Tell me… Now be honest, but how can you ever forget someone you loved? Who am I kidding, still love. When you think about that person every time you hear a song with a heavy beat, whenever you see the falling leaves of autumn trees kiss the ground and all you wonder is how they have changed, and every moment of every passing day you see their fleeting face in the corners of your eyes and mind, tell me… How can you ask me to forget? I look for you every day because how can the oath we made be so weak? But, my question for you is this…

Do you think they do the same?

4 months ago…

Aaron

It had been done, the decision made and carried out. My footsteps echoed through the silent top floor of Foot Headquarters. The archer was on my left, on my right, just another soldier. Another witness. The gun, still slightly warm from use was strapped in the holster on my thigh. In my hand was something drastically different. My fist clenched tighter around it.

"Wait here," I called out, pushing open the double doors at the end of the hall. The tall, oriental doors were fit for an emperor. They creaked open and I marched straight in.. Oruku Saki stood at the long wall of windows, staring out at the New York City skyline. The morning light was steadily on the rise, silhouetting the uneven line separating the heavens from the artificial life created by man.

"I expect you to have found her? Otherwise I can't imagine why you have returned," the man challenged me. The ultimate leader of our clan stood only in his robes, menacing armor discarded except for a single set of claws on his right hand.

"Yes, my Lord. Unfortunately, I was forced to end her," I responded as I knelt. His posture stiffened, but he did not face me.

"Where is the body?" he shouted. Perhaps it was just me, but I swore his voice shook.

"It was too light out. We were unable to bring it back. Too much of a risk for being spotted."

Sharply the master turned on me; his steely eyes harsh and livid with anger, "Then what proof do you have that she is dead?"

From behind my back, on fist slowly stretched before me. I rose with the one hand still extended. "I believe this should be enough." I nodded towards the length of gold hair in my fist, slightly matted with dry blood.

… Now

Raphael

"Wake up," a feminine voice whispered from sweet lips brushing the side of my face.

"No… time for sleep," I protested. She only became more persistent. Her weight shifted so that most of it was on top of me, weighing pleasantly down on my chest. There were many types of pressure, but none was better than the closeness of a beautiful woman. Her fingertips trailed along my collar bones and neck making me shiver.

"Wake up," she ordered again, lowering her mouth onto mine. I kissed her back with a smile on my mouth that I could feel matched hers.

"Okay, okay I'm up," I said finally opening my eyes. Light poured in through the lace trimmed windows. We were at the farmhouse, settled into the master bedroom. Soft white sheets rippled around us. On top of me was no other than Serena, her chin resting on her hand. In the sunlight her hair shown vibrant gold and her eyed sparkled like a freshly rained on forest. My hands wrapped around and rested on the thin white shirt that separated our drastically different skins. My thumbs drew circles into the flesh of her back while I couldn't stop looking at her. She seemed to glow and a cross breeze would gently lift strands of her hair ever so often in the scent of the woods outside the open windows.

God, this girl was gorgeous. "You're beautiful," I whispered.

"And you're delusional," she retorted in the voice that sounded like honey.

Immediately I began to tickle her sides. My large hands wiggled and drifted across her curves. "Am I now? You're out of line girl." Serena's charming laugh filled the air where each sound seemed to hang like the echo of the most beautiful song. She swatted at me playfully and told me to stop, but I wouldn't listen. Finally, in a last resort, she kissed me again. Long and deep, her mouth parted and her tongue slipped through to mix with mine. I shut my eyes and let her pin my arms back again, fully relaxed and completely in love.

"You're falling asleep again," she teased once she broke away from our kiss.

"Not possible, I've been asleep this entire time because being with you is my greatest dream," I mumbled, leaning my face forward to kiss her shoulder, eyes still shut tight.

"Come on, open your eyes," she cooed after kissing each one, "Let me see them again, my love."

I smiled, fully ready to take in more of her golden glow. But when I looked at her again, she was not there anymore. Instead of the woman I loved, there was another version of her that I barely could recognize. Her smooth face was battered with bruising. Long, deep cuts stained the sheets crimson. From where her thigh rested beside mine, I could feel something cold and wet protruding from deep within her muscle. My eyes widened in horror as I fought to sit up. "Serena, no…"

"How could you leave me Raphael? Why couldn't you protect me," her voice croaked out. I watched her skin continue to pale and split in different areas as liquid life escaped the prison of her body. To my greatest horror, a small dark spot surfaced on the center of her forehead. The area grew wider and deeper until a trail of nearly black blood ran down from it. Faint in my memories I heard the distant sound of a gunshot that had once made me want to give up everything. A burgundy line ran over the bridge of her nose and down to the cleft in her chin. Her eyes went wide and empty as she began to crumple. I reeled in her limp frame and held her in my arms.

"I'm so sorry, Serena," whispered into her hair, hoping for some reason that it would fix everything. But it wouldn't. I had lost her. I held the girl tight, slightly rocking her back and forth. Losing her would mean losing part of myself. So many images surrounded me. Everything I wish I had done. Been able to carry her away, tell her that I loved her, had the courage to hold her every second I had the chance… but all that I had now was the cruel laughter behind him and the haunting words of both my greatest enemy and my own voice.

"You will never have this again."

But that didn't matter, because suddenly a breath escaped the corpse in my embrace.

"Raph… ple— wak…" she uttered in a series of murmurs. Her voice sounded different and far away. "Wa—up…"

Cutting in and out I couldn't piece together her message. "I… I don't understand."

She then gripped my shoulders with new found energy. Roughly shaking me she hollered, "Raph Wake Up!"

My eyes snapped open, and I shuddered trying to take in a raspy breath. I sat up immediately swinging the hunting knife I began to sleep with about four months ago. Leo knelt next to me having just removed his hands and moving backward. "Raph? You okay?" he asked, clearly worried.

"Yeah Leo, I'm okay." I muttered swinging my legs over to the side. My brother hurried out of my way and looked down at me.

"That one was a bad one wasn't it? I could hear you yelling."

I nodded my head in response. "You won't tell the others right?"

He shook his head back at me. So far Leo was the only one who knew about my nightmares, about the weight I carried since I stumbled home four months ago. Outside, I had healed, but inside… Anyway, Leo understood. Long ago, when he first faced the Shredder alone and been beaten, badly, it had been the first time feeling like he really had failed us. For the longest time he went through something similar to what I faced now.

"What now, brother?" he threw an arm over my shoulder as I picked myself up.

"What I always do on Wednesdays."

I hope you guys liked the first chapter! Please Fav/Follow/Review and read I Will Rise With You if you haven't yet! Not for sure on how often I can post because I'm crazy enough to write three stories at once... Oh well!

-Lullaby for a Stormy Night