Author's Note: I'm back! You guys have spoken and here it is. The third part in the Penance/Ryoshuu trilogy joins the wild and crazy kids of the turtles and sees them get their first real taste of combat – which may or may not end well.

Official summary? Well, I don't have one. You'll just have to wait and see. (: Thanks again to any readers! I love this fandom!

"You are not serious."

"I am 100% serious. Arm tied behind my back, leg all bruised up, still got that sorry mugger on the ground." Raphael rolled his shoulder as he entered the kitchen behind Leonardo. "Course, that was back in my younger days. As Roman likes to remind me." He rolled his eyes at Leo's smirk, but their conversation was quickly cut short by the shrill ring of a cellphone. Leo and Raph both patted themselves, but it was Leo who answered.

Raphael stopped at the lair's counter and pulled out some bread for a sandwich, eyes on Leo.

"Yes, this is Leonardo Hamato," he answered, leaning against the counter as he cast a quick glance at Raph. "Whoa, whoa, whoa – did you say a fight?" Leo pulled the phone from his ear and put it on speakerphone before continuing. "Yeah, I think you've got the wrong Hamato," he looked pointedly to Raphael. "My son doesn't get into fights."

Some papers shuffled on the other end of the receiver. "Uh, Luka Yoshi Hamato, grade seven?" asked a woman's voice.

Leo blinked. "Well, yeah. That one is mine."

"Yes, well," the prim secretary's snobbish tones filtered through the speaker. "It would seem I reached the correct number then. You or his mother needs to come to the school to pick him up and meet with the principal."

"Wait," Leo cut her off. "Is Luka okay? Is he hurt?"

"Well, no, he's fine, but the other boys – "

"Boys?" he repeated incredulously, looking wide-eyed to Raphael. "How many others were there?"

The woman paused. "Four," she answered after a moment. Leo's fingers curled on the countertop in an effort at self-control. "But," she continued on hurriedly, "as I said, Luka isn't hurt. He's just waiting for someone to pick him up in the principal's office."

Leo scowled and covered up the phone's mouthpiece. "Who can pick him up?" he asked Raph. "Ame's in the lab right now. She's not going to have her phone on her." Raphael bit into his sandwich.

"Oh!" he said around a mouthful of bread. "Aniyah is off today. She's just finishin' up lunch with some of her work friends. She'll get him." Leo nodded quickly and returned to the phone.

"His aunt is coming to pick him up," he said, with no small amount of irritation. "She's on his list." With that, he hung up the phone and set it aside with a sigh. "What's going on? Luka in a fight? I mean, come on – and what in the hell are you smirking about?"

Raphael forced himself to swallow around his laughter. "It's just – I mean, damn. Luka fought off four kids!"

"Raph."

"By himself!"

"They're not supposed to fight in school."

"I know, I know," Raphael bit into his sandwich again, not swallowing before he spoke again. "Still… pretty badass."

Leo raised a brow ridge, before reaching forward and stealing some potato chips. "Well," he said after a long moment. "I mean, yeah, obviously."

Slam.

Aniyah Hamato entered the middle school office with a sickeningly sweet smile, which she did not bother to pass to the secretary who balked when Aniyah walked right by her, down the small hallway and into the principal's office, the door of which she also slammed wide-open.

"Principal Trevor," she greeted icily.

The man jerked in his seat and looked up, all color fading from his face at the sight of the woman standing in front of him. "Mrs. Hamato," he replied dully in greeting. "I wasn't expecting to see you again after Roman went to high school."

"I'm here for Luka," she said with a misleading smile, one which the principal offered reluctantly in return.

"Oh? And what exactly is your… relation to the young man?"

Aniyah folded her arms. "I'm his aunt."

The principal looked between Aniyah and the skinny Asian boy skeptically before clicking his tongue. "Right," he said dryly. "Didn't realize all of you were …related."

"Well, we are. Lucky you," she said flatly.

Obviously he disagreed with her, but he had no time to say so, because Aniyah brushed inside and immediately turned in a circle until she spotted Luka, who sat curled as far as he could manage into a stiff-backed chair. "Luka!" she kneeled in front of him, her face instantly shifting into concern.

"M'okay, Auntie," he mumbled.

