Book Two: The Red Desire

Chapter 4: Buried Secrets

April handed you some cleaning supplies and got her own too. "Everyone ready?" she asks.

"Casey Jones was born ready." Said male slides down his mask as we all ready our stances.

"Let's do this." Raph commences the charge.

All of them run with a battle cry to do their chores. Based on their skill types everyone dispersed into sections of the house with different cleaning tools. Raphael cleans the fireplace with feather dusters, Donatello mops the floors upstairs, Michelangelo scrubs the candlelight chandeliers and other high places no one else can get to. Leonardo wipes the windows clean.

On the other hand, you set of to a part of the house everyone thought you should do. This part of the house is a 2 person job since several years of grossness is piled up in it. "Ready Kaneko?" She firmly nods with a wire sponge and ajax in her hands. You set out with baking soda and dish soap, cleaning the hood over the stove. You carefully climbed the counter to get a better reach, only to inhale a whiff of dust that permeated into your skin pores. "Uck- disgusting."

Kaneko hands you your white oni mask, not like it had built-in dust filters but it was something.

Markings from your wrists started to turn red again. Forcibly you gripped your right wrist trying to stop whatever it was activating your demon self. A small inhale was it all it took for your face to scrunch up and teeth to ever so slightly come out.

A set of murmurs came into the kitchen. Unluckily for you, all the windows were assigned to Leo. He walked right in, spraying the windows before wiping them down with a towel. "Window cleaner on, window cleaner off. Window cleaner on, window cleaner off." His sudden appearance and innocent rambling made you forget of the demon lurking in you and the marks finally went away.

You laughed lightly which finally made him notice your presence on the counter and on your knees. Almost instantly though you got where Leo got the words from. "I believe it was Wax on, wax off....... Karate Kid?"

Leo didn't respond as you tried to bait him into small talk with you. April encouraged you to try as there is no way he'll be like this forever. So you tried again. "They have a continuation show called, Cobra Kai." Your voice heightens to pique his interest but still, he gives you no response.

It was hard to get close to him, a part of you thinks with time he'll forgive you but the other..... it's not a good future. You weren't sure anymore, even if he did forgive you, the demon in you has other plans.

He flinches when a sigh comes from you and you go back to cleaning. He was still afraid of your presence. The horns and tail would always unnerve him into thinking he'll be attacked.

When Leo finished the windows he went to do a different chore, away from you. A small pang hurt your heart. How long will this go on? This awkward torment that gnaws at your very core.

April heads to the upstairs towards the bathroom everyone uses.

Donatello notices her from the second floor and tries to impress her, spinning his mop without getting wet. "Hey, check me out, April."

However, April paid no mind as her main task was the chores and she wanted to get them done as soon as possible. His shoulders slouch and Donnie accidentally drops the bucket on the floor. April, focusing on her work starts to wash the bathroom and she notices black hair moving in the bathtub. "Looking good, Red." Casey clicks his tongue. "Keep up all the hard work."

"Real funny, Jones." A wet slap hits Casey's face when she threw the dirty sponge. "Now stop slacking off and help out."

Grinning behind the sponge he says, "Anything for you, "mon cherry."