The Shredder. Karai. The Foot clan. Those mutants. To normal people, those would be dangerous, monstrous and frightening things. To us, it'd be the Shredder most of all. However, today I would experience something new.

The fear of loss for someone I just met.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles

Reflection

Episode One: "Way to Go..."

Using a towel, a humanoid turtle wiped sweat of his brow and readjusted his blue headband. He sheathed his swords and looked behind him at several logs. A couple of seconds passed by and the logs fell apart piece by piece. The terrapin's audience clapped. He turned to look at them and bowed.

"Leo! You were all like," A turtle with an orange headband leaped up and punched the air whilst jumping about wildly. "Hah! And then," He kicked the air. "Hah! And then...Whoa!" He tripped on his feet and fell to the ground.

"Mikey, Mikey, Mikey." Another turtle got up; a red headband this time. He picked Mikey up off of the floor and gently knocked him in the head with the palm of his hand before walking toward the exit.

"Whaaaat?" Mikey playfully glared at the turtle as he left. "Raph! Get your butt back here! Raaaph!" The smaller turtle ran after him.

What looked to be a humanoid rat and another turtle with a purple headband were left with Leo. The turtle crossed his arms over his chest and shook his head as the rat chuckled. He walked up to Leo and laid a hand on his shoulder. "My son, that was splendid."

"Well, I figured I'd show you all what I was doing in my spare time." Leonardo explained.

"Chopping wood?" asked the other turtle.

"Better than tinkering around with toasters, Don." Leo parried his brother's jab.

Donatello made a face but turned around and waved for Leo and the rat to follow. "Master Splinter, Leo, I want to show you guys something I found. I also think it's something that'll help us out in the long run."

"Well? Don't keep us in suspense Don, what is it?" Leo's curiosity was piqued.

Donatello walked over to his workshop. Leo had to be careful not to step on anything that may cause his gentle-natured brother to snap and rant about...like the time Mikey stuck a fork in the toaster oven. That...will never happen again, he thought. What Donatello finally displayed to them was a portrait, a cloth that covered a mirror and a basket.

"Wow Don...That's so..." Leo was at a loss for words. What else would you describe a let down? He half hoped it would be a sword or something to help him improve his swordsmanship. He turned to look at Splinter and found that his sensei's eyes were wide in shock. "Master Splinter?"

"It's her...Kyoko..." He murmured, taking the portrait in his hands. The woman was Asian, her hair a long ebony black. The woman's eyes were a hazel color and a light red blush brushed her cheeks.

"Kyoko?" Both Leo and Don looked to their sensei.

"Who is it sensei?"

Splinter looked to his two foster sons. He smiled and sat down on Donatello's chair. "Kyoko...an old priestess of Japan. Centuries ago, she guarded a mirror that held great evil within it. It was to be her only mission in life but Kyoko had fallen in love with a man named Ichiro. It was a forbidden love. A love that was used by Leiko, an arrogant sorcerer who bewitched Ichiro into attacking Kyoko. He took the time to take the mirror and use it to summon the evil."

The sensei paused. Leo and Don, who had sat down cross legged on the floor looked at him expectedly. "Master Splinter?" Donatello waved his hand.

Splinter looked down at them. "The middle part of the story...will come another day. I am going to watch my stories now..." He then got up, straightened out his cane and walked over to the common room.

Both Don and Leo blinked at each other. They then looked at the portrait of Kyoko. "You have to admit..." Don observed. "She looks pretty."

"Yeah." Leonardo nodded. "I think I like her eyes the best."

"What? The hazel?"

He nodded again.

"Man, I'd hate to see you with a girl." Donatello playfully punched his brother's shoulder. "How about a sparring match?"

Leo looked back at Don and nodded with a small smile. "Sure. Why not?"


If there's one things my brothers don't understand about me, is that I need the occasional 'me' time. With Donatello, he tinkers around with his electronics. Mikey parades around New York as Turtle Titan. Raphael and I...we're almost similar in our actions. He likes to go out, find some random no good crook and beat the hell out of him. I prefer to just...run. Running...jumping...it's a stress relief.

"Hey! Get away from me if you know what's good for ya!"

Hm? Leonardo looked down as he leaped from one building to the other. Pivoting on his back foot, he crouched down and watched the scene unfold below. This girl was waving a broomstick at three figures dressed in...black? He couldn't help but shake his head. Sure black was a good color to wear in the dead of the night but...Seriously! Was that the only color to wear?

