Utsukushī Shikaku
Summary: April O'Neil thought all surprises were over when she met the turtles, after all what could be crazier than teenage mutant ninja turtles? Well, how about a group of teens called the Scarlet Carsons, vigilantes with pasts drenched in blood, who are not they seem. Surprised? TurtlesxOC's.
A/N: Hello all! I had this idea formed when I first saw TMNT on a cold, rainy day and I thought I'd throw it out to see if it was good or not. Yes, there will be romance in this story, for it is one of my stronger writing points, but I will include action and drama. The title means 'beautiful assassins' in Japanese, mainly because I couldn't think of anything better at the time, if anyone has a title idea, PM me. If you don't like the pairings- don't flame please! This is my first TMNT story, reviews are appreciated, many thanks.
Disclaimer: TMNT belongs to Nickelodeon and it's fantastic.
Enjoy!
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Chapter 1: First Glance
For the sixteen year old sophomore known as April O'Neil, you think high school would be enough of a purpose. However, the first days she entered the halls of her high school, the girl had the strangest feeling, a mixture of anticipation and hesitation over the ceremonial day. She settled into her routine, with albeit some jitters in her thoughts on what it would be like. The idea if being a high school student excited her once. Once- long ago; back when her father was still with her, not missing. Back when she could walk the crowded halls normally without the inner-lying knowledge that people were talking about her like a charity case. Back when her life was normal.
Now, though, she was anything but normal.
The fiery spirited O'Neil had a new life now, and a new purpose- finding her father. She really only attended this school because it was required by law, until she was 18 that is, that and also she knew her father would want her to try for as normal as possible, to just be a regular teenager.
Slinging her backpack over her shoulder, April made her way to her physics class, taking her usual spot somewhere thrown in the middle of the lines and rows of desks. She was early, not many others had walked in yet, buying whatever free time they could squeeze from the clock. She set up her books and paused, her brain reminding her that today was Thursday and most likely meant a pop quiz was headed her way. Teachers felt as if Thursday was the best day for quizzes and tests, much to her annoyance- why call it a pop quiz of you give them out on a certain day? Trying to dissuade the obvious flaw her mind saw, her phone vibrated in her back pocket. Seeing her physics teacher fully engrossed in a magazine, she pulled out the device and saw she had received a text- from a certain Tphone number.
P1V1 = P2V2 (At Constant Temperature)
-Donnie :)
That was Boyle's Law- something she had a hard time remembering for some reason. The girl remembered trying to work through the problems of her physics homework, struggling until the purple banded brother offered a hand. She couldn't help but smile at the thoughtfulness of his gesture, slightly surprised he had remembered at all.
Got it now- thnx!
The metal bell rang, calling back her thoughts as she stowed her phone after sending the message away. Everyone filed in and sat while the elder physics teacher got up from his seat.
"Good morning class," He proclaimed after settling the noise down to a low level, "You probably were expecting your pop quiz today-"
This bought her attention: Were- As in past tense?
"Due to an unforeseen event, it seems as if my tests have gone missing." The teacher darkly played at the words, as if the kids he was staring at were to blame. April rubbed the bridge of her nose; Great, all that studying for nothing...
"So, I am forced to postpone the quiz until tomorrow," Most of the class sighed in relief, "However, note that since I am warning you in advance, assume this quiz to be extremely difficult- and a serious part of your grade."
April sighed, leaning on the palm of her hand as she waited to see what else would happen, not that she thought anything would.
"Now, before I proceed with the lesson, we have a new student with today." The teacher motioned for the door where a new girl stood quietly. April immediately took her in, honestly not expecting this. The girl was a bit talker than her height, with light brown hair that shined with the texture of silk, pulled up into a bun held in place by two lavender chop-sticks with two strands hanging in a manner that framed her extremely pretty face. Her eyes were a velvety shade of sky blue, rivaling that of the sky out the window next to the sophomore; eyes that could take her breath away. She wore light make up- gloss on her lips and purple eye shadow. She was dressed in a crisp, white blouse, buttoned up to the neck, a dark green and white plaid skirt and small black kitten heels. A closer inspection of her legs revealed nude colored stockings- and a light blue velvet choker adorned with a gold circular charm. Honestly her wardrobe better fit a private institution than a public high school.
