I intend on this being a series so I'm kinda just writing what I can. Also for the record I've kinda just abandoned the whole 'carefully doing and editing in favor of getting something out since all the prep and notes were just procrastination. I apologize in advance if I make any major flubs. I'm not going with a novelization/modernization of the first movie. I'm just using the farmhouse as a starting point. Also I'm working off of twenty five year old memories and would rather avoid trying to google for everything. So while scenes might be very close to movie counterparts, I may well be off.
Bit short I fear, but it's all I've got in the tank right now. Chapter Two is gonna take a few days.
Oh! Info stuff.
Continuity: 1990s live action, 2012, Bits and pieces.
Rating: PG13
Major Characters: The Four Turtles, Splinter, Casey Jones, April, OC, Karai, Tatsu, Shredder, Others as I feel appropriate.
Special Thanks: Dari for helping me with lines, and acting as someone to bounce ideas off of.
Disclaimer: I make no claims to the characters other than the new guy and realize this exists basically at the mercy of whoever owns the rights to the Ninja Turtle franchise.
"Didn't they use this place in The Grapes of Wrath?" Casey asked as he saw the farmhouse. They'd been riding for almost a half hour ever since they had to make their retreat.
"Very funny," April snapped halfheartedly as the battered van parked. "I told you I hadn't been here in years." That had been the whole reason she told Casey to drive here. Nobody knew this place existed, so odds of more black clad thugs waiting on them were low. Then she looked back as Leo and Michelangelo held Raph. "How is he?" Worry traced through her voice as she asked that. Never-mind she only knew these turtles for a few days, at best, or that Casey was swearing, something about the radiator or some other problem with the van. Her attention was focused on the battered and beaten Raphael as he was carried inside. She was vaguely aware of how run down the house was but,there really hadn't been any options.
"April?" The voice didn't register at first. "Hey?" She felt Don shake her gently, "This place have power?"
As she watched Leo and Mike put Raph into an old clawfoot tub in the bathroom April vaguely heard Don ask again about power, "Uh... There might be a generator out back, but I don't think we have any gas." She sat down on one of the kitchen chairs, only realizing after she'd gotten off her feet how it might have fallen apart on her. "I haven't been here in years. We're lucky the roof's still in one piece."
Casey whistled as he came inside, "Yea don't think anyone followed us but the van's probably roached."
"So you're telling me clouds of smoke coming from the hood isn't normal?" Don could have been sarcastic, but there was just enough doubt that Casey only huffed indignity. "We can fix it later. Thanks for the save back there."
As Casey waved the compliment off Leo walked into the kitchen. "How is he?" April asked, even with the downcast look to the Turtle's ace.
"Not good." Leo flipped one of the other kitchen chairs so he was sitting while leaning on the chair back. "We shouldn't have survived that."
"Hey," Casey quipped, "Don't beat yourself up over it." He opened the kitchen fridge and scowled then shook his head, "Sometimes it's just luck that keeps you from getting beaten to a pulp. Stay put," He tried to soften his voice. "Rest. I'll go have another look outside."
Leo only nodded as Casey walked back out. "We still shouldn't have made it out."
Not much else could be sad as April tried processing what happened. At some point Don took Mikey's place watching over Raph. Casey came back with a sleeping bag. April pulled out her notepad and started drawing, something she just did when she was nervous, or bored, or... any time when she had a few minutes to spare." It helped her focus past the fact she almost died, and that Raph was hurt, and even that the antique shop and her apartment went up in flames. Had the Foot come after them? She dismissed the idea out of hand. She's the one that was chasing down their activity, making a public noise in spite of everything.
April swore under her breath as she realized she left her purse, and by extension her phone, wallet, and press credentials, before getting up. "I've got a four mile walk.
"What why?" Mike looked up from his seat as April slipped her shoes back on.
"Because that's how close the nearest neighbor is, my cellphone's gone along with the rest of my stuff, the van's not going anywhere, and I need to call my boss." April's voice sounded resigned as she headed towards the door only for Casey to block her as he stepped inside.
"No you don't sweetcheeks." Casey moved to keep April blocked off, "You got a message on your answering machine from some guy named Chuck. Said you were fired." There was a pause as April took this information in followed by Casey trying to change the subject. "Why do you even have an answering machine anyway, there's a little thing called voicemail?"
Anger replaced weariness and concern. Anger made April try shoving past Casey. "That's just wonderful!"
"You know, "Casey began as he walked outside with her. "You really should be thanking me. I just saved you an eight mile round tripper."
