Chapter 3:
7 and a day keeps the doctor away.
The first night Don had gone to see Kanti was nerve wracking, but she did as she promised; she took it slow, giving Don the openings and chances to show his feelings, and that first night he went to see her went well actually, it ended with Kanti kissing him on the cheek. Which if anyone of his brothers were around to see him, they'd have taken a capture of the biggest and derpiest grin he had on his face from that, most likely mikey or raph would be the jerks to do something like that. However that was only the beginning, every morning over a course of 7 months after the fact, don would leave a small gift for Kanti at her desk before school started; a flower, a precious stone of some kind like a Quartz Crystal or soap stone shaped into a butterfly, or one of Kanti's teaching tools were fixed for the lesson about to be taught, like her calculator, or the film projector. All Small things that most over-look, but Don however took special attention to have these done and given to Kanti without fail, and every time he did this, it would earn something from Kanti, an Invite to dinner, the movies, or into the schoolhouse itself to teach a lesson that he could help with his own experience and knowledge, just so she could have him close by. This time though was going to be the last night of gift giving, not that she wanted to end it all together, but she was ready to tell him the truth, pretty much living in her home, Don and Kanti spent as much time together there as they did outside the home.
It was small things after he'd moved in that made the other students sit up and take notice, whenever don left after a lesson, sometimes she'd pet his shell or Don would run his finger over her cheek, this made it obvious they were getting closer. Some nights when watching TV or watching the skies Don would let Kanti lay her legs across his lap, or if he was thinking deep and trying to solve a problem, he used to hold a cloth or his bo-staff wrapping tape in his hands and stroke it with his thumb, but Kanti's recently let him do so with her hand or her tail in place of the wrapping tape. It was at night that was most defining for them both though, some times Don would have nightmares about the future world he'd ended up in when Ultimate Drako sent him and his brothers across time and space with Lord Simultaneous's time scepter. He watched his “future brothers” die in that world while he and April survived. Granted Splinter using the war-staff did bring them all back together, and Don had made sure there was nothing that could separate him from his brothers after that horrible nightmare.
<b> 2 months ago</b>: Don was tossing and turning on his futon violently, more so than just normal night movements, it wasn't until he started screaming for his brothers that Kanti had run downstairs from her room to see what was happening to Don. She sees him reaching up from his Futon, still asleep but screaming his brothers' names like he was watching them die, she runs to don's side shaking him, “Donnie!! don wake up!!” He finally wakes up bolting upright from his sleep and looks at Kanti with horror stricken eyes, “What's wrong Don?” Breathing heavily and keeping his gaze fixed on her, his face eventually breaks from it's horror-struck look to one of anguish, instinctively he grabs Kanti in a hug seeking some kind of Comfort. Kanti wraps her arms around his neck hugging him, “Donnie what is it?” Don sighed, “it's nothing, it was just a nightmare” Kanti pinches his cheek, “Don, you were screaming for your brothers and you're hugging me for comfort without even thinking twice about it, what...is....wrong...??” don soon realized he was holding her, very intimately and they weren't even a couple yet, wait, what? Yet? Why'd he think yet? Don shakes his head pulling away, and eventually concedes to telling her the truth, she deserved it; He tells her about Ultimate Drako, how he came to be, the time Scepter belonging to Lord Simultaneous, how he was launched into an alternate time-line and possibly an alternate dimension where his brothers were older, and separated as a team. Where their sensei/father had died protecting them from their enemy, the Shredder. When he arrived there he'd come up with part of a plan to take out shredder once and for all, and in the process of fighting to do this, he says his brothers died one by one before his eyes.
Kanti pulls don into another hug when his eyes teared up at the thought, and she understood, “being here, not that it's horrible, I love this world Kanti, don't get me wrong. It's a wondrous place, all the science, the natural feel of this world, how there's a perfect balance of nature and technology, it's heaven for me pretty much.....just being here, I can't help thinking 'is this it? Is this the point in that time-line where my absence leads to my brothers being torn apart, is this the moment we lose everything we had together?' and every time I leave the lair for a while if something delays me from coming home I start having these night terrors and nightmares about that other time...that other world.....” he curls his knees to his chest, Kanti still holding him close, “I'm here for you Don, your my friend, and I promise you, whatever it takes, I'll help you return to your brothers and sensei, your home, no matter what.” Don looks up at her smiling, a stranger in a strange land promising something like this when she barely knows him- - strike that, only knows him after 2 months rather than a lifetime, even though they seemed to have a lifetime's worth of experiences with one another, “Thanks Kanti...you have no idea how much that means to me.” don strokes her cheek with one hand, then holds the other with his other hand, while doing so he keeps rolling his fingers over her cheeks, then suddenly stops blushing.
