Disclaimer: I do not own TMNT. I do not own Augustus Amherst, he belongs to Tigerfog at: .com. I do, however, own Shinchu and the Bro's mom.
This is AU. Everyone is human.
RING!
The late bell blared down the empty hallway. With a horrified expression on his face Donatello raced down it. NEVER in his whole life had he been late for class! Reminiscing about the morning he remembered how badly his day had started. Waking up late, forgetting to eat breakfast and not being able to open his centuries old locker!
In his haste he didn't notice the foot sticking out of the hallway.
"AHHHHHHH!"
Opening his eyes Hamato Donatello awoke to a fuzzy and blurry world. But it didn't take a genius, he realized, to figure out that he was lying on the floor. Nor did it take said genius to realize he had lost his glasses...again! Looking up he noticed a blocky figure standing before him waving his glasses like a worm on a hook.
"Boo-hoo, little ole Donnie's fallen and he can't get up," said the figure in a mocking tone. Again it didn't take a genius to guess who.
"Come on Shinchu!" Donatello wined, "I haven't done anything to you!"
"Oh but you have!"
Suddenly a third voice filled the air, this one was brusque, angry...and surprisingly familiar.
"Okay Shinchu, since you needed ta pick on my bro, I'm gonna pick...on...you!"
Donatello blew a sigh of relief when he heard Raphael's voice. Standing up he swiped his glasses from Shinchu and ran over to his brother.
"Listen Oroku Shinchu, I don't care if the infamous mob boss known as 'the Shredder' is your father, you ain't gonna beat up my brother."
"Maybe I wouldn't if brainiac here would write a descent essay for me to turn into my English Comp class," Shinchu retorted.
"Oh! That was for you? I had no idea!" Raphael gave Shinchu a really devious smile. "Ya see, here's the thing...I wrote that essay!"
Shinchu's expression was equivalent to a deer staring at an oncoming car. "YOU WHAT!"
"Yeah I wrote that lil' essay! I thought it was rather brilliant."
"Why you lousy, good for nothing, sonuva-"
Shinchu didn't get the chance to finish his sentence, seeing as a fist was racing toward him at lightning fast speed. What started as a mere conversation had erupted into a full-fledged fight. Donatello didn't even see the punch that was coming toward him!
-----
"Ya know, you're a pretty lousy ninja," Raphael coughed as held his hand to his throat. Shinchu had been caught off guard, but only for a second. He had brought a knife hand to Raphs throat after the first punch. Now he and his brother were sitting in the nurse's office waiting for their adoptive father, Master Splinter, to pick them up.
Donatello smiled wryly. "Wasn't it Master Splinter who said to 'not fight in school or we would face his wrath'?" Master Splinter had been very strict. He had agreed to teach his brothers: Raphael, Michelangelo, Leonardo, and himself the art of ninjitsu. Unfortunately Raphael wasn't a good listener when it came to Master Splinter stating rules.
-----
It had been only 10 minutes into first period at NYC High when Leonardo learned of his brothers little hijinks in the hallway. He was in his Band class prepping his clarinet for 'Mozart Serenade and Dance', when he suddenly felt a vibration in his pocket. Stuffing his hand in there he pulled out, what Mikey had called, the ShellCell. It was nothing more than a RAZR with a turtle shell design on it. Opening it he noticed that he had been sent a text message saying:
DDE, RPH N DNIE R N OFFCE!
What had they done now, Leo wondered.
-----
Hamato Michelangelo wasn't one to go to class. He usually skipped first period so he and his friend Augustus Amherst could go check out the Girls Cross Country team run. As much as he loved his Drama class, he had to admit, watching sweaty girls was much more fun.
"So, who do you think is the best team member," Augustus asked.
Mikey looked over at him and whispered a single word: "O'Neil!" It was true that April O'Neil was the best Cross Country member, but Mikey had certain feelings for her, feelings that Casey Jones, Raphael's best bud, had already expressed to her. Maybe that was why they were dating each other and Michelangelo was stuck to watching her in secret.
A few minutes later Mikey and Augustus left for their first period classes. On his way there he noticed a familiar looking shoe sticking out of the nurse's office. Walking closer he realized his memory had not failed him. Pulling out his cell phone he sent a text message to Leo. "Dude, Raph and Donnie are in the office," he said as he typed it on his phone.
-----
As he walked towards the office, hallway-pass in hand, Leo thought back to that morning. Raphael hadn't been in a terribly bad mood, but he was never in a good one. Raphael was constantly moody. After they had all turned 10 Master Splinter had told them about their mother. After that, Raphael had never been the same.
