A Bond Of Friendship

Disclaimer: I deny any ownership of any adolescent transformed shadow warrior chelonians.

Rated T

Author's Note: This is a rewrite of my original "A Bond of Friendship' story. Rama's friend does stutter, which makes him difficult to write and I'm sure not that easy to read either. I felt I have to write him that way to keep him true to who he is or , at the very least in character.

Chapter One - Rama's friend.

Ramiela:

I was out for an afternoon walk in the sewers. I could go out alone long as I stayed in my area a few blocks from home that was it. Of course that didn't give me much so once in a while I left the area and went a little further.

OKAY! More then once in a while I did it a lot and I knew if I got caught outside of where I should be I'd be in trouble. I'd be punished for sure. Thing is I had to get caught.

My Uncle Raphael he once told me, he said " Ramiela you are your father's daughter and if that means anythin' then you'll be getting into a whole mess of trouble in your life…"

Geesh! I never knew that I'd be epected to get into trouble just because of who my dad is…but that's okay I think I can handle it. I can live up to it, it might not be easy but I'll sure try.

Anyway Uncle went on to tell me this " So let me tell you this there are two types of trouble. The trouble you don't get caught at and the trouble you do. And if you are smart you won't get caught and when you do get caught just remember all the times you weren't"

I liked the way Uncle Raphael thought. He told me the MOST important things.

Like how my daddy use to get into trouble when he was a kid. Funny he didn't seem to like it when I got into trouble, which was pretty often, but you know only doin whats epected of me and all that.

Course I was already in trouble for today one I knew I'd be caught at once I got home that is, which might mean they might overlook any thin else. So I wasn't worried about going beyond my area today.

Oh well chances ya gotta take in life!

I splashed in a bit of the sewer water just to watch the ripples it caused, and feeling a few drops hit the back of my leg and trickled down. I smiled a little. Sometimes I liked makin' noise even though I knew ninja were sposta be sneaky quiet like.

I was wearing a long pull over jacket that I had found it was a bit smelly and had some holes in it and it was big on me but it was my secret jacket the one I hid away and wore when I went on walks when I was thinking of going topside. It had a big hood on it, and no jacket you just pulled it on over your head, course it smelled a bit too. I found it one time when I went topside when I weren't sposta. I had found an alley and snuck out in it and there was my jacket, so I brought it back and hid it to use if I wanted to go topside again.

I wasn't spose to go topside. That wasn't allowed no how no way.

Dad said it was full of danger topside . Course I only used my coat to go topside to the rooftops sometimes and look down at the people and streets below. That was all I did climb up to the rooftops and look around at stuff from up high stead of down below. Sides dad and all my uncles went topside wearin' coats and hats so I figured if they could I could too.

And because I never knew when I might wants to go up I'd get my jacket and put it on before I walked and returned it to it's hidin spot after my walk. If I ever got caught in this though I know my dad would demand an eplanation for it.

I had taken off using my ninja skills, coz I wanted to go walking stead of to Uncle Donatello's lesson. School wasn't much fun.

I knew they'd be looking for me soon that is if they weren't all ready so I sposed I ought to go back. And I was I was just sort of takin my time about it.

Had to put my jacket away first.

I froze suddenly as I thought I heard voices.

" Get Him!"

" Stupid Freak"

" We'll make you pay"

I shrank back Freak I knew that word heard it but once before. Uncle Raphael said it he said freak was the most awful, horrible, disgustin word ever.

Up to then I knew words could be bad. If you knew my Uncle Raphael you would know he knew lots of bad words he even knew bad words in other lang…langages… anyway I never knew that words could be awful, horrible and disgustin as well as bad.

And I knew that freak word had to be REAL bad because Uncle has only used it the once but he sure uses a lot of other bad words.

Because he told me lots of stuff I asked him "what freak was?" And he told me to " Forget that word. You shouldn't be saying it!"

See I told ya that freak word is really bad. It's gotta be because my Uncle Raphael don't want ME saying it and he don't mind when I say other bad words. Course the rest of the family don't want me sayin any bad words at all not with my cousins around to go sayin it too.

I had to ask dad about it even though I figured I might get into trouble for sayin such a bad word around him. He might even punish me for it but I just had to know what freak was.

