Bō
Robin was now certain that New York City had no need for a Titans branch, because it had skilled mutant ninja Turtles guarding it already. 2012 TMNT verse.
The first thing Robin noticed when he got to New York City (the closest he'd ever go to Gotham now) was the sheer amount of ninjas lurking there.
His main reason for coming was to figure out which ninja clan was good and which was bad...or if they were both bad and fighting for territory, like any other gang.
Then, he'd decide if the city could use a Titans branch to keep the ninjas in line.
Being trained in a limited amount of ninjutsu, and also being taught the fundamentals of Bushido, he knew ninjas were supposed to have an honor code. At least one of the unknown number of ninja clans here had severely mangled this sacred code.
Personally, Robin liked to think that this one dishonored clan was being taken down - or at least pursued - by the other ninja clan. But he knew he shouldn't be that optimistic.
It turned out his instinct was right.
He had been trailing not a ninja, but a strange alien in a robotic suit. It seemed that these days, NYC was just full of surprises.
Apparently, the aliens and one of the ninja clans were allies. But hey, how was he supposed to know that?
And how was he supposed to know the other ninja clan consisted of mutants?
Robin had been surrounded, and his odds were slim but he knew he just had to make it work. He wasn't going to go down... Not yet, anyway.
That's when he noticed movement behind the circle of ninjas.
Instincts kicking in, Robin acted before the ninjas could react, whipping out his extendable bō staff and sweeping a few ninjas off their feet in one swift motion.
Someone else with a wooden bō did the same thing.
In another few seconds, he found himself pressed back to back with his rescuer. It took him a few more seconds to realize his rescuer's back was abnormally hard.
Sparing a quick glance over his shoulder, Robin saw chocolate brown eyes glance at him from behind a purple mask, before his rescuer turned and revealed his head was bald.
And green. And lightly scaled.
Robin realized, in that same second, that he was not back to back with his rescuer, but back to shell.
Turtle. His rescuer was a ninja turtle.
Robin decided that his life could not get any weirder now.
"You OK?" Robin was snapped out of his thoughts when the turtle creature spoke, and the hero shook his head slightly, turning back to the other ninjas surrounding them. He registered that they were moving closer, weapons drawn. Keeping his bō in one hand, he drew three bird-a-rangs with the other.
"Peachy. I'm Robin."
"Don."
A name to a face. That was nice. "You know these bozos?"
If the ninja surrounding them weren't wearing full face masks, Robin would be able to see their scowls.
"They're called the Foot Clan."
"Odd name choice."
"Yeah, tell me about it."
The ninja were still slowly advancing; one was now twirling a chain, the name of which Robin could not remember. "Up for kicking some butt?"
The turtle, Don, was most likely smirking; Robin could hear it in his voice. "Oh, shell yeah!"
And two bō staffs swiftly sliced through the circle of Foot ninjas.
Robin didn't remember getting knocked out - but then again, he didn't remember much after those first few minutes of fighting with Don...
"Don!" Robin shot upright, wincing a bit as he did so. There was a light chuckle to his right, but the tone didn't fit his new ally.
"Donnie's fine," a new voice answered. This one was not much deeper than Don's, but it had a certain quality that screamed 'leader'. Robin would know all about that. "So are you. Normally I'd be lecturing him for bringing a human into our home, but considering the circumstances I'm willing to make an exception."
Robin studied the newest Turtle - Don's brother, he would guess. He seemed to be slightly shorter than Don, with a blue bandana instead of purple. He carried twin katana, and his grey-blue eyes were much more serious in tone.
"Donnie! Your friend woke up!" he called, a slight smile gracing his face - or beak, as the case was. He then turned back to Robin. "I'm Leonardo, but I prefer Leo. You already met Donatello - Don. He'll be here in a bit."
"Thanks." Sitting up fully now, Robin surveyed the surroundings and - whoa, that was some stench, even though there were obviously air fresheners trying to cover it up. "Where are we - sewers?"
"Basically." Robin cringed inwardly - that must be rough. Leo seemed to read his thoughts, for he continued: "It's not too bad, once you get used to the smell. But it's safer down here than it is up there."
"What do you...?" Oh, wait, duh - they're giant mutated ninja turtles, of course it's safer in the sewers! "Right. Never mind."
"Hi, Robin." The Boy Wonder turned at the sound of his ally's voice, and smiled at Donnie as he emerged. "You doing OK?"
"Fine." Robin had the feeling that something very odd and/or scary was about to happen. "Why...?"
"Well, we have much to discuss." As a giant rat followed Donatello into the light, Robin stared.
Odd. Definitely odd.
One long and somewhat confusing explanation later, Robin was feeling a lot better about these mutants. By the time the story of who they were and how they came to be ended and the lecture on why they must not be seen began, two other Turtles had joined them – Raphael and Michelangelo. Already he could tell that, if they ever met, Mikey and Beast Boy would be best friends forever.
"Alright…uh, Splinter…Splinter-san…'scuse me…HEY! I get it, alright?" What? Robin had a knack for knowing when he was about to hear a speech long-rehearsed, or one that he'd heard several times. The man-turned-rat blinked, startled by the outburst; even Raph, the short-tempered one, looked impressed at his gusto. "Look, Splinter-san, I understand that you don't want to be seen. I have many friends who came from similar situations…though working on a team like mine, publicity is often a side dish, wanted or unwanted. Anyway, I would never tell anyone about you. Not even my teammates, if you want, though they are all completely trustworthy too."
