I find myself being gently shaken by someone.
"HLM, snap out of it, girl!" TN yells at me, she's the one shaking me.
I stop my hysterical screaming and look at her through eyes willed with crystalline tears.
"T...TN?" I say softly, my throat sore from screaming.
"Hai, c'mon, we've gotta get to the l...wha'..?!"
"Get down!" I practically shout as I pull her down, covering her body with my battered one as bullets spray about us.
I cringe as I feel a few graze me and a few pierce me, but I struggle to a crouching position and head for cover as I hear the guys taking out the snipers.
I stumble when we reach the ally.
"HLM, sit down. It looks like you need to," TN says, steadying me.
"I'll be all ri..." I trail off, dizziness over
taking me as I go limp in her arms.
A few days later I groan, opening my eyes and wincing, my body still hurting like hell, down in the lair.
Oww...how long have I been out? I wonder to myself, looking around.
I notice I'm in the spare room, wearing nothing but a few bandages.
It's then that I realize that I've lost pretty much every material possessions I owned, including all my clothing.
I wince, remembering the horrible night all this happened.
The tears come and I sob, feeling so depressed. Lonely. Helpless.
My keen hearing picks up a soft conversation from beyond the doorway between the turtles, I hush my sobbing.
"Well, yeah, but he said only if it was an emergency," Don's voice points out. I had apparently missed the first part of the conversation.
"What does this look like, hon?" TN asks.
"Um...an emergency...but do we really need to impose on them?" Don responds.
"Yeah, I'm with Don. Why the hell should we drag her all the way to Japan when we can take care of those bastards for good right now?" Raph's voice speaks up.
"Oh yeah, Raph, what're we gonna do? The six of us storm the HQ of a nationwide gang of bigots while they're on the lookout for anyone in connection with HLM, namely us? Oh yeah, brilliant idea, Raph. While we're at it, why don't we take a nice long walk off of a nice short plank?" Leo's voice snaps.
Oh boy, maybe it's time for a little Moronic intervention, I think to myself, forcing myself to stand, wrapping the sheets around my battered body, holding them closed in front.
"Can't we all just get along?" I ask, leaning against the doorjamb.
They all look to me in suprise.
"HLM, you're up!" Leo exclaims.
"Yep..." I answer.
"You should not be up yet, my friend," Venus tells me, coming towards me.
"Who, me? I'm fine, just give me so...oohh..." I made the mistake of trying to stand on my own, in the process, nearly dropping the sheet and falling. Luckily, Venus steadied me, holding the sheet up.
"Uh...maybe I should sit down..." I say as Venus leads me to the couch.
I settle down, arranging the sheets around myself so nothing shows that would be illegal to show in public.
"Um, I hate to be imposing, but, uh...is there any chance I can get some cloths?" I ask, feeling a blush come to my cheeks.
"April's getting you some clothing," Leo says, and I nod.
"We have something that we need to discuss with you, " he goes on.
"Oh?" I ask, clutching the sheets close to my body.
"Hai..." TN says, looking to Don.
He clears his throat a bit, and says, "We have some friends in Japan..."
"And we thought it might be best if we headed out there 'till all this FOH stuff cleared up," Mike finished his brother's sentence.
"Have I ever told you how freaky it is when you do that?" I ask with a totally strait face.
Blank stares from all around.
"Um, anyway, who are these friends of yours? And where in Japan?" I ask, covering my coming depression pretty well, seeing as no one seemed to notice how horrible I was feeling.
"Heh, dudette, it would take one hell of a long time to explain who our friends are..." Mikey says.
"And as to where in Japan. Tokyo," Leo answers my second question.
"Oh....I used to live there with my mom during the last few months of her life..." I close to mutter the last part, starting to feel myself slip deeper into depression.
There was silence for a few moments, and I feel sympathetic eyes on me.
"Well, uh...I don't seem to have much of anything left here...between jobs...I can move the bank account if need be...and anyway....I've been meaning to get back to Japan for quite some time now..." I break the silence.
"Ok, good, we'll leave right away," Leo says.
I start to stretch a bit painfully before realizing that I'm pretty close to being in the buff.
I catch the sheet before it falls to my waist, having inadvertently flashed everyone in the room.
"But
first....about those cloths?" I ask, blushing fiercely.
Part I
Part III
Meetings Index