New Chapter! Finally!
Chapter 12
Awake
With a huff, Andromeda finished sparring with Nerissa, sweat dripping off her hair and body.
Nerissa panted," You've gotten good!"
Andromeda rolled her eyes," Duh, I've got a ninja for a boyfriend!"
Nerissa raised an eye ridge," Raphael's your boyfriend? Since when?"
"Since we met." Andromeda chuckled as she toweled off, adding," What about you?"
Nerissa shrugged," I'm not in a hurry, Andromeda."
Andromeda nodded," Oh, right, we've just barely become adults…no need to rush…but if you haven't noticed, Donatello is starry-eyed for Eos, and she's starry-eyed for him, and Daphne's already settled with Mikey, and Mikey follows her around like a starving puppy…which leaves your brother and Leonardo. Since your brother is MINE, what about you and Leo?"
Nerissa snapped," I'M NOT IN A HURRY!!!! Right now, I could care less about what he thinks of me!!"
Andromeda snapped," Like hell you could! Why don't you just admit it?!"
Nerissa snapped," Admit WHAT?!"
"You like Leo!"
Nerissa groaned and snarled," SO WHAT? So what? Yes, I like him, but I'm not rushing to get a boyfriend! What's the hurry? And WHY do you care?!"
Andromeda rolled her eyes," Well, I noticed you've been kinda tiptoeing around him. You seem to be somewhat depressed. I thought that maybe there was a connection. Do you worry that he doesn't like you? Cause he does." Andromeda added with a devilish grin.
Nerissa quivered slightly. It was true, she had been more quiet then usual…but it wasn't just the way the relationships were changing between her sisters and their new friends…her brother's brothers…HER brothers. Ay-yi-yi…
She rolled her eyes and tried to get a leash on the retort that was building in her throat," I don't care, Andro. And it's not your business!"
As Nerissa turned to walk away, Andromeda taunted," Are you really that detached? Or are you just afraid?"
Nerissa stiffened and turned around, her blue eyes blazing with anger. She started phasing, becoming solid and then transparent, as her breath raged in short huffs. But she turned and was gone, before she could lose control of her wrath.
Andromeda winced as she muttered," And WHY, for the love of Petros, can't I keep my damn mouth shut?"
***
Nerissa stood on a rooftop, invisible to the eye.
Moodily, she thought," Why, now, WHY is Andromeda concerned about my romantic life? It's none of her business…and there's nothing even there! Leonardo hasn't spoken to me, and I haven't spoken to him, except to ask for guidance in my fight training. That's all!…So why am I so moody? I've never felt this confused before in my entire life…"
She looked down, and muttered," Father, I wish you were here."
***
April hummed softly to herself as she began to close up her shop. She couldn't wait to go out with Casey tonight! She smiled to herself, wondering where he'd take her. He had said it was going to be a surprise, and April rolled her eyes slightly, he was such a kid sometimes…
The bell jingled, and April said," You have about five minutes before I clos-"
She stopped short as she saw Karai, standing there in her doorway. The cruel young woman smiled tightly, "Five minutes is all I require, Ms. O'Neil. Please tell your friends, the turtles, that we have something…something of value to them. If they wish to see it, they must give up their female friends. That is all. Good-night, Ms. O'Neil."
Karai turned to walked away, but April cried out," Wait! What do you have? WHO do you have?!"
Karai turned and smiled bitterly," A man named Horatio Nikki Munroe."
***
Raphael paused as Nerissa walked back into the Lair and he asked," Hey, Rissa, where've you been?"
"Out." She replied testily.
He raised an eye-ridge," Did you and Andromeda have another fight?"
Nerissa sighed," Something like that, but more importantly…I NEEDED TO GET OUT!!"
The hot-headed ninja winced as he realized that Nerissa was like him in many more respects then just DNA. She needed to get out and roam as much as he did…
With this in mind, Raphael hesitantly asked," Do you like Motorcycles?"
Pausing in her steps, Nerissa nodded, smiling," yes, I do. I've ridden a few motorcycles before, and I'm quite good at it, if I do say so myself." Her blue eyes sparkled with the memory.
Raphael stood up and beckoned, "Let me show you something."