Aniyah scanned his face, eyes and hands, even pausing to adjust his glasses with a gentle smile. "You sure? You can tell me if you're hurt." Luka relaxed a bit and nodded.

"Really, I'm fine."

"Unlike the other boys," Principal Trevor spoke up behind her, and Aniyah stood slowly and turned to face him. With one long finger, she prodded the office door closed, her expression melting back into a steely gaze once more.

"Luka," she glanced to the young boy. "What happened?"

"It wasn't my fault," he said earnestly, sitting up straighter. "Those guys came up to me at lunch and took my sketchbook. When I tried to get it back, they pushed me and one of them tried to punch me."

"It doesn't matter who started the fight," the principal cut in. "Which is why Luka will be suspended from school with the others."

"Suspended?" Aniyah exclaimed. "He was defending himself!"

"Our school has a very strict no-violence policy. If Luka was in danger, he should have notified a teacher."

Aniyah's eyes narrowed. "So let me get this straight," she said with unnerving calmness, taking a few slow steps in the direction of the principal's desk, to which he responded by leaning back in his rolling chair. "You, as the principal of this school, let my little tiny nephew – who, by the way, is 85 lbs if he's an ounce – "

"...weigh more than that," Luka muttered in the corner.

" – get jumped by four other boys and you're blaming him? Because he couldn't escape from them long enough to notify a freaking teacher?"

"I don't know why you're complaining," the principal retorted loudly. "Your 'little tiny nephew' is unharmed while the other four boys are in the nurse's office getting treated for their injuries."

"Oh, so now you're going to blame him because he won? Look at him! Does he really look like a fighter?"

The squat man flipped through some papers and said, "One of them has a broken rib."

Aniyah paused. "Beginner's luck," she said with a shrug.

The principal sighed heavily and stood, rounding his desk and trying to look imposing, which was difficult, given that he stood almost half a foot shorter than Aniyah. "M'aam, I'm sorry, but Luka is suspended for a week and it's best if you take him home now."

"Fine!" snapped Aniyah. "Then we'll just use that free week to take him to Disney World!" She shouldered her purse and sent one last glare at the principal before beckoning to Luka. "Come on, Luka."

Luka jumped up and snatched up his backpack before hurrying out after her.

In the parking lot, Aniyah took a deep breath and winced. Eugh, her jaw was already aching from clenched teeth. Luka shuffled next to her silently, his eyes on the asphalt. Before they got to the car, Aniyah stopped him with a gentle touch on his shoulders.

"I'm sorry you got suspended," she said sincerely, pulling him into a hug. He leaned into it and still somehow managed to shrug.

"S'okay," he said. "My teachers will let me make up the work, even if they're not supposed to." He pulled away and reached into his backpack. "Those guys ripped my drawing, though." He showed her the split sketch, and Aniyah smiled as she took it and held it together.

"Man, I'm sorry. This is a great drawing. But I'm sure you can do another. You've come such a long way since you started." She handed it back to him, though she paused further before getting in the car. "You didn't use your staff on those guys, did you?"

Luka looked a bit offended. "Of course not."

"Okay, okay," she got in the car as Luka slid into the passenger seat. "I was just making sure."

Luka buckled his seatbelt and frowned. "Is Dad mad at me?"

"Oh, no," Aniyah said, adjusting the mirror. "Well, I mean, probably not. I don't know, because I didn't talk to him. But you were defending yourself. I don't think he's mad. Right? I think."

Luka raised a brow at her. "That doesn't sound very reassuring."

"Yeahhh, let's maybe just go get ice cream first."

The soft gurgling of tea brought Leonardo into focus. He poured himself a cup from the ancient pot.

"Sorry I'm late, Master Splinter." He sipped from his cup and paused to savor the warmth and flavor. The room flickered in candlelight, dim in all the corners. "Today's been kind of a crazy day. And last week was insane, too. Luka had his first piano recital. It's so easy for us to watch in there. That whole ceiling is just made for spying. He did great."

