Chapter 28.
Three months. It had been three months. Three months since the Foot fell, and the Purple Dragons found a new leader. Three months since Raph had found Moonlight’s cold and limp body, and had held it in his arms crying out in rage and pain. Three months since her funeral, and three months of pain and heartache, not only for Raph but for everyone else. They had placed her next to her family in the crypt and visited her almost every day. The guys had done their best to comfort Raphael, but his heart was more than broken.
It was three in the morning now and Raph sat alone in his room. He couldn’t sleep. Every night he had the same dream. A dream of Moonlight dying. She called out his name over and over until she was drowned out by her blood. She screamed in pain and yelled with horror. But there was nothing Raph could do. The way he had found her body was bad enough. The hole in her abdomen and the blood coming out of her mouth. It made him shiver just thinking about it.
He looked in the small mirror he had next to his desk. He looked miserable. He hadn’t slept for days and every time tried, his nightmares would continue. There was nothing he could do. The only way he could ever sleep, would be to face his fear. But how?
He walked back over to his hammock but didn’t get in. Instead he walked to his door and out into the hallway. He walked down the hall to Moonlight’s room. He stood in front of the door, a pain building up in his chest, his throat tightening, and eyes burning. No one had stepped foot in the room for three months. He grabbed the door knob and turned it, then pushed to door open slowly. He looked inside and found nothing but darkness. He reached in and turned on the light. He looked over at the bed. The one spot where he slept was still messed up. He never made his bed. He looked over at the closet and saw how some of the clothes were misplaced. A vision of her running around in her room back and forth, grabbing things and stuffing them into a bag, shot through Raph's head. He walked over to the closet and picket up the clothes, and placed them in their right spot.
He walked over to the bed and sat down on the edge. What he would give to just kiss Moonlight one last time. Every time he looked around, something caught his eye. He looked over at the desk and found a book. He got up and walked over to it. Picking it up, he flipped through the cover to the first page, where he found the drawing of him and is brothers taped into place. Above the picture was writing. “My New Family.”
He turned the pages and each page had someone different on it. April, Ana, Nano, Casey, John, Raptarr, Master Splinter, Leo, Donny, Mikey, and Angel all had their separate pictures hand drawn. But Raph was not alone in his picture. He stood with a half ass smile on his face and his arm around Moonlight’s waist. The picture made him smile. When he turned the page again, something fell out of the book. He reached down and picked it up. What fell was a note, folded up. He unfolded it and began to read the note. But it turned out to be a letter. A letter to him:
Dear Raphael,
I still remember the first time you asked me how I could love a freak like you. Even though you are not freak and every time I would have to smack that comment out of you, I kept asking myself the same question. I didn’t know then, but I know now. I love you. It is as simple as that. I guess that might not be good enough. So here it goes.
To tell you how I can love you, I have to tell you my definition of love- Sticking with someone through thick and thin, and being willing to give up your life in a heartbeat, if it means saving them.
You spent every waking hour with me, and it made me feel wanted. Since I can remember, I have always been on my own, but when your family stepped into light, my whole world changed.
That is how I can love you.
Moonlight.
Raph saw a dot of water hit the paper and realized he had started to cry. He put the paper back in the book, unable to keep looking through it. He sat it down on the nightstand next to bed and laid his head down on the pillows and stretched out on the bed. He buried his face in the pillows and breathed in. They smelled faintly of Moonlight. He closed his eyes and drifted off into sleep.
Raph opened his eyes to the sound a seagull crying off in the distance. He was no longer in the lair, in Moonlight's room. He was on a bed in a gazebo. It was a few yards away from a drop off that led into the ocean. It was bright sunny day, but he was in the shade. He sat up and looked around. He legs were hanging over the side of the bed, and he faced the ocean. Suddenly, the bed shook a little and someone wrapped their arms around him under his arms, and over the front of his chest. Then they giggled and rested their head on his shoulder.
“Good afternoon sleepyhead.” Moonlight said. “I was wondering when you were going to get up.”
“Moonlight?” Raph asked shocked. He turned to face her head on.
Her hair was in a braid along her head, and she wore a white sundress that went to her knees. She smiled back at him and cocked her head to the side.
“You were expecting some else?” She giggled again.
“No I-. It’s just that-“ He said.
“Shhhhh.” Moonlight said. “I know. You were not expecting to see me. Don’t worry. This is just a dream.”
