Chapter 1
"Hurry up, we're gonna be late!!" Mikey yelled from the back seat. "Donny…step on it!!" Mikey shook the back of Don's seat.
"Mikey, we wouldn't have to hurry and risk being late if you would get ready instead of playing video games." Don looked over his shoulder as he passed a car.
"I had to beat that level!! Now go faster!" Mikey punched the seat next to him. "Raph's probably already there!"
"That's because he's lucky enough to have his own motorcycle." Leo said as he turned to face Don, "that's running."
"Leo, I'm trying to fix it as fast as I can, but Master Splinter asked me to fix the cameras in the warehouse and Raph wants me to try and build him a robot that will spar with him."
Leo sighed as he looked out the window. He wished Don would finish his bike so he wouldn't have to listen to Don and Mikey bicker. He didn't like being late to school either. Mikey always ran late in the mornings. He rolled down the window to feel the wind blow through his waist length black hair. He didn't have it tied back like it usually was. As they pulled into the school parking lot, Leo noticed Raph's bike parked by the entrance. Don parked the car and Don and Leo got out. A huge gust of wind rushed past them, blowing a few papers out of Don's hands.
"It looks like it'll rain tonight. Leo, are we still up for the training tonight?" Don scrambled to pick up his papers.
"Don, you should know that our training doesn't stop for anything. C'mon Mikey, you were the one complaining about being late." Leo slung his pack over his shoulder.
"Right!" Mikey, as he was trying to pull his pack out of the back of Don's car, tripped. He cut his toe on the curb. "Oww! Stupid slab of cement!" Mikey dropped his bag and bent down to hold his bleeding toe.
"You know Mikey, one of these days you're gonna be in real trouble for not wearin' shoes to school." Raph walked up and nudged Mikey in the ribs with his toe.
"Raph, why do you always have to dress like a punk?" Don had finally, with help from Leo, caught all his papers.
"I'm not dressed like a punk!" Raph made fists and stepped towards Don. Leo noticed Raph was in a fighting mood today.
"Hey! Raph, not now. We need to get to 1st period before we're late." Leo, who had stepped between Don and Raph, moved over to Mikey. He bent down and pick up Mikey's bag. Before Leo could say anything, Mikey grabbed it and ran off yelling that he was gonna be late.
"As long as you two aren't late, you can argue all you want." Leo followed after Mikey.
"Don, I don't dress like a punk." Raph started up the argument again as they began to walk towards the school.
"Really? So three different belts, torn jeans, long, shaggy, unkempt red hair and a snake tattoo aren't punk? So I'll just assume that five earrings aren't punk either."
"Right. Donny, you know that they're just clothes right? We just wear them as humans, plus, I just wanted to look different then the rest of you."
"Raph, you passed up different a long time ago."
"Don, I'm gonna—" Raph made fists again
"Did you finish the paper for English?" Asked Don, changing the subject. "It's due today."
"Shell!" Raph looked at Don with pleading eyes. "Don, Donny! My favorite turtle!"
"No." Don opened the door and walked through ignoring the 'Jones' Fan Club' members standing just inside the door.
"Can I take a peek at your paper Donny? Please?" Raph pushed someone out of the way so he could keep walking by Don.
"Sorry, I'm afraid I can't help you Raph."
"C'mon Donny! You gotta help me out here." Raph moved to block Don's entrance into first period.
"Well, if you hadn't been out with Casey all night playing vigilante again, you would have been able to finish your paper."
"Finish it? I didn't even start it!"
"Alright!! Fine, I'll give you five minutes to look at it…right before English." Don pushed past Raph and into the classroom.
"Ah man, Donny, that's not fair!" Raph would have continued to argue, but the bell rang and they had to take their seats. Don sat next to Leo in the front while Raph and Mikey sat next to each other in the back.
"So glad you could make it here today," Mr. Fulmer, the math teacher, had a very monotone voice that could make even Don sleepy. "Now that class changes are over, let's make sure you're all in the right class. Cox, Jessica?"
"Here"
"Crane, Brandon?"
