8. Sad Homecoming

ACHOOOOO! After her harse sneeze Yuki dove into a short coughing fit. Once her coughing subsided Yuki sniffed and rubbed her index finger under her nose.

"You ok, Yuki?" Raph asked.

"Yeah. Just a little throat tickle." Yuki gave him a small smile.

"You've been sneezing and coughing all day." Leo placed his hand on her forehead. "I think you might be coming down with something."

"Oh, Leo!" Yuki whined. He always babied her at the slightest hint of a cold. She did mind, really. She loved the brother sister relationship she had with him.

"No whining, Baby Girl. I don't want you to get sick." Leo tapped her nose.

"Chill, Leo. She's fine. I won't let anything happen to her." Raph put his arm around her waist and tickled her stomach causing her to snort in surprise. "Unless I'm the one doing it."

"Raph! St-Stop it! Th-That tickles!" Yuki laughed.

"Here this should help. It's getting colder." Don said pulling out a winter coat from her closet. The group was over at Yuki's empty house. It was getting to cold for Yuki to were her fall clothes so they trucked over to Yuki's to gather up her winter clothes.

The house was empty, like usual, when they got there. The only think different was the heat was turned on. Leo had asked her about it and she told them her butler probably came over one day and turned it on. She's talk to him a few times on the phone but hasn't seen him since she moved in with the turtles.

"Is that everything?" Don asked handing Yuki her coat, once Raph released her.

"Yeah…." Yuki looked around her room. "I think so."

"Let's get going then. If Yuki is getting a cold I don't want her out for too long." Leo ordered in his big brother, worried tone.

"Geesh! What are you her mother or what?" Raph huffed as they headed out of her room and down the hall, to pick up the missing turtle. Don and Yuki smiled at each other as the two oldest turtles argued over Yuki's health.

Mikey was sitting on the floor with several comic books scattered around him. He had his nose deep in a comic when his siblings enter the room. Yuki had wall to wall comics in this one room. Being alone all the time Yuki started several collections of different stuff and comic books was one of them, even though she didn't really read many and most were still in their original packaging. When Mikey first saw this room he thought he was in Comic Book Heaven and immediately took a bunch home, with Yuki's permission, to read.

"Time to go, Mikey." Leo said as they stood at the door.

"Ah! Do we have too?" Mikey whined.

"You know you can take them back to the lair." Yuki said.

"Yea!" Mikey leaped around.

"He's such a child." Raph shook his head.

"Yeah." The others nodded. After several minutes of Mikey tossing several books in a box they were heading to the front door.

"What would you guys like for supper?" Yuki asked.

"Pizza!" Mikey said.

"Chicken Doria." Leo and Don said.

"Steak." Raph added. The group laughed but stopped when the front door began to open. "You expecting company?"

"Nope. You better…." Yuki looked to see the guys were gone. The door open revealing a tall slender looking man in a black butler outfit and carrying two paper bags of food. "Charles?"

"Oh, Miss Yuki, hello. It has been a while." Charles looked at the small box in her arms. "Or should I say 'good bye'? You leaving again?"

"Uh….well…." Yuki looked down at the box in her arm. "Wait! What do you mean again?"

Charles laughed. "Remember what your mother use to say? About hired help?"

"Uh…." Yuki got a thoughtful look on her face then reality hit her. "You knew? This whole time?"

"That's right. So your friends can come out of hiding." Charles smiled at her as the guys slowly walked out of hiding. Everyone exchanged looks.

"How did you know that Yuki was living with us?" Mikey asked. The group had moved to the kitchen. They were sitting down while Charles bustled around the kitchen to put up the groceries.

"Especially since you around much." Don added.

"There wasn't a move Miss Yuki could make without my knowing it. I've know this girl since the day she was born." Charles put a fatherly arm around Yuki. Raph twitched as he watched this guy put his arm around Yuki. A bit chummy for a butler to do that to the girl he is suppose to serve. "You might not think it but this little girl could get into such mischief if she wanted."

"Oh stop." Yuki laughed. Leo rubbed his chin in thought. Raph wasn't the only one who was suspicious of this guy. Yuki?

What is it, Aniki?

Has he really know you since you were born?

Yes. He was in the service of my father long before he meet my mother. Charles was the one always there when my parents weren't. He's kinda like a second father, like Splinter is.

Well…

Is something wrong?

I hope not. Something's just doesn't feel right. Yuki stopped laughing and looked at her brother. "Leo."

"Oh! I got a call from your father, Miss Yuki." Yuki pulled her eyes off Leo and looked at Charles.

"My father?" He nodded.

"He's coming home tomorrow. He and Mrs. Amy will be remaining in New York for a while."

"He's coming home?" Yuki looked over at the guys then down at the floor.

"Then that means…." Don's voice trailed off.

"Miss Yuki will be moving back into this house." Charles replied with a hint of venom in his voice.

"What? No way!" Raph leaped up out of his seat.

"Yuki?" Mikey whined.

"It's ok, Mikey." Yuki managed to summon up a smile as she looked at them. However, Leo and Raph knew it was fake. "I'll still be able to visit."

"But it won't be the same." Mikey whined.

"We've gotten so use to you being in the lair." Don added. "We're really gonna miss you."

"I'm gonna miss you too."

"Time to say good bye, Miss Yuki. I have a lot to do to prepare for your parents return."

"One of my parents." Yuki mumbled.

"What was that?"

