A/N- Happy New Year's guys! Short ficlet written incredibly quickly after a moment of inspiration. Set Between 'Let's Begin' and 'Home Ties' so we are taking a step back in time here guys :) Dedicated to all those who have reviewed 'Distractions' this year. I've have really appreciated your support. Enjoy, and see you next year!
Rain Instead of Snow
It seemed bizarre for Venus to be celebrating New Year's this early. She'd already let the Dōngzhì Festival pass by quietly just before Christmas, surprised that Splinter didn't even acknowledge the Tōji version. But she hadn't wanted to get in the way: Christmas had been a new experience for the Shinobi; she knew of the festival but she and Chung I had always celebrated Dōngzhì instead, being the winter festival of their homeland. So she'd kind of been thrown in at the deep end, partaking in secret Santa on the orders of Michelangelo around two weeks before:
"Step right up gentlemen...oh, and lady, to receive your secret Santa nominations!"
"Our what?" Venus had asked Donatello, following him into the kitchen.
"Well, because it's kinda hard for us to go up to the surface to buy presents, not to mention our lack of funds, we always do secret Santa. Admittedly it's a lot easier to get gifts now that we know humans up there, but the tradition has just stuck."
"I understand Donatello, but what is 'Secret Santa'?"
"Oh!" Donny had cried, laughing slightly. "Sorry Venus, I forget that there are some countries where Christmas isn't their main holiday. Basically, all of our names are written inside a hat and we reach in and grab one. We only buy a gift for that person and we can't tell anyone involved who we've got. That's what makes it secret."
"I have never heard of this before, Donatello. I hope whoever receives your name gets you a worthy gift."
"Well, you never know, it could be you."
Venus had stopped and blinked for a moment, wondering if she'd missed something.
"Me? But why would it be me?"
"Because Mikey has most definitely put my name in the hat and so you may pick it out, just as I might pick yours."
"He has included my name?"
Donny had turned round, laughing again. "Well of course he has! He's not exactly going to miss you out, is he?!"
Venus smiled at the kindness of her friends, remembering her dread at receiving Michelangelo's name, and her relief at Casey's help in suggesting a gift of Pizza vouchers would be the best thing for him, before running around the city to pick up around 50 free newspapers for her to use. It took her four days between training, patrol, sleeping, and eating, to cut every single pizza voucher she could find for various delivery houses, before folding them nicely into a tartan covered box. The last one wouldn't expire for about four years, so he'd have plenty of time to use them all. Thankfully, he'd loved it, and consequently rung up the nearest pizza house to place an order, only to fail due to everywhere being shut for the day.
Raphael had actually picked out her name, and so on Christmas morning when we presented her with a very slim present, Venus was a little dubious about what was inside. He shyly gave it to her, his eyes not meeting hers as she unwrapped the gift. Inside she found a CD, covered in Chinese and badly translated English writings, a photo of a mountain serving as the cover image. She turned it over to find a track list, writing in Chinese before again being very badly translated into English.
"It's a CD, you know, of Chinese songs and stuff. There's always someone selling them up in China town, but this woman was actually playing it and it sounded like the stuff you listen to on Donny's laptop when you're meditating or training. I thought you could use it when you're doing Shinobi stuff, you know? You can use one of the three stereo's we got lying around here then."
Venus smiled, the thoughtfulness behind the gift catching her off guard. Everyone had their brows raised in surprise, even Master Splinter. Venus looked up to see Raphael slightly red in the face, embarrassed, but at least looking at her now.
"Thank you Raphael, it is a very thoughtful gift."
She leaned forwards and hugged him, feeling him tense before he wrapped his arms around her shell, returning the embrace. It had been a good day.
And now a week later Venus was confused again. She and Chung I had only every celebrated the Chinese zodiac, observing the old calendar rather than what the west used, even if the larger cities celebrated both. There were a few weeks left until the year of the Dragon began, and so it felt strange to be celebrating a new start already.
Michelangelo, ever the gracious host, was running around the already heavily decorated lair, covering anything Christmassy in multi-coloured glitter, whilst Donatello was fiddling with some wires behind the TV. She could hear him growling in frustration.
"Oh for goodness sake, now come on. Stop twisting out. Come on, come on, co-OW!"