Leo sat back on his haunches. "And you know, Mira's hockey team is in the playoffs right now. So she's been doing that, and we were able to watch her first game last night. It was really close, but they won in the end." He sighed and drained his cup. "But then today, Luka got into a fight at school." Without waiting for a reply, he went on, "I know, right? Luka. I don't know, sometimes… sometimes I feel like we're just not getting to the kids. Like they don't understand what we're doing with our ninjustsu." He smiled a bit. "But Raph and I are really trying. I think we're doing more good than harm. Maybe. Really, though, the kids should be here any minute – "

"Oh my god, Mira, stop!"

"No, I'm not gonna stop until I know who ate my freaking cupcake!"

"I already told you, it was Uncle Mikey!"

"He would never betray me like that!"

Crash. Something fell beyond the screen door that separated Leo from the main dojo.

"Oh, way to go, you two!"

Leo sighed. "And time for another day of training," he said wryly. Despite his weariness, he smiled and stood, his resolve firm. "I'll talk to you tomorrow." With a heavy hand, he stepped forward and brushed his fingers over an alter holding a vase of ashes and a single framed photograph.

"I miss you, father."

"Hajime!"

Clang. Bang. Mira ducked away from Roman and swiped her katana high, catching the end of on his chigiriki before ducking out of the way of the other.

"Mira, you're leaving your flank open," Leo called to her as he paced on the side of the mat. She responded by twirling and cutting low, which Roman only barely caught very near his leg.

"Holy hell," he yelped, rolling away and countering with a hit of his own, which she deflected. "You almost really cut me that time!" Mira slammed her katana overhead, which he blocked.

"Aw," she taunted. "Poor widdle Roman want me to use bokken instead of the scary katana?" Clang. Zing. She swiped at his side and Roman caught her blade with the chain of his weapon, twirling it out of her grip.

"Nah," he grinned. "I like a challenge."

"Oh, you'll get one!"

Daniella yawned off to the side of the mat, while Damon and Luka subtly played rock-paper-scissors. Mira and Roman paid no attention to them, and barely any to Leonardo as he barked commands. Finally, Roman managed to disarm Mira's other blade, kick her feet out from under her body and send her to the mat.

"Yame!" Leo called, stepping onto the mat as Mira pushed herself up with a grunt. "That was good," he said, "But I need to see more – "

"YAH!" Mira dove into Roman bare-handed and sent them both to the floor, to absolutely no one's surprise, including Leonardo who glared up at the ceiling for a moment before reaching forward and pulling the still struggling Mira away by the collar of her tank top.

"How many times do I have to tell you, Mira? Accept your losses gracefully!" he scolded.

Roman snickered. "Yeah, Mira."

"But he cheated!"

"Mira," Leo warned.

"Yeah, Mira."

"Roman!" Leo dropped Mira's top and dragged a hand down his face. "Okay, that's it for the day. You're free to go." Mira stalked away and grabbed her katana off the mats. With a flick of a tiny switch at the handle, the two blades jumped into their hilts and became short enough to fit in her chest strap, which she normally kept hidden under her shirt.

"Punk," she muttered at Roman as they left.

"Midget," he grinned.

The others filtered out behind them, but Luka was stopped by a hand at his shoulder. "Stick around a minute," said Leo, and Luka nodded reluctantly. Once his cousins were gone, Luka stood rigidly in his spot, waiting for Leonardo to speak. As usual, his father took his time gathering what he wanted to say. Perhaps he thought it was a kindness, one which allowed Luka time to gather his thoughts, but all it really did was exacerbate his anxiety.

"Aniyah tells me the fight at school wasn't your fault," said Leo. Luka shrugged, to which Leo cleared his throat pointedly, so Luka looked up and met his gaze.

"It wasn't. Those guys attacked me."

Leo made some tea. "And you couldn't get to a teacher?"

The younger of the two fought a sharp pang of irritation. "No," he said simply.

His father crossed the dojo and sat on the rug, and after gesturing for Luka to do the same, he said, "You know you're not supposed to fight. We have these rules for a reason."

"I know."

"You have the potential to really hurt someone, Luka. You need to be more careful."

Luka clenched his teeth, and for a moment, he said nothing, his eyes low. Unfortunately, the emotion of the day still felt a little too raw for his father's quiet logic. At last, he looked up at Leo's face and met his gaze.

"What is the point in us learning all of this if we're not even allowed to defend ourselves?"

