A/N: This is the first time I've made my work known to such a possibly wide audience, so I really hope you guys will give me some good encouragement as well as critiques.
This IS a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle fanfic, but the turtles don't come in for a while. Bear with it, please. ;)
One other thing, I'm not good with chapter titles, so they might just be labeled by chapter number. Don't hate me. Titles just don't like me. ;;
(I don't think I need a disclaimer yet...)

"Hero in the Making"

Seth's POV

…weightlessness. CRASH! I hit the opposite wall, collapse to the ground. My arms shake as I try to push myself up. Footsteps. I have to get up, have to fight. I taste the blood in my mouth after a kick connects to my face. I'm on my back now. I can't breathe; he's sitting on my lungs. I try to hit him; my arms are pinned. Try to kick free; no good. I am at his mercy.

"Give up, Seth. You can't win." I don't answer. I'm trying to think of how to get out. I half mumble, half choke something out. "Eh? What's that?" I "try" to speak up; my plan is working. That arrogant jerk is trying to hear what he thinks is my surrender. Just lean in, come in a little closer. He leans in a little. I keep my voice just low enough so that he can't hear me.

The corner of his mouth twitches. Was he trying not to smile? Suddenly rage begins to bubble and boil inside me. If he would just lean in I could win this fight and prove myself better than him! He locks eyes with me. He must be able to see the anger rising in me, because he smiles at me. It's the toothiest, most condescending, sickening, and infuriating smile I have ever seen. I bare my clenched teeth as I prepare to make one last effort to throw him off me. The exertion combines with the rage to form some unearthly battle cry.

I'm free! I somehow managed to reverse our positions, and now I'm taking full advantage of it. I have his arms pinned with my knees and I'm beating at his face for all I'm worth.

This probably went on for about 5 seconds, though it felt like a minute or more. I only stopped because Sensei intervened. I was throwing what would've been a beautiful right hook to Mikhail's face, when Sensei caught my elbow before the execution. Of course, being the idiot that I am, I yanked free and kept going. Big mistake. Sensei hit the nerve clusters in my shoulders, then, with a maddeningly simple arm bar, pulled me from Mikhail. The son of a rat was still wearing that smirk, like all the punishment I had just given him was nothing. I tried to get at him and continue my onslaught. Mistake number two. Sensei used his advantage to bring me to the ground, flat on my stomach. There was nothing I could do under this new hold unless I wanted a broken arm or dislocated shoulder.

"You must learn to control your anger, Seth, or it will control you." Sensei was always saying stupid stuff like that. But acting like I practice what he advises always gets him to shut up. I take a few deep breaths, calm myself down a little. My muscles and bones are getting used to the new position. I nod to let sensei know I'm under control now. He lets me up. That jerk is just standing there with his arms crossed, with that smirk of superiority still on his face. "Bow," the sensei commands. We do so, but there is no respect in the motion.

Oh, hell. Sensei's got that look in his eyes. He's brewing up a lecture.

"I'm hittin' the showers." Gotta' get away before…

"Seth." Crap! "Come see me when you have finished." I search his eyes for the hope that he isn't 

planning what I think he's planning. Nope, it's too obvious to ignore. I give a mental sigh and walk to the showers.