Leonardo started thinking back to that morning. Searching to see if Raph had shown any signs of future trouble making. Thinking back he remembered seeing Raph stepping out of his room wearing his school uniform incorrectly, though the teachers had given up on correcting him. Raph had been wearing his shirt untucked and unbuttoned. Underneath had been a tight, plain, tank top, which revealed, only to easily, his strong chest. His scarlet tie hung around his neck untied; he had also worn a metal link necklace with a shark tooth dangling at the end. No one else knew it but Raph had actually stolen it when he was 12! His pants were somewhat gritty and had a few holes in them, purposefully put in by Raphael himself. When anyone asked why, he always said that it was a "fashion statement". And to complete the rebellious fashion statement Raph had worn his dark brown hunting boots.
Giggling wryly to himself, Leonardo had realized that he and Donatello were the only ones who had dressed properly. Not even their Master Splinter had worn a clean robe that day!
-----
Seven years before any of these events had occurred; Master Hamato Splinter had opened a letter given to him by his favorite student. A student he had cherished so much. These days though, he could not remember her name. The letter had asked Splinter to tell Leonardo, Raphael, Michelangelo, and Donatello how they came to be, and why they had been abandoned. Against his better instincts, Splinter told them. The story had gone something like this:
"Your mother was one of the most gifted students I had ever known. I had loved her as a father would love his daughter. But her past was a dark one. Her father was a criminal on the run; her mother was a drug addict. But she never once gave up. That is, until she turned 18. Her friends had thrown her quite an extravagant party. But things went badly when she and her friends started drinking that night. What started as a party ended in her being raped by her boyfriend: Ukoro Ikas! He was a gentleman at heart and had quite a handsome Japanese background. But alcohol can do things to even the most trained mind. She immediately dropped out of High School and came to live with me. After the four of you were born, she left you on my doorstep and disappeared. I haven't heard from her since."
This story had been met with a very violent reaction from Raphael who immediately stormed to his room, but not before punching an impressive hole in the wall.
----
Several miles away from the Hamato house, in a seedier part of New York, an hour after the little fight he had sent his son to conduct, a thirty seven-year-old man with a handsome Japanese background was thinking about his own past. A past in which he had done something terrible, and now had to tear the final four ties he had to it. His name was once Ukoro Ikas, but he had changed it. He had renamed himself Oroku Saki. Those who served him, though, called him…the Shredder.
Turning towards the second figure in the dark room he smiled. Calmly and coolly, but with a regal tone he then spoke to him. "Have you done as I requested?"
"Yes my father, I left two of the Hamato brothers with scars and bruises. They will remember the day they fought Oroku Shinchu!"
Oroku Saki looked on proudly at his son. His plan was almost completed. His past was a dark and tainted one. It had destroyed his future. The only way he would be able to get on with his life was to destroy any ties he had with his past…including his four sons. Walking over to a cabinet he motioned his one and only son over to him.
"Within this cabinet is an object from ancient Japan. The greatest Japanese metal workers handcrafted it."
He stopped to gaze at his son's reaction. Once satisfied he continued.
"I have worn it proudly many times, and now, the time has come for you to wear it!"
Oroku Shinchu looked at his father, nodding his head in understanding. Oroku Saki opened the cabinet and stood aside, allowing his son to fulfill his destiny. Inside the cabinet was a set of armor. It looked like samurai armor, but different. There was something much too modern about it. At each hand-guard there sat two long blades. On the shoulder pads were three short blades, arranged in a triangular fashion.
All of this awed Oroku Shinchu, until he stared at the helmet. His breath was suddenly taken away from him. The helmet was metal and reached down to the shoulders. But the helmet itself did not cover the face. Instead a metal mouthpiece did that.
"Prepare to fulfill your destiny my son," Oroku Saki whispered. "Prepare to become…'The Shredder'!"
-----
When Splinter found out about the fight Raph and Donnie had gotten into, he was very sore. What was worse was that they had gotten into a fight with Oroku Shinchu! Saki, Shinchu's father, was a powerful and dangerous man. To tangle with Shinchu was to ask for trouble. As punishment he sent Raph and Donnie to the back yard. If they wanted to fight, then they could waste their energy on a few of Baxter's Neo-Mouser's. It was a cruel punishment really but Splinter had no choice. He had to teach them a lesson, especially Raph! It was at noon when the doorbell rang. Rising from the couch where he had been meditating, Splinter walked over to the door. When he opened it he found that no one was there. He closed the door and went back to the couch, surprised as hell to find an arrow sticking out of it with a piece of parchment tied to it. On the arrow was a red trident head-like shape. It was the sign of the Foot.
"Damn it!"
