Two More Turtles (TMNT Book 1)

Feelings...? (Raph POV)

I question Mikito. But I don’t question Naomi, much. Her mysterious ways make me want to see what lays hidden in her ways, so that’s why I try to get to know her. Apparently, Mikito thinks its more. Somehow, I don’t see it.

Naomi was swimming under the water. Although she was hardly noticeable, I could still see she moved with smoothness and grace. It seemed impossible with her. She goes through so many moods it’s impossible to tell.

Finally, she surfaced not far and I followed her up. I thought she was going to walk around and make me loose her, but she was standing there with her arms crossed, waiting for me to surface.

“You,” I said, getting out of the water, “are impossible to tell if you can tell someone’s watching you.”

“And you wonder why I’m the so-called mind reader.” she sighed.

Her stance was a little crooked, meaning she wasn’t standing straight. One leg was supporting all her weight and I noticed she had a bad habit of tilting her head to the side whenever nobody’s noticing it. Her arms were crossed and she was waiting for something.

“Are you gonna stare at me all day, or what?” she sighed, standing straight and uncrossing her arms. Her head was still slightly tilted though.

I cleared my throat. “So what are you doing?”

“Was going to do a chore for Sensei.” she replied. “But now that you’re here, my plans are foiled.”

“Everyone thinks you’re a spy because you sneak off all the time, you know that right?”

She rolled her eyes then started walking off. “Now, if I didn’t know that, I wouldn’t act so casual with it now would I?”

“But you do.” I said, walking next to her. “That’s the problem.”

Naomi paused. “I’m always calm and casual because I just deal with everything that goes around. I don’t care what people think because whether their right or wrong, I just don’t care.”

“How do you not care if someone’s insulting you?”

“Same why Splinter taught you. ‘Like a river over stone’ is what he said, didn’t he? Well, only for me, that’s all the time.”

I paused. She always did seem silent and relaxed, unless eating ice cream. “How are you so silent on your toes?”

“Mikito asked me the same question. Would you like to know?”

“Of course!”

“Fine.” she smirked, running off randomly down the tunnel.

I followed her, rounded the corner and saw no sign of Naomi. Searching for her, but she had seemed to disappear, like she always did.

“I didn’t disappear.” her voice echoed through the cave. “I’m going to give you a test. Let’s see who’s the better ninja.”

“Riiiiight.” I said sarcastically. “Like I haven’t learned from you beating at any other physical activity.”

“This.” Naomi’s calm voice sounded, “is not just about physical, it’s also about mental.”

“Like how you’re a mind reader?” I smirked, looking around still.

Her voice was silenced for a few seconds. “I’m not going to reply to that one. Let’s play.”

“We’re not kids, Naomi!” I called out.

No answer.

I did hear some rocks moving over to the tunnel left of me. Quickly, I rolled over, but found nothing yet again. Silence. Mental activity too. What did she mean? She could be as confusing as Sensei…

A slight sound. Cloth over… what?

“Iron.” her voice sounded above me. She jumped down and I rolled away, not wanting to be turned into a Turtle sandwich.

Standing back up, Naomi was gone again. She could sure come and go, and quickly. I began walking around, my attention on the pipes above my head. Footsteps running at me. As I turned my head, Naomi rushed past me with an evil smirk.

Without thinking, I reached for my Sais and noticed one gone. How did she take it without me noticing? Sneaky little Naomi.

“I’m not little.” the whispering voice echoed. “I’m nearly as tall as you are.”

“Sometimes, I wonder if you’re a mind reader or not.” I called into the tunnels.

Her laugh echoed down, “I don’t read minds, I read expressions.”

Now that confused me. I had an expression for saying she’s little?

“No. I just assumed that.”

“Stop the mind reading!” I snapped, twirling my only Sais.

Silence once again. It seemed uncomfortable. Like a blanket was being held over my head.

Something sounded in the silence. Metal spinning in midair. My Sais! Walking over to a corner, I glanced ninja-like around the corner. Nobody was there. But my Sais was spinning on a thread connected to a pipe.

“Man…” I muttered, getting ready to untie it when I get tackled from behind. “Ah!”

“Ha!” Naomi cackled. She used her knees to keep my hands down. “So, who’s the better ninja?”

I used my legs to kick her over my head. For once, I actually kicked her! She rolled on the ground and with a quick move, I had her hands pinned by my own and made sure her legs couldn’t have any kicking distance.

With her hands by her head, I couldn’t think she could get out, so I answered her question, “Me.”

“Think again.” she smirked.

Then with a difficult spin of her elbows, she bent mine and without warning our lips met.