A small trail of smoke arose from where the turtle was working, causing Venus to step towards and investigate.
"Donatello? Is everything alright?"
She peered round the television to find the turtle sucking his finger, glaring at the wires before him.
"I'm fine, the TV is just trying to fry my hands off."
Venus raised her brows, sensing his frustration and, after living with him for a few months now, his sarcasm.
"Is there anything I can do to help?"
She heard a snort.
"Unless you know how to weld an auxiliary jack onto a completely new wire without the assistance of a blowtorch now that mine's bust, then be my guest. Otherwise, I'd love a cup of tea. Hopefully it'll calm me down."
Venus frowned.
"Welding. Does that involve fire?"
She heard a sigh this time.
"Yes Venus. That's why I need a blow torch but mine got crushed when Mikey decided to test drive the Battle-Shell after I'd repaired the bumper on her. And there isn't going to be a delivery for-"
He turned to find Venus balancing a delicate and tiny flame in the palm of her hand, smiling slightly.
"Leonardo?" she called to her friend in the kitchen, reading. He looked up. "Could you please make Donatello a cup of tea while I assist him? I believe he's become a little stressed."
Leo nodded, smiling slightly as Venus turned back to the television to find an embarrassed Donatello staring up at her.
"As a turtle of science, Donatello, I am surprised that you have forgotten you live with someone who does not conform to your extensive formulas and equations."
"Yes, well, as long as that someone only welds the metal and doesn't singe the wires that I have carefully re-twisted to fit into the new jack, then I'll make sure that I don't forget again."
An hour and three cups of tea later, Donatello's job was complete, Venus' technique being very effective yet difficult given the precision needed to not damage the wires. It had taken longer than expected but the result was an extremely powerful sound system hooked up to the TV and multiple speakers throughout the communal areas of the lair, much to Master Splinter's chagrin.
"My son, your technological prowess never ceases to amaze me."
"Thank you Sensei, I-"
"Just don't ever let me catch you installing one of these systems in Michelangelo's room."
"Yes Sensei," Donny agreed, bowing to his master as he turned away. Michelangelo then promptly bounded into the living room and hugged his brother.
"Thank you, thank you, thank you! Bro, you just took this party to the next level!"
"Party? What Party?" Venus asked, taking her and Donatello's mugs into the kitchen.
"Our New Year's Eve party, Venus. I finally convinced Master Splinter to let us have one! We're gonna meet all of our friends at a location spot on the surface, bring them down here, have some snacks, some drinks, before we go up to Times Square and watch the countdown and fireworks from a rooftop, and then come back down here to finish one heck of a party! Woohoo!"
Venus raised her brows. "Master Splinter honestly agreed to this?"
Donatello rolled his eyes. "With Mikey, sometimes it's better to agree. It'll stop him from whining or begging even more next year."
A few hours later, Casey and Raphael were about to head out to collect their guests.
"We're gonna have to go through the sewers. There's too much crap up in the warehouse thanks to Don's tinkering to safely get people through," Raph explained to Leo before grabbing a handful of rags.
"What are they for?" Venus asked, putting the last of the party snacks out ready for their guests.
"Oh, we kinda need to blindfold our friends when we bring them down here, you know, so that they can't see the way to the lair."
Venus frowned.
"It makes Master Splinter feel better if less people know where we live," Leo explained. "We'd go pick them up in the Battle-Shell except its sort out of action thanks to Mikey's random test run."
"Don't worry, I've heard all about that," Venus replied, seeing Donatello's eyes roll.
"Hey Venus, why don't you, erm, why don't you come up with us?" Raph suddenly asked, clearing his throat. "Give yourself a chance to meet our friends and stuff, you know?"
Venus saw Leo and Casey's slightly confused looks but shrugged them off.
"Of course I'll come, Raphael. Hopefully it'll make things less awkward later on."
"Great! We'll take the North tunnels up and then the North-West ones down. They're a little wider so the guys don't have to worry about tripping over stuff."
Venus nodded, following her friends out of the lair and into the sewers. The North tunnels, going slightly up-hill, were usually quiet, not reaching the main water line until way past their home. It was cold but not as cold as usual, apparently. Donatello had spoken about an El Niño effect, making the weather warmer than usual and preventing any snow fall and making it rain more, but the explanation had been a little confusing for Venus. She had sensed an imbalance of heat energy during their patrols, but given that the weather could never truly be predictable, she hadn't thought much of it. Michelangelo had, of course, been distraught at the lack of snow.
