raph takes up the more accurate and effective approach. He feints to the left and tries to spin kick her across the face, yet with her fast reflexes Vanessa ducks the onslaught, then takes the plunge, hitting his abdomen with a powerful punch. Her fist makes him stagger back, and Raph promptly regains his balance, wincing slightly at the pain in his stomach.
Determination taking over, Raph lunges toward her, fist clenched so tightly that his knuckles blanch, and throws a perfectly aimed hit at her arm, following up with a sweep of the leg. To his dismay, Vanessa leaps over his leg and snatches his wrist, twisting it and flipping him over her shoulder. Landing hard on his back, Raphael growls and kicks up his legs to right himself. They circle each other for a few tense seconds with eyes locked until Vanessa charges in rapidly and attempts to hit him half a dozen times, denied each impact. Losing her patience, she does a round house kick sure to knock anyone off their feet. That is, anybody but Raph, who's ready. He gives her a wide berth, catching her leg in mid-attack and slams her body against the sand where she lands harshly on her side, hissing quietly in pain. Vanessa allows a grunt to pass her lips and twists her legs abruptly, knocking Raph onto his back as well. The loosening of Raph's grip on her ankle lets Vanessa wriggle out of his grasp. Vanessa readies to deliver a finishing blow but is tackled by Raph who presses her into the ground on her back. Squirming to free herself, Vanessa has to squint because of the sun to get a good look at his face, now covered completely by a smirk that claims he's the winner.
Set against permitting him victory, Vanessa turns over with all her might so that Raph is beneath her and uses her knees and elbows to effectively pin him to the sand. Putting all her strength into holding him, she doesn't notice the slight bend of his knee, which he uses to shove her off of him, getting to his feet. He eyes her, crouched low to the ground and ready to pounce. Raph assumes he's tired Vanessa and rushes in to finish the fight.
Once he is close enough to reach, Vanessa kicks her foot out like a flash and nails him in the chest. Raph falls backward forcefully and falls to the ground. He is about to lift himself up but Vanessa lands lightly on him, one foot pressing near his throat, the other crushing his arm. Breathing heavily, Raph says, "You won."
Hopping off of him, Vanessa lets him stand by himself and bows deeply to him, thinking it funny this is the third time she's knocked him off his feet today. 'No wait…fourth.'
He bows back shallowly, disappointed he has been beaten by his girlfriend, but he hopes her performance has impressed his Sensei. Both heads turns sharply to the sound of Master Splinter's voice. "You have done well and fought honorably, Miss McMillan. I am very pleased that you wish to be my student, and I believe that you would be a great addition to our training sessions."
Absolutely beaming, Vanessa bows graciously in his direction, then lifting her head slings her arms around Raph's neck, burying her face in his neck and kissing him. A blush crawling over his cheeks, Raph waits embarrassedly until she releases him. Vanessa's face is flushed too, and he can't tell if it's from the exertion or something else.
Mikey and Sam sit together on the soft sand with wide eyes, surprised at the outcome of the brawl.
"Holy shoot," Sam breathes, unaware the tallest tower of her sand castle has crumbled. The only thing that sidetracks her from gaping at Vanessa and Raph is the glimpse she gets of a guitar case beneath April's resting arm. Ignoring the urge to yell, 'That's a musical instrument, not an armrest!' Sam stands up and wanders over, asking, "Whose guitar?"
"It was my grandpa's. Thought I'd bring it ta see if anyone wanted ta play it," Casey replies casually with his arm around April's shoulder.
"May I?" Sam wonders, and he gives her a nod, insisting, "Knock yourself out."
She moves April's arm from the guitar case and opens it up, sliding her fingers gingerly down the strings as she absorbs its rich redwood stain and smoothly carved body. Sam lifts the guitar carefully from its case and placing it on her knee and presses her index, middle and ring fingers on a few of the stings in a chord, the instrument releasing a soft sigh as she runs her thumb across the strings.
"Hey, you're pretty good," Casey remarks. April bobs her head in agreement and asks, "Do you play?"
"I dabble," Sam responds lightly and moves her fingers expertly from chord to chord as she strums, humming quietly for a few moments before she adds, "I took lessons for a year, then I learned the rest from my Dad."
