A Lesson in Improvisation, a ninja turtles fanfic

Michelangelo sat cross legged on the floor beside his brothers. Master Splinter was saying something about a ninja's greatest weapon, but the orange masked turtle was not listening. He was zoning out completely, daydreaming about tonight.

Tonight he was to don his Turtle Titan costume and spend it saving the innocent from the evil doers that lurked in the shadows of New York. He had just found a new toy to play with for his superhero duties, and he was imagining how awesome he was going to look using it it to save the city. But his visions were interrupted when something hit the back of his head.

More like someone had hit him on the back of the head. "Ouch! What was that for?" Mikey asked as he rubbed his head, turning towards his brother. Raph's hand was still raised, waiting to strike again. His eyes were narrowed behind his red mask, mouth in a deep scowl. "What?" Mikey demanded.

Leonardo, his brother in blue, opened his mouth to say something but was cut off. "Michelangelo." Came the voice of Master Splinter, soft yet stern. "Would you care to reiterate what I just said?" There was a quiet impatience behind his question, and the teen knew he had spaced out at the wrong moment.

"Uh…Sure." He said, coolly. "You were explaining to us that the ninja's greatest weapon was-" He mumbled out the rest of his sentence through a series of 'coughs'. His brothers snickered beside him.

"Come again?" Master Splinter asked, a frown playing on his face.

"Oh, uh, yeah. Sorry, Sensei. I just had something in my throat. What I said was, you were telling us that our greatest weapon is-" He let out a strangled gasp and began to have another coughing fit.

"Hm… As I thought." Splinter's frown deepened as he nodded. "Stand up, Michelangelo, and go to the center of the room. Leave your nunchaku." He instructed. Reluctantly, Mikey set aside his weapons and went to the center of the room, his brothers looking on in amusement.

With the help of his walking stick, the sensei rose from his sitting position and made his way to face his son. He cast aside his cane and folded his hands behind his back. "Attack me. Now!" he commanded sharply. Mikey frowned but did as he was told.

He launched himself up, propelling himself towards his opponent. With a yell, he balled his three fingered hand into a fist, aiming for the rat's face. Splinter's eyes widened, his mouth set in a concentrated scowl. He unclasped his hands and quickly moved out of the way of the attack. Mikey turned mid-air so that he landed facing his teacher. He paused just a moment before charging again, this time jumping over him and bouncing back of the wall. With enough momentum, he figured he could pull Splinter down to the ground. Splinter seemed to have other plans.

With a quick flick of his tail, a book that had been lying on the ground was sent flying through the air and knocked Mikey on the head. "Augh!" He yelled, closing his eyes against the unexpected attack. He was still flying forward towards his master, and in frustration, he turned to kick. Splinter's hand flicked out and grabbed the remote control to the T.V. off the table and hit the oncoming foot with enough force to knock it aside and send Mikey spiraling to the side.

"Ow…" He grumbled as he rubbed his ankle. Splinter chuckled.

"If you had listened to my lesson, Michelangelo, you would have known that improvisation is the ninja's greatest weapon. Anything around you could become a great weapon that leads to the success of your mission."

"But, Sensei! I didn't have a weapon!" The mutant protested.

"Ah, but you did. You had many. Just because you didn't have your nunchaku, that doesn't make you defenseless. I did not have my cane." He pointed out. "Yet I used a simple book and remote to defend and attack. You could have done the same," He had been moving around the room during his speech and had picked up his walking stick. He firmly held it in his hand and pointed it at his son. "If you had paid attention to the lesson." He lightly tapped Mikey on the head.

—-

After the lesson, the boys had gone off to different corners of their home to do what they enjoyed. Raphael and Leonardo were sparing with each other, throwing insults back and forth as they beat each other black and dark green. Donatello sat in a corner, surrounded by machinery that let out the occasional beeping noise as he wired parts together. Michelangelo sat on the couch, journal in hand. Next to his old drawings of superhero costumes, he was doodling his new super weapon.