Splinter – or Hamato Yoshi, as he was called in a former life – looked at Robin, directly at his eyes, and that's when Robin realized that unlike his adopted sons, this person could see right through the lenses as if they weren't there. His whole identity was at a risk. And yet…
"If you don't trust me as Robin," the teen sighed, taking a deep breath and steeling himself, "then trust me as Richard." Slowly, painfully, the mask was torn away – and yet, it seemed like it took a millisecond for the mask to be removed from his face. Blue eyes met amber, and refused to look away; Richard was well aware that the Turtles were trying to get a look at his face, except Leonardo, who respected his privacy and was trying to hold them back.
Finally, after what seemed like eternity – but wait, it was really no time at all, was it? – Splinter let a soft smile creep onto his face, and he nodded once. "Very well. I will trust you, Richard."
Robin grinned as he pressed his mask back onto his face. That was one battle down. Just another to –
"Though you must understand, we can handle the Foot clan ourselves."
"What?"
Splinter smiled at his obvious confusion, while the Turtles were looking at their master with expressions ranging from shock to utter bewilderment. "You will remember from the brief history I told you, Oroku Saki is my enemy. I would not bring you or your team into this fight."
Robin frowned, eyes narrowing under the mask. "The original Titans – me, Starfire, Beast Boy, Raven, and Cyborg – have faced madmen and armies just as powerful. Heck, we went up against an intergalactic demon, and we managed to pull through and save the world." His next words surprised the mutant family; it was obviously not what they were expecting. "It may not be our fight, but we will be here to assist you if you need back-up."
Splinter was smiling again, and Robin took this as a good sign.
So far, so good.
Robin had said his goodbyes, and was on his way out with Donnie as his escort. Granted, the Turtle was only supposed to bring him to the nearest manhole and then retreat back into the sewers (something about not wanting their brother exposed and all alone, but not wanting to send too many just to show Robin the way out), but Robin was going to take advantage of this and have a little talk with the technologically-savvy ninja.
"So Donnie, how would you and your brothers like to be Honorary Titans?"
Don stopped dead, just a few feet from the manhole they had just climbed out of. The Turtle was ready to say goodbye and never see the hero again; he was not expecting that. "What? Are…are you serious?"
A nod. Robin was still watching the tallest of the brothers, waiting to see what his reaction was going to be. "We're always looking to expand our ranks. And frankly, it's the easiest way to keep in touch with you guys and see what the deal is with all the craziness in this city."
His expression somewhat guarded, Don asked, "Why not just ask us all back in the Lair?"
"Because I knew Splinter would not approve." Don shrugged at this, and Robin continued, "He values your safety and secrecy, and this is admirable. I knew that he would see making you guys Honorary Titans as a dangerous gambit, and he probably would not have been happy. Really, though, as Honoraries you guys wouldn't have to do much. The only level you'd be required to respond to is 'Emergency Alpha Red', which pretty much signals either the end of the world or a really big supervillain team-up." Don was still turning the idea around in his head, though at this Robin wasn't surprised; after all, Mikey had informed him that the bō-wielding Turtle was the thinker and inventor of the group.
Finally, Donnie seemed to come to a decision, but spent a good minute studying Robin before answering. "Yeah. Yeah, we'd be honored. Heh, honored to be Honoraries." The Turtle chuckled as he held out a hand, obviously for a handshake or something.
Robin did just that, grasping the three-fingered hand firmly before letting go and placing a communicator in it. "That'll help us stay in touch. Please don't try to modify it or make it shoot lasers or anything. I don't want to have to keep giving you guys new ones."
Donnie chuckled. "I'll try." He turned to jump down into the sewers, but paused once again. "Hey, Robin?"
Robin turned to his new friend from below the fire escape he had been planning on scaling. "Yeah?"
Don smiled, revealing the gap in his front teeth that was just so human. "Thanks…for everything."
Robin smiled back. No other words were needed; Robin knew exactly what he was being thanked for. "You're welcome. See you around!"
With a quick salute, Donnie turned and plunged back into the sewers as Robin made his way to the top of the building. Looking back down, he could just barely see the manhole cover being adjusted. "Stay safe, you guys," he whispered to the cover.
He turned and fired his grappling hook, rushing to the end of the building before jumping and swinging into the night.
Of course he didn't tell his teammates the whole story. He wasn't going to risk the trust that had been so quickly and so surely given to him. He simply told them that there was already a group of heroes protecting New York, who he'd met and given a communicator.
"No, Beast Boy, you cannot call them whenever you want. It was specifically requested that they not be called unless by me."
"Robin, may we at least meet them…someday?"
Robin paused – this was dangerous territory. But Splinter hadn't really specified… The Boy Wonder nodded.
"Yeah, Star. Someday."
Yes. Someday, the two bō-wielding martial artists would meet again, whether it be in the fight of their lives or just to catch up about old times. Either way, it was not the end.
Written in a blast of inspiration after watching some of the new TMNT episodes. Truthfully, I love them. They're beautifully written and the plot is really interesting so far. Some of the effects are similar to those seen in Teen Titans, with the expressions and all - another reason I chose to use the 2012 version for this fic.
And yes, I did make a reference to BB and Mikey being voiced by the same voice-actor, Greg Cipes. Maybe I'll post a sequel or spin-off revolving around those two.
Initially, I thought about doing Leo and Robin, as they have so much more in common. But I love Donnie, and honestly, this sort of came to me unbidden. Either way, I hope you enjoyed.