Leo sighed and set aside his tea. "I've told you a thousand times. Ninjutsu is not just about martial arts. It's about enlightenment, gaining an understanding one's self and nature. It's about learning our place in the world and treating that world with respect, not carving out a place for ourselves without thinking of the consequences."

"Then why do we even bother learning to fight?"

"Because we need to treat ourselves with the same respect we give others. We need to take care of our bodies and our minds." Luka's father looked to him for a long moment. "And because sometimes we have no choice but to fight," he added softly.

Luka frowned a little. "But no one's bothered our family since before Roman was born. We're safe now. Right?"

Shifting forward, Leo leaned over and gripped Luka's shoulder in a gentle squeeze. "Yeah, Luke. We're safe." He touched his head affectionately for just a moment before pulling away. "I'm glad you're okay, son."

Luka managed a small smile. "Me, too," he admitted, which made Leo laugh. They stood together and left the dojo.

"You know what I think?"

Leonardo glanced up from the newspaper, lips quirked. "I never know what you're thinking, Raph." He looked back to the black and white text and sipped at his coffee. Raph rounded the countertop and plopped down onto a stool.

"I think the kids have outgrown the dojo," he said, ignoring Leo's jab. He had matured a little, after all. Or perhaps he just had a one-track mind. That was much more plausible. Leo set the newspaper aside and raised a brow ridge, but Raph stopped him before he could protest. "Look, I'm not sayin' we suspend their training. The opposite, really." He paused and leaned forward, doing a poor job of disguising his anticipation.

"I say we let the kids start doin' patrols."

Leo nearly dropped his coffee cup. "Are you crazy? They're – they're teenagers!"

"And what were we?" Raph asked, folding his arms and leaning back on the stool. "Hell, we were all younger than they are now. Well, except Luka. But Master Splinter knew he couldn't keep us locked up in here forever."

"That was different," Leo frowned. "Our kids have lives. We don't have to send them out on patrols to keep them busy."

"But we do!" Raph protested. "They're goin stir crazy in the dojo, Leo! We need to get them some real experience. Nothin' too hard core. Just a little … " he grinned a little. "Street justice."

"Absolutely not." Leo rose from his seat and moved to wash out his cup, but Raphael followed him and blocked his path out of the kitchen.

"Leo," he said more seriously. "We gotta teach these kids there's more to being a ninja than sparring each other. They're getting' too complacent. And what else is more important than defending your home? Master Splinter knew that. Why do you think he let us leave and fight in the first place?"

Leo paused, his thoughts turning back to their lost father. Raphael shrugged his heavy shoulders. "You don't think he was scared as hell every time we left? I don't want Roman or any of the others to get hurt. But they're old enough now. They gotta learn that there's more to life than texting and sports and … television or whatever the hell else it is they do."

With a heavy sigh, Leo leaned against the counter. "It's really scary when you're almost right," he conceded. "Okay, fine. We can give it a shot." He grabbed his newspaper off the counter. "Just hope they don't … well, go crazy."

"Nah," Raphael grinned. "Not our kids."

"Will, you made it!"

Roman grinned up as a tall teen joined him at the cafe table. "Yeah," the other laughed. "Finally got away from practice." He looked around. "Where are the others?" Roman pointed to the front of the coffee shop, where a sound stage sat brightly illuminated amidst a dimly lit room of tables, chairs and a barista counter. Dancing in front of the stage was Dani and Mira.

"And I wonder," sang Damon at the microphone, guitar in hand, "When I sing along with you, if everything could feel this real forever." He looked across the dark room and spotted Will at the table with Roman, so he smiled and winked as he sang.

"Oh my god," shrieked a girl at the table next to them. "He just winked at me!"

"Oh, he is so hot," said the other, sending Roman into a hysterical fit of laughter. The song came to an end ("WHOO!" screamed Mira and Dani in unison, the perfect band fangirls for all of Damon's small gigs) and Roman sipped from his drink before sending a smirk Will's way.

"Ready to go ruin those girls' day?" he whispered. Will gave him an amused glance before standing.