"Here"
Mr. Fulmer went on like this for about ten more people when his face became flustered. "Again…?" He muttered "Jones, Donatello?"
"Present!" Don raised his hand
"Jones, Leonardo?"
"Here"
"Jones, Michelangelo?"
"Dude!" Mikey made a 'rock on' sign and a girl with white hair laughed.
"Jones, Raphael?"
"Yo" Raph gave the teacher a small nod.
"I take it that all four of you are brothers?" Mr. Fulmer studied each face.
"How could you tell?" Raph asked sarcastically as he leaned back in his chair.
"Are you taking a tone with me uh...Raphael?"
"What'll you do if I say 'yes'?"
"Principle's office! Now!" Mr. Fulmer pointed to the door, his face red. Raph stood up and gave Mikey a high five as he passed. "Class, today, I want you to do problems 1-40 on page 15 in your math books. I'll be back soon." Mr. Fulmer followed Raph out the door.
"So I take it that Casey said it was okay to use his last name again this year." Leo said as he took out his math book.
"Well, Casey doesn't know about the whole 'guardian' thing, but April knows." Don was already on problem sixteen.
"Casey's going to find out real soon."
"Don! What's the answers to numbers one through forty?" Mikey yelled from across the room as he stood up.
"Mikey, do your own work or you'll never learn how."
"But Donny, my head hurts! It's too early in the morning to do math!"
"Mikey, I draw your attention to the fact that you were up until three this morning playing video games. If you had gone to bed, you would be awake enough to do this assignment." Don never even glanced up throughout this entire conversation. The girl in front of Don turned around.
"Are you the oldest?" she asked.
"Excuse me?" Don still didn't look up.
"The oldest brother?"
"No, Leonardo's the oldest. I'm next in line."
"Oh, who's the youngest then?" She asked.
"The one over there." Don pointed to Mikey.
"Who?"
"The one with long, shaggy blond hair, prefect tan and deep brown eyes." Don still hadn't looked up.
"Gosh Don, is he your brother or your girlfriend?" Leo asked, a smirk on his face.
"Leo, I'm talking 'blond' so that she can see who I'm talking about."
"I'm sorry, I can't see him." The girl was looking around the classroom.
"Mikey, if you stand up, Don will give you the first five answers!" Leo stood up and yelled across the room.
"Really?" Mikey instantly stood up with a hopeful look on his face.
"No." Don looked over at Mikey. "Sit down before you fall down. Leo I won't give him any answers. By the way, that gullible fool is Michelangelo." Don went back to doing his assignment.
"Don, Leo said you'd give me the answers to the first five questions. Please?" Mikey had come up to beg by Don's desk.
"Donny, give him the answers so he'll go away." Leo pulled out a piece of paper and began to do his own assignment.
"Alright, .5; 16%; 3/7; and 2,673." Don sighed as he read off the answers.
"Thanks bro!" Mikey ran off to his desk to write them down, only, he forgot them. "Donny, what were they again?" he yelled from across the room.
"Mikey…" Don whispered the said the answers louder. "12; .5; 3/7; 2,673 and 16%."
"Cool! Thanks!" Mikey sat back down, filled in the answers, put his head on his desk and was soon asleep.
"Donny, you're cruel. Those aren't even close to the right answers." Leo shook his head.
"I know, I told him I wouldn't give him the answers and he would have to do it on his own. Besides, he'll talk me into giving him the answers later tonight anyway." Don finished his assignment and pulled out his laptop.
"Don, how can you do that so fast?" Leo was staring at his brother's face. Don had light blue eyes and shoulder length wavy brown hair. He always dressed nice with a collared shirt and un-torn jeans. He also had an insanely huge book with him most of the time. Today, it was Real or Rumor: Mythical Creatures of the 21st Century. Leo already knew that Don was a genius, but getting a forty-question assignment done in less then twenty minutes? It was insane!
"Class! Be quiet now. Come on, let's get to work now!" Mr. Fulmer had walked back into the room…without Raph. "Where were we? Ah, here we are: Orphen, Serenity?"