It didn't take the trio too long to reach the final tunnel before surface level. The water was quite deep here and fast moving, so they slowed down a little. Casey dug out his phone and dialled.
"Hey Angel. Yep, yep, we're right below you. Give us a couple of minutes. Well if the weather's that crappy then get under cover. Don't answer me back, young lady..."
Raph rolled his eyes at his friend trying to discipline, turning to see Venus wading through the sewers very carefully. She was still getting used to the lack of hygiene down here.
"So, err, Venus, you lookin' forward to tonight?" he asked, earning a smile.
"Of course! I have always wanted to experience a New Year 's Eve like this, with all the lights, the parties, the fireworks."
"You didn't have fireworks back at home?"
"There were a few. Chung I and I would sneak into the forest during the evening and watch the Chinese Zodiac festival in the village from up in the trees. My father would wander down and buy some snacks for us and New Years moon cakes before we watched the fireworks. There were only a few but I always loved the colours, always reflecting the animal that would head the New Year."
"Wow. Well, you're gonna love this year. Times Square is legendary for New Years Eve celebrations. We're lucky we live here really." He saw a spark of anxiety in her face. "And don't worry, our friend's are gonna love you. They're great, if a little bizarre."
Venus smiled. "Thank you Raphael. I am sure you're friends are lovely."
Raph couldn't help smiling back before being greeted by a torrent of cold water falling onto his head. He yelled out in surprise, looking up to find Casey stood on the steps above them.
"Geez Case! What gives?"
"Well, if you're just gonna stand and chat and not listen to me yelling about the bad weather upstairs and warning you to move while I lift up the cover, you're gonna get a little damp, aren't you?"
Venus couldn't help giggle a little, making Raph simply roll his eyes before following his friend up the steps.
"Yeah, whatever."
The trio were greeted to a fully fledged storm rampaging through the streets, the torrential rain making it hard to see, while the wind impaired their hearing. Venus squinted against the rainfall; she couldn't see the others and couldn't make the wind and water part for her: She had promised Master Splinter that she wouldn't reveal her gifts in front of their guests tonight, for both her own sake and theirs.
A hand suddenly latched onto her wrist and she twisted round to find a very soggy Raphael leading her to the porch of an abandoned shop. Once undercover, her vision cleared, and she found before her a motley group of humans.
"It's about time you guys showed up." A young girl snapped, earning a glare from Casey. "You mind telling me how you plan on 'escorting' us downstairs with this storm blowing up?"
"It's fine, Angel. The sewers ain't too bad, and the rain is clearing off. You're just gonna get a little damp, is all."
"Whatever. Just remind me to punch Mikey for breaking the Battle-Shell so that we can't get to the lair the easy way."
"Don't worry Angel," Raph replied, smiling. "Donny's been covering that this past week."
Raphael led them down into the main sewer canal, Casey staying at the top of the manhole to help people down whilst Venus stayed above to keep watch, only climbing down once everyone was inside. Casey shut the cover above her and the group quickly trudged westwards, aiming for the wider tunnels, soon reaching the second set of steps.
"Now, once we get down there, we're gonna have to put blindfolds on ya, alright?" Raph called out, before beginning the descent.
"Aw man, why do we have to put one of them on?" A young man in scruffy clothing whined, his friends nodding.
"Because Splinter has been kind enough to open his home up to us, and so we should respect his wishes that the location of it should remain unknown," an older man replied, smiling at Venus. "We shall wear the blindfolds with gratitude towards your hospitality, miss-?"
"Venus, my name is Venus. I guess you are the professor."
"I go by that name, yes. It is wonderful to see that there are others in the world like our friends."
Venus smiled in return, guiding the man to the steps, the rest of the group soon following. The bottom tunnel was fuller than usual, up to their waists, in fact, making Angel scowl.
"Don't worry kid, April's got spare clothes for the lot of ya. You know, just in case," Casey assured her, only making Angel scowl even more.
"Hush up a sec," Raph whispered, holding up a hand to silence the group. Venus stepped towards him, peering into the distance. "You hear that?"