The weapon was mace-like in design, a one-handed flail with a chain attached to the spiked ball that extended farther than normal with a push of a button located on the handle. It would retract once the button was pushed again. There were a few arrows pointing to certain parts of the sketch, followed by brief, almost illegible notes. A dreamy, satisfied look passed over his face as he studied his work.

"What cha workin' on, shell for brains?" A green hand snatched up his journal and held it away from him. Mikey had been so focused on his drawing, he hadn't heard his brothers stop fighting and working. Now they surrounded him, looking down at his book.

"Hey! Give that back!" He demanded, reaching up to get the orange book, but Raph held it out of his reach. "Guys, c'mon!" Donnie took it from Raph and examined the doodle.

"Hm…Interesting." He mumbled. "It's not a bad design, albeit not that intricate. The only thing that could give me trouble is the retractable chain. The size and weight of the metal could slow the progress-" Don's analysis of the weapon was cut short by Leo taking the book.

"What are you talking about? Are you saying you're actually going to make this thing?" He turned the book sideways, looking confused. "C'mon Don. He already has his weapon, he doesn't need another."

Mikey and Donnie both glared at their older brother and shook their heads. The purple masked turtle took the book back and headed towards his room. "Uh…Thanks Donnie!" Mikey called. Leo and Raph frowned at each other, still not to keen on the idea of Mikey's second weapon. The youngest brother caused enough trouble as it is, and it could only be made worse by the fact that he had a new toy. Of course, the boys would never admit that part of the reason they didn't want him to have the flail was because they didn't get one. That would just be silly.

—-

Donatello stood over a large metal work table, blow torch in hand, on the table was a metal rod and chain that had been freshly pieced together.

"Hey Don! You almost done in there?" Mikey called as he entered his brothers room. He had his hands behind his back, hiding something. " 'Cuz you sure are taking a while."

"Mikey, these things take time." Donnie looked up from the weapon in progress in annoyance. "It'll be done soon, don't worry." He reassured.

"Oh, cool. Well…" The orange turtle came closer, peering over his brothers shoulder. "I, uh…Well, ya see, I had already started making a sorta 'rough draft' of the weapon before I started drawing it…" Donatello gave him an odd look. "Here. Let me show ya." He held out his hands, cradling a very 'rough draft' of his weapon.

It looked nothing like the picture he had been drawing, or what was on the table. It looked like a pipe with chains wrapped around it with a scrap metal ball. In fact, that's exactly what it was.

"Uh…Mikey," Donatello started.

"I know, it's a hunk of junk. Like I said, it's just the beginning of what I had in mind. An… an outline for what I wanted." He smiled down at his work. "I just wanted to say thanks, Don." Mikey, still smiling, looked at his brother.

"No problem, Mikey." Donnie smiled and pat his brother on the back. "Now get out, I have work to do."

—-

Michelangelo was in his room, transforming in to the Turtle Titan. He had already put on his brown boots and shell shield, all he needed was his mask and weapons. He grabbed his cape from it's hiding spot and was about to pull it on when Donatello came in to his room.

"Hey. You could've knocked. I might have been naked!"

"Mikey… you're always naked. We don't wear cloths." His brother pointed out, making Mikey frown. "Anyway, I finished your weapon." He gave it to his brother, who looked like he was about to explode with excitement. "Now, I haven't tested it yet, so you shouldn't…" But Mikey was already out the door and off to the topside, leaving behind his nunchaku and grappling hooks.

"…Solely rely on them…Oh." Donnie shook his head.

—-

A masked figure perched on the edge of a tall building, watching the empty streets below. There had been little movement from anyone in the past half-hour, but this was New York. Crime was everywhere.

After clearing the area, the figure moved to a new section, bounding over buildings and alleyways. He only stopped when he heard a large crashing noise. He descended down from the roof tops to rest on a fire escape. "Oh man. Finally! Some action." He placed his three-fingered hand on his belt, slipping out his new weapon. "Time to give some criminal a beating he'll never forget." He jumped down to face the noise.

Mikey stood in front of a broken shop window, watching as two large men with dragon tattoos ransack the place. He was about to jump in and save the day when one of them spoke up.

"Hey. Why do ya think they have us out here? It ain't like we need any of this junk."