"Yeah and it's just Cerina."
"Alright, Orphen, Pearl?"
"Me!" the girl with white hair raised her hand.
"I'm tired of calling roll out loud. If I didn't call your name, come up to the front and tell me that you're here. If you don't I'll mark you as truant." Mr. Fulmer sat behind his desk as a line of students formed. Once all of them had said their names, Don raised his hand.
"Mr. Fulmer?"
"Yes Donatello?"
"Where's my brother, Raphael?"
"I called your guardian Casey and the three of us had a nice little chat. Your guardian said he would like to teach Raphael a lesson about respect, so Casey checked him out. Now, put that laptop away and get back to work."
"But I've already finished the assignment Mr. Fulmer."
"Tha-that's impossible. No one could finish that long of an assignment in half an hour."
"But I have. It was really quiet easy."
"Mr. Fulmer, you'll find that Donatello is quiet the prodigy." Leo slapped Don's back. "Isn't that right Mr. Genius?"
"Leo, I'm not that good."
"C'mon, Donny, you could build a laptop with scrap metal and used wires. You're amazing!" Mikey leaned back in his chair…a little to far and he fell off. "I'm okay." He quickly got up as the girl with long white hair started laughing again.
"Mikey…" Don sighed and went back to surfing the Internet on his laptop. Leo continued to do his assignment while Mikey shoved his math book away and pulled out a comic book. A while later, the bell rang for class to be over. The three brothers headed off to English. When class started, Mikey noticed the same girl from before, the one with white hair, was sitting in front of him. He couldn't stop staring at her. A few times he glanced off to Leo, who was staring at another girl. One with waist length black hair. Don couldn't help but think that his two brothers were falling in love. The bell rang for lunch to start.
Leo, Mikey, and Don pushed past the blocked off entrance into an old marble courtyard. There was an ivy-covered walkway off to the right and an old empty pond to the left. There were broken marble statues of angles, cupids, and beautiful women. Everything was over grown and the ivy was climbing up the sides of the school and covering the second story windows. This was the boys' favorite spot to come even though students weren't allowed in here. The reason why it is blocked off is unclear. Some people say it was because a student was murdered in here, others say that it was because the principle was dumped by his girlfriend here. Even the janitors stopped coming in to care for the plants. But they loved it here anyway; it was always really quiet because the noises of New York couldn't pass through the school. And, on a smog free day, the sun lit the place up with brilliance.
Mikey stretched out on a bench with his eyes closed and Leo sat cross-legged on the ground. Don pulled out his laptop and set it on the retaining wall of a flowerbed. Leo took a deep breath in and began to meditate.
"Leo, how can you meditate when we know Raph and Casey are probably off getting into trouble somewhere?" Don said as he turned on his laptop.
"Easy, he'll call if he needs us. Or April will call looking for Casey." Leo opened one eye to look at Don. "The shell cell is on right?"
"Of course it is Leo; I'm not as stupid as Mikey."
"Hey, I heard that!" Mikey was almost asleep…again.
"Mikey, you hear everything. You just can't understand everything." Don was typing away on the laptop.
"Don!" Mikey sat up ready to argue when he noticed two girls pushing their way through the blocked entryway. Without looking at the boys, these girls walked across the courtyard and over to a bench by a tree that was facing the ivy covered walkway. This didn't make sense to Mikey. No one ever came in here except him and his brothers. And the occasional fan girl. Apart from math and English today, he'd never seen these girls before. He leaned over to Don.
"Donny, do you know who they are?" Mikey whispered as he pointed at the girls.
"Yes Mikey. They are in every one of our classes today. I think they are sisters."
"They are." Leo stopped meditating to look at the girls. "Their names are Cerina and Pearl Orphen."
"I thought……never mind……" Mikey laid back down on his side but he didn't close his eyes, he was staring at the girl with white hair. From behind—that was the only side of her he'd really seen—her waist length hair shimmered, the sun reflecting off of it in many colors. Just like a pearl. That was probably her name too—Pearl. He thought she was beautiful.