Venus listened to hear a roaring noise ahead of them, gradually getting louder.
"That is water."
"I know," Raph whispered. "There's a flood defence down that end of the tunnel , but it's old."
"Come on, Raph. Don't get paranoid. The rain would've eased off by now," Casey stated, earning a sharp look from his friend.
"Yeah, but what about the rain already in the sewers?" Raph replied, freezing when a sharp crack echoed through the air.
"Raphael," Venus whispered, "You didn't say that the defences were made out of wood."
Raph looked at her, eyes wide.
"RUN!"
The group turned and followed the turtle, rushing through the tunnel as fast as they could given the level of water. They could hear a wave of sewer water pursuing them, gaining speed as they lost theirs. Raph suddenly stopped by a gap in the wall were some of the water was spilling.
"Quickly, down here!" He cried, gesturing towards a narrow stairway going down to the next level.
"Bro, the water will still follow us down there!" Casey yelled.
"But the hole is too narrow for all of it to pour down at once. It'll buy us some time!"
He grabbed the professor by the shoulder and tried to help him down when Casey shook his head.
"We haven't got any time left, bro."
Raph turned to see a massive wave surging towards them, debris and trash filling the water. He went into panic mode, closing his eyes; they weren't going to make it.
A great smacking sound and a rush of air hitting him in the face forced his eyes back open. Venus had leapt in front of them and met the wave with her own power, stopping it in its tracks before trying to hold back the surge of water. He could see her struggling to hold the mass of water.
"Get down below, quickly!" She yelled, and Raphael obeyed, ignoring the shocked faces in front of him and forcing them down the steps instead. Master Splinter was not going to be happy about this.
Casey went down first to monitor the tunnel, ignoring the group's questions as he helped them down. Raphael watched as Venus slowed moved backwards towards the steps, allowing the water to slowly fill the tunnel whilst the pressure behind it built.
"Venus, that's everyone!" Raph yelled over the roar. He saw Venus close her eyes as she prepared to release the torrent, stepping back towards the steps. Raphael grabbed her ankle, guiding her feet until she was halfway down the steps. Then she let go, a gush water beginning to drain into the lower tunnel, soaking the two turtles. They jumped down into the water below and began leading the group away from the gap.
"We need to keep moving. If we're fast, we can outrun the water and get into the Northern tunnels before they fill up," Raphael ordered, before another crack echoed through the air.
"Or the lower level defences can break as well and really screw up our plans," Casey commented, picking up his sprint. Venus could see the homeless group struggling to keep up, the professor especially. A shout from Casey made her look ahead to see another wall of water heading straight towards them. Instinct kicked in, making her leap forward and latch onto the energy of the wave before she blocked it, the water curling upwards as if trying to move past an invisible barrier. The group stopped behind her.
"Go back up. Use the streets to get to the warehouse."
"The streets are flooded too Venus!" Raph cried, hating this. He knew that he and Venus could survive this easily, but their human, and more importantly, non-amphibious friends, wouldn't.
"Yes, but you won't drown from a tidal wave up there, will you?"
"Fine, just hold on while I search for a ladder."
He ran forward only to freeze again. Venus heard a short shout before the original wall of water finally caught up with them and slammed into her back, causing to let go of the second. The two torrents mingled together, a mixture of sewer water, trash, and random debris crashing into the group. Raphael opened his eyes but couldn't see anything in the gloom of the water. He saw a flash of green moving towards something before it rushed upwards. He followed it, gasping for air when he broke the surface. He saw the professor and some of his friends latching onto floating pieces of furniture and branches, trying to stay above water.
"Where's Casey and Angel?" Raph cried, earning sad looks.
"Still below, my friend!" The professor replied. "Venus helped us out but I don't know where she is now!"
Raph growled, re-submerging himself to try and find them. He blinked a few times underneath the water, trying to clear his vision. He saw the last few homeless people swimming up to the surface, pointing behind them. Raphael nodded, moving off into that direction only to find Casey trapped beneath a large branch wedged between a large rock and an abandoned refrigerator. He could see his friend struggling to get free whilst Angel desperately tried to shift the debris herself. Casey was yelling at her, mute, only bubbles escaping his throat. Angel shook her head before her eyes suddenly went wide. Her movements slowed as she became limp, Casey struggling even more as her eyes began to close, a lack of air finally getting to her.