Mikey comes up behind her and smiles as the sound of her voice moving effortlessly through the song reaches his ears. He finds it impossible to tear his eyes away from her fingers dancing on the neck of the guitar along the shimmering strings confidently. He can tell that this is her element, she looks so comfortable. Sam changes to another more familiar song and Mikey begins to murmur it faintly along with her. Seeing the small crowd, Raph and Vanessa move closer to hear better, Vanessa grinning at Sam as she stares off toward the water, her eyes sparkling as she sings and plays her song.
As she watches the pair singing 'Wonderwall' sotto voice, Mikey's chin resting on Sam's shoulder, April's sisterly feelings toward Mikey make it so she can't help but think, 'Sam and Mikey look so cute together!'
There's no doubt in April's mind that Sam is head over heels for Mikey, and if the day he came to her house to help out with the shop and ended up talking about Sam the whole time says anything, he's crazy about her. To be honest, April's truly relieved that each of the boys have found someone special. She prefers that to every single one of them mooning over her because she's one of the only girls they know and see more than once a month. It gets especially weird around their mating season. As her mind mulls over how it used to be, the memory of Raph kissing her full on the mouth one night when he came to help her with car trouble pops into her head without warning. April's eyes snap closed as she tries to erase the odd recollection from her mind, glad that those days are over.
Giving her head a jerk before she opens her eyes again, another smile creeps over April's face as her vision pinpoints on Raph with his arms wrapped protectively around Vanessa, the two looking on with amusement. 'What a big softie.'
April is most impressed with Leo's progress, how his constant vigil over his brothers has gone from suffocating to comforting. Instead of watching and criticizing every single move his brothers make, he's off hiking with a girl he likes…alone! Getting to Leo's heart is a feat in itself, let alone keeping him coming back for more. April cannot believe that Leo's so drawn in by a girl; he always seemed immune to hormones, though she felt a little weird around him at first. It was like he could see right through her. Talk about unnerving.
April frowns slightly at Don's recent jumpiness, as he flushes crimson any time Mikey or Raph makes a reference to Lily. Supposing it's only Don coping with his new relationship, April brushes it off as nothing to worry about, though resolves to keep a close eye on him.
'They're just growing up so fast,' April says to herself, grinning as Vanessa bats Raph on the nose playfully and immediately hightails it. Raph follows close behind and Mikey decides it will be funny if he sticks his leg out and trips his brother. Then, Vanessa's not the only one being chased, both her and Mikey taunting and teasing Raph as the two ninja leap about, getting on his final nerve.
"You two are gonna get it when I catch either of ya alone," he threatens pointing a finger at them. A wicked grin spreading over his face, Mikey teases, "I know what that means for you, Nessa," winking at her and cackling loudly as Raph suddenly understands Mikey's implication. Vanessa laughs uproariously as Raph's face becomes fiery red, and she jokes, "I'll be looking forward to that, Raph."
Lily breathes in the ocean mist deeply with her eyes closed against the sunset that bursts forth with color. Her bare feet are licked at by the cool waves as she pads down the shore with Don by her side, her hand clasping his loosely. Don looks at her beautiful features, silhouetted by the blazing sun, her hair an organized mess of little blonde ringlets pulled together by elastic at the back of her head. Her pale skin tinted is pink across her shoulders, collarbone and cheeks from the sun, and her long slender nose turns up gently at the tip. The long lashes surrounding her emerald eyes fan out, and she has a relaxed, faint smile defining her mouth. When she senses Don watching, Lily opens her eyes and turns to look at him with a confused expression on her face. Her heart nearly skips a beat as a slow smile spreads his lips, Don's dark, curl framed eyes twinkling with a secret. Smiling uncertainly at the look on his face, Lily asks obliviously, "What?"
"Nothing," he replies, his huge brown eyes unwavering on her face.
"That 'nothing' didn't sound like nothing. Seriously, what?" she presses, stopping to show she's intent on getting an answer. He pushes the thick, damp chestnut curls from his eyes and replies simply, "I'm looking at the most beautiful thing I've ever seen."
"And what is that?" Lily inquires, fishing for compliments. The blush on her cheeks becomes even deeper and her face falls slightly as Don answers, "The sunset, it's incredible." Her disappointment tangible, Don smiles and finishes with a gentle voice, "Unfortunately for the sunset, you got in my line of vision and took its spot."
Lily's cheeks flush even deeper, though that's nearly impossible, and she looks down at her sandy feet saying, "Wow, I'm surprised I got that high on the list."
A softness in his voice rarely used, Don turns to face her completely and murmurs without even thinking, "Why are you so surprised? You're the most beautiful girl I've ever met."