Leo; however, was watching the girl with the layered black hair—Cerina. In the sunlight, it almost looked as if she had dark midnight blue streaks in her hair. Earlier, when he had seen her bright blue eyes, he thought he sensed great honor coming from them. Both Mikey and Leo were entranced by these girls. Leo glanced at Mikey who caught his eye. They were going to get these girls' attention.
"Are they still staring at us?" Pearl asked her sister.
"I think they are, but I'm not complaining. They're hot." Cerina tilted her head slightly to look back at Leo, Don, and Mikey.
"I like the surfer looking guy. The one with blond hair and no shoes." Pearl looked over her shoulder at Mikey.
"Personally, I like the one with deep green eyes and long black hair the best." Cerina looked back to her book as Pearl giggled. Pearl looked over her shoulder again. There was something about his deep brown eyes that she couldn't look away from. If she remembered right, his name was Michelangelo. As she was watching, he laid back down and began to sing, softly. Soon, the other with black hair joined in. As their song grew louder, the two girls realized they were singing in Japanese.
"I want to change the world,
Jounetsu tayasazu ni
Takanaru miraie te wo nobaseba, kagayakeru hazu sa
It's wonderland
Kimi no kokoro furuete'ta asu no mienai yo
Namimo shinjirarezu mimi wo fusagu
Kimi ni deaeta toki hontou no I basho mitsuketa
Nanigenai yasashisa ga koko ni atte
Bokura mezameru
I want to change the world
Nido to mayowanai kimi to iru mirai
Katachi doreba doko made mo toberu sa
Change my mind
Jonetsu tayasazu ni shiranai ashita e tsubasa hiroge hanabatakeru hazu sa
It's wonderland."
As Leo and Mikey's voices faded, Don shook his head and sighed. Leo and Mikey exchanged triumphant glances as Cerina turned around.
"Was that the opening song to Inu-Yasha?" she asked
"Yeah it is." Mikey said as he sat up again.
"Where did you learn it?" Pearl stood up and walked over to sit on a retaining wall in front of Mikey.
"We watch a lot of anime, my brothers and I." Leo stood up and joined Mikey on the bench. "It's sort of a pass time." Leo shook his head sadly as a few fan girls pushed their way into the courtyard. They were pointing at the three brothers and giggling. Cerina came over to sit by Pearl.
"I'm sorry. I don't mean to sound rude, but what are your names again? I know that I know them. I just can't remember them." As Cerina said this, the fan girls that had come into the courtyard, came running over.
"How can you ask such a question?" yelled the leader of the bunch.
"They are the most popular boys in school!" yelled another.
"Ladies! Please stop yelling at them." Don closed the top of his laptop and moved to stand next to Cerina and Pearl. "They just transferred here from across town. It's their first day here."
"Fine! We won't let them off so easily next time. I'm the president of the Jones' Fan Club and don't you forget it!" the leader of the bunch of girls then turned and left the courtyard.
"Hey, how did you know we transferred here?" Pearl asked Don looking confused.
"I didn't, I guessed. Since I haven't seen you here before and you have New Yorker accents, I put two and two together." Don went back to his laptop.
"Anyway, our names are simple. We're named after the great Renaissance Masters. I'm Leonardo, This is Donatello, that is Michelangelo and our other brother is Raphael. He's obviously not here right now." Leo stretched out then pulled his black hair back into a braid.
"What are your names?" Mikey asked as he rocked back and forth while balancing on the balls of his feet and noticing that Pearl's eyes where emerald green.
"I'm Pearl and this is Serenity."
"It's Cerina! I hate my full name." Cerina punched Pearl.
"Well—" Pearl began to talk but she was cut off by the bell. Mikey picked up his bag and winked at Pearl as he walked back into the building. Don put his laptop away and followed Mikey. Leo walked up to Cerina and took a few strands of her black hair and played with it for a minute.
"Cerina, don't let people push you or your sister around. Okay? I'll see you around." Leo turned and walked back into the building. Cerina looked at her sister and realized she was holding her breath.
