A Dark History

The third day afterir dir defeat Raphael walked further from April's home and his brothers.

Weary in body and soul he tried to see his future, but he had no vision, nothing. His future was like a dark prism of glass, reflecting the light but never emitting or receiving any. His life was nothing, he had tried to do everything, but tonight something had broken inside him. His love and his idealists way of loo upo upon the world had been forever stripped from him. He realised that his 'Kind' could not go on after himself and his brothers died. That made him feel very vulnerable and almost unable to cope. Suicidal thoughts, and protective thoughts concerning his brothers, flooded his mind in a way they never had in the past. Survival was nothing to them.

Their species was doomed to extinction - and yet he knew how ridiculous the idea of a female Turtle would be. Perhaps he had got used to them as four brothers only, and could never really accept a female in their midst unless she was his and his alone. Issues of dominance would tear them all apart, of that he was sure. Yet, he could not help but feel ultimately alone and afraid of a dim and hopeless future. He was also feeling very afraid now that the security of his Master had been taken away from him. All he had ever known had evaporated in the cruel defeat.

Leonardo, as was becoming his habit, followed Raphael closely. His constant protectiveness was his only way eal eal with the hopelessness of everything. With Donatello so ill it seemed fitting that he protect the other two.

Leonardo could sense everything that Raphael was brooding about. They were outsiders. They would never fit into normal society. Never have a girlfriend. Never go to disco's or nightclubs. Never marry. Never bear children. Never life a normal life.

Leonardo felt the loneliness so keenly, his eyes moistened. Raphael trudged on regardless, not giving an indication that he knew Leonardo was following. Then he sat where he was and drew up his knees to his chest battling the cold of his inner darkness, trying to kindle what little warmth his spirit had left. Leonardo moved soundlessly from his shadowy corner to join Raphael and sat beside him, fearlessly leaving his legs outstretched, determined no matter how cold and lonely he felt never to give in to despair and to his own feeling of worthlessness and personal failure and curl himself up like Raphael was doing.

Then he moved his hand and placed it on Raphael's shoulder. Raphael looked up and saw Leonardo sitting beside him. Then he smiled and shook his head as if he was over his despair, but Leonardo knew this act far too well. His brother was suffering inside and he was powerless to prevent the pain. He would have given his life to ensure his brothers happiness, but the darkness inside them all was too painful to ever forget or abandon. Leonardo's own warmth that he emitted so often was just a front, like Raphael's was.

"If only ........" Leonardo began, his voice choked to a whisper. He turned away from Raphael, his eyes tearful and unusually bright because of the tears. Leonardo wanted to say 'If only I could take the pain away', but the words didn't come.

Raphael smiled and looked at Leonardo who was facing away from him, hand still on his shoulder. He rose and brushed aside Leonardo's hand, and walked away. When he reached the first bend in his direction, he stopped and turned.

"Leo, I ....." He stopped. Leonardo was gone. Raphael's eyes shone with his tears and he acknowledged this gesture of love, this physical intimacy of the hand on the shoulder so common from his brother yet so meaningful, this deep warmth. He smiled and blinked, clearing his vi sli slightly. Then he walked away, his mouth whispering two words of sincere gratitude for this affectionate affirmation of silent understanding. Those words would not have been heard by anyone even near him, but he knew Leonardo was not near. He said: "Thank you".


XXX---XXX


Leonardo made the momentous decision on the fouday.day. Donatello was not recovering well at all, and Michaelangelo had withdrawn from both Raphael and Leonardo to spend all his time alone by himself. Raphael was constantly tearful, and tried to stay out as much as possible to hide his own pain.

April did the best she could for them, yet even she was tiring. Nursing one physically sick turtle and three wearied and mentally strained turtles was too much even for her enthusiasm and spirit.
Leonardo gently sat her down and sat beside her as he explained his plan.

"April, I think we ought to go away for a while, to sort things out."

"What?!" April exclaimed. "Where would you go?"

"The countryside, maybe. We need something to do, somewhere to go - and perhaps the change would be better for Donny too" Leonardo explained.