Raphael rushed forwards, Casey pointing at him to save Angel as her struggled to lift the branch. Raphael didn't want to leave his friend, when Venus suddenly came into view. She immediately grabbed Angel and began pulling her to the surface, leaving Raphael to free Casey. Casey continued to struggle and silently yell before Raph clamped a hand over his mouth, indicating that he should try and save some air. Casey nodded, letting his friend help. Raphael tried to lift the branch before moving to the refrigerator. It had become jammed, a combination of trash and dead leaves gluing to the wall. He looked to see the rock suffering the same fate.
He moved to try and break the branch instead, freezing when he saw Casey's eyes close and his held loll. He cried out his friend's name, bubbles replacing speech, and rushed forward to try and lift him out. His arms were caught under the branch, wedging him. Raph panicked, seeing the bubbles of air escaping his friend's lungs getting smaller and smaller. Suddenly a rush of water surged towards the refrigerator. Raph turned to see Venus swimming towards the pair, her hands out forward. She stopped and span round a few times before another rush of water flew forward from her palms, hitting the refrigerator and dislodging it, freeing the branch. Raphael immediately moved forward to grab Casey before going to the surface, gulping in the air. The current of the water was still dangerously fast, but bright lights ahead of him held him in place.
"Hey bro! You know, if you wanna go swimming, the lakes in central park are a whole lot cleaner and warmer, in the summer at least."
Raphael had never been happier to hear Michelangelo's voice. He swam towards the Sewer Slider, lifting Casey up for Mikey to grab before Leo reached his hand down.
"Need some help bro?"
Raph rolled his eyes, taking his brother's arm before looking around the slider. Everyone was here, April and Donny helping a groggy looking Angel and a still unconscious Casey. But someone was still missing.
"Venus!" Raph cried out. "Venus, where are you?"
Getting no reply, he tried to jump back in when Leo stopped him.
"She's in there, bro. I gotta get her out!"
"Raph, it's fine," Leo assured. "She saw us heading towards you guys before she went down to help you and Casey. She's currently trying to unblock one of the narrow tunnels so that some of this water can drain away."
"Oh, right. Okay then." Raph sat down on the edge of slider, the current suddenly beginning to slow a little as the water level went down. "How'd you find us anyway?"
"The breaking of the flood barriers triggered some alarms in the lair. Given the route you had planned to take, we figured you may need some help."
"Yeah, well, thanks bro."
"Anytime time, Raph."
The pair waited with bated breath, both letting out a relived sigh when Venus resurfaced. Leonardo leant forwards to help Venus out of the water. She was out of breath but perfectly safe.
"I managed to clear two tunnels to stop another flood occurring further down the sewer," she reported, earning a nod from Leonardo before turning to Mikey. "Michelangelo, I am sorry but the streets above are practically flooded-"
"Don't worry Venus, they've already cancelled the fireworks due to the storm. But after some hot cocoa and some dry clothes, and of course some of my famous New Year's canapés, we can all still have a kicking party down in the lair!" Mikey grinned as Donatello steered the slider home, Casey now awake and coughing up water over the side of the vessel.
Raph chuckled before turning to Venus. "Thanks for helping with Casey and the general water problem. If we get enough booze down everyone's necks I'm sure they'll forget what happened, or get confused as to whether it was a dream or not."
"It's fine, Raphael. My gifts are for helping others. I guess some people are going to see them in the process."
"I guess. Heh, I promise that this evening wasn't a standard New Year's Eve here. I'm sorry you ain't gonna see any fireworks tonight."
"Really? From what I've heard about your adventures, I believed tonight to be pretty standard." Vensu smiled. "It doesn't matter. The fact that I won't be hidden up in a cold tree, but rather talking with friends, will certainly make this New Year's Eve very different. I'll just let you know tomorrow whether it was an improvement or not."
Raph smiled as Venus then turned away to assist Casey and Angel. He always looked forward to New Year's Eve. A new start, an excuse for a party. A night when Mikey's excitement was actually tolerable, and sometimes infectious. But as the group moved further down into the tunnels, Raph realised that this year, what he was looking forward to most was a nice hot bath. Not that he'd tell anyone that.