"Thanking you?" April pivoted and looked at Casey. "You think telling me I lost my job on top of my apartment getting burned down and my friends getting hurt qualifies deserving a Thank You?" Logically he actually was right. Logically he hadn't been why the Foot had visited her apartment. Logically he really had just saved her not just from an eight mile walk, assuming she was even right about there being neighbors that close, but also for covering their escape.
However she was thinking with emotion, and emotion needed something to lash out at. "What did you do? Did you take classes in insensitivity?"
Casey's own temper flared as he went from blocking April's way to stalking after her as the now ex-reporter stormed off into what used to be the livingroom. "Hey, broadzilla, you wouldn't even be standin' here if it weren't for me, okay?"
"Oh," April's tone was acidic not just because of Casey but because there was next to no furniture left in any of the rooms. They'd lucked out with the kitchen table and chairs, but no couch, recliner, beds... Nothing. It was getting to be too much. "Well what do you want?" She demanded as she whirled to face Casey. "You want a thank you?"
"Maybe I'm the one that should be thankin' you for the privilege!" Casey snapped as he put his face inches from April's. His fists balled up and a tremor ran up one of his arms for a moment. "Well you're welcome!" Then just as fast he stormed out of the house. "Yell when domehead wakes up, I'll sleep on the porch." The door slammed just as April started to slam one of the bedroom doors.
"Well if that's how the whole relationship thing goes," Don quipped, "I'm stayin' single." He offered a fist, which Mikey promptly bumped before both let out an exhausted sigh. Tomorrow was going to be a long day.
"Un-freakin'-believable, " Caey groused as he picked himself up from where the porch swing collapsed under his weight. "Make a difference. People love ya. It's just like Dirty Hary." Casey waved a hand dismissivly. "Stuck in the middle of rural nowhere.," His stomach started growling, "And I"m freakin' starved."
From somewhere above Casey, possibly from the porch roof, came soft laughter. "It could be worse. It could be raining."
Casey, for all his bruises and wearyness, hopped to his feet and pulled the chain from the swing's remains. "This night just keeps getting better and better."
"Calm yourself," The voice tried to reassure. "I am not with the Foot."
"Oh yea, if you're tryin' to be reassuring pal you're failing pretty hard." Casey shouted. Then, as he was about to keep talking, a slim black clad figure backflipped off of the roof onto the front steps. Unlike the Foot his face was uncovered showing Casey this short man's Japanese heritage alongside a shoulder length mane of electric blue hair.
"I will take first watch. Go. Rest." the man looked to be maybe just out of his teens, and still had that devil may care look the invincibility of youth brought. "I promise I'll have a sitdown with everyone and stop with the mystery bit, but not right now. You need rest. I'm giving you a chance to have it."
"It just you blue boy?" A nod from the uninvited visitor. "Say I believe you, which I don't, I'd be walking right back into an argument with April in there."
"Then stay out here, but get some sleep. No sense in you leading a rear guard escape and being exhausted in the morning." The man bowed slightly to Casey before pulling a facemask on. Casey frowned but noticed the headband had a symbol different than the others he'd seen, an orange five pointed flower. It meant nothing to him save that if the man was being truthful it could be something on the order of one gang going after another.
After the man lept into the darkness Casey sat down, setting his back against the house, and tried to find a way to be as least uncomfortable as possible. First the purple Dragons, now Japan's exporting gangs of their own on top of giant mutants he got mixed up in. Just freaking wonderful.
"So you're telling me," Leo glowered up at Casey as he spoke, "That you saw someone here last night, and you didn't try getting any of us?" He paced restlessly while trying to find a handle on his anger. They were all off their game, being angry wouldn't help. Not that his heart would listen to that logic, but remembering that kept him from letting it rule what he said next. "You made a judgement call and let us sleep. Thanks."
Casey tensed as he stood his ground, "Look we were all kinda beat, he wasn't trying to hurt us," and he was still too mad from April to think straight. "If it helps any he didn't have the same thing on his headband the other pajama guys had. Some kinda orange meatball thing with dots instead of that moonspeak stuff."
"Oni," Mike offered before everyone glanced his way then apparently took the blank stares as a need for clarification. "Depending on context it could be something like Demon, or simply a particularly fierce Ogre, though generally it's used to talk about Demons, which I guess would make sense" He scratched his chin thoughtfully. "Band of thieves trying to come up with some big scary thing to be associated with." Then he stopped and realized everyone in the room was still staring, "What?" Mike asked defensibly, "like manga. I'm gonna notice these things. I'm more interested in what ninjadude had on his headband. I dunno, Leo, you got any ideas?"