"Now I see why they have a fan club." Cerina said as she picked up her bag and headed back into the school. "I can barely breathe! Leonardo…Pearl, I think I may be in love."
"Well, as soon as you get off cloud nine, check our schedule and see what class we have next." Pearl wouldn't tell her sister that Mikey's wink made her blush.
"Right," Cerina pulled the schedule out of her pack and looked at it for a moment. "We have history next. It's upstairs." They headed off towards their class.
"Holy shell! That girl was pretty!" Mikey leaned back in his chair again.
"Mikey focus. You asked me to help you and if you don't pay attention, I'll go over this with Leo instead." Don pushed Mikey's chair back down on the ground.
"How can I pay attention? I don't know anyone named attention."
"That's it," Don got up and walked over to Leo, who was humming another song and staring out the window. "Leo, Mikey's only thinking about that girl Pearl. Do you want help studying for the test?"
"What?" asked Leo, looking at Don.
"Oh, both of you are hopeless!" Don left Leo and took his seat in the front of the class. As he sat down, Cerina and Pearl walked in and Mikey fell off his chair again. He quickly stood up, fixed his chair and sat back down, hoping Pearl hadn't seen him. Cerina handed a paper to the teacher and apologized for being late. The teacher took the paper and pointed to the seat next to Leo for Cerina and the seat next to Mikey for Pearl. Pearl quickly walked to the back of the room and Mikey stood up and pulled out the seat for Pearl to sit down.
"I didn't know you had this class Pearl."
"I didn't either until three minutes ago. Thank you." She sat down.
"How are you today Michelangelo?"
"Please just call me Mikey. And I'm doing wonderful!" Mikey sat down and whispered: "now that you're here."
Pearl wasn't sure if she heard him right, but she blushed anyway. Cerina sat down next to Leo.
"Hey, Leonardo!"
"Hi Cerina, do you know that we have a test today?" he began to play with her hair again.
"No, it's our first day here. Will it be difficult?" she was trying to remember to breathe.
"Well, it's on a few things we've gone over in class last week. If you want, I'm sure Donny would help you get ready. We still have fifteen minutes to study."
"Um…sure."
"Don! Come here for moment."
"What is it Leo?" Don asked as he came over.
"Will you help Cerina study? She doesn't know any of the material we've gone over." Asked Leo.
"Sure, after I help Pearl."
"Don, why do you have to help her first?"
"Because Mikey doesn't know any of the material we've covered either."
"Good point."
"Why don't you help Cerina?" Don asked as he walked over to Pearl's desk. Leo and Cerina saw Pearl nod to Don's question as Mikey got up and came over to Leo's desk. He knelt down and whispered.
"Leo, Don's trying to steal my girl."
"Mikey, she's not your girl." Leo said with a sigh
"She wants to be." Cerina whispered.
"What was that?" asked Mikey
"Nothing I just said—" Cerina started but Leo cut her off.
"Shell, the teacher is standing up. Guess study time is over. You'll be fine. It's not a big part of your grade and it's should be easy."
"Oh, I'm not worried about me, I'm worried about Pearl." As Cerina was talking, Mikey and Don went back to their seats. "She gets distracted so easily and with what I've seen of your brother……well, lets just say that one person with A.D.D is bad, but two sitting next to each other…I feel bad for the people sitting around them." Leo laughed at Cerina's joke as they got their tests.
"Good luck." whispered Leo.
"thanks." Cerina began her test.
This was one of the hardest tests Pearl had ever taken in history. Even though Don went over a few things with her, she could only answer a few of the questions. She glanced at Mikey to see that he was almost done. 'There's no way he could be that smart!' Pearl thought 'I don't trust that smirk.' With that thought, she looked closer at his answers and saw him writing something like: In 1916 B.C. while I was walking through the jungle, some ninja stole my yak and then kidnapped Princess Pomegranate. Pearl had to hold her breath to keep from laughing out loud. At least she knew why he was almost done; she began to come up with her own creative answers.
