Hi,

Instead of working on my other three current fanfictions, I've started another.

Having gotten into the newest version of TMNT, I kind have think that Tiger Claw is one sexy anthropomorphic tiger, as all of them seem to be. But, I'm interested in how his backstory happened.

disclaimer: I own nothing.

TFG

A Magic Door

The day had turned out to be beautiful, a blessing for the start of April. There was a bright sun in a cloudless sky, with a mild breeze cooling the air of the small town in central Japan. Everything was lush and green with a multitude of colourful flowers blooming. There was a smell of fresh cut grass that lingered on the air of the well-kept street, which came from the manicured lawns around the army base. There were even birds chirping and butterflies floating lazily from flower to flower.

It was far too nice to be cooped up inside of one of the small houses on the street.

At least that's what the eight-year boy told his mother, for the eighth time that day. His black hair flying messily about his head as he hopped from one foot to the other, refusing to sit still even as he spoke to his mother.

"You know I do not like you to go out without me, nanny or your father, Takeshi," the plainly dressed, young Japanese woman said with a hint of irritation in her voice.

The young woman was a doctor at the military hospital, who specialised in cardiothoracic surgery. She was not an exceptional beauty, but she was rather pretty, especially when she dressed up in something other than hospital scrubs or plain pantsuits. Most people would agree that she should try a little harder, but she didn't agree with their judgement. After all, she was climbing a highly competitive career ladder, while being married with two children. She didn't need to look attractive, though she did at least try to make herself appear well put together. And, she would also try to make her children appear well put together as well.

At the moment, the young doctor was trying to look through her case notes for the day. She had barely glanced in the direction of her son as he came in to complain again. She was going to be in surgery all day tomorrow, and she needed to review the notes so that she thoroughly understood the cases. Though, she wasn't making much headway due to her son's constant interruptions.

"But, it's so warm outside. It's as if summer is already here! All I want to do is go to the park, I've been there plenty of times before. It's only two minutes from the house, and I can see father in the training grounds from there. I promise I won't talk to any strangers, look both ways before crossing the street and I'll be really careful in the playground!" Takeshi whined as only an energetic eight-year-old boy could.

The young doctor sighed heavily as she finally looked at her eldest child. He was a bundle of energy, especially when he was cooped up inside on a warm day. Almost as if he was a tiger caged in an enclosure too small for him. His bright brown eyes looked up at her with the most hopeful expression, almost pleading to be allowed salvation of a day out in the sun. While his shiny black hair stood up at impossible angles due to his tendency to watch TV upside-down and from jumping around. She would have to brush it later.

He had been underfoot all day, getting into everything and anything. Normally, Doctor Yukimura would have had the nanny take both of her children to the park, just to get them out of the house and away from the television. She didn't like the idea of her children parking themselves in front of the television and not moving for several hours. There were several children on the base whose parents had let them do that, and now they were severely overweight. Doctor Yukimura liked her kids to be active, and it seemed that they preferred that as well.

Unfortunately, their nanny had called in sick earlier that morning. And, since her husband was busy all day training the new recruits, Doctor Yukimura had elected to cancel her clinic for the day and stay with her children. But, her work as a surgeon couldn't just stop because her children had the day off school. She had to look over cases, write reports and complete some more training, if she wanted to advance further.

The young mother let out another sigh and looked past her son towards her daughter. She was sitting quite contently, on the living-room floor, colouring picture of various animals. The young girl's hair was hanging down her back, falling into her face whenever she leaned forward. It made her look so pretty and innocent. The pink shirt that she was wearing was bunched up half way up her back as she knelled on the floor, showing the room the top of her flowery underpants. But, the girl was so involved with what she was doing that she didn't notice her lapse of discretion.

Her six-year-old daughter was less active than her son, but she followed Takeshi's lead whenever possible. When Major Yukimura had begun training Takeshi in martial arts, Ayako had toddled after them, trying to copy the moves. Often falling on her bottom rather than executing the katas with the preciseness of her father and older brother.

