I Won't Let Go!

A Beanie & A Cold Breeze

Leo's P.O.V

I'm hidden on the roof of the building next to the Shanghai restaurant. There hasn't been any movement, but it just turned eleven. I don't really know when people start going to underground clubs, but I have a feeling that this may take a while.

Two hours later. Finally there's some action. I think the club opened up. A group of three people walk out of the back door. Two men, and one woman. They are all wearing big coats and sunglasses. I have no doubt that their coat pockets are lined with drugs.
I look around for a sign of Raph.
Nothing.
A group of two teens start to walk into the sketchy ally, but someone stops them. I'm too far from the road to see or hear what's happening. But the two kids scatter away like their hair caught fire. Then the dark silhouette that stopped them starts walking towards the group of dealers.
My heart is pounding, thoughts are running through my head at a hundred miles per-hour.
Is that Raph? I should have thought about this earlier, how am I going to talk to him without him running away? He always runs away, I have to be careful.
As the silhouette gets closer, it's easier to see them. There is more light by the club, and luckily for me, the dealers are directly under a well lit bar sign.
Black trench coat.
A bandana.
A black mask.
Black shoes.
Black gloves.
Black beanie.
But the witnesses missed a few things...
He's not wearing shoes. He's wearing black wrapping around his feet. And green sticks out from the black wrapping. I look down at my own foot.
That is definitely a turtle.
Even from here, I can tell that he only has three fingers on each hand. How could people miss that?
Turns out, I was right all along. Raph tries, but he's more predictable than he thinks he is.
As he approaches the group of humans, I notice something else too. The black mask he has around his eyes, it's not only black. The ends of it are red and the mask looks pretty beat up.
As he gets closer it gets harder to contain my excitement. I just want to throw myself into the ally and...I don't know. I don't know if I want to hug him or punch him. Probably both. Maybe yell at him a little too. Who am I kidding? I want to scream at him. I want to know why he left us, even though I know the answer. He blames himself for what happened even though both him and I are at fault. He couldn't bare to see what he did to us.
But I stuck around. The first lesson Sensei taught us was that we are stronger together. Raph likes to forget that part.
Despite the strong urge to run to him now, I have to be patient. If I screw up his mission it will just give him another reason to be mad, and to run.
I couldn't here anything that they were saying until now, when one the dealers raised their voice.
"Look man, quit with the fuckin questions. Do you want some or not?"
"Do you realize that a fourteen year old kid died because of this shit!" That voice. That's Raph's voice. I haven't heard his voice in months...you have no idea how relieving it is to finally hear that hothead's voice again. I can hear the anger in his voice, he's as angry as ever.
Raph holds up a bag of something.
"Hey!" The guy pats down his pockets. "How the fuck did you get that?" I didn't even see Raph snatch that off of him.
"Are you tryin to steal from us?" The girl says and she flips out a knife.
"No," Raph throws the bag at her. "I'm going to take you and this little operation down."
The tallest guy doesn't hesitate. As soon as the words leave Raph's mouth the dude pulls a gun out and points the barrel to Raph's head.
My body tenses and it takes all my strength to hold myself back. I nearly jumped straight from the roof into the ally, not caring if I shattered my legs like Donnie.
What would I do if he needs help? If I helped him he would only get angry at me. But I can't just sit here and watch him get his shell handed to him. I pray that it doesn't come to that. Raph can handle three street rats.
"You have three seconds to turn the fuck around and get out of our way." I can't tell who said that, but they sounded threatening.
"Is that so?" Even though I can't see Raph's face, from the tone of his voice I know he's got a sly smirk hiding under the bandana.
"Thr-" Raph doesn't even let him finish the first number. In one swift motion Raph pulls out his sais from under his trench coat. He hooks his sai through the trigger guard and rips it from the guy's grasp. He throws it far, so no one can reach it easily.
Something about his sais catch my eye. The normal color of the handles are brownish-red and decorated with yellow diamonds. But instead the handles are lined with our colors. Blue, purple, and orange. As memorial.
He still thinks of us. He still carries us around with him. For whatever reason, I find that comforting.
"Hey!" The guy who had the gun yells. Raph tackles him to the ground but the second guy jumps on his back.
I clench my fists and I lean over the edge of the building.
Raph reaches over his shoulder and grabs the guy by the collar of his jacket. Raph throws him against the cement wall. The man hits the wall with a loud thud and he falls to the pavement, totally knocked out. By now the the first guy is back to his feet. Him and the girl have Raph cornered by the dumpster. Each of them have some kind of pocket knife out.
The two charge at the same, Raph only jumps onto the dumper. The guy and girl crash into each other before they realize Raph moved.