The rest of the class was pretty much boring. Pearl and Mikey played 'Go Fish' under their desks, Don pulled out his laptop was doing 'research' while playing games on and Leo wouldn't stop playing with Cerina's hair. When the bell finally rang, it scared Pearl so bad that she screamed and threw her handful of cards into the air. Luckily, there were so many kids leaving that the teacher didn't see the cards.
"What class do you have next?" Leo asked as Pearl and Mikey came over, straitening their cards and arguing about who won.
"Um…choir." Cerina put her pack over her shoulder.
"I'll see you there then. I need to stop off at the office really quick. There's a student council meeting."
"Are you on the council?" asked Pearl.
"He's the president." Mikey was laughing as Leo sighed and left.
"Didn't you say you had choir next Mikey? Are we in all of your classes?" Pearl asked Mikey as she moved to the side to let Mikey lead the way to class.
"You're in all of them today. How could I know if you're in our classes tomorrow?" He asked as he almost ran into an open locker.
"I guess we'll find out when we get there, won't we Cerina?" Pearl was trying to not laugh again. As they walked down the stairs, Pearl and Cerina were getting very dirty looks from the fan girls.
"Oh, um…tomorrow, I know we have gym and study hall."
"What periods?" Mikey asked.
"Um…gym is 6th and I think study hall is 7th." Said Cerina as they stopped outside the choir room and looked in. Don was already sitting in the back of the middle of the classroom. "How does he get around so fast?"
"He's very sneaky." Leo said as he snuck up behind Cerina.
"GAH! Like you are?" she tried to slap his shoulder but he dodged. "You scared me half to death!"
"Sorry," Leo couldn't keep the smile off his face. "I couldn't help it. Oh, you can sit with us if you'd like. We don't have a seating chart. Do you see where Don's sitting? That's usually where we sit." Leo moved around Pearl to stay out of reach of Cerina. He sat on Don's left side. Mikey, Pearl and Cerina followed. Only, the girls were stopped by the fan club.
"What do you think you're doing?" asked Pearl, trying to push past them.
"You can't sit by them unless you're in the fan club and you're not." The 'president' folded her arms.
"Who would want to be in your stupid fan club anyway? I mean c'mon, no one could be that obsessed." These fan girls were pissing Cerina off.
"You two are the only girls in the entire female population of this school who aren't in the fan club." The 'president' took a step to the right to block Pearl who was trying to push past again. Cerina took a step forward and got right in the 'president's' face.
"Move it." She growled, ready to fight.
"Girls!" said Mikey coming over and putting his arms around the 'president' and another girl. "Give these two girls a break, they just moved in. besides…" he winked at Cerina and Pearl "me and my brothers think these girls are pretty awesome."
"R-r-really? But how do you know they don't just want to hurt you?" stammered the 'president'
"We just do." Mikey pushed past the girls and put his arms around Pearl and Cerina's waists. "Ladies, your seats." He led them over to their chairs. Cerina sitting by Leo and Pearl by Mikey…with Don sitting by Mikey to keep and eye on him. "What did you have to go to the office for?" Mikey whispered to Leo. "I know it wasn't for a meeting."
"I'll tell you later Mikey." Leo whispered back as the class began to sing. When the bell rang for the school day to end, Cerina and Pearl went to the front of the class to talk to the teacher and Mikey stretched back in his chair and yawned.
"Is the day over already?"
"You mean the day went by fast for you Mikey? That must be a first." Don stood and put his pack on.
"Well," Mikey looked at Pearl who had just laughed at something "I guess I gotta a new distraction."
Leo smiled and closed his eyes. He was thinking the same thing Mikey was. When he opened his eyes, he looked at Don. "Hey Donny, you're staying after right?"
"Yeah, the Science Club's got a meeting. And because I'm president, I have to go. I should only be an hour or so. Did you need something?"
"I was going to see if the girls need a ride home. If they do, I'm borrowing your car." Leo stood and pick up his bag and headed off towards the girls.
"Leo, keys." Don threw his keys to Leo who held out his hand and caught them easily.
"These are useful. Thanks Donny. I'll see you to night." Leo called after Don as he left.