The other sighed. "Probably 'cuz they have a bigger plan. Don't cha remember them explainin' that to us? They sent out several groups to distract the cops so that the larger group could raid the silk factory downtown. Now, back to work. Break as much as possible."

The Turtle Titan knew what he had to do.

"Halt!" He called out, jumping in through the window, taking down the first guy. "Didn't your parents every teach you boys it's wrong to steal?" He twirled his flail in the air and flung it towards the other man. The metal ball crashed into the side of the man's face, sending him flying to the left. He hit the ground unconscious.

"Ugggh. My head." The other one sat up, rubbing the back of his head where it had hit the ground. "What happened?" He looked around, searching for his partner. "Huh?" He looked up and screamed at the sight of the superhero before him. "Uh- Uh- Uh- We was, I mean, I was just leaving!" He scrambled to his feet and tried to run for it. Mikey had another idea.

He pressed the button on the handle and the chain begun to lengthen. "I don't think so, scum!" Again, he flung it at the assailant, causing it to wrap around him and bring him to the ground. "The police will be here any minute and I'm sure they'd love to talk with you. I, on the other hand, have plans." The criminals were tied to chairs with a note to the police next to them.

—-

"Guys! Guys! Guys! GUYS! " Mikey burst in to the lair, calling for his brothers. "GUUUYS! Everyone came running.

"Mikey! What is it?" Everyone looked angry and a little frightened.

"Purple dragons!" He exclaimed. They started laughing.

"What? The Turtle Titan can't handle a couple of those punks?" Raph laughed. "C'mon. I know you're better than that."

"No, it's serous! There's a big group of them. They're planning on raiding the silk factory downtown." The boys stopped laughing. "Yeah. It's not funny anymore, is it? We have to do something!"

"…What do they want with a silk factory?" Leo asked.

"I don't know!" Mikey yelled. They all turned to Donatello.

"Uh.. Well…. They probably don't want the silk at all. Maybe just the machinery. Or they could sell the product…? There's a lot of possibilities, actually." Donnie ranted. " They could even just be using the factory for their product production or as a hideout. It's a large factory and could—

"Okay, okay. We get it!" Raphael interrupted. "Let's just get a move on. We're wasting time." He looked over at Leonardo, who gave him a nod.

"We'll split up and bust in, taking them all by surprise. Got it? Good. Let's go." Leo led the way out of the sewer and to the streets.

—-

Shadows perched on the rooftops that neighbored the large brick factory, watching the shadows on the ground spread out and surround the building. One grounded shadow stepped forward and raised his left hand, signaling all the others to come forward and break down the doors.

"For not wanting to draw attention to themselves, they sure are loud." Whispered a rooftop shadow. "They're in. You guys ready?" He called to the other three shadows.

"I've been ready, Leo." Answered one shadow. "Now let's get this show on the road!"

A silent signal sent the shadows in action.

"Hey, Dragons!" Shouted a purple masked turtle as he burst through the broken window. "Destruction of property is illegal and you can be jailed for it. Was that what you were aiming for?" He spun his staff, knocking down the people closest to him. The gang seemed stunned at first but they quickly got over it and moved to retaliate. Some were holding baseball bats and pipes, others had knifes, while some had clenched fists. He may have been trained ninja but he was vastly out stepped back, staff out in front of him. "Uh, Leo! Now would be a good time to make your entrance!" He called out.

Suddenly, glass shattered from above him and Leonardo landed by his side. "Oh come on, Donnie! I was suppose to decide when to enter the show." He whipped out his katanas and raced toward the group.

"Yeah well, the show wouldn't be complete if one of its stars became a red and green puddle!" Don swung his staff, whacking a few dragons off to the side.

"More spotlight for me!" Leo retorted, shoving the base of his sword in someone's stomach.

"Even with Don out of the picture, ya still have to share the light with me." Raphael said, jumping down from the rafters to join his brother. "Heck, I'll just kick ya off the stage." He blocked an oncoming attack with his sai and kicked his opponent in the stomach. Purple Dragons were falling around them and some were even starting to flee. A few had pulled out rags and set them on fire, throwing them into storage rooms.

