Chapter 31

"Names"

Leo looked down at his phone for the eighth time in the last ten minutes. It had been two hours since he had heard anything from Don. A short text saying, "In the drainage tunnels with …complications."

This had given Leo no comfort. If it didn't hurt his leg so much he would still be pacing, instead he sat on the couch fidgeting with his phone.

Mikey paced, for Leo, across the living room followed by little Mathew who mimicked Mikey's every motion and sigh.

Splinter sat on the couch sipping tea attempting to keep his nerves in check while April sat beside him singing a soft lullaby to Elizabeth as she was hugged in her mother's arms.

Casey peered out the window impatiently. "So, we're seriously gunna just sit here and wait?"

Leo ran a hand over his head as he tried to think. Day light was only a couple hours away. He doubted they could find the lost trio before dawn. "No, you and Mikey go look. I'll only slow you down. Mike, you don't have much time, so cover up."

Mikey nodded and went to the closet to begin layering a jacket, hood, scarph, and gloves till he looked like a hobo afraid of freezing to death in the morning fall air.

April smiled at her son who was currently also trying to bundle himself up. "Who's phone have you been trying?"

"I tried Raph's and Don's." Leo answered

"Maybe we should try Arayah's." April suggested.

*scene change*

"Yamantaka." Don said suddenly filling the silence that had overtaken the group as they had carefully picked their way through drainage tunnels and alleyways.

"What?" Raphael questioned his brother's sudden outburst.

"You said something about a name that means umm… 'Kicked the grim reapers ass', I believe you said."

"Ya." Raph said with a shrug as he trudged on with Arayah draped over his arms.

"Yamantaka is the defeater of death in Buddhism." Don explained

"Really?" Arayah asked.

Donatello nodded. "Yes. See Yama is the Buddhist god of death. To tame Yama , a man named Manjushri adopted Yama's form while adding to it, eight faces and an array of Arms and legs. In each hand he held a weapon then surrounded himself with a number of terrifying beings. So when he confronted Yama, Yama saw himself reflected back, infinitely outnumbered and thus terrified to… well… death. Thus making Manjushri, Yamantaka. The defeater of death."

A small smile spread across Raph's face. "I like it."

Arayah was already shaking her head. "No."

"Why not?" Raph frowned down at her.

"I am not naming my daughter after a man, for one. And two, no."

"Hmm." Raph snorted. "Then what do you want to call them? 'Cause I'm going with Yamantaka and Lucky."

"Oh dear lord." Arayah rolled her eyes.

"Rakkii." Don chimed in.

Raph smiled, "Ah, ya. Rakkii is Japanese for lucky."

"Well the English word translated into Japanese…" Don began to explain.

"We don't need a thirty minute dissertation on the meaning Don." Raph grumbled before he turned his attention back to his children that were now wrapped in Arayah's sweater and cradled in her arms. "What you say little guy, you a Rakkii?"

The infant didn't answer, he only continued to sleep.

"Well he isn't complaining about it." Arayah smiled.

"Good than its Rakkii and Yamantaka."

"No Yamantaka."

"She didn't complain. Did you hear my daughter complain, Don?" Raph grinned devilishly believing he had won this debate.

"Nope." Don chuckled as he pulled Arayah's buzzing phone out of his pocket. He wasn't sure at what point he had placed it in his pocket. Perhaps when Arayah had to remove her jeans for the birthing...

*scene change*

Mikey had been relieved he didn't have to go back out into night to look for his brothers and Arayah. When Don had answered the phone he had informed Leo they were close to April's and just picking a slow and dark path for the sake of Arayah and the infants.

The sun had been more than peeking over the skyscrapers, chasing the dark helicopters from the sky, when Raph maneuvered himself and family through the window followed by Donatello.

April had gotten everything ready so Arayah could get cleaned up and into fresh cloths as everyone else fussed over the new additions.

Diapered, clothed in outfits from Mathew's drawers, and swaddled in warm blankets, Rekkii slept soundly in his grandfather's arms. Mikey, and Casey, looked on in awe listening to Raph's excited retelling of the story of the infants' birth.

Don took special care of Yamantaka. Looking after her cracked shell and doing his best to make sure she didn't have any other serious injuries.

"How come she didn't develop a plastron and the other one did?" Leo asked as he limped around the kitchen attempting to help Don.