"Later." And Don was gone.
Leo walked up behind Cerina and pulled her bag off her shoulder and slung it on his own. Mikey took Pearl's bag also and led her to the door. "Do you have a way home?" Leo asked as he held the door open for the girls.
"We were going to take a cab, but we don't have any money any more." Cerina said as she tried to get her bag back from Leo. She wasn't used to having a man be so kind to her, it made her feel self-conscious.
"We decided at lunch that we would walk home." Pearl also tried to get her bag back from Mikey. The two boys were having fun playing keep away.
"How far away do you live?" Mikey asked as he sidestepped Pearl's attempt at getting her bag back.
"Just a few blocks…" Cerina said as she walked out the back door that Mikey was holding open.
"Blocks!? We can't have two pretty girls like you walking a 'few blocks' in downtown New York!" Mikey slapped Cerina's hand away from Leo. "Leo did you get the keys?"
"Of course, right this way ladies." Leo led the way to Don's car. When they got there, Pearl ran her hand along the hood.
"What kind of car is this? I've never seen this kind before."
"We don't really know; Don made it." Leo opened the back passenger door for Cerina.
"Made it!?" Pearl looked at Leo, shock on her face. "How did he…?"
"I don't really know how, he took a bunch of new, old, and broken parts and put them all together." Mikey opened the door behind the driver's seat for Pearl.
"Broken?" Pearl gave Mikey a worried look.
"He fixed them first." Mikey got in the car…in the driver's seat. "Okay Leo, give me the keys."
"No Mikey. Get out of the car."
"Why?"
"You are NOT driving."
"But—"
"No, there is absolutely no way I am letting you drive."
"Leo…" Mikey gave Leo puppy-dog eyes.
"Out!"
"Leo, tell me why you won't let me drive?"
"Because you'll get us lost. You can't follow directions to save your life." Leo opened the driver's side door and held it open, waiting for Mikey to get out.
"But what about when we're training at ninj—" he stopped at a sever glare from Leo. "Fine!" Mikey got out of the car and slid over the hood to the passenger's side, making Pearl giggle.
Leo put all the bags in the trunk then walked to the front, got in the car and started it. "Where do you live?"
"Just turn right out of the parking lot."
"Alright." Leo backed out of the parking spot and turned right out of the parking lot. "Are you just going to tell me where to turn?" he looked at Cerina in the review mirror.
"Yes." Cerina had scooted over so she could see out the windshield.
"That's fine with me." Leo passed a taxi that was picking up an old man.
"See Leo, I could have driven." Mikey twisted in his seat so he could see Pearl.
"Mikey, which way is left?" Leo sounded as if he really didn't know.
"That way." Mikey pointed to his right, noticed he was pointing the wrong way, then pointed to the left. Pearl covered her mouth to keep from laughing. Cerina didn't hold back and burst out laughing.
"What does a yellow light mean?" Leo asked as he stopped for a red light.
"Speed up and look over your shoulder for cops."
"No, that's not what you do."
"It's what everyone else does. I mean—look!" Mikey pointed at a car that ran a red light.
"Leo, turn left up here." Cerina cut in.
"Everyone runs red lights!" Mikey pointed at another car as Leo pulled into the turning lane. As Leo began to turn, someone cut him off. He slammed on his brakes with quicker reflexes then normal.
"Tell me about it." He muttered as Cerina stared at the back of Leo's head. It had been awhile since she'd seen anyone besides Pearl and her Master with reflexes that fast. 'Maybe…no…' she dismissed the thought. 'Good ninja in New York besides me and Pearl? It's not possible.' She thought, still staring at Leo, she almost missed the building.
"You can stop right here. That's our building." She pointed out Leo's window.
"That's a really nice building. How high up are you?" Leo asked
"The very top." Replied Cerina as Leo parked in front of the building.
"The…top?" Mikey cracked his neck trying to look all the way up.
