The Den was quiet, and Raphael hated the silence. He was frustrated by the reappearance of the "ghost" of the Akiudo, but even more so by the idea that Yukiko might be leading them.
If that woman's out there – and it's a pretty big if, he thought begrudgingly. I wager she could still do a lot of damage without Takashi around. Daichi made a mess of things for us, but he blundered his way through it. If Yukiko had been here, it wouldn't have been so easy to get Brandon back. And Donny would have either been dead on the spot or a captive right along with Bran.
Raphael shifted on his perch near the van entrance to the sewer, staring outside bleakly. He felt like running with the newfound strength in his legs that he'd worked so hard to attain in the months following his crushing injury from the earthquake. Even though he was capable of making the trek now, there would be no going out alone, not any time in the near future. Leo had made sure to state that emphatically earlier that day.
While the strong-willed turtle didn't like it, he had to agree with Leonardo. We don't have a darn clue what's out there, or who we could be coming up against.
In the deepest recesses of his mind, the red-masked turtle was afraid. The notion that Takashi might have a ground plan for getting back into the United States was disturbing to say the least. Takashi wouldn't have a plan if he didn't think he could pull it off. Shell, they broke Blackford out of prison so they could use him against us. Who's to say they won't try something like that with Takashi?
The Akiudo's brilliance in utilizing Blackford, a bounty hunter who was already familiar with the turtles, had almost been the end of Raphael. He could still remember the night in Chelsea, and it brought up a sick feeling in his stomach that he'd hoped he'd never have to feel again.
He and Mike had been ambushed at Luke's former home along with some of the women, in an assault that climaxed with Yukiko's naginata plunging through his plastron, and the Akiudo leaving him for dead.
I told myself if I had the chance to confront her again, Yukiko would be finished for sure. I got the meeting I wanted, and I thought it was over, but now everything's upside down. Did I get it wrong? I swear her heartbeat disappeared after I hit her with that injection she was trying to use on me. I didn't imagine it – I couldn't have!
Raphael growled angrily as he changed positions. But if she's not calling the shots, who is? I guess Daichi could have been lying, and told his goons that he'd been "sent" to earn some more credibility with them. But no…Fearless said he was talking to some other source on the phone, complaining about not having enough resources.
There's got to be some other leader in the mix. If it's honestly Yukiko, I'm driving a stake through her heart this time. Nobody messes with my family. Nobody is gonna get away with what they did to Donny and Bran.
Another growl erupted as he shifted again, and flopped back down on the edge of the tunnel. I need something else to do. I wanna know where the next target is so I can go after it, instead of sitting around waiting for it to attack me or someone else I care about.
With the invasion of Greg and Brandon's apartment, it suddenly felt like no one could be safe on the surface. He didn't even like the thought that April had gone home temporarily, or that Tim and Victoria were continuing to stay above ground.
I feel like they're just sitting ducks for any good warriors that come along. Tim has his gun, but that didn't stop Daichi from nearly killing him. I mean, we might not have the most room in the world down here, but better safe than dead. Raphael heaved a heavy sigh. It's possible the Akiudo might not connect any of them with us. Greg was pretty obvious because of the way he turned up in the international news last time, and then he was in Okinawa with us. I just don't like taking the chance along with everything else that's already gone wrong.
He was weary of thinking and of all the questions. Raphael willfully quieted his mind, and observed what he could see of the outside world. The lights of the city were undimmed, but this wasn't how he preferred to look at them.
From inside the tunnel the two worlds barely overlapped, and the turtle felt far removed from New York. His present isolation made him feel colder than ice. Raphael's first choice was to be above the city, at a safe distance from lights and activity, but still a silent partner with the life that carried on below him.
He pondered the shadows that were surrounding the open tunnel, instinctively studying each corner in the lingering twilight, as though an enemy could be hiding there. The darkness was both his ally and his opponent. The turtles relied heavily upon the cover of night for their ability to move without being seen, and the chance to make a difference in the world surrounding them.
At the same time, Raphael often felt choked by the constant darkness within which was their only option to live. The bright vision of Lotus Salvus often lingered at the forefront of his mind. The "refuge" to which they'd retreated in the mountains of North Carolina after the earthquake possessed bad memories for Raphael of his helplessness in being unable to walk, and of Mike's own fight for survival.
Yet in that place they'd also been exposed to light and the natural beauty of the Earth for a longer period of time than he or his brothers had ever experienced. Closest thing to Paradise that we've ever had. Now part of me is wishing that we'd never left, that we would have just stayed where we were safe and hidden from anything that could hurt us. Raphael cringed at the parting thought that ran through his mind.