"But how would you get there? I can't just leave my job to take you to the country!" April reasoned

Leonardo shook his head gently "We need the time together to get things sorted out - in our minds, and plan what we'll do to reclaim Splinter"

"I can't leave my job. My boss is getting suspicious about my recent absences through looking after Donatello. If I left on a vacation now he'd sack me" April said, exasperated.

Leonardo looked downwards, feeling desperate. He'd always counted upon April being there for them all, but this time she really had no choice but to stay in New York.

April sighed. She looked at Leonardo's worn expression and felt despair more keenly than she ever had before. This was a trained Ninja, whose emotions were like steel, yet he was merely a teenager. His adolescent phases were so apparent, yet he commanded his team with a wise man's authority.


In an instant, April knew she could not let him down. His commanding presence had always demanded its way, yet he hadn't persisted with this favour. She looked at his gentle and tired expression and couldn't say No. "Very well" She said and walked away.


XXX---XXX


April's boss, Charles had been looking for just the right reason to sack his best reporter. Relations between himself and The Foot had all but crumbled, and her announcing this sudden vacation was the reason he told her now she was fired. The telephone in his hand shook as he gave her the bad news.

April's mouth opened aghast. What?" She asked into the receiver of her telephone, too amazed to say anything else.

"Your fired April. Summary Dismissal for unauthorised absences. However if you decide to come into work.."

"Forget it Charles" April said angrily, her voice rising in rage "We can't have The Foot suspecting you are on the side of the people now, can we?"

"April you don't understand my position" Charles explained, his voice quiet and strained. "If I don't do this, I could me in more trouble than its worth"

"Fine Charles, just turn your back on me and what I know. You'll be sorry, I promise" April slammed down the receiver in disgust. Leonardo stood at the door to the bedroom where April suddenly started pacing with mouth slightly ajar, a look of deep concern on his face.

"This is our doing, isn't it?" Leonardo said softly.

"What?" April asked softly, turning to face him, her features forcing themselves into a fake smile.

"That you've lost your job" Leonardo finished.

April smiled, and looked at Leonardo's fretful countenance, the first signs of mature leadership formed in tiny lines on his forehead which had deepened with his expression and with his characteristic frown. The worry and anxiety of this one far exceeded the others as he was expected to lead them into battle.

"No, of course not" April assured. "This is a setback, that's all. And my boss is a wimp" April laughed suddenly, the pretty mouth widening in a huge girlish grin. Leonardo, for an instant forgetting his worries, laughed too.


XXX---XXX


April borrowed an old van from a distant cousin by the name of Casey Jones. He was a strange man, with a talent for sport and for vigilantism. When Casey first met the Turtles, he was genuinely taken aback, although after five minutes, when the awkward conversation veered onto the subject of The Martial Arts, Casey Jones became totally at home with the three turtles.

Raphael was his favourite, because they shared an interest in Kumite and war. Raphael loved the idea of unarmed combat, to the bitter end, in a deadly arena as did Casey Jones. Casey found Leonardo much harder to get on with as he would always talk of teamwork and meditation, whereas Casey was a loner and cared only for full contact martial arts and had no knowledge whatsoever of different styles of Zen meditation. Michaelangelo was hiding in Leonardo's shadow a little, so Casey formed no opinion of him then.

Casey helped April load the injured yet recovering Donatello into the back of the van and Leonardo climbed into the front passenger seat next to April. The other two turtles got in the back of the van with Donatello. They drove carefully out of a secluded garage, waving goodbye to Casey and made their way through New York.

The traffic was a steady stream of yellow cab's and car's. The van made its way seemingly unnoticed among the traffic jam's and Police stopping vehicles for various reasons. Then Leonardo began to feel uneasy and his senses told him something was wrong. An instant later a siren sounded from behind the van, and Leonardo scrambled quickly into the back of the van to avoid being seen.

A Police car lazily drew alongside the van signalling for the van to pull into a side road. April complied, and drove into a small side street and waited for the policeman to emerge.
Chief Sterns appeared from the car, and April got out incensed, and shouted at him angrily.

"What the hell do you think you're doing, pulling me into a side street" April swore.