"Do you want us to walk you up?" Leo asked as he opened the door for Cerina. Once Mikey got out, he also opened the door for Pearl and they followed Leo to the trunk. Leo opened the trunk to get the girls' packs, being careful to hide his katanas, Mikey's nunchakus, Don's Bo staff, and Raph's sais. He didn't think it would be a good idea for Pearl and Cerina to see a bunch of strange weapons in the back of their car. He shut the trunk and walked up the main steps with Mikey, and the girls. Pearl plugged in her code and the opened the door. The four of them walked in the building. The lobby alone was huge and one of the workers gave Mikey a dirty look when he saw Mikey's bare feet. They headed off to the elevators. Cerina pushed the button and the waited a moment. When the doors opened, they waited for a few people to get off then they walked in.
"I wanna press the button!" Mikey started jumping up and down.
"Alright, it's this one." Pearl laughed as she pointed to the right button and Mikey pressed it.
"Mikey…" Leo wished Mikey wouldn't be so childish sometimes, but that was Mikey and there was no changing him. Leo leaned against the back wall next to Cerina. His hand brushed hers and she caught her breath. After a few moments, the elevator stopped and the doors opened into an entryway. Leo and Mikey gasped as they entered the apartment and walked down the hallway.
The way the room was furnished reminded them of ancient Japan. The only forms of technology were the light fixtures on the ceiling—only the bulbs had been taken out. There were candles everywhere, the only source of light. There were a few fluffy pillows around a low table; a light blue tea set was on the table. Hanging on the walls were katanas, cutlasses, sabers, Bo staffs, bows and arrows, axes, hammers, shuriken, daggers and many other weapons. There were also many display cases full of armor, helmets, china dolls, jade figurines, carved wooden pictures and other delicate items.
As Leo and Mikey's gaze traveled around the room, their eyes landed on a man in his early 40s. His gray-streaked black hair was receding and wrinkles were forming around his eyes. He was wearing a traditional kimono and practicing Bushido. Leo stared in amazement, he was defiantly a Master. He was fast and very skilled. Cerina noticed Leo holding his breath and the look of wonder on his face. She also noticed Mikey nudge Leo hard in the ribs and gave him a glare she couldn't read. Cerina decided the awkward silence needed to be broken. She stepped forward and bowed before the man.
"Master Artanis, Pearl and I have returned from school."
"Who is with you?" his voice was deep and raspy; he didn't look over.
"Leonardo and Michelangelo."
"Why are they here?" he never stopped his training.
"They are our friends. There are two more as well; Donatello and Raphael. They are brothers." Cerina continued to bow before Artanis.
"You have no time for friends."
"But Master, I thought—"
"Silence!! You will do as I say Serenity. You are only in school to learn. You do not need to make friends." Artanis stopped his training.
"M-Master …Artanis," Leo boldly stepped forward and Cerina stood up straight. "I do not agree with you. Friends make it easier to survive the day…especially when you are in high school. Friends can be there to help you with your problems, homework or you can just have fun with them."
"Leonardo was it? I admire your boldness; it is a good quality…when used in the right situation. However, now is not the time. Serenity and Pearl do not need friends at school. They have each other and they have me. That should be enough for them. You and your brother are dismissed from my house." Artanis held his katana threateningly.
Leo looked from Artanis to Cerina and Pearl, he then looked at Mikey. He turned to the door and began to leave. Cerina ran after him.
"Wait, Leonardo, Don't leave yet...please, don't listen to him. He's just…" Cerina grabbed Leo's arm and spun him around to face her. "Please…"
"I'll see you at school." Leo gently pulled his arm out of her grasp.
"No you won't." Master Artanis walked up and grabbed Cerina's shoulder roughly. "Serenity, I forbid you from even talking to them. That goes for you as well Pearl. Boy, leave my house now." He pointed to the elevator and Leo entered with Mikey. Before the doors closed, they heard Cerina yell:
"No matter how much you try, you'll never take the place of our father! Ever!" Mikey and Leo heard the sound of skin hitting bone and a body hitting the ground. From their experience, they could tell that the body was unconscious. Now, was it Cerina or Master Artanis? They couldn't tell; they only exchange worried glances as the elevator moved down in silence.