I sigh softly, looking down at the magazine I was supposed to be reading on the long plane ride to Tokyo.
Damn shades, I think to myself for the millionth time, wish I could hide my eyes some other way.
I still hurt, but not as badly as a few days ago, but it was enough to wear me out. I noticed that I tend to heal faster when I was sleeping.
I reached up and rubbed my forehead, and Mike looks over from the seat next to me, asking from under the hood of his disguise (jeans, boots and a hooded poofy sports jacket Casey had somehow found), "Hey, you ok, dudette?"
I smile at him, "Yeah, just tired...I think I'll join Raph here," I motion to the sleeping turtle on my other side, "in dreamland."
"OK, dudette, have
a nice nap," he says, turning back to his comic book as I recline my seat
and close my eyes, almost immediately out cold.
The ground shakes beneath my feet as I make my way home from school. I keep my balance, my already muscular legs working under the skirt of my school uniform.
I'm a senior at Tokyo High School, coming home from the last day of classes.
I see a child standing under a sign about to fall. I dive, grab her and roll out of danger's path, stumbling as the quake gets worse suddenly.
I set her down, "Hon, go to your parents," I tell her in very heavily accented Japanese.
She runs off and I dodge another piece of debries, but I fall as the earth gives a shake more powerful than the rest by a long shot.
I catch a glimpse of the building my mom and I lived in crumble like a stack of cards.
I have just enough time to scream, "OH GODS NO! MOM!!!!", before my sight is cut out as cement reigns down on me.
If I had not been what I am, I would not have been able to claw my way out of the pile and sprint to the ruins of the building.
I see a bloody hand
sticking out of the rubble. I know even before I get there that that's my mom,
and she was no longer alive.
I open my eyes.
Oh gods, why does that memory have to come back now? I ponder to myself as I reach up and wipe the liquid crystalline tears from my face, returning my chair to an upright possession.
Raph was still sleeping, and Mike had apparently joined him in sleeping.
I groan softly as I yawn and stretch as much as I can in such confined quarters.
"Please turn off all electrical devices, return your tray tables to their landing positions, return your seats to an upright position and fasten your seat belts. We will be landing shortly. Thank you for riding Pan American. Enjoy your stay in Tokyo, Japan!" the overhead clicked on, and I tapped my sleeping friends on their shoulders.
"Wakie, wakie, guys," I say to them.
Raph simply snorted, while Mike woke up, eyes bright.
"We're almost there, HLM?" he asked.
"Hai, we're landing soon, gotta wake this lug over here up, " I say turning back to Raph.
Hmmm...let's see...how to approach this, I think to myself, then grin wickedly and wink at Mikey.
I notice Don and TN looking at the three of us inquiringly. I put a finger to my lips, silently asking for silence. They both grin at me, holding hands.
I grin wickedly again and lean close to Raph, regulating my breathing so it just barely brushes his skin.
I say in a breathy, sexy voice, "It's time to wake up, baby."
Raph's eyes shoot open, jerking to the side against the wall away from me, uttering a confused, squeaky, "Huh?!?"
I smile sweetly among the laughter of my friends, "Oh...it's just that we're about to land, and you have to put your seat upright," I say innocently.
Raph gives me THE LOOK,
and just did as he was told as I sit back in the chair, preparing for what
turned out to be a smooth touchdown.
I adjust my shades, nervous around all of these people in the airport hallway.
Jeeze, hope no one decides to incite a riot, I think to myself.
"So...where are we going to pick up the luggage?" I ask Mike, who was at my side.
"Don't worry about it, dudette," Mike said.
"Oh?" I raise a brow.
"Yeah," Leo speaks up, an arm around Venus, "we have someone bringing our luggage to the limo."
I blink. "....Limo?" I ask, my voice kind of squeaking.
TN chuckles, "Hai, a limo."
"Uh...ok," I say, sticking my hands in my pockets, flicking some of my black and red hair back over my shoulder.
We head for the exit to the stretch limo that was waiting for us. We all piled in.
I look around, pretty impressed, having never been in a limo before.
Don puts an arm around TN's shoulders, grinning over at me.
"Never been in a limo before, 'eh?" Don asked.
I blush, "Well...no..."
"Pretty cool, huh?" Mike asks.
"Yeah..." I
say, trailing off, watching the vaguely familiar scenery go by, bringing
memories of times spent with my mom. I feel my emotional state slipping down the
drain as we get closer to the mansion.
Part II
Part IV
Meetings Index