"Oh, yeah," he said, jumping up from the table and striding ahead of the girls as Damon and his bandmates hopped off the stage and he pulled off his guitar. "Great job, baby," Will said, tugging lightly on Damon's shirt, who happily followed the motion and met his lips in a kiss.

"Thanks," Damon chuckled, looking up curiously when the girls behind them groaned and shuffled away. "What's that about?"

"They wanted to have your ginger babies," explained Will with a sound nod. Damon snickered and took hands with Will before heading back to the table, where Dani slid him a cup of water. Mira popped up next to the table, curly hair bouncing under her backwards cap.

"Duuuude," she said, "That was awesome."

Will let Damon take his seat since he'd been standing and leaned against the back of it, slim arms around Damon's shoulders. Will and Damon were built very similarly, tall and lean, but Will was as dark as Damon was pale, and his hair was black and cut short. "How was your batting practice?" asked Damon over his shoulder, and Will rolled his eyes.

"Pretty much the same. Gotta work on it some more. But hey, don't you worry. When our schools play again, we're kicking your ass."

"But just think," Damon said, waving his cup of water. "We would have never met if my team hadn't played yours. And won. Okay, maybe that part is irrelevant."

Will thumped him in the neck. "You just worry about your outfielders, okay? They always look like they're taking a nap." Damon opened his mouth to retort, but stopped when Will's brows furrowed and his fingers flickered at the collar of Damon's t-shirt. "Where'd this bruise come from? Geez, baby. You always have some new mark on you."

"It's from baseball," Damon answered automatically, casting a sidelong glare at Mira, who whistled innocently. She'd landed one too many good hits on him with the hilt of her katana the day before. Will straightened and rounded Damon's chair, eyeing him suspiciously.

"You get bruised and banged up more than anyone else I know."

Damon paused and then squinted one eye at Will. "Did I mention I'm super white? Like, almost transparent. I could fall into a vat of cotton candy and come out looking like I just did three rounds with Tyson."

"It's true," added Roman helpfully. "He walks by a window and gets sunburned."

"Hm," said Will, looking over him suspicously before he finally nodded. "Well, anyway, are you ready to go? We're supposed to study tonight." Damon froze, his eyes going wide before he quickly recovered.

"Uh, I can't. Sorry, I – uh," he drummed his fingers on the table.

Dani cut in, "Family monopoly night. Can't miss it. On pain of death." Will raised a brow.

"Oh, really? And why didn't you tell me this before?"

"I forgot."

Will narrowed his eyes again, but Damon couldn't think of any better excuses, so he simply smiled and hoped he could win this one on pure charm. Will didn't seem completely convinced, but he wasn't willing to question it further. "Fine," he said shaking his head and leaning over to kiss Damon. "But this better not just be another way to get out of studying. You are terrible at Chemistry."

"Yeah, that's what my Chemistry teacher tells me." Damon hopped up and pulled Will into one last kiss. "I'll text you later. I promise."

"And you'll be at dinner in two weeks to meet my parents?" asked Will, to which Damon nodded slowly, his eyes darting to Dani.

"Yyyyess," he said, with another wide smile. "Yes. I will."

"Damon," warned Will. "This is serious. My parents are only just now getting cool with me being gay. I want them to meet you so they know you're not a freak."

"Not a freak, got it. I will be there. Normal and clean."

Finally Will left, waving a good-bye to the others, and Damon collapsed back onto his chair. "Damn," he muttered. "If tonight's patrol ends up becoming a regular thing, I'm gonna have to think of a better excuse to tell Will." He blanched. "I hate lying."

"You get used to it," said Dani dryly.

"Come on, guys!" Mira shared a devious grin with Roman before whispering loudly. "It's ninja time!"

"These are so badass!" exclaimed Mira, stepping out from behind the changing panel of the dojo. Roman looked up from where he was adjusting the last of his own shozoku to see Mira emerge, fully dressed in the black, lightly armored uniform Uncle Donnie had made for all them, the form-fitting nature of which did not escape Roman's attention.

He stared unblinkingly at Mira for a moment before Raphael thumped him hard in the stomach. "Ow!"

"Finish getting dressed," his father said pointedly, and Roman hurriedly finished his straps. Mira hurried up to him, her normally bushy hair tied into a slick braid.