"Class, this is Ophelia Saīto, a transfer student from Japan." The girl smiled a bit nervously, her feet poised together on the white tile floor, "She will be staying with us for the period of the week, see that she feels welcome." The teacher than turned her attention to the new student, "You can take a seat next to Ms. O'Neil near the window."
Ophelia's eyes drifted to April's light blue orbs, sitting beside her, careful to tuck her skirt under her as she took her place beside her.
"Hello." April whispered quickly as the professor hurried on the next topic.
"Greetings." The girl nodded, turning back to the teacher as he wrote what chicken scratch he called his handwriting on the board.
The redheaded sophomore tried to focus on her work, but her attention was being slightly distracted by the presence next to her. Something about Ophelia was just... different, she didn't know if it was her clothes or looks, but her intuition screamed was something off about her. Rolling the sudden feeling away, she resumed her note-taking, reassuring herself that her impression would change in time; she just needed to know Ms. Saīto better. At least, that is what she intended to do.
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When the bell let its monotone sound of freedom at the end of the day, hundreds of kids flooded the halls, ready to accept the liberation from Algebra and English classes. April made her way through the masses of teenagers her age, subconsciously looking for the transfer student. Her eyes served her well; Ophelia was perched on a crumbling stone wall, near the school's main entrance. Her posture was straight, eyes lowered to a worn brown book in her hands (that looked like a long-lost museum artifact) she seemed engrossed in to the point where the world around her was nonexistent- or she was desperate to ignore the group of males that had eyed her lustfully with their passing.
"Hey Ophelia." April called as the new girl looked up from her book to meet her similarly blue eyes, "Whatcha reading?"
"Hello Ms. O'Neil, I was currently wrapped up in Act two of Julius Caesar." She closed the book, using her thumb to hold the page temporarily.
"Shakespeare? You enjoy that?" She hadn't meant to sound so surprised but anything with Shakespeare was torturous for the sophomore. English had to have been her least favorite class... Of all time.
Ophelia nodded, "Yes, is that ok?"
"Of course! Whatever suits you..." The yellow dressed girl waved embarrassedly, not wanting her to get the wrong idea.
The transfer nodded, "I know it does seem a bit strange, just a preference I guess." Her eyes moved upfront to her company, "May I ask you something, Ms. O'Neil?"
"First- you can call me April," The girl smiled in a way that just fit her personality, "Second- sure, ask away."
"I overheard a few students... Speaking about you." She looked as if she was choosing her words carefully, "They mentioned something about your father."
With that, April got discouraged, her smile fading from her face till it practically vanished, memories of her father flooding her minds and sending her eyes pain.
Seeing this reaction caused Ophelia to be taken aback, "I'm sorry-"
"No, it's fine." April blinked her tears away, refusing to let them form, "He was taken from me a few months ago; nobody has been able to find him."
"Not even the police?"
April bit back a scoff, "They wouldn't believe the truth, saying I had some kind post-traumatic stress and couldn't think straight."
April watched Ophelia take her hand into hers, "How was he taken?"
"You wouldn't believe me if I told you..." April looked down, only to look back up as her hand was gently squeezed, silently encouraging her on, "... He was taken by alien robots called 'The Kraang'."
To her surprise, her expression showed some surprise but not a trace of disbelief was held in her pools of sky blue.
"I'm sorry you lost your father, April." Ophelia stood up, eyeing her reassuringly, "I hope you are reunited him son."
April smiled back; nodding a 'thanks' as her phone went off in her pocket, looking at it saw it was Donatello calling her.
"I'm afraid I need to go, I'll see you tomorrow?" Ophelia held her books to her chest, ignoring the device vibrating in her hands.
"Yeah, see you later!" April waved as she ran to the nearby street, answering her phone with a 'Hello?'