Dad just sort of smiled at me when I asked and told me " Rama all a freak is, is someone different from the rest of the population or society. A lot of humans might consider us Freaks because we aren't human like they are."

I was a Freak! I thought I was a turtle! A ninja turtle just like my dad and my uncles were.

" A freak Rama is something that is unusual. Something that you don't see every day."

Oh I was safe then. I saw turtles like me every day but I guess humans didn't see us and since we weren't suppose to let them see us coz we were ninja and not spose to be seen it might cause problems or trouble I guess if a human saw us. They might think we were freaks.

Funny some humans did know about us though like Aunt April and Uncle Casey and their two year old son Jeremy. We even had Aunt Karena who lived with us. She was Sensei's Leonardo's wife.

Dad wasn't finished though he went on to say " Sometimes Raph gets to thinking too much about how different we are from humans and he knows a lot of humans would see us as freaks and that is why your Uncle hates that word more then any other. It is for Raph the most hated word in the world. But I myself Rama would rather think of us as being special"

Special I had to say I liked the sound of that word a lot better then that freak word.

I waited in the silence of the sewer and heard the loud angry voices fade a bit so I knew whatever it was had to be topside and the voices had only come down this way as sometimes they do. Whoever it was had moved on.

I knew I had to be going but I waited unsure because it sounded like someone up there had come across someone special and they hated them for it.

I looked up the ladder leading to topside that I was standing near it wouldn't hurt to peek. I knew this one lead to an alley it was the one I usually used when I went topside.

So I climbed the ladder and moved the cover that was the hardest part for me, then I peeked out of the opening and saw three kids up near a wall at the end of the alley punchin and kickin at somethin' on the ground. I moved up out of the sewer and into the shadows of the alley and watched for a second or so.

I knows about punchin and kickin so I knew by watchin them they didn't do it right. It was more roughhouse wrestlin' really. Not real fightin' like I can do and the special person was all rolled into a ball while the three bakas hurt em.

Since they didn't know how to fight I thought I could manage them. The bakas weren't much bigger then me only a little bigger and though there was more of them I figured with how I can fight I do okay course if I got hurt I'd have some splainin' to do to my dad but I think he'd understand or I hoped so.

I growled a little and pulled up the hood of my jacket over my head and tied tight to hide my face as it hung down past my knees I felt that they wouldn't see too much of me. I figured they didn't know how to fight and they were pickin on the special kid so I'd do what I could make things fair.

I ran up silently behind them dropped down and did a sweep kick knockin' two of them down. I jumped to my feet and punched the other hard in the gut before he could even think of hittin' me.

" Leave it alone you Bakas! Go on get out of here!" I yelled at them.

One kid pulled a knife. I snorted a bit- funny I handle swords and things like that you think I'm scared of a knife? I respect knives coz their weapons and any weapon can hurt but come on now the knife he drew wouldn't even be good for throwin' I liked throwin' daggers they were way fun!

Didn't have time to think just act as sensei would say. I easily blocked his arm as he moved in and brought my other hand down in a dragon fist to his shoulder blade kid screamed and dropped the knife as his two friends came forward. I back flipped out of their way then roundhouse kicked one into the other sent em both sprawlin.' It was kind of funny, least I thought it was.

I like fightin this was way fun! What a riot!

Anyway the three bakas decided to leave just I was startin to enjoy it. Trust Bakas to leave! " Don't you come back less you want more" I yelled after them. Then I turned to the huddled ball " Hey there you okay? It's safe to come out now."

" A..are th…the..they go…gone?"

" Yeah long gone and still runnin most likely" I chuckled.

" Th..tha…thanks."

It was just a kid about my size probably about my age to or around there and he talked a little funny but he didn't look like a freak to me. " Why were they pickin on ya?" I asked curious.

" K..Ko…Coz I'm not able to..t.t..t.talk right. T..th.the…they k..k.k.call mmme fre…freak."

Boy no wonder humans might see us as freaks I mean if just not being able to talk made you a freak to humans then I guess it would be easy to see how we could be freaks. Seemed like we didn't stand a chance.

" You're not a freak trust me. I know you don't look anything like a freak. You're just special. By the way I'm Ramiela."

" R..Ra..Rammma."