"Orange circle with dots..." Leo went from angry to contemplative for a moment before heading for the door. "I'm gonna go see if this guy's still around, if he was alone, or..." He trailed off, not quite able to voice the idea Casey might have been hallucinating.
As Leo started to walk out, he saw Don walk past carrying a wood crate of things while talking excitedly about some truck he found in an outbuilding. His focus wasn't on his brother however, even if some part of him was glad he had something to keep busy with. Right now they were immobile and he felt exposed. As he jogged he kept glancing around. Nearest he had to compare this to was central park, and even then it felt different. It smelt different. The sounds weren't the same and what was that noise? It was a loud, throaty, guttural yelping sound.
Animal. Unknown, but Animal. Not close, but impossible to tell how far it was.
Leonardo's swords were out as he slowly turned around. Was that laughter? Glance around. The sound was different without hard concrete to bounce off of, or to have to filter out the street traffic to comprehend. Yet even if nothing sounded 'right' to him it was close enough to tell he wasn't alone.
"Show yourself!" He demanded loudly. "I know you're out there."
As response a man came into view as he turned about. While taller than Leo or his brothers the man was still shorter than Casey. Like the foot ninja he wore close fitting black clothes. However he could see this man's eyes, and the two looked at each other for a long moment. The guttural throaty yelp sounded again, causing Leo to tense instinctively.
The man chuckled soft, "Never seen a Yokai afraid of beagles before." His voice was soft, steady but lacking the confidence Casey had. "Please, put your weapons away." The unsureness of his voice grew more apparent with those words. "I am not your enemy."
"Then who are you," Leonardo demanded as he continued to stare the man down, "and why show yourself now instead of yesterday when we could've used help?" That last was the more important question. Something Leo had latched his mind onto.
The man's head shook slow, "By the time I realized where the foot had gone your building was on fire and I could do little more than make sure none got near the van you made your escape in." The man kept his hands where they could be seen, palms out and facing Leonardo even as he slowly walked around the turtle. "I," That uneasiness was still in his voice. "I did not know why they went to that building. Was it you they were after?"
A headshake as Leo lowered his swords, "No. They were after April I think. We just got in the way. What business do you have with the Foot?"
"Simply that they want a thing, so I want to deny them." The man tried to inject a little more confidence into his voice. "I... apologize but truth be told I am still new to this, and I'd only just gotten into the country a few days ago." A short bow. "I am Kamio Daisetsu. I have come to see why the Foot have grown active."
Leonardo returned the bow, "And I am Hamato Leonardo." This earned a raised eyebrow. "The foot took our sensei," and adopted father. "My brother's still out from the fight and the van's not going anywhere."
Daisetsu motioned leo to follow as he walked, "So injury and no transportation. What's the food situation?" His uneasiness turned into matter-of-factness as he seemed to try taking stock of the situation.
"Nothing. This place has been unused." Leonardo's own temperament shifted from anger and worry to one of analysis of the situation. "Don said something about a truck he might be able to get running. We have running water, and a wood stove. No medical supplies and no idea where our enemy is."
"Fortunately it is unlikely they would know you're here," Daisetsu reassured. "If the truck can be made to work your friend with the hockey mask and I can go get food and we can plan from there." When Leonardo nodded Daisetsu ran a hand through his hair. "If not, well... we'll figure it out."
The pair continued walking, eventually stopping as they saw Casey and Don hunched over an old beat up truck's open hood. As the pair they could hear"Not even close, zipneck. Professor and Mary Ann, happily ever after." Zipneck, Leo snorted. That was a new one. As he watched the two work he couldn't help but smile. Don worked fast seeing as it wasn't just an old beat up truck in the shed they were working in, but the van's tires, several gas cans, and an assortment of parts.
"HA!" Don let out a laugh while handing Casey tools, "No way, atomic mouth! Gilligan was her main man! They'd be married and have six kids by now."
Time passed as Casey worked. "Eh, Gilligan was a GEEK! Barfaroni." He offered one of the tools back then motioned for another. "Y'know, I think this might work."
"YOU'RE the geek, camelbreath." Don tossed a rag at Casey, "Of course it's gonna work! She's old, not dead. April's grandparents musta kept it in great shape. About all it really needs are new spark plugs."
"Yea well we might can cheat a bit to get into town, but she's gonna need a full fluid flush or this old fossil's not gonna do much for us Domehead." To say nothing of needing its tires rebalanced, seals checked, and a hundred other little things they simply didn't have the parts or tools for.