She followed him, wondering what was on her brother's mind. Since finding out she had a brother, Nerissa had taken the time to try to get to know him. He reminded her of Andromeda in so many ways, and yet, she saw that instead of talking about what he felt, he tended to bottle it in... And that's where he and she were alike.
He took her to the garage and pulled a white sheet off the most beautiful bike she had ever seen.
"Oh…it's so…it's wonderful!" she breathed as she gazed at the bike, staying a respectful distance from it, as Raphael lovingly brushed the handlebars.
"Look, Nerissa, This is my MOST prized possession…but if you ever need to get out, you can borrow this. Just…don't hurt it."
Nerissa stared at him, before squealing and throwing her arms around him, "Thank you!!! Oh my stars, Raphael, that is too wild! You're really giving me permission to ride your bike?!"
"Yeah…I hope I don't regret it." Raphael muttered.
She laughed softly," Remember, I'm the one with the level head?"
"Yeah, so's Leo and that doesn't stop him from every now and then doing something stupid." Raphael rolled his eyes.
Nerissa rolled her own eyes, "For the love of Petros, I'm NOT Leo!"
Raphael grinned and ruffled her hair," I never said that, sis."
She smiled at the name.
"Thank you, brother."
Eos poked her head into the garage, 'Excuse me, mon amis, but April is here, and she said she's got some big news that everyone needs to hear."
Raphael and Nerissa followed the raven-haired turtle into the living room, where the others waited.
April was slightly pale as she cleared her throat," Hello, Nerissa, Raphael."
"Hey, Ape, what's up?" Raphael asked," Casey acting like a bonehead again?"
April smiled slightly and shook her head," No…Karai came by my shop. She told me to tell you that the Foot is holding a man named Horatio Nikki Munroe…but I don't even know who that is…do you guys know someone with that name?"
Nerissa froze, Eos paled and Daphne and Andromeda BOTH shrieked," WHAT?!"
Eos quavered," Our father…is alive?"
Andromeda shuddered," no… it can't be! He's dead! We saw him get shot…MULTIPILE TIMES!!!!!" she screamed.
Daphne softly whimpered," How? How can he be alive?"
Nerissa was silent. She was thinking hard…about that night…
She had tried SO hard to forget it…but now, she dredged up painful memories… The gunshots and screams…the smell of fire and gunpowder…
Blood and suffering, guilt and shame as she and her sisters were taken captive…
She looked up, her eyes glowering as she snarled," What do they want?"
April looked at her with sadness.
"They want you and your sisters, Nerissa."
Nerissa nodded tightly," Good then."
Andromeda nodded grimly.
Eos held up a hand," wait, wait, what do you mean, good then? No, no, there's got to be a way we can save our father AND us."
Daphne asked plaintively," How?"
Raphael snarled," Yeah, Nerissa, There's no way I'm letting you just go!"
Leonardo nodded," We'll think of something, Nerissa, but you are NOT just going to give yourself up without a fight."
Nerissa smiled crookedly," What makes you think that I'm giving up without a bleedin' fight?"
***
I have never been so confused in my entire life.
I fully expected to wake in the Underworld, a spirit, no less. Instead, I wake, fully clothed in my flesh, looking up through some sort of glass, which now begins to hiss as it opens.
Slowly, I sit up, and I look around.
"Welcome back to the land of the living, Horatio Munroe." A cold voice sneers, and I stiffen. I remember that voice…
"You son of a devil! You bastard of Tartarus! How DARE you attack my daughters and myself? Where are they? What have you done?!" I growl, my voice hoarse, good Zeus, it's like I haven't used my voice in years…
"I have not done anything to them…well, not lately." The dark-skinned abomination sneers as I stumble from the chamber I was in.
"You have been healed and kept in a state of hibernation. I thought perhaps you would come in handy if my precious little experiments ever took it to their heads to escape. It was a sad mistake of our's to try to kill you along with the rest of that caravan."
I struggle to comprehend…"How long have I slept?! What have you done to my daughters? Where is my Nerissa? My Eos? Sweet Daphne and fiery Andromeda?"
"You are a poetic man…for living as a fisherman!" the man sneers as two black-clothed and masked men come into the room. They take my arms and I struggle for a moment before I realize how weak I am…
"That's right, come easy and you will see your daughters soon enough."
I squeeze my eyes shut at the maniacal laugh. My daughters, my children, oh gifts of the sea…
Where are you now?
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