He's watching her sleep again. She just looked so peaceful. He found it hard to believe that barely an hour ago, she had been kicking some serious butt.
She'd fallen asleep so quickly, must've been really worn out. Heh, not like I wouldn't be if I was in her shoes.
He feels eyes on him, and turns to see Splinter watching him and Diana.
"Hey, Master," the turtle says to the rat.
"Hello, Raphael, how is Diana doing?" Splinter responds.
"She's sleeping. She seemed really worn out."
Splinter nods and walks over to look at Diana.
"You and she have a lot in common," he comments.
Raph chuckles and shakes his head. "I don't think so, Master."
Splinter smiles, and looks affectionately at his son. He asks, "How do you feel about her?"
That stops Raph. How DO I feel about her?
Raph shrugs, "I dunno." He looks back down at Diana. Why is he asking? He knows I don't like talking about feelings.
Diana whimpers in her sleep and snuggles deeper into her pillow. They both look at her, and Splinter pulls her blanket around her shoulders.
He stands beside Raph and puts a frail old hand on Raph's muscular shoulder.
"Good night, my son," he says, "sleep well."
"G'night, Splinter," Raph responds, "you, too."
He pats Splinter's hand before the old rat retires to his room.
She's walking down the street with her hands stuffed into her jeans pockets and looking for a place to study the martial arts.
Hang on a sec, what's going on?
She looks down and sees, to her surprise, her skinny little seven year old, almost eight year old, body.
She comes to a building with a sign on it.
She looks up at the sign, but can't read it, the words are all garbled.
She dismisses that fact, and strains to look in the window. She sees several people in gis working together, and one man in a black skirt-like thing, a hakama, she knew, going around and working with different students.
He sees her watching him and smiles; she smiles back shyly. He bowes off the mat and starts walking to the door.
She then sees the reflection in the glass and she turns, crying out and feeling the sharp pain of being cut in her arm again, and sees the huge man who did this to her.
It's him!! He's the one who attacked me in school!!
Suddenly, she's a teenager again, but is standing in front of a huge dark form, unable to move.
The form reaches down and touches her face, and moves the icy hand down her neck, resting it on her collar bone. She abruptly realizes that she's wearing a long, flowing, white dress with an extremely low neck line. The form starts to slide the cold hand towards the neckline of the dress and she is suddenly able to move on her own. She slaps the hand away and glares at the figure.
Then the figure says in the most terrifying voice she had ever heard, "You will be mine!"
Di awakens and sits up. She sees Raph come sit by her, she falls into his arms and doesn't stop crying for a long, long time.
The Dark Master pounds the arms of his throne with his massive fists.
He had no idea how strong her will was. He knew that breaking her would require work, but had no idea she could be that strong.
He curses. Usually invading the mind through the subconscious works. It doesn't on her. He curses again and calls for a servant, he needs to blow off some steam.
At least he still has the blood of hers from the battle. That still has some attachment to her and he can use it again.
Raph sits there, holding a crying Diana in his arms, against his chest, in shock.
She must have had one hell of a nightmare.
Splinter comes in then, and sees Diana sobbing. His eyes widen and he leaves again, only to return a few moments later with a blade he had come home with a few years ago. He'd said that someone had given it to him, telling him it was blessed and empowered to cut things not necessarily visible.
Whatever THAT meant, Raph thought, remembering the story.
"Raphael, hold her tightly to you, what I am about to do will cause her great pain," the old rat says.
Raph wraps his arms more tightly and protectively around her, pulling her firmly against him. He watches Splinter, wondering what the rat was going to do.
Between the time Diana had woken up and Splinter had shown up, the Dark Master had beaten one of his servants, a powerfully built woman, and sent her to be healed.
Now he's sitting on his throne and holding the sword with Diana's blood on it.
He grins, stands, and starts chanting, holding the blade before him.
Raph looks down at Diana when she suddenly stops crying.
He sees her face and eyes, and what he sees chilled him. There's no expression whatsoever. She starts pulling away from him.
Just as she's starting to pull away, Splinter cuts down into seemingly thin air with the blade.
When he cuts, Diana screams shrilly and stiffens in Raph's arms.
Raph, surprised at this reaction, pulls her back close to him. She's shaking like a leaf and Raph lookes at Splinter, who's watching them in alarm.
The dark figure flies back, like someone who's in a tug of war and the opposition suddenly lets go.
"DAMN HER!!" he screams, "SHE WILL BE MINE!"
Diana is finally able to stop her shaking and is now resting her head on Raph's plastron, resting in his arms.
Raph gently asks, "Hey, you ok?"
She takes a deep breath and tries to lower her body temperature, which seems to have shot up during this ordeal, and replies, "Uh-huh, I think so. Wha-what just happened?"
Raph reaches up and touches her face, she seems to feel warmer in his arms. The skin on her face also seems to be warmer than he thinks it should be.
Everyone in the room, including the other three turtles, who came running and fully armed when they'd heard Di's scream, is looking at Diana in concern.
Leo says, "Actually, we were kind of wondering the same thing. What was that scream for?"
Diana straitens up and sits so she can face the others, but still have one of Raph's arms around her shoulders.
Splinter speaks up, "I believe," everyone looks at him, "that I can answer part of that question, but it will have to wait until morning. We all need to get our sleep," he looks right at Diana, "especially you, my dear."
Diana nods and says, feeling a little childish, "Ok, but, ah, Raph, would you mind staying with me? I'm almost afraid to go back to sleep."Raph squeezes her shoulders, "Sure, I don't mind."
Chapter Five
Chapter Seven
Realities Index