Doctor Yukimura did have a huge argument with her husband when he started to take Takeshi through weapons drills. He seemed very adept using the sword and was also proving to be a great marksman. Much like his father. Doctor Yukimura thought it was too dangerous to allow her eight-year-old, and by extension, her six-year-old, to handle such dangerous instruments. But, it kept Takeshi happy and active. And her husband was always with him. Plus, he had promised not to let Ayako handle any of the weapons until she was older.

Another irritated sigh escaped Doctor Yukimura's lips. It would be so much easier if she let the boy go out. After all, she could see the park from their small garden. If she worked outside, at the garden table, she could keep an eye on him. But, that would mean making Ayako move to outside as well. She really didn't want to disturb her daughter when she looked so content.

"Alright, you can go. But, you can only go to park, where you can see the house. And, you must take Ayako with you," Doctor Yukimura said calmly, setting her notes down and looking at her son. She calmly poured herself another cup of tea while she watched her son's changing emotions.

There was an instant moment of relief when Takeshi was told that he was finally allowed outside, followed by a whine of annoyance. It wasn't as if her children didn't get along. In fact, they got along a lot better than other children she had seen. It was more the fact that he would be responsible for Ayako when all he wanted to do was to swing and jump from the monkey bars.

"Either take her, or you'll have to both sit inside and watch a movie," Doctor Yukimura said sternly.

"No! Don't make us watch a movie, he'll make us watch Alice in Wonderland, again! He's obsessed with that movie!" Ayako's desperate sounding voice called her place on the living room floor. This caused a small cry of denial from Takeshi, even though it was completely true. The young boy seemed to be obsessed with that story. He had even tried to walk through the bedroom mirror a few times. He was certain that one day he would find a way to a magical land.

"Fine! Fine, I'll take Ayako with me! Let's go!" Takeshi called, before running into the living-room, taking his sisters hand and dragging her out the door without so much as a backwards glance.

Doctor Yukimura smiled with relief as her children were finally out of her hair for a little while and she would finally have some peace and quiet to finish her work for the day. She gathered up her notes, and walked outside, setting herself up in the small garden. She watched as her two kids ran, hand in hand towards the park, specifically the merry-go-round, and smiled. Her focus was then on her case notes, once again.

After all, the children were within eyesight of the house, just outside the perimeter of the army base. Nothing could possibly happen to them.

Takeshi took after his father in a number of ways. From his light brown eyes, to his defined cheekbones, just hidden underneath a layer of baby fat. He would be tall and broad, again, like his father. As well as that, he loved to learn to fight. And had a strong desire to learn new things. That was part of the reason that Major Yukimura had begun training his son in martial arts.

But, his most distinctive trait that was inherited from his father was his stubbornness. Major Yukimura refused to call it that, he would always say it was a desire to not give in. A desire to always be the best. Doctor Yukimura would just shake her head complaining that he was stubborn about being stubborn. Yet, it was how the young major had risen so far in the army in such a short space of time. That was another reason why Major Yukimura had begun to teach Takeshi martial arts. He hoped that it would direct his stubbornness in a worthier direction, other than refusing to eat his vegetables.

When Takeshi had wanted to learn martial arts, despite being so young, he had not giving in when he was told no. He snuck into the training grounds, watched his father, who had been trained by his father. The young boy would then copy the moves, as much as his young body could. He had hurt himself a few times, and, as a result, his father had elected to start training him himself. Takeshi's parents hoped that this would make it a little safer. And, the Major had promised Takeshi that when he was older he would send him to train under a great ninja master, like he had done when he was younger.

Ayako on the other hand, was not as stubborn. Unfortunately, she hero-worshipped her older brother. And, if Takeshi had an interest in something, then she would have an interest in it too. That was why she was now beginning to learn to fight as well. Though, she didn't have the same aptitude for it like Takeshi did.