"You dealers are always the easiest to take down," Raph says from on top the dumpster. "So stupid," he snickers.
He jumps down from the dumpster and while they are discombobulated he pulls a rope out of his trench coat. He quickly wraps the rope around the the dealers and drags them over to the lamp post.
"The cops will find you soon."
I don't know what to do. I can't go down there, the humans will see me. And I don't know witch way Raph is going to leave.
After Raph ties the three of them up to the street lamp he pulls a cellphone out of the girls pocket.
"Hey!" She weakly protests, "give it back!"
"Don't worry I will." Raph opens the phone and dials a number, I'm guessing it's the cops. Then he just puts the phone on her lap. He picks up the gun too and he throws it closer to them. They still can't reach it, but joe the police will be able to find it easily.
"Wait!" The conscious guy yells as Raph starts to leave.
He jumps onto the dumper and he grabs the lowest fire escape.
He's coming this way.
I back away from the edge of the building and I hide behind a large roof vent.
My breath gets caught in my throat when I hear him jump onto the roof.
"Show yourself!" He yells and I flinch. Did he see me?
"Trying to be a hot shot and get some picture or something?" Raph snickers and his voice gets louder.
He doesn't know it's me, but he knows someone was watching him.
My breath quivers as I suck in air.
I didn't plan this far ahead, I guess I had no hope of seeing him tonight. But here we are. He's right here, only feet away from me. I take one more deep breath.
I slowly stand up, putting my hands up as I do. That was he can see I don't hold a weapon and I'm not here to attack.
Raph and I both freeze in our tracks as our eyes meet. He knows that I know it's him.
His eyes lock on the scar that runs across my throat. I can't read his expression because he has so much of his face covered. I can hardly see the whites of his eyes.
I don't know what to say. What do I say?
"Raph..." My words get stuck in my throat and my voice comes out shakily. He doesn't say anything, but I can see his eyes widen slightly when he hears the condition of my voice. He turns his back to me and he starts walking away.
"Wait!" I catch up to him and I pause when I'm about a foot away from his back. I'm not sure why, but he stopped walking. He could've ran off and disappeared in the maze of rooftops, but he stopped.
I can't hold myself back. I take a big step towards him.
I slide my arms under his and I lay my head on his shoulder, pulling him into a tight hug.
He goes stiff like a board, not giving into my hug at all.
"Please come home." I whisper on the verge of crying.
"No." Raph whispers back. At this point I can hear the sirens of the police cars. They are getting louder and louder.
"Why?" I try to speak tenderly. I don't want him to think that Im nagging on him, because that's not what I'm going at all. I just want him to come home, we all do. "We miss you," I say when he doesn't respond. I feel a tear run down my cheek and it drips onto his shoulder.
"Let go. You need to let me go." His voice is colder than the cruel New York City winter winds.
I don't know what to say to that. I just hold Raph tighter to me and more tears dampen his hideous trench coat. I can feel the outline of his shell pressing against my plastron.
I'm not letting him go.
"It was my fault too." I finally manage.
I can't imagine what he's been feeling. He's been alone for eight months, not knowing weather or not we were alive or not.
"No." He rips away from me, leaving me feeling cold and empty. "Never find me again." I can't even read his tone. It's just cold without any trace of emotion.
Without a warning, he takes off running and he throws himself onto the next roof.
"Raph!" I chase after him. He's gotten so much faster. Or maybe I've gotten slower. "Please!" I cry out, not caring who hears me anymore.
I jump onto a billboard and I swiftly climb to the top of it. I launch myself off of it and through the air towards Raph.
To the both of our surprise, I land on his back and I tackle him the ground and he lets out an annoyed grunt. "Leo!" He shouts. "Let me go!" I can hear anger in his voice that wasn't there before.
"No!" I cry. "No," I repeat a little softer. He tries to slide out from under me but I don't let him. I use my body weight to pin him to the ground. "I finally found you after searching for eight months! I'm not letting you go ever again!" Tears blur my vision and I can't see what happens next but I feel myself roll onto my back. Raph must've flipped us over. He doesn't pin me though, he just wanted me off of him so he could make an escape.
I reach for him but I only grasp the cold air.
I wipe my eyes and sit up. I scan the roof tops.
He's gone. His escape worked.
DAMNIT!
I look down in my lap. Somehow I had gotten his beanie, or maybe he left it.
I pick it up and I curl my knees into my chest.
I was so close! I had him...he was right there. I hold his beanie tight to my chest and I belt out a loud sob. I couldn't hold it back anymore.
I had him!
He was in my arms, I could feel his shell against mine.
I heard his voice, although it was unfamiliar and cold it was his voice.
I would do anything just to hug him again, to hear him again.
I burry my face into the beanie and I use it to dry my tears. I sadly laugh to myself as I take a deep breath.
It smells like him. It smells like a sweaty turtle.