Raph looked into her eyes and saw warmth there. Without another word and planted a kiss on her lips and pulled her in tight. Her lips tasted of sweet cherries. Her favorite fruit. She pushed him down slowly and they continued to kiss for a few more seconds before Raph pulled back.
“Where are we?” He asked.
“Ireland.” Moonlight said with a smile. “I told you one day I would bring you here. That-“ Moonlight said sitting up and pointing behind her to a house that looked almost like a small dot out on a ledge “That was my home before I moved to America.” The house looked like it had three levels not counting the basement. It was made of stone, like a castle would be. It was placed on a hill that stood further out onto a ledge than anything else around them. “And this is the gazebo my father built for my mother on their honeymoon.”
Raph took a closer look at the wood. It was hand carved, the carvings were with precision. They were flowers and birds. It looked Japanese and Irish at the same time. It was a dark wood and looked like it had not been treated. It was about twelve feet from one end to another and fifteen feet high. He let his gaze travel back to Moonlight. She was looking at him.
“I wish this wasn’t a dream. I miss you.” He said as he sat up higher and wrapped his arms around Moonlight’s lower back. She was on top of him, resting on her knees, and one knee on each side of him. He rested his head on her chest and closed his eyes. He felt her move in his hold, and she placed her left arm around his shell, and her right hand on the side of his head, cupping it. She moved her thumb back and forth in a steady soothing pace.
Raph concentrated on the sound of the ocean waves crashing against the rocks, and the breeze as it swept across the meadow that they were on the edge of.
“Sleep, my love.” Moonlight whispered softly.
The sounds faded out and Raph opened his eyes. He was no longer with Moonlight. He was back in her room, in the bed, holding a pillow closely to his body. Raph let a small grin stretch across his face. The kiss, the sounds, and the touches felt real, the taste of her lips still lingered on his.
Raph had fallen asleep at some point in the night. His rest was easy. No nightmares and bad dreams. He got up from the bed and walked out into the hall. He could hear the sound of voices from the kitchen and made his way there. He walked into the room and found John, Leo, Mikey, and Donny sitting at the table.
“Look who finally decided to get up.” Mikey teased. Raph walked over to him and wrapped his left arm around Mikey’s chest and rubbed his knuckles on the orange banded turtle’s head, making him a laugh a little. Raph chuckled and walked away. Mikey squirmed out Raph’s hold and looked over his shoulder at him. “Someone’s in a good mood.” He whispered to his brothers when Raph was far enough away to not hear him.
Leo looked over at Raph who still had a smirk on his face and looked back over at Donny and Mikey. “Did either of you visit Raph last night?” He asked raising one eye.
“Don’t look at me. At was with Ana and Nano.” Mikey said raising his hands up.
“I didn’t. I worked in my lab most of the night.” Donny said.
“I was with John.” Leo said when his brothers gave him a questioning look. He looked over at John who nodded.
“Then what’s up?” John asked.
“I had a good night’s rest. Just in case ya were wondering.” Said Raph when he made his way back to the table. No one had noticed that he had heard the whole conversation. “Can I not be in a good mood?”
“No you can be in a good mood. It’s just-“ Mikey began to say but stopped himself.
Raph knew what he was going say. He would that Raph wasn’t acting like himself since Moonlight died.
Raph reached over and grabbed Mikey’s arm. “I’m fine. Ya don’t have ta do that anymore.”
After Raph ate his breakfast, mostly everyone had gone. It was just Leo and John with him. Raph felt someone’s gaze on him and he looked up to see Leo’s dark blue eyes staring back at him. “What really happened?” Leo asked. “This is not like you.”
“I just slept well last night.” Raph said starting to get very annoyed.
Leo stared at him longer till Raph felt uncomfortable. Leo had a way of getting what he wanted out of Raph.
With a sigh, Raph placed his cup down and looked into it. “I slept in Moonlight’s room.” He said in a low voice. Leo’s eyes widened with concern. “I went there because I couldn’t sleep. I found a note from her to me. And then I fell asleep on the bed. I had dream about us too.”
Leo’s concern grew. “We were on the coast of Ireland just a little ways away from her old house.” Leo let a sigh a relief. It had been so long since Raph had actually slept. It was good to hear.
Leo and John left the kitchen so Raph could finish up. He sat his plate in the sink and walked back over to the table. Sitting down he thought about his dream. His fingers brushed his lips and he still tasted Moonlight’s kiss.