"Here, stupid," she said, moving up to him and finishing one of the buckles on his side. When she was done, Roman schooled his expression carefully into one of calm and then thumped her shoulder.

"Go away."

"Alright, guys," Leo rounded up the kids. "Here are the rules. This is a trial patrol. That means you stick to the rooftops, you observe your area, and if absolutely necessary, you intercede. Also," he looked to Roman. "Do not get arrested. Do you understand?"

"Why're you looking at me?" asked Roman, offended. Raphael rolled his eyes.

"Because you're the leader, doofus!"

Roman blinked as his cousins snickered. "Oh, yeah," he flushed. "Right, so. I'm the leader. Okay, so you guys aren't coming with us right, Dad? Sensei? You're really letting us do this on our own?"

Leo folded his arms. "As much as it pains me to say this... yes."

"Go ninja go nina go!" Mira danced, before running out of the door, leaving her cousins to hesitate only for a moment before turning and running out after her wildly. Roman only restrained himself long enough to bow before he took off after them.

Leo dashed out as well. "PATROL DOESN'T MEANT LOOKING FOR TROUBLE, GUYS!"

"What?" asked Damon's fading voice as they hurried out of the lair. "What else would it mean?"

The night air was warm, and Roman looked out over the streetlight lined streets with no small amount of satisfaction. They were out. They were doing it. They were real ninjas.

"Keep vigilant, guys," he said from where he stood on the edge of the roof, his back to the others. "You never know who might need us."

A moment of silence. And then - "This is boring!" exclaimed Mira, and Roman scowled heavily, turning to face her. "Mira – Hey, Damy! Stop texting!"

"I'm trying to get Will off my back!" he argued, before looking up in annoyance as Mira and Dani both collapsed into laughter. "Oh, yeah, you guys are so funny."

Roman looked over to Luka, who stood staring blankly into the distance. "Luka!" The boy jumped. "Are you keeping watch or are you just doing that weird trance thing?"

"I'm thinking," Luke admitted.

"About what?"

The young boy paused. "This really cool documentary I watched on tv the other day. It was about vikings."

Roman huffed. "Screw vikings! They're the natural enemy of ninja."

"I thought that was pirates," Damon teased.

"Pirates AND vikings!" Roman argued heatedly, making the others snicker, much to his growing impatience. "They both, like – pillage stuff. And that's not cool. Pillaging is not cool."

"Shut up!" Mira jumped forward and shoved Damon out of the way, who toppled over with a yelp and a thud. "Look, that shop clerk is getting robbed!"

Roman leaped to his feet. "Awesome!" He paused. "Well, okay. Not awesome. Anyway, come on!" The group of five hurried down from the rooftop and into the street, black masks pulled up to conceal most of their faces. The three robbers moved to the door just as Roman burst through first, ahead of the others, chigiriki in hand.

"Stop!" he called out. "Put your hands up!" He then reflected on how nice it was to be on the other side of such a command. Hm.

"What the hell?" one of the robbers looked to the other. "Get out of the way, fool!" He lifted a gun and Roman ducked, rushing forward and knocking the man off his feet while the shop clerk shrieked and slammed the panic button a hundred times. Mira came in behind him with a wild yell, with the twins and Luka on her heels.

"Whoa!" Dani slammed right into her and the two of them toppled over, where as Luka barely escaped getting pistol whipped by one of the men in their desperation to escape.

"Luka!" Damon slammed his nunchucks into the face of the robber, who toppled forward and fell into a shelf that then landed on Roman and the first robber, sending them both into a Coca-Cola display.

"STOP DESTROYING MY SHOP!" screamed the clerk.

"Hey, what're we supposed to do? Kill these guys?" Mira shouted, suddenly looking panicked. Roman slid to a stop in the midst of the chaos.

"Uh, well – No, no of course not! We're supposed to – I don't know, tie them up with something!"

"Like what?" yelled Damon. "We're not freaking Spider-Man!"

Dani turned on her heel and slammed an elbow into one robber's jaw, sending him to the floor, but he caught her leg and brought her down with him. She kicked him in the face sharply and rolled away. "Tell us what to do, oh great leader!" she snarled.

"Oh, so now I'm the leader?" Roman groaned sarcastically. "You never wanted to listen to me before!"