"Uh nothing." Yuki replied as she walked over to the guys. She signaled for them to follow her. They gabbed her boxes of winter clothes and headed back up to her room. Yuki slammed the box she was carrying on the floor then fell face first on her bed. The guys heard her muffled groan as they sat her stuff down.

"Don't worry about it, kid." Raph sat down beside her and rubbed her back. "We still see each other."

"Yeah, you can come visit and we'll visit you." Don added.

"But it won't be the same." Yuki said pulling her face out of her bed. She crossed her arms under her chin. "That so called father of mine is never around when I needed him and now I have you guys in my life…he…comes back…and…."

Tears began to fill her eyes. The guys gather around her on the bed. Yuki sat up and leaned against Raph. He wrapped his arm around her and held her close. "Don't worry, love. We'll see each other as much as possible. And your Christmas break is coming up soon. Maybe you can get away from here for a while and stay will us during break."

"Maybe." Yuki sighed. "If he's not on some family quality kick."

"Miss Yuki? Come downstairs, please?" Charles called up.

"Oh! What does he want now?" Mikey asked.

"Me to help get things ready. Even though we have butlers and maids dad still has me do stuff so I won't take things for granted."

"We better get going too." Don said. He hugged Yuki. "See you later."

"Bye Donny."

"This stinks!" Mikey pouted.

"You can still take my comics, Mikey" He perked up a bit but frowned.

"It's not the same."

"Come on, Mikey." Don patted his shoulder. Mikey got up and grabbed the box of comics.

"Leo?" Yuki looked at Leo. He was quietly sitting beside her and Raph. Leo looked at her. "Something's wrong. I know."

"Sorry, Baby Girl." The other three remained quiet. Raph studied Leo's face. He got the feeling they both were thinking the same thing about Charles. "If you need us at all….."

"Don't worry, Aniki." Yuki tapped her head. "I'll call if anything happens."

"I don't like that you're gonna be so far away. But…." Leo leaned in and kissed her cheek. "It can't be helped. We love you."

"I love you guys too." Yuki smiled sweetly at him. Leo nodded and joined Don and Mikey. Raph tightening his grip on her waist made Yuki looked up at him.

"Let's give them some time alone." Leo said in a hushed tone. "We'll be waiting in the Battle Shell."

The three left through the window. There was a long silence between the two remaining teens. "It's not gonna be the same without you there."

"I'm gonna miss you so much." Raph pulled her into a tight hug again and stroked her hair.

"You're in so much danger….you were safer with us…if anything happens to you….I'll….I'll…" Raph placed his hand on his face as tears threatened to come out. Yuki pulled away from him and placed her hand over his.

"I love you. Please, don't worry. I will call if anything happened and I know you'll come running."

"But what if you loose control again? I won't be there to…"

"Raph!" Yuki took his face in her hands and force him to look at her. "I promise…I won't use my powers until I am with you."

"But…"

"Ah…" Yuki placed a finger over his lips to silence him. "It won't happen if I don't use my powers. I promise….ok?"

Raph nodded slightly. Yuki removed her finger and pressed her forehead to his. Both blushed and smile. Yuki pulled back from him, bit her bottom lip then slowly leaned towards him. "Miss Yuki?"

"Hm…." Yuki sighed.

"That jerk!"

"You better go."

"But…"

"Splinter will be worried." The two teens, still wrapped in each other's arms, climbed off the bed and walked over to the balcony. Raph reluctantly released her and jumped on the balcony railing, with his knees bent. He reached back and caressed her face once more before leaping down to his brothers. Yuki looked over the edge. The guys waved to her before climbing into the Battle Shell. She waved back until they were out of sight.

Raph groan for the hundredth time as he rolled over on his bed. He placed his arm over his eyes. This was only the first night since Yuki moved back home and they all were felling empty inside. Don couldn't focus at all on his inventions, Mikey couldn't read the comic books he got from Yuki, Leo kept mentally calling Yuki to make sure she was fine and Raph…..well he just kinda moped around the lair since they got back. Even Splinter was having trouble focusing on his meditation.

Raph gave out another frustrating groan and was about to get up and go to Yuki's when he felt someone sit down on his bed. He immediately flung his arm off his face and sat up to see Yuki's smiling face in the dark. "Yuki? Yuki! What's wrong?"

"Shh!" Yuki placed a finger on his lips. "You wanna wake everyone up?"

"Everyone's asleep?" Raph asking in disbelief. Come to think of it he hasn't heard them in the past couple of minutes, they too were having trouble falling asleep.

"I went to them before I came to you."

"What are you doing here?"

"I need to see you. And from the looks of it you all need to see me too."

"Yeah." Yuki suddenly went into a coughing fit. Raph sat up and placed his hand on her arm and began rubbing his thumb against her soft skin. "You ok?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. I have to be home before seven though. That's when my father will be home." Raph, dismissing that anything might be wrong with her, looked over at his digital clock on his dresser. It was almost three in the morning. They had only a few hours to be together. Beeps from Yuki's watched brought his attention back to her. She was setting her alarm before she stood up from the bed, lifted up the blanket and crawled into bed next to Raph. Raph blushed bright red as Yuki snuggled his side.

Sure they've been that close before but….not like this….not in his bed. Raph shook his head and scolded himself. He wasn't going to think like that. Besides that was kinda out of the question anyway. She still just a kid anyway. Raph forced himself to relax. "Night, my love."

"Night, lover boy." Yuki snickered. Raph chuckled and wrapped his arms around her. He had her for just a few more hours before things changed.