She was a very pretty little girl. She had darker eyes than her brother, more similar to her mother than her father, but everything else was almost identical to her brother. Except her height, she was more than likely going to a little taller than her mother, but a lot shorter than Takeshi. Her black fell down her back, and was so silky that it was easy to brush straight. Her mother hoped that she would never cut it short, like she had done and would keep it long.

Takeshi and Ayako were both very athletic. As, neither the children nor their parents liked them to be sedentary. They would rarely sit in front of the TV, preferring to go out and play. Though, they did like watching movies. Takeshi had a soft spot for Alice in Wonderland and would be happy to watch that again and again and Ayako loved Cinderella. Ayako was very lean, though she still had quite a bit of baby fat. Whereas, Takeshi had already begun to develop toned muscles due to his martial arts training.

The two Yukimura children were also exceptionally close. Which was lucky, as Ayako would follow Takeshi everywhere. Often getting into everything that Takeshi would. But, he was very protective of his younger sister. And would do whatever it took to make her happy. There were times when Takeshi had gotten into a few fights to protect his sister from bullies. And every time that a teacher had called their home, or he had arrived with bruises on his face, Takeshi would get a stern dressing down from his mother. Which was then followed by praise from his father, as the Major had instilled a sense of duty into the young boy and he was glad that his son was taking it seriously.

They were both quite clever as well. So far, the reports from their teachers had made both Doctor and Major Yukimura proud. Both parents had high hopes for their children. They had their whole future ahead of them

The park wasn't very crowded, as many of the families that lived around the army base had left for the long weekend. There were a few children that were from Takeshi's and Ayako's primary school already there, with a few of the older children off to the side, just hanging out around the trees and benches. As well as a couple of teenagers from the high school trying to smoke without drawing the attention of the soldiers practicing their katas on the square.

Ayako saw their father leading the katas and gave a very exuberant wave. She loved to watch her father practice martial arts. She loved to hear him tell stories of the times that he was training in a ninjutsu clan further south. His movements were so fluid and strong, that just watching him made her feel safe. she had begun to get that feeling when Takeshi trained as well, though her older brother still lacked the grace and strength of their father.

Of course, their father didn't return the wave that his daughter had given him, though he had seen it. He couldn't show such a lack of decorum while he was working. And, although she had been given this reason many times before, it would still upset Ayako. Though, their father did nod in their direction, indicating that he had seen his children.

"He can't wave back, but look, he sees us. And he'll probably come and get us when he's done, so we can play with him," Takeshi reasoned in a cheerful tone, making his sister smile. Even, if he knew it wasn't true, it was worth the small white lie to make his sister smile again.

It wasn't as if Major Yukimura was unfeeling, or uncaring. He was just a high-ranking officer in the Japanese army, who had been raised by a high-ranking officer in the Japanese army. And so on, through their entire family history. And it was expected that Takeshi would follow his father's footsteps.

Once his younger sister was placated, he pulled her over to swings. She always enjoyed swinging high and fast, so high that she could see into their garden. Into the manicured flower beds that their mother painstakingly kept. And that Takeshi accidently ripped apart a few weeks ago, after falling from their garden fence. As punishment, Takeshi had to replant the entire garden, as well as every other garden on their street.

That had been a very bad day for Takeshi. His mother had yelled at him for what felt like hours, while his father looked disapprovingly on. He hated feeling like he had disappointed or shamed his parents. All he had been trying to do was some of the exercises that he saw his father doing earlier that day, with the recruits. His father was an expert martial artist, having won many contests in his youth. And all Takeshi wanted was to be just like him, to make him proud.

The young boy shook out his dark thoughts of being a disappointment long enough to wave at his mother. The young doctor waved back, before she sat down at the garden table and busied herself in her work once again. She would look up every few minutes, to check that her children had not gotten into too much mischief while off by themselves.