" Hey hold on there. Don't worry you gots problems talkin' so why not just call me Rama might be easier on ya."

" Rrr. Rama I'm Jes. Jessie."

" Hi Jessie so do they do that to you lots?" I had a feelin Jessie was a boy but I wasn't quite sure it was kind of hard to tell with humans sometimes.

Jessie only nodded yes,as he stared down at his runners.

" Hmm. You ought to learn to fight Jessie then when the bakas come after ya, ya can give them what for teach them a lesson. I better go Jessie I'm not suppose to be here." I stood up to leave.

" Rrr…Ram…Rama wa..wait" he pleaded.

I stopped turned back " Yeah?"

" K..Can ..ww..we be fr…friends?"

Gee! I never had a friend before least not my age my dad and uncles were kinda my friends but they were older then me and my cousins were only babies.

" I…I do..don..don't h..ha..have any fr..Fff..friends."

I guess if people saw Jessie as being a freak they might not want to be friends with him. " I dunno Jessie. I'd like to have a friend myself. It's just that I'm not spose to be here Jessie and I can't let you visit my home coz then my dad will know I broke a rule a big rule. One that is very bad okay?" I did want to be his friend. Wanted to be someone's friend. I wanted a friend. But I knew to be Jessie's friend I'd have to sneak topside or he'd hafta come into the sewers.

I saw Jessie standing there with his head hung lookin' so sad. I felt kinda bad for him.

" See Jessie. I'm not like you. I can't be here because well. I am what could be called a freak by some I guess but I'm like my dad. I like the word special over freak. That's why I gotta hide Jessie so people don't see me. You're not even spose to see me." I told him I thought he ought to know why I couldn't be his friend had nothing to do with him.

" Yo..You talk oooh..kay Ramma" Jessie said.

" Yeah it's my looks which are against me. I'm a turtle Jessie. Look at my hands their green a very light green but green. I gots a shell to" I told him peeling back some of my jacket so he could see my hand and arm a bit.

Jessie looked surprised "T.TTttt.Tur..t..tles ta..talk?"

I laughed " The ones in my family do" I grinned at him. He wore a baggy shirt and jeans he had light brown short hair " My dad is a turtle, my uncles are turtles. My cousins are turtles. My granddad is a rat."

" Th..that's nnnot Ni…nice ttt..to say."

" No Jessie he is a rat like I am a turtle."

" Wh…what abo..out your mmmom?"

" I dunno my dad said she left when I was a baby and he doesn't talk about her much. i know she was human. Dad,he answers my questions about her but he don't just tell me you know" I shrugged " I live with my dad, uncles, granddad my Aunt Karena and my baby cousins."

" What's yo..you.r Aunt?"

I laughed again I guess after hearin all that it was sort of epected " She is human the odd ball of the family or that's what my dad calls her. He just jokes a lot so he don't mean it when he says that and Aunt Karena knows it."

" I li..ve w.w..with mmmy m..m..mom. Mmm..my dad's g.g..go.gone. I'm s..se..seven"

Gee it seemed Jessie and I weren't so different he didn't know his dad and I didn't know my mom. We were both thought of as freaks by people.

" I'm almost seven or will be in a few more months. I got to go Jessie I really do." I jerked my thumb towards the open manhole.

" C..K..can I …see y…yo..you a..gain R…R.Rama?"

I glanced at him, he had a hopeful look on his face and I wanted to say the right thing. I just didn't know what was right.

I wanted to obey my dad and tell Jessie it wasn't allowed for me. Somehow though it didn't come out that way instead I told him " Sure meet me here about three or so tomorrow okay?"

Jessie nodded a big grin on his face as I headed back to the sewer.

" Y..You live d…do..down there… Rama?"

" Uh- huh. I got to stay hidden Jessie. Can't let people know about me Coz I'm a ninja. A kunoichi and people aren't spose ta see ninja. Later Jess."

Jessie helped me close the lid on the manhole and I headed back towards home. I felt pretty happy when I stashed my jacket in it's spot. I had been in a fight against three people and won and I found a friend. For the first time ever I had a friend my age.

Only thing is I knew I couldn't tell my family about any of it or I'd get into trouble and speaking of trouble I best get a move on or I'd have more trouble then even I could handle.

TBC