Tough Luck ( Raphael X Reader )

True Tears

~ In Shredder's Headquarters ~

" What is our next project, Master?" Baxter asked, his wings twitching.

" We need to be careful, Stockman." Shredder said, picking up a file angrily. " Your last "projects" have been extremely unstable!" Shredder yelled, slamming the open file against the table. Several photos and file pages flew out.

" Sorry, sir. They were too rushed." Pictures of Bebop, Rocksteady, Karai, Shredder Shrimp, and others fell to the ground.

There was a flash of red light, and the alarms went off.

" Turtles in the building, Master." Baxter said. The two ran from the room.

April and Casey burst in the room.

" They're gone." Casey said, flipping up his mask.

" Hm. What are these?" April picked up a few of the papers.

" They're trying to recreate their past projects!" Casey said, picking up the paper with Bebop, Fishface, and Shredder Shrimp.

" No. That can't be right. That means..." April had three papers in her hand. The first one was Rocksteady. Next, was Karai. Last, was the one she dreaded seeing.

April teared up, and shakily let the paper go.

" What's this? Celeste (y/l/n), nickname... NightWind?"

April looked out the window. " She was my friend. Best friend." April said.

" What happened?" Casey asked.

April sighed. " I was going to tell you, but not like this."

" Tell me what?"

April sighed. She pocketed the papers, and walked out of the building. Grabbed Casey's hand, and they went to the pier.

" What did you need to tell me?" Casey asked.

" I just, needed a clear place to think." April said.

" Think about what?"

April took a deep breath.

" December, 2016. My best friend had been missing for months, when she was found by New York Canyon."

April saw her jump over the edge, shot.

" FootClan found her first. She was an escaped mutagen project. At first, I didn't know why she left. But now I realized that she had been keeping them away from us."

April reached the end of the canyon. Celeste threw a rock, which killed a soldier about to kill April. She fell further.

" I got knocked into the canyon, and when she fell, I grabbed her hand. We were so far down."

April remembered her best friend's terrified face.

" The rock we were holding onto was about to break off."

"April, listen. We CAN'T both make it!"

A tear dripped down April's cheek.

" I made my purpose to keep my friends safe..."

" Celeste! What are you-"

" And... Today... I am going to fulfill it." She had said. A single one of her tears dripped off her cheek.

" No!!"

" She let go. And she's gone now. Her body at the bottom of the river."

" April..." Casey tried to be comforting.

" Casey, I'd give up my powers to get her back."

Celeste's terrified face flickered before April's eyes. When she let go, her falling. Then, she had a new sensation. Complete cold, and then mutagen blue eyes opening. Getting out of water, walking.

April blinked. She and Casey had gotten a memorial made, along with Tessa-Lee.

April cringed. Tessa.

Casey had no idea about what he had been doing. Tessa almost threw herself off the cliff at her memorial. She blamed April. And April blamed herself.

But deep down, Tessa blamed herself. Because if she hadn't kidnapped Celeste, she wouldn't have been mutated. If she hadn't been mutated, she wouldn't have run away. She wouldn't have been at the canyon. She wouldn't have died.

Everybody blamed themselves.

But they didn't know.

No one but Celeste herself knew.

Celeste was alive.