"Come on Ayako-chan, let's go on the merry-go-round! I wanna see how fast we can spin it!" Takeshi said enthusiastically, jumping from the swing as he did so. He landed smoothly on the ground, and took off running.

Within seconds Ayako was chasing after her older brother, and gaining ground. For, although she was small and young, she was fast. The young girl had won all the foot races in her kindergarten's sports day a few weeks earlier.

There was no one on the merry-go-round, which meant that Takeshi and Ayako had free reign to try and make the thing break the sound barrier. As they had tried every other time they had been on the playground apparatus. Though, they had yet to achieve their goal they were both convinced that it could be done and that they were very close to doing it.

Takeshi would start spinning the contraption, while Ayako held on and yelped with joy. She would scream for her older brother to make it go faster, until Takeshi felt like he was being pulled rather than pushing. At that point he would jump on, short black hair flying and obscuring his vison, and they would ride out the spin. Laughing madly all the way round, until they couldn't breathe. They would then repeat the procedure several times, until they both could not stand from the effort of pushing and from laughing.

At least, that was the usual course of events. But, it was not going to be a usual day as something extraordinary suddenly occurred in the small park. It was Ayako who noticed first, cutting off her panting laughter and staring at something just behind Takeshi. The young boy turned around, curious to see what had caused the sudden change in his sister. And became equally shocked and silent. Just like the few other children that were in the park.

There was a magic pink door that had appeared just in front of the merry-go-round. It was triangular in shape and seemed to be floating in mid-air, just a few centimetres above the ground. It seemed to be made of a shimmering substance that didn't look solid, or liquid, but was solid enough to obscure what was behind it.

Most of the children were backing away from the magic door. Scared by how suddenly it had appeared and unsure of what had caused it. But not Takeshi. The young boy stared the door down, stepping in front of it to try and peer inside.

"Big brother! Be careful! Don't get too close!" Ayako's concerned voice called out from behind the young boy.

"Don't you want to find out what it is or where it goes?" Takeshi replied, quickly glancing behind him to see his sister's worried face, while his own face shined with wonder. The prospect of adventure blazing brightly within his heart and the magic door beckoning him forward towards it.

"How do you know it'll go anywhere? It might you destroy anything that it touches!" Ayako yelled, looking around at all the other children who were running away from the glowing thing.

"Because, it's magic! How else could it have appeared here, in front of us! It wants us to go through. Just think of the adventure, Ayako-chan! Don't you want to see where it would send us? What sort of world that it will take us to?" Takeshi looked back, almost desperately. He needed Ayako to want to come with him.

Ayako was feeling torn though. She did want to go wherever her brother went, and she knew that he would never put her in danger willingly. But, she felt scared. The magic door could take them to a magical realm, or it could take them somewhere nightmarish. The young girl looked around, hoping her mother or her father would have seen them, so that they would make the decision for her. Unfortunately, both were busy with their respective jobs. Neither had noticed the children flocking from the park.

"Ayako, please. I don't want to do this without you. You do trust me, don't you?" Takeshi asked, holding out his hand for his sister to take.

"Of course, I do, Takeshi-san," Ayako replied, taking her brothers hand and allowing him to pull her from the merry-go-round and into the unknown.

With one final look back, in the direction of their little house and garden, Ayako and Takeshi disappeared into the pink, shimmery door. Which then disappeared from sight, leaving only an empty park, with an empty merry-go-round that was still slowly spinning.

Doctor Yukimura sighed into her cup of tea. It was so refreshing to have tea in the garden, on such a nice clear, sunny day. She had so far gotten a lot of work done, now that she had quiet to do it. Her notes were written up and ordered, her case studies researched, and her schedule and procedures committed to memory.

She brought the cup up to her mouth, taking a small sip. It had gone cold. That was strange, she could have sworn she only just made this pot of tea, but the liquid was stone cold. She must have been more focused on her work than she thought. Doctor Yukimura could now feel the slight chill in the air as early evening was approaching.