After a theatrical sigh Don picked up one of the gas cans poured the contents in, "Whatever Elf Lips."
"Let's give this a try." Casey took a step away as he slammed the hood down, "This transplant just might work, fungoid."
Earlier they had scavenged every hose, sparkplug, brake pad, and anything else they had from the van to try replacing everything they could that'd dry rotted on the truck Don found that morning. He gave a small laugh as he shifted it into gear, "All right, here goes!" There was a moment of confusion "...What are we on?"
"Uh, G." Casey's head shook as he watched the turtle go through the motions to get the truck started.
"Here goes, gackface!" The engine rumbled to life, possibly for the first time in decades.
As the truck rumbled Casey couldn't help but grin, "I'm ready, hosebrain!"
With that Don gave it gas, sending the truck lurching straight towards the rear wall of the shed, causing Casey to yelp while diving out of the way. After a moment of panic Don got the old thing under control and made it stop "It works!" His voice sounded triumphant until a towl was thrown at his vace, covering an eye when it landed, "Uh... ...Hey."
"Baka," Daisetsu muttered at the pair before moving closer to see if Casey was alright.
"Hey dude, you can't have lost our spot that fast m-" Casey stopped when he looked over and saw Daisetsu and Leo standing in the shed. "Uh yea hey we got the truck working."
"Fine, ignoramus." Dasetsu looked Casey over and nodded to himself. "You were lucky you didn't get run over. Next time, you get out of way before signaling you're ready."
Casey hrmphed as he walked past, "Whatever junkface. Truck works."
"Good," Leo fell in step beside Casey, "Uh you wouldn't happen to have any money on you? April said everything she had was in the apartment. The four of us generally never needed money." He was about to say more when Daisetsu interrupted by dropping a large roll of bills into Casey's hands.
After a quick count Casey's eyes widened, "There's gotta be a couple grand here in twenties." He looked sidelong at the ninja, "This better not be stolen."
"You insult me." Daisetsu's voice held anger for a brief moment. "I came here expecting to have to pay for information, bribe my way into meetings, and otherwise grease wheels to learn what I wold need to know." A pause as the three others absorbed this information, "Considering what we're working with I can draw up a quick shopping list.
"Hey, anything you like Kacper," Casey took the truck keys from Don, "Since you're buying apparently."
"So what's with you and the foot?" Casey hadn't spoke until they were well on the way back to New York proper. The truck shook, it was loud, and he had to fight the wheel to keep it straight. However they were on the road.
For his part Daisetsu had his left arm hanging out of the passenger window while he apparently tried to relax, "I expect same thing with you and the purple dragons. They're people that turn decent places to hell for decent people to live in."
Silence for a time as the truck made a series of noises from the engine. They pulled over and stopped before both got out to look the engine over. Well, Casey looked at the engine while Daisetsu stood beside him. "Yea but it's not like I'm going over to japan to take on the yakuza, or china to take on the triads." Casey frowned at the engine and slammed the hood down. "You know anything about cars, man?"
Daisetsu's head shook and he waited til both were back in the truck to speak again, "Look, I'll talk about it as long as you wait before telling the others. They're distracted as is. I"m going to tell them eventually, but now's not the time."
"I'll make my own call after I hear what you've got," Was the nearest Casey got to agreeing to the other mans request for discretion, "but sure. lay it on me."
"I followed the foot to where the turtles made their home." Daisetsu spoke, grateful for the privacy of the vehicle as he hated telling stories like this, "I saw the pictures their sensei keeps. Between the family name they have taken as well as that. they're survivors of the ninja clan my grandfather left."
"Woah now Wataminute," Casey interrupted, "You're not telling me why you're here, and I thought those clan things were a for life kinda thing with you either getting killed or suicide being the only way out."
"Yes and no." A faint smile crossed Daisetsu's features as he was allowed to continue, "Theoretically those are the only ways to officially leave with your honor intact, but after the second world war and his actions in Burma my grandfather made a choice during the last great battle between the Hamato and Foot clans to disappear, take my grandmother's family name, and let them assume he had died there."
"Why?" More silence save for the simi regular coughing, growling, and other noises the slapdash repaired truck made.