"It appears that Rakkii is a clone, more or less, of Raphael. Whereas she…" Don smiled down at the baby's scrunched up green face as she squirmed about in his hands, "is a hybrid… I think."

"A clone of Raphael?" Leo peered into the living room at his brother who was now cradling his son and looking every bit the proud father before frowning at Mikey and snapping about something their brother must have said. "Can't say it won't be interesting."

"Agreed. Here…" Don turned and handed the baby girl to Leo, who cradled her as if she was made of glass. "Take her to Arayah so I can clean up in here. Tell her, Yama is a little bruised up but she is going to be fine as far as I can tell."

Leo nodded, before carefully and slowly making his way to the bed room that he had occupied during his healing.

Arayah, who had appeared asleep, suddenly shot bolt upright in the bed. "Everything ok?"

Leo jumped at her sudden movement then smiled. "And you were worried you wouldn't have any maternal instincts."

Leo started limping his way to the side of the bed to deposit the baby into her mother's arms. "Don said that Yamantaka, here, is going to be fine."

"Her name is NOT Yamantaka." Arayah emphasized as she accepted the now fussing baby. "That's a boy's name."

Leo's eyes widened at her adamancy for a moment. "What do you want to call her?"

Arayah looked from Leonardo down to the baby girl in her arms. "I don't know."

"Yama is kinda cute." Leo said with a shrug.

"Yama means death." Arayah frowned.

"Oh." Leo answered as he shifted unsure of how to be helpful. "What about eve?"

"Eve?"

"Ya… Eve is believed, by some, to be the first human… and since this little one is the first…born… turtle…human…" He didn't know really what to call her as far a species. He was turtle. A mutant turtle, sure, but still a turtle…

"Eve. The first homoteripin." Arayah considered this for a moment. "I like it, Leo. Thank you."

Arayah flashed Leonardo that heart stopping smile of hers before her eyes shifted to Raphael, who had stepped into the door way, Rekkii nestled safely in his father's muscled arms. "Is that ok with you?"

"Yamantaka Eve Hamato…" Raph considered this even as Arayah started shaking her head. "Sure, I'm alright with that."

"No Yamantaka."

"Might as well give in. Once he digs his heals in there is no budging him." Leo advised as he started out of the room.

"You should learn to take your own advice." Raph grumbled as he passed Leo on his way to the bed.

Leo shook his head but smiled, closing the door behind him as he stepped into the hall.

Raphael deposited Rekkii in Arayah's free arm as he began to squirm and fuss, then helped her to situate the two so they could nurse.

As her children suckled Arayah began to sing to them.

Raphael couldn't help but smile at the sweet sound of her voice as it carried the words to the song he had taught her. Slowly he sat down next to her, reached up and ran his hand over the small head of his daughter. A feeling of pride unlike anything he had ever felt filled him. He couldn't repress the smile that spread across his face.

Arayah looked up at Raph as she finished the sweet lullaby. The worried look on her face stealing away Raph's smile.

"What's wrong beautiful?" He asked as he caressed her cheek and wiped away a tear that slowly rolled down it, something obviously had her emotional.

"They will never be safe will they?"

Raphael's heart dropped to his feet as he realized the only answer he could give her was no.

"I will protect all of you from every threat that comes our way, and we will teach them to protect themselves as my father taught me." He promised, knowing full well that as long as the devil that hunted them now was out there none of them were safe especially his children. "I am starting with Bishop."

Arayah nodded, understanding what had to be done.

Raphael leaned in and kissed her soundly then he leaned his forehead against hers. "I love you."

"I love you too, Raphael." Arayah swallowed back her worry that threatened to choke the breath from her. "Promise you'll come back to me."

"I promise." He kissed her one more time and walked out of the room.

Raphael adjusted his sai in his belt. Walled up to the coat closet and pulled out his jacked. Slipping on his jacket and pulling his hood over his head as he walked across the living room to the window.

"Where are you going?" Leo asked as he limped after his brother. The city was awash with daylight and this was not the time for Raph to do something rash.

"I ain't running any more, Leo." Raphael stopped and looked at his brother. "We gotta stop him."

"So then what's the plan?" Mikey asked as he stepped into the conversation.

"Whatever it is, you know we're backing you." Casey smiled from where he stood next to Donnie.

"If we are going to defeat the dragon in its layer, so to speak, we are going to need a plan. Ok?" Leonardo held his stubborn brother's gaze for a long moment before Raphael gave a single nod.

"So what's the plan?"