Green is always good, he thought, climbing down to the fire escape. Leonardo peered over the side again. Now the girl was backed up against the door, the men surrounding her on all sides. There was a glint of metal in the moonlight. Quickly, he glanced up at the sky. A cloud was covering the moon.

Ten seconds.

Leonardo leaped down, swords outstretched. He hit the first man on the head with the blunt edge of the blade. Crouching down low, he swiped the feet from under the other two men and twisted over. The blade of his katana rested an inch from their necks.

"Go." He commanded so quietly but his word was as sharp as his threat.

Okay...seven seconds. New record.

Leonardo stood up and watched the men run. He spied something pictured on their backs but pushed that to the back of his mind. He turned to look at the girl but was immediately met with a broomstick to the head. "Hey!" He protested.

"You! I've seen you!" The girl prodded him further. "What do you want? What did they want?"

"Hey! Look! Listen!" Leonardo sheathed his blades and waved his hands to block the broomstick. "Quit it!"

The girl relented her assault and stared at him. "Blue headband...Two swords. You're...?"

"You know me? You've seen me?"

The girl nodded and stepped into the lamp post light. Her hair was long and coal black and her eyes were a pretty hazel. Leonardo was immediately reminded of Kyoko, the priestess in Splinter's story. Or at least...she sort of looked like her. This girl was more petite and string-beaned. Her hair was full of split-ends and she was rather...flat-chested. Not to mention she wore wide-rimmed glasses.

"You're Leonardo...aren't you?" she asked.

Leonardo reluctantly nodded. "How do you know me though?" He asked, backing into the alleyway and into the shadows.

"In a dream." She replied as if it were a simple question of what two plus two was. Leonardo blinked and tilted his head to the side, confused. The girl raised a small fisted hand to her mouth and started to giggle. "Forgive me. I should really introduce myself. My name is Cora. Pleased to meet you." She dipped into a clumsy curtsy, nearly tripping over her long forest green skirt.

"This..." Leonardo looked up and saw a blinking neon sign. "Leoni's?"

"It's an Italian restaurant that I work at. Hence," She tried to strike a pose in her uniform. Her blouse was white and there was a pizza badge stitched on to her left breast pocket. "...this number."

"Right...so...can I...go?" Leonardo looked back to the alleyway and the inviting shadows.

Cora frowned. "You're going? Already? But we only just met. And the dream..."

"Was probably just a dream..." Leonardo sighed and turned away.

There was a pause.

"This wasn't the first time."

He turned around to face Cora. She was looking to the ground, his feet in particular. "I've had dreams of you...and the others. I don't know why...But I have. Are the others all right?"

"Huh?"Leonardo rubbed the back of his head. "Yes. Of course they are. Safely sleeping at home. Why?"

"It's just that..." Cora leaned against the wall. "I...saw something and you guys seem like nice guys...and...Uh oh..."

"Uh oh?" Leo uncrossed his arms.

Cora pointed to the top of the building. "That uh oh."

He didn't have time to look up. All Leonardo could do was sense the attack. He picked up Cora and jumped up to the fire escape. The bullet fired hit the trash can where fortunately, a cat screeched away unharmed. "Time to get you out of here...Your parents? Home?"

"I have none. Just the orphanage where I help out."

"You're kidding?" Leo asked, startled.

"I need to speak with your sensei. Can you take me to him?"

"Ah...sure thing." Leo was then interrupted by another gun shot that pierced the upper right of his shell. It stung a bit but it was only minor damage. He sprinted down the rooftop and bent down to jump. What he didn't see were two more men in the dark. Panicking, he tripped over his feet and made a last ditch effort to jump.

Leonardo knew they wouldn't make it to the next building. He looked around for a quick escape and found it; an open sewer. "Hang on!" He felt Cora tighten her hold onto him, pressing her body closer. Something made his heart jump and when they went underground, he was more focused on it than his footing. Both Cora and Leonardo crashed to the ground.

Groaning, Leo brought his knee up and laid his arm on it. "Cora?" He looked around for the waitress. She must have fallen elsewhere. Standing up fully, he gazed up to the hole they fell through. "No one saw us..."

"Oh no..."

Leonardo turned around. Just below him, Splinter and his brothers were crowded around the doll-like body of Cora. "That...was the guest I told you about." The rat said to Don.

Raphael looked up to Leonardo and crossed his arms, shaking his head.

"Way to go...Way to go Leo..."