"Hey, how'd your test go?" The caller's voice chimed on the other end of the line.
"Would you believe he lost the test?" April slowed to a brisk walk, allowing her breath to catch up with her.
"He what?"
"He lost the quiz so were taking it tomorrow. I really regret staying up for that extra hour now."
"Well, look on the bright side; at least you have more time to study now."
April smirked, "I thought you said this was a bright side?"
"Well you do- Mikey get away from-! I gotta go; Mikey's getting in my lab again."
April giggled, "Keep him outta trouble."
"I'll try." A muffled voice said something in the background, "MIKEY NO THAT'S THE-"
The line cut off from what she guessed was the impending explosion. Awkwardly locking the phone, she made a mental note to visit the lair later on after she finished her homework.
April casually walked down the street, a newspaper blowing at her face from some stray newsstand in the area. Partially annoyed, she aimed to throw the news away until the large print caught her attention-
ACQUITTED! Johnson released on fraud charges!
A further inspection of the article revealed the story of a highly influential businessman by the name of Lance Johnson, who had been accused of stealing millions of dollars for working class pay checks, was acquitted from his case due to lack of legit evidence. The sophomore growled, it was obvious he stole it- all the clues pointed to him, honestly who could just lose 2 million dollars' worth of people's hard earned money?
Stopping at a crosswalk, she waited for the light to change, coincidentally seeing a figure dart into a nearby alley. Against her better judgment, she peered inside the narrow stretch between the two brick buildings. Not seeing any imminent danger, she purged deeper, listening to mice skitter away and flies buzz around overflowing piles of garbage. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary, until she turned to a nearby wall were a large red emblem was sprayed upon the wall.
It looked like a flower- a cross between a daisy and a rose, with intricate petals and a thrones stem. Its head was a blood scarlet color, the green still vivid as if it was just painted. Reaching her bag, April pulled out her phone and took pictures, the light making it difficult at first. This would definitely be something she would research, homework could wait. Coming back out, she noted the street, then looked back in the paper- her eyes widening at some conclusion.
Perhaps she could go see the turtles now...
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Michelangelo narrowly avoided Don's wrath as he fled the now smoking laboratory. He hadn't personally meant to cause the device to explode, but the button was just so tempting- it mocked him, teasing him to press it!
"I said I was sorry Donnie!" The orange banded turtle dashed for the pit where Leonardo was watching Space Heroes. He dived in front of the TV much to his elder brother's annoyance. "Don't let him kill me!"
The leading turtle sighed, narrowing his eyes at the wild turtle, "What did you do NOW?"
"He activated the self-destruct mechanism in my latest project- the one I spent weeks working on!" The inventor stormed in the room, answering Leo's question.
"How was I supposed to know it was going to explode?" Mikey hid partially behind his brother, in essence, making in essence a turtle shield from his brethren.
"You didn't take notice of the 'DO NOT TOUCH: WILL EXPLODE' did you." The purple banded turtle grumbled as a sweat drop formed on the orange turtles head. This only led Donatello to chase Mikey in circles around the blue leader.
"Alright, break it up!" Leo personally separated the two with his hands, holding each an arm-width apart.
Approaching footsteps distracted the trip as they drew their weapons, preparing for whatever intruder dared cross the turtles' path.
Luckily for April, they saw her before she did.
"Hey April!" Donnie enthusiastically welcomed his crush.
"Hi guys, your not gonna believe what I found out." The human girl made her way to the pit and sat on the outer level, pulling out her yellow laptop decorated with a few colored stickers. She brought up the photos she saw earlier so the trio could see better.
"It's a flower." Leo stated blandly, not really seeing the point.
"Wooooaaaahhhhh-" Mikey gaped at the flower, "It's fantabulous!"
Donnie rolled his eyes at Mikey's new 'word of the week', "It's a... Nice flower?"
April puffed, realizing she needed to explain, "I found this drawing in an alley near the main office building of Lance Johnson, the man recently acquitted of smuggling money from his employers checks."