"JUST SHUT UP AND TELL US WHAT TO DO!"

Sirens blared in the distance. "Hey, idiots! We gotta get out of here!" Mira snatched Roman's arm and grabbed Luka with the other. "Come on, out the back!" The five teens hurried to the back of the store just as police swarmed the front of the shop.

"Go go go!" Roman pushed all the others through ahead of him and they rounded into the side alleyway, but they skidded to a stop and stumbled all over each other when they saw a police car blocking the entrance. Roman yanked them behind a large dumpster.

"What do we do?" Luka whispered, eyes wide with panic. Roman looked all around before he reached up to the dumpster lid.

"Get in."

Dani glared. "I freaking hate you, Rome."

"Do you want to get arrested?"

"I don't!" Damon quipped, jumping up first and landing in the garbage bin with a thud. The others quickly followed and the lid slammed down just before the police came around the corner and looked through the alley, but judging from their chatter, they figured the "strange looking kids with weapons" had run off.

Roman peeked out from under the lid.

"Guess we gotta stay here for a minute. Looks like the police are sticking around."

"My hand just touched something sticky," whimpered Dani.

"Man," Mira put her chin in her hand. "How long have we been in here?"

Dani looked at her phone's brightly lit screen. "Forever," she groaned, and Damon sighed.

"I could be in bed right now."

"Yeah, well, this is just a little hiccup," said Roman confidently. "We'll get the hang of it."

Daniella scowled. "This is all you fault, Roman! You just had to prove you're a big bad ninja to Sensei and your dad, didn't you?" She waved her hand and pretended to faint before saying in a high-pitched voice, "Oh, notice me senpai!"

"Shut up!"

"You shut up!"

"Hey guys." The fivesome shrieked in unison, each recoiling further into the bin until they spotted the familiar face hovering above them. "You know this is for garbage, right?"

Damon squinted against the light. "Right where we belong then," he said wryly.

"Dad!" Mira jumped out and into Mikey's arms, and he pulled her from the garbage bin. The others stumbled out behind her, and Luka landed rather ungracefully before complaining about leg cramps.

Mikey patted her head. "You okay? Whoo, you guys totally reek!"

"Yeaaah," Roman brushed himself off. "How about we just not mention this to Dad and Sensei?" Mikey hummed thoughtfully.

"Yeah, I don't really think that's necessary." He looked straight up, and the five teens followed his gaze to see Leonardo and Raphael standing on the rooftop above them, looking down at the alleyway with equal expressions of amusement and pity.

"Have you guys been watching us all night?" moaned Mira.

Leo stooped at the edge of the roof. "Oh, yeah. And it was riveting."

"Specially the part where you guys hid in a dumpster for two hours," added Raphael. Mikey patted Mira's shoulder as he pulled up the hood of his jacket and walked them out of the alley with an encouraging smile.

"Don't worry, baby girl. We were pretty terrible when we first started, too."

Mira grimaced and leaned into him tiredly. "Really? Because I'm starting to think New York City would just be better off without us."

Oki Islands, Japan

The screen blurred before sharpening into focus, though the figure speaking was hidden behind a specialized screen, one which displayed his words in glowing text as he spoke them.

"Bounty Hunter. Have you considered my offer?"

A low growl sounded in the dimly lit room. "As I have told you on multiple occasions, I am not willing to accept such a contract."

"It is outside of your skills, then?"

"Nothing is outside of my skills," boasted the hunter. "I refuse to travel to New York City for reasons that are my own, no matter how many times you make the offer, nor how many times you insult me by raising the price of the bounty."

"Pity. I had hoped for more. You and your partner are rumored to be the best."

"And so we are," the hunter answered. "Yet I speak for us both. Your job offer holds no interest. Do not attempt to contact me again." He reached forward, shutting off the screen with a snarl before he stormed out. The door shut behind him with a slam.

A beat passed in stillness before a figure moved in the shadows, a pair of flashing green eyes turning to the screen left behind by the hunter. With a few clicks of the keyboard, the figure quickly brought the screen back to life and scanned the text from the conversation.

Then, with a single glance at the darkened doorway, the shadow typed a much welcomed response.