Smiling even broader, Lily uses the hold she has on his hand and pulls him to her lips, her free hand moving up to cup the back of his neck gently. In an attempt to receive some more fervor on his part, she inhales a shallow breath, pressing her own body closer to his. Intimidated, Don releases himself and lets out a deep breath, eyes darting to the sand at their feet.
"I'm sorry," he mumbles guiltily at her disappointment, and is curious when she bends over to pick up something from the ground. Returning to an upright position, Lily grabs his hand and opens it to lay flat forcefully, placing a jade piece of sea glass atop his palm. He looks at it a moment before she replies, "It's okay."
His fingers close around it and he looks up at her, his apologetic smile showing his gratitude. She returns it brilliantly, then her expression becoming more mischievous, she giggles, "Race you back!"
They arrive at the beach blankets panting and act as if nothing happened, though they're asked many questions. The only way anyone could figure out anything is if they saw the piece of sea glass Don was clutching tightly in his hand.
Lifting his head to the darkening sky, Leo nudges Rachel and suggests, "We'd better get back to the beach, it's pretty late."
"Nooo," Rachel moans softly, snuggling into his chest. Leo rolls his eyes and jostles her again, insisting in a gentle voice, "Come on, let's go."
"Fine," Rachel sighs and lets go of him, trudging along behind him drowsily. They descend the large cliff face more quickly than they climbed it, the footholds and crevices easier to find than on the way up, and reach the ground in record time. The silence is practically deafening as they walk through the thick trees, surrounded by the foliage of deciduous trees, the needles of pine and spruce, and the chirping of crickets. Without taking her eyes from the break in the density of branches ahead of them, Rachel asks quietly, "How was that?"
Confused, Leo wonders, "How was what?". A little hurt by his answer, Rachel stops abruptly and demands with the sound of tears in her voice, "Were you not there for the last hour? Did you not feel it too?"
'Nice going, stupid! Now that she's upset, how are you going to tell her how you feel?' his brain chides, and to save himself from a fight he really doesn't feel like having, Leo replies softly, "Of course I did. You were there with me."
Her shoulders relax in relief, and considerably satisfied, she continues to walk through the trunks, pushing branches from her face. It's a surprise when she feels him catch her by the wrist and pull her back to meet his lips, soft and warm against hers, holding on firmly. He doesn't want to let go, but he knows he'll have to sooner or later.
'I pick later,' he resolves and kisses her more deeply. Rachel tumbles into his embrace, caught once again off guard by the mystery that is Leonardo. A fascinating creature indeed, and one she finds herself drawn to forcefully, something she doesn't know if she should be ecstatic or worried about. 'Only one way to find out, I guess,' she says to herself, and finally pulls back. Breathing in deeply, she manages to whisper, "That was…different."
Raising his eyebrow, Leo asks, "Was it a good 'different'?"
A smile creeping over her lips, Rachel replies, "Yes. Excellent, in fact."
Leo finds himself practically beaming to the compliment but noticing suddenly that the sky has become even darker, he says, "We'd better get a move on."
"Right," she agrees, and they jog back to the beach swiftly.
As two dark figures approach them, Mikey and Lily wave them over, Rachel and Leo overtaking the last sixty feet in less than seven seconds. They arrive panting and Rachel bends over to catch her breath, releasing a huge yawn behind her hand and rubbing at the crustiness of her eyes. Curious, Raph inquires casually, "What have you two been up ta?"
"Nothing," Rachel and Leo answer a little too quickly, although Rachel's grin and Leo's flush say otherwise. Once Rachel catches up to the other girls, Raph smirks at her back and nudges Leo, commending, "Nice goin', Fearless."
Shoving Raph lightly with his shoulder, Leo replies, "I don't know what you're talking about, Raph," and walks calmly past his brother. Raph rolls his eyes and shakes his head, laughing inwardly at his eldest brother's secrecy.
Yay! Another chapter done!
Okay, only one more installment of the 'Vacation Series' as I call it to go, and then we're back to the real plot. I just wrote this because it was a chance for these characters to bond and for me to have fun with their hormones. Hehehe. So, Not much happened in this chapter, but at least they all got their couple moments! And guess what? There are more to come! Woot!
I thought that it was pretty funny that April was like their big sister in this chapter, crooning over how cute they are with their girlfriends and such. The only differences are that she's a completely different species, they're not blood related, and brothers usually don't kiss their sisters. Naughty Raphie!
So I guess that's all.
Okay, please review!
Peace,
The Light Of Reason