The boys looked at each other in confusion. The dragons weren't raiding the factory to steal from it, they were there to destroy it. "Mikey!" They screamed in unison. Someone needed to stop the fire and the three boys were occupied at the moment.

"No! Not Mikey! I am the Turtle Titan!" The masked figure posed on a threading machine, flail in hand. "Sorry, bros! But this show is all about me!" He jumped on top of the group, knocking more people to the ground. He struck a large man down and punched another hard across the face. "The mighty Turtle Titan is invincible with his powerful weapon!" He crowed, as he whooped the gang. "You guys put out the fire! It's the superhero's job to fight."

His brothers looked at each other and shrugged. They disbanded from the fight, going off to do whatever they could to stop the flames. Mikey was surrounded by the remaining dragons but he wasn't scared. "Give it your best shot, suckers!" He taunted. "No one can defeat me!" He released the chain and hit half of the group down. The chain retracted and he smirked. "Still wanna fight?"

One charged him, bat swinging at his head. With a laugh, Michelangelo released the chain again and wrapped the attacker up. He yanked back to send his opponent falling face down on the ground, but instead the chain snapped. "Huh?" The hero looked at his now broken weapon in confusion. He growled in frustration, flung the useless staff to the side, and reached for his nunchaku.

Too bad they weren't there. It just hit him that he had left them at the lair. He chuckled nervously as he faced the group. "You guys know I was joking about being invincible, right?" They closed in on him, laughing as they realized he no longer had a weapon. "Guess not." He muttered, jumping away from the oncoming attack. He gave them a few kicks and punches, but he needed something to keep them at bay. He looked around for something to use.

One spoke up as they surrounded him. "Not so smug now that ya ain't got a weapon." She drawled.

Mikey glared at her. She was right. He didn't have a weapon, just like his fight with Master Splinter…

"Hey! Whatcha smiling at? You'se about ta get beat in ta turtle soup!" She spat.

"You're wrong! I do have a weapon." He said, confidence returning. "In fact, I got plenty

Meanwhile, the other three boys were working on putting out the fire. They had put out most of it and all that was left was one last storage room. As they fanned down the flames, Donnie looked around the room. "I don't mean to be a killjoy, but this isn't just a storage room." He said, voice rising in panic. "This is a highly combustible storage room. RUN!" Raphael, Leonardo, and Donatello rushed out of the room just as it exploded.

"If the fire department wasn't on it's way before, they'll certainly be coming now!" Leo shouted. "It's time to get out of here! MIKEY!"

Mikey picked up a large spool of silk from a pile that had remained untouched by the fire. "One minute, Leo! I think I got the hang of this improvising thing!" He un-spun the silk and quickly ran around the last 4 members of the gang. "Looks like you're in a bind!" He joked as they strained against the material. "Who knew silk was so strong?" He picked up another spool and hit them over the head, knocking them unconscious.

"Mikey! C'mon! The firefighters are comin'!" Raphael shouted, looking seriously annoyed.

"Not Mikey! Turtle Titan!" He bellowed back. "And hold on!" He grabbed the bundle of people and started to drag them. "The Turtle Titan never leaves people in danger, even if they're the bad guys." He pulled them safely out of the building, laying them down in a place out of danger but where they would still be found by the police.

"Last call, Mikey! We're leaving!"

"TURTLE TITAN!" He corrected as he joined his brothers.

—-

Michelangelo sat on the ground cross-legged as he polished his nunchaku. "Oh, I missed you guys." He cooed, hugging them to his chest.

"It seems you did well without them." Splinter had come up behind him, surprising him.

"Sensei! Ya scared me." He said, looking up at his master with a frown. "Actually, yeah. I did." His frown turned to a small smile as he stood up. "After my flail broke, I didn't have anything to use, or so I thought. But there was really plenty of stuff to use. Like silk spools." He laughed.

Splinter nodded. "See, my lectures aren't just to keep you busy. They teach important lessons…."

He went on to say more about how they had much to learn, but Mikey wasn't listening. He was busy daydreaming about being Turtle Titan.

"Ouch! Sorry, Sensei."