Chief Sterns seemed unperturbed, and casually retreating to his car drove off without a word or gesture. April looked at the police car disappear from view and went back to the van where Leonardo, afraid for her safety had climbed back into the front seat to watch her progress.
His eyes darted from one side of the alley, to the other and April froze, sensing something very wrong. Leonardo opened the door of the van and moved slowly towards her, signalling the other two Turtles to remain inside the van with Donatello. He walked very softly towards her, seemingly unaware that he was in plain view of any passer by, an reached for her hand. The moment she grasped his hand, he yanked her behind him, gesturing for her to get into the van, quickly.

Behind her, not yards away, black clothed figures emerged from the shadows, moving stealthily towards the figure of Leonardo. April opened the door to the van and got inside, closing all the windows and locking all the doors. She scrambled into the back where Raphael and Michaelangelo were sorting their weapons. Opening the rear van door, Michaelangelo told April in a hushed whisper to lock the rear door behind them, which she did.

Leonardo took a step back, quickly retreating to his brothers, without taking one eye off the advancing Ninja. Raphael handed him his Katana swords, which glinted off the light of the sun through the alleyway. Michaelangelo and Raphael prepared themselves also, in a stance, ready for combat.

Inside the van, April handed Donatello his staff, weakened as he was by his spinal injury, he vowed he would not let the Ninja touch April. He was sat by the door, ready if the rear door should be opened by force. April climbed back into the front seat and watched the Ninja advance on the three Turtles, all weapons now brandished by both sides. Suddenly, with a force that shook the van and made Donatello wince with pain as his body moved with the blow something hit the van. A single Ninja stood on the roof of the van, as with a r the the black clad Ninja with weapons drawn, charged the three Turtles.

The Ninja on the van roof drew a small pistol from his belt, which seemed out of place for martial artists and fired through the roof. The bullet narrowly avoided April's forehead and grazed her arm. Dazed with shock April covered her face as shards of glass came towards her. The windscreen had been kicked in, and the Ninja stood above her, his evil eyes glaring from behind the dark mask.

The Ninja about to strike with a deadly sword came down on to his knees, blood gushing from his head, with a sudden gesture that frightened April more than his sudden arrival. Raphael took the sai blade from the man's head as he continued to battle, protecting the front of the van as best he could.

Recovering slightly from her shock, April realised that the three Turtles had formed a close knit circle, Raphael protecting the front of the van, Michaelangelo the rear and Leonardo, using height as a advantage with his long swords was on the roof.

Donatello shouted to April from the back, and she scrambled over to him. He looked concerned at her arm wound and face bleeding from the shattered glass, but his mind was that of a warrior now his battle instincts had kicked in. The battle was everything now, and casualties would be taken care of later. April accepted this, and Donatello opened the rear door of the van to monitor his younger brother's progress.

Michaelangelo was fighting considerably well. Desperate to make amends for his recent failure, he fought like a demon, mustering all his reserves of strength against four Ninja. The first Ninja's defence was easily broken as Michaelangelo attacked with a torrent of killing blows, and the man fell, his head split with the force of one nunchaku brought down hard against his skull. The other three Ninja attacked him then simultaneously, yet he fought well parrying each sword thrust and managing a good offence as well.

Leonardo, using his van roof to his own advantage, brought blows to the Ninja as they hurried by, eager to attack Raphael and Michaelangelo.

Raphael fought with savage animal ability, his sai daggers slicing his foe's when they came too close. He fought to make up for the failure he had endured, and made his resistance all the more deadly. All three Turtles, determined not to fail again, became desperately aware that they were heavily outnumbered. Their defences were becoming sloppy as there was just too many Ninja to avoid each blow, and some thrusts began to get through the Turtles defence and wound them. April watched helplessly as all three turtles were now fighting desperately, trying to protect each other and failing.

It was their recent failure repeating itself, and their spirit was beginning to fade. Donatello cried to them to get back into the van, and even as they did and April floored the accelerator into the Ninja, their spirits vanished and they became three broken teenagers.

Behind them they left a burning blaze, and April saw in horror her own flat burn up in a fearsome blaze. The ninja had set alight her home and had torn her life to pieces.


XXX---XXX


The van sped south, away from the city, and into the countryside. Arriving at an old farmhouse that had once belonged to April's father, they all began the slow recovery of mind and body.