We're ninja. We don't run away and hide from danger. We might have to regroup, but we're gonna take care of business, period. The red-masked turtle drew his legs up to his chest. We still can't fix everything. We can't make Donny or Brandon be okay. There's no way to snap our fingers and go back in time to undo things.
So what are we supposed to do, besides wait? I'll go crazy if I don't have something else to focus on other than sitting around to see if Don is gonna live or die. I don't know what the answer is, but I guess I'm not gonna find it here.
Raphael glanced at his watch. Someone's probably got dinner going already, and Olivia will go to bed not long after. I don't wanna get in the habit of leaving her out with my comings and goings. Hopefully I'll make it back before Karina puts Liv down.
He got to his feet and started for home. After a couple of strides Raphael picked up his pace, sometimes sprinting through areas of the tunnel where he knew his footing was the most sure. He didn't keep track of how long it took him to get there, but judging by the slightly breathless quality in his lungs, he could guess he'd made good time.
Raphael let himself in the main door, and was greeted by a smell that instantly made him hungry, though he hadn't noticed the need before. He was glad to see both Reina and Olivia on the floor of the living area, playing inside a plastic laundry basket.
They like the most random stuff, I swear. What they really love is being together. Nate needs to get bigger so he can get in on the action too, he thought impishly.
When the little turtle saw him, Olivia stood up in the basket, raising her hands toward the ceiling. "Dada!"
Raphael reached down to retrieve her. "Hey, baby girl. You playing nice with your cousin?"
"They fought over the basket at first, until they figured out that they could both fit inside," Jenna offered.
Raphael looked at the raven-haired woman with a flash of concern. Jenna had been spending very little time out in the open, preferring to stay with Donny unless she was doing something else to help around the Den. He had the sense that she was drawing inward, despite the best efforts of the other women.
Jenna's light blue eyes bore the weight of her grief, although she managed a smile for Raphael that almost felt genuine.
"You been watching them long?" Raphael tried to sound casual.
Jenna shrugged. "It's something I can keep busy with."
Shell, she sounds like me. Jen needs some kind of release as badly as the rest of us. Maybe if she got a little encouragement in the right direction…
Raphael's phone vibrated on his belt, and he picked it up curiously. A half-smile appeared when he realized that it was Karina. "Hey, Chica, what's up?"
"Are you coming back soon, Tortuga?"
Raphael trotted toward the kitchen door with Olivia and stuck his head inside the room. "Is that soon enough for ya?" He smirked.
"You must have smelled dinner from a mile away." She chuckled.
"It does smell really good," he acknowledged.
"It's still got about ten minutes on it, so feel free to occupy your daughter."
Raphael reached his free arm toward the Latin woman to draw her in for a quick embrace, and Karina bent in to kiss him softly.
"Are you all right, Raph?"
"I don't know. I'm trying to be," he said honestly. "Just need to find things to do."
"Liv will keep you on your toes," Karina said, affectionately smoothing a hand over the baby turtle's cheek.
"I was thinking I might try and help Jen out too," Raphael commented. "She needs an outlet."
"A physical one you mean? I don't think we'd considered that. Go for it, Raph, it should be familiar territory."
All four turtles had taken an active interest in the raven-haired woman's self-defense training over the last ten years, at Jenna's request. They'd focused on strength-building techniques and agility, rather than pure ninjutsu. Raphael was dearly proud of the lithe muscle tone and core strength that the woman had obtained.
"It won't hurt to invite her," Raphael replied.
"Go on then, so I can finish up making dinner with Calley. Everything will be ready soon, and maybe she'll be open to working out with you afterward."
Raphael returned to the living area, to find Jenna now sitting on the floor beside Reina, who was still playing in the laundry basket. "Hey, Jen, I was thinking after dinner that I'd get some more training in. You want in on it?"
The young woman didn't look at him immediately. "You don't have to take pity on me, Raph," she said quietly. "I'm not going to self-destruct – at least, not yet."
The red-masked turtle dropped to the floor beside her, and released Olivia so that she could return to playing with Reina. Jenna automatically reached to steady the basket as Liv crawled back inside.
"Look, we both want something to do, Jen. Working out would be just as good for me as it would be for you," he pointed out.
Jenna cocked her head as she considered it. "Well…I am pretty stiff from sitting for so long. I guess a change in the line-up would be nice."
Raphael nodded eagerly as she made eye contact with him. Jenna only held his gaze for a couple of seconds before looking away once more.
"Thanks for caring, Raph."
He made a scoffing sound. "It's nothing, Jen. What are brothers for anyway?"