"Well, so much for equality for all-" Leo places his tri-fingered hands on his hips, "What does that have to do with anything?"
"I have the strangest feeling about it- like it's some kind of omen." April confessed to the leader.
Donnie sat next to April and gently touched he shoulder, "I'm sure it's just street art April, if it was some kind of warning, there would be more than just a picture."
April bit her lower lip, knowing Donatello made a logical point, however thy didn't persuade her intuition from sending out crazy spidey-signals. "You're probably right."
"He usually is." Mikey joked as Don only stared him away, the parties fleeing to the safety of his room and his beloved comic books, just barely avoiding a entering Raphael.
The red masked turtle paused but only shook his head, "I don't want to know."
"Hey Raph," Leo greeted, "Anything happen on patrol?"
"Suns goin' down so it's mostly quiet." The turtle rasped, "Got any pizza lying around?"
"I called in one on my way here." April checked the time, "It should be done by now." She stood, placing her laptop aside and grabbed her backpack, "I'll be back."
Mikey poked his head around the corner as April left, "Did I hear pizza?"
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April walked out of the small pizza parlor, carrying a large pie in her hands. The aroma wafted to her nose, making her mouth water at the turtle delicacy in her hands.
A strong burst of wind suddenly came out if nowhere, knocking her off her feet and the box into the air. Her hands blocked her fall but and when she opened her eyes to see where the pizza landed she realized there was person beside her.
It was a girl firstly, her age- with yellow-blonde hair, up in a ponytail and field green eyes. She was wearing a pair white jeans splattered with neon paint for a funky effect; a black, loose tank top that formed a peace sign out of sparking dripping design and white and bright neon yellow sneakers. The thing that had caught her attention was the red and green dots on her arms- paint drips. The girl looked down on her in concern, he arms holding the pizza box- intact. "You ok?"
April immediately brought her mind back down to earth as she got up, nothing broken or damaged, "Yeah, thanks." She took the box from her hands.
"No prob." The girl saluted playfully before running off, quite hurriedly for that manner.
April continued her walk, but her mind drifted to the out-of-place paint drops. They were the same color of the graffiti she found earlier, the scarlet and verde color strikingly similar. Could she possibly be related to-?
Oh come now April, her mind came into play, It's probably only some graffiti done by a street artist, New York has tons of them and you know it! If anything, she's the one who made it originally.
The argument her other conscious created was well-crafted enough for her to drop the subject. It was probably nothing- she just wanted a little excitement that's all, now she was making up excuses. Tracking down the path to the exit manhole, she failed to see the top room of a tall skyscraper beside her still be lit- even as darkness rolled in.
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An elderly gentlemen stared out the New York City skyline with a satisfied smirk on his face. He had done it-Lance Edgar Johnson had pulled off the crime of the century: pocketed 2million dollars and avoided the slammer, now in a few hours he would headed to Acapulco by dawn- and no one could be the wiser. Nothing could stop him now.
"Mr. Johnson, the building is being locked up for the night." A pretty blond secretary wearing dark tinted glasses informed him of the hour.
"Ah, yes Juliana- I'll lock up myself."
"I'm afraid I can't let you do that, sir." This caused him to turn and see 'Juliana' smirking toward him in an eerie way.
"What?"
The secretary removed her glasses to reveal dark, crimson orbs, "Hello Mr. Johnson- I am your executioner."
At that foreboding word the man reached for the phone on his desk to call security; to his horror the line was dead.
"I saw to it that we couldn't be disturbed by any... unwanted guests." The red-eyed woman stood up upon the lavish desk that separated the two figures and kicked the phone away, the machine smashing and crumbling against the nearby wall.
The criminal was frantic now, his eyes bulging and whinedout,"W-w-what do you want with me?"
The woman then hopped down next to Johnson, he unintentionally fell backward, crawling to get away. "I have a gift for you Mr. Johnson." His attacker exposed a small pill in her gloved hand- "Now- open your mouth and stick out your tongue."
"No, no please- please no! No, no, NO! NO! NO-AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA AAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"
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Please Read and review!
-Phoenix