"Because the Hamato got destroyed by a reborn foot clan roughly eighteen years ago. When word reached my grandfather he realized he may be the last to know the traditions and lore, so I was taught and trained so it would not die with him." Daisetsu calmly explained, "I came here to see what took the Foot so far from home, and I may have found it. Given the two clans have fought for centuries any word of survivors or hint of a rebuilt Hamato clan would draw them like politicians to money, and while they are not family, I feel I should help these turtles as they are thin on friends and long on enemies."
"Fair enough man." Casey conceded. "That's a lot of background to dump on someone's head so yea. Now's not the time. Thanks for looping me in."
Silence resumed its reign as the pair pulled into an oil change place and Casey started haggling with the guy at the counter to 'just make sure the truck doesn't blow up on the way back and get it fixed pronto since groceries for my old lady.' Daisetsu watched Casey spin this line of half-truths about a farmhouse and suddenly having friends drop in after their home got broke into and it's a hot mess and he had to respect Jone's ability to skirt the truth enough to not actually give anything away.
As the two exited he didn't even mind how most of their money had gone towards the truck. As Casey reminded him as they walked, "Hey the guy put us as a priority job and he's sticking us with a flat seven fifty for everything no matter what it's gonna run him." A barking laugh as they continued on foot, "And they say there's no good people left in the world. So where were we, your grandad, right? I figure we've got a few hours to kill even if we're lucky so keep talking man."
"Hai." Daisetsu glanced around, suddenly aware of how much he must have stood out wearing all black and looking like an extra from a low budget kung fu movie. Then a shrug as he slouched, and tried to at least not look like he was walking on wires expecting a jump from every corner. "Consider how the Japanese behaved towards their prisoners. What he did haunted him to the point he felt he wasn't worthy of being associated with his clan and kinsmen."
As Casey processed this he nodded thoughtfully. "Yea, grandad didn't talk much about what he saw out there, but he said enough for me to get it man. Badness all 'way 'round and he kinda felt like he spat on the family name right?" A nod as the two continued walking. "So why train you?"
More walking. The two kept quiet as they walked into a corner store. Each grabbed a hand basket. "We grab for the next few days only, but it's for seven people." As Daisetsu spoke he seemed to realize how much food that many mouths would go through even for just a handful of days. "Never mind. Act like you're going to feed an army."
Casey seemed to come to the same conclusion and put his hand basket back to grab a shopping cart. "Uh hey just gimme a shortlist of anything you're gonna want." A quick glance around and he muttered something about this not being an asian market, "And you go go pick up cookware, aspirin, maybe a hoodie or something so you don't look like some kind of Naruto scrub."
That name caused Daisetsu's left eye to twitch, "Not that bad of an idea actually." Then after a moment he started ticking off the basics as he saw them. "I can cook, though it's been ages since I've had to do anything over a wood flame so nothing fancy. Meet back at the truck in an hour?"
"Yea that sounds," When Casey turned back around to face Daisetsu the young ninja was gone, "...Great. Just freaking lovely." He had plenty of cash on hand and no idea what these turtles ate. So, order of the day was the basics. Fresh fruit, cheese, cornmeal." Another sigh as the scourge of the purple dragons, the self appointed defender of the downtrodden, and a man who had at one point a promising career in hockey was pushing a shopping cart around to feed a small army of people he didn't even know.
Hours later and Leonardo was trying to avoid falling asleep while sitting with Raphael. The turtle leader rolled his shoulders as he talked softly. "Master Splinter kept telling me not to be so forceful with you Raph, that no matter how hard the raging storm blows, it will never turn aside the mountain." Wearness dripped from his words as he struggled to stay awake. "I don't want the last thing we did together to be an argument."
Slowly, and unwillingly, Leo started to doze. He would have gone to sleep proper had it not been for noises coming from the tub Raph was lain in. Soft noises.
"Raph! you're awake." Leo was suddenly at his brother's side helping the other turtle sit up.
"What's a guy gotta do to get some food around here?" Raph sounded worn out, like he'd... well, been beaten to a pulp and thrown through a skylight. Most likely because that's pretty much exactly what happened alongside getting drug through a burning building and having to spend the past day in a bath tub.
April softly moved from the other side of the bathroom door to the livingroom while makign shushing motions. Daisetsu and Casey had finally returned with food and a far lighter wallet, but the food was important as they were all hungry. Casey was eating an apple outside as Daisetsu cooked on thestove. Apologies would be muttered as the wood stove was more for heating than cooking, and it wasn't going as smoothly as it could have otherwise. However it was going since tea was made and he had managed to fix... something.
"Hey! He wants food!" Came Leo's voice shouting from the bathroom. "He's awake and he wants food! Bring some food!"