"I should probably call the children in, it will be time for dinner soon," Doctor Yukimura said to herself with a slight groan.

She remembered that the nanny was not here today, and that she was responsible for cooking for her husband and children. And, while she was more than capable of making a simple meal, she was not the best cook around. She supposed that they could all go out for dinner, there were many restaurants around the base and it would be easier than cooking.

Nodding to herself, as she cemented the plan in her mind as she knew her husband would not object. After all, he knew she was somewhat lacking in domestic skills, that was why they had a nanny. Doctor Yukimura picked up her books and notes, piling them together before she looked in the direction of the park.

The sight before her stopped her dead, halfway between piling her things together. The park was completely deserted. That should have been impossible. That park was never empty, even when it rained. There was always someone on the playground, or on the grass.

Dropping her things, Doctor Yukimura jogged out of her garden and begun a quick pace down the street. As she did she scanned up and down the street, taking note of all the young children Takeshi and Ayako's age. Children who would have been in the park, but were currently crying to their parents in their various gardens.

She had now broken out into a run, causing many of the adults on the street to look in her direction. It was very rare to see such a competent, and cool, young doctor rushing around the street in her house slippers.

Having finally arrived at the park, Doctor Yukimura vaulted over the fence, feeling the desperation and fear clawing at her heart. She ran into the middle of the playground, scanning the area. She took note of all the abandoned toys, candy and books that littered the ground. As if several children had suddenly taken off in terror towards home.

"TAKESHI! AYAKO!" Doctor Yukimura screamed, drawing the attention of everyone down the street and on the parade square.

Major Yukimura saw his wife screaming his children's names. She looked frantic and worried, causing a horrible thought to twist in his chest. The Major suddenly abandoned his post, dropping his bokken onto the ground, while several of his recruits followed.

"Azami-san, what is wrong?" came the sudden voice of Major Yukimura. He took hold of his wife's shoulders, pulling her towards him and making her face him.

"Takeshi, and Ayako, they were just here. And I can't find them," Doctor Yukimura replied, tears beginning to fall from her eyes.

"What? How could that have happened? Why were you not watching them?" Major Yukimura shouted, his voice raising with each word spoken. He looked around the playground, taking in the sights of abandoned play.

"Major, Doctor, my son has told me that something appeared in the playground, a door of some kind. And that Takeshi and Ayako ventured into it," said one of the other mothers who lived on the street.

"What are you babbling about! That makes no sense! How could a door appear? No, something else must have happened," Major Yukimura said, as his eyes darted from place to place. As if he was trying to find some other explanation.

By this time, the park was full of concerned parents, sniffling children, and soldiers. Each member of the crowd was looking between the distraught parents, and at the scene in the park. All the parents had been told the same thing. That a magic door had appeared and that the Yukimura children had walked through it, before it disappeared. No one believed this though, but it was obvious that the two young children had somehow disappeared.

"We will start to look for you children, Major. I will get the other recruits, and anyone else who is willing to help, while the others begin the search," one of the young recruits said. He then gestured towards his comrades and ran off in the direction of the base. The other recruits began to spread out, searching for any sign of the children.

Several of the fathers in the group joined the search, and within the hour most of the residents of both the army base and the small suburb had volunteered for the search party. While, several other mothers kept Doctor Yukimura company, Major Yukimura headed up the search. The parents who had joined in the search, or with caring for Doctor Yukimura were as optimistic as they could be, but each had the same thought. That something horrible had happened to both Ayako and Takeshi, and that they were thankful that they were not Major and Doctor Yukimura. For, this is the worst nightmare that could befall any parent.

By night fall, their plight was being broadcasted on the local news station, asking for anyone with information to come forward. But no one ever did, and no one paid much mind to the voices of the other children who continued to explain that a magic door had spirited the siblings away.

I hope you enjoyed that, please rate and review.

TFG