Leaving Kanti all confused again, she actually liked him doing that, it felt nice, so she reaches up and touched Don's cheeks doing the same thing he did, which made him blush more, Kanti couldn't help her giggling at Don's face and shyness, it was so adorable. Eventually her laughter made Don break into a slow laughter of his own, which built into a full laugh, Kanti stops and excuses herself, to go to her room. Don fixes his blankets and futon so it was neat and tidy before he laid down to sleep again, though he was met with a surprise when Kanti adds her pillows with his, “ uhh....Kanti....?” Kanti slips under his blanket and pats the side he laid on inviting him down with her, “Your from a house full of brothers so, I'm guessing part of your discomfort is sleeping without them around, even if you have your own rooms, they were always still there within reach right?” Don was shocked, she read him like a book; it was true that each turtle had their own rooms that they slept in, but they were still together in the sense of being in the same house, so even while separate, they were still all together under the same roof, in the same lair, “so......what are you saying???” he asks, only slightly nervous. Kanti chuckles, “Well, i'm willing to share the Futon with you to offer some ease off being alone, I mean i'm no turtle and I'm not your brothers, but....still...” Don didn't let her say anything more before he slides under the blankets with her, turning so that his carapace was facing her, he sinks into his original spot, when Kanti wiggles down under the blankets getting comfortable, she turns over resting her hands against his carapace and closes her eyes to sleep, “...............thank you Kanti” was all Don said before he finally went to sleep.
<b>Present Day</b>: During her Students' exams, while looking around the classroom at everything she got from Donnie and all her tools and appliances he'd fixed up for her, she kept thinking about those nights she'd shared don's futon with him. Now you would think such an act was a one-time only thing, Kanti was sure it'd only have to be for one night, but she found his nightmare was worse than she thought as well as how it had sounded, some nights she'd find don crying in his sleep saying he was sorry. She knew it was for his brothers, but it did make her worry if whether or not Don would fall into a depression, so she decided to do something for don for once, but she was going to need help. Later in town Kanti walked the shops looking for something for Donnie to have, but everything she felt fell short of showing her real feelings for the Ninja Turtle she came to adore. That is until she reached the stand belonging to her old friend, a winged white Fox named Alopex, “Kanti-han, welcome back to my shop, you need anything for the school?” Kanti looks around at a few trinkets and trappings, “Actually i'm looking for something for someone special” Alopex leaps over the counter, “Someone special......??? is it that new Turtle?” Kanti almost falls back in shock, Alopex was way too good at that, “It's that obvious isn't it?” Alopex nods with a playful smirk on her face, "Just be grateful my cousin Ninjara isn't here, otherwise she'd have been less tactful about it" she smiles playfully at Kanti, and Kanti shakes her head, “Alright, I admit it, I like him, a lot more than I think I should, and I've been trying to find a way to show him how much I care, but he's beaten me to the punch at every turn with all these little things he does for me and gives to me as a gift, it's so adorable I almost burst at the seams every time he does it.....and I have no idea on how to return the favor....” Alopex pokes her nose, “I have just the thing” she flies into the back room and starts rummaging through a bunch of Boxes, for an arctic fox she had a habit of being a bit of a pack-rat. When she comes out showing her gift to Kanti, Kanti smiles widely, “Perfect!! I don't know what to say Alopex!” Alopex waves her hand at her, “A simple thank you will do” Kanti hugs her tightly, “Thank you so much!!!” Alopex hugs her back and wishes her luck on her endeavors, Kanti hurries home to get everything ready.
Donnie however, we find at Budd, Bird and Canopy's dormitory since Kanti asked him to wait till later that night, needless to say, the mere mention of Kanti asking him to wait was like telling a room full of mikeys, “I knew you had a thing for her Donnie-boy but DAYUM!! for her to ask you over TONIGHT!!” Budd blurts out, sounding an awful lot like raph, but without the new York accent. Don was hiding his face getting all shy and nervous, what possessed him to tell a bunch of teenagers younger than him about himself and Kanti. Canopy swings on her tire-hammock over Don poking the top of his head, “Come on Don-san, Kanti's a great person, you should be happy” Don looks up at her, “I am happy but I have no idea what I'm in for....Kanti's a teacher, someone of great importance here....and I'm just a nerdy ninja turtle......what could she possibly see in me?” Bird pats his shell, “Don't you know that nerds are considered hotties these days cuz of their big brains Donnie? Look Kanti doesn't care about the 'status quo' as it were, you could be a janitor from your home dimension and she'd still love you all the same, you have nothing to be nervous about. Just be your usual Donnie self and you'll do great” Don blinks at her then looks up at her brother and room mate, they nod, he smiles, “Thanks guys, now who's yet to beat me at Street Fighter” Budd drops onto his butt on the bed next to him, “You are ON bro!” the game system is turned on and both start gaming.