----
"You are cordially invited to get your ass kicked at the new mall construction site tonight," said Michelangelo as he and his three brothers sneaked quietly to their destination. Each of the four brothers was wearing a simple ninja outfit. What stood out from the sea of black, which the four brothers formed, was the sash each of them wore around their waste and head.
Long before this moment, Hamato Splinter had come to each of them to present them with these two sashes.
To Leonardo, he gave a blue sash.
"You, Leo," he had said, "have the qualities of water. You flow quietly and smoothly. But you can also be merciless and unforgiving."
To Raphael, he gave a red sash.
"You, Raph," he had said, "have the qualities of fire. You destroy almost everything in your path. But you can also create great things."
To Michelangelo, he gave an orange sash.
"You, Mikey," he had said, "have the qualities of the sun. You shine brightly destroying even the strongest of shadows, including sadness."
And to Donatello, he gave a purple sash.
You, Donnie," he had said, "have the qualities of the earth. You are unshakeable and no force can ever stop you."
Each of the four brothers remembered that moment. It was the moment Master Splinter had told them they were true ninjas!
As they neared the construction site they began formulating a plan. But as Donatello had pointed out near the end, it would depend on too many variables going right. No ones luck was that good. They walked into the center of the future mall and pulled out their weapons.
Leonardo, the twin katana blades.
Raphael, the twin sais.
Michelangelo, the twin nunchukas.
And Donatello, the bo staff.
Suddenly a bright light turned on, blinding the four brothers. Raph was the first to recover. "Ok Shinchu, where are you!"
"I'm right over here," the voice said from the North West.
"Or am I here," the voice said from South.
"But who knows, I might even be here," said the voice from the East.
"Uhh guys? I think were in over our heads," said Mikey.
The four brothers Hamato stared in astonishment as a man covered in armor with a helmet that looked like it could easily slice through diamond moved slowly towards them with an army of ninjas behind them.
Raphael got a distinct feeling that the armored man was smirking at them.
"Well, well my brothers. Quite a fashion statement you're making," the armored man hissed.
"Look whose talking can-opener!"
Leonardo smirked at Michelangelo's finely made insult. Then he groaned as he realized that he had found Mikey's insult funny! He quickly reorganized himself and called out: "Our ninja brotherhood does not extend to you, whoever you are!"
"Oh you misunderstand me," the armored man chuckled. "I'm not talking about the ninja brotherhood. I'm talking about the fact that my father and your father are one in the same! Thankfully my mother was of a higher breed than yours"
All four brothers stood paralyzed and shocked. Oroku Shinchu was there brother! This only served to make Raphael even madder than he usually got to be. Running straight towards Shinchu he jumped, flipped, and while landing, slashed down with his sais.
But Shinchu was faster. He moved out of the way and pulled out a dagger. He caught Raphs sais and pulled them out of his hand. He then quickly kicked Raph in the chest and sent his dear brother flying.
THUDD
It took a few seconds for Raphael to catch his breath but he finally got up. He then moved to the front and signaled his brothers. They moved into formation and began running towards Shinchu.
Shinchu took one giant leap and disappeared into the shadows, leaving the brothers Hamato with 30-foot ninjas.
"We're cordially invited…"
-----
Everything started all at once, but in slow motion. At least, that's how it appeared to Michelangelo. Before he knew it Shinchu had disappeared, the Foot ninjas had pulled out their weapons, and he and his brothers were running toward them like bulls. Previously he had counted 30 ninjas. But now that Raph had finally converged with them there were five less!
Mikey turned just in time to see a ninja trying to take a hack at Donnie with his katana. Moving fast he ran towards the ninja, twirled his nunchukas, and wrapped them around the blade. Looking over at what he thought was a surprised Foot ninja, he saw a fist headed straight for him.
POOWW!
Direct hit on the left cheek. But Splinter had taught them how to keep fighting, even when injured. Noticing his nunchukas were no longer wrapped around the katana, he leaped over the ninjas head, lifted his legs to form a horizontal line, and swung his nunchukas downward, effectively knocking the ninja out.
Smiling at Donnie he cried out, "That shell was a good blow!"
Donnie moaned but smiled back. "I thought we were done with the turtle jokes."
Mikey put on a stupid expression of fake disapproval. "Tsk, tsk, don't do the crime if your not going to pay the time!"
"It was ONE Hallow…" Donnie never finished when he took a crescent kick to the head.
----
Raphael was in heaven! The adrenaline of battle, the pleasure of breaking someone else's bones, the primal allure of blood shed. Raphael never felt so…alive! Sure he had been caught off guard by Shinchu, but he wouldn't let that happen again.
The enemy of my enemy is my friend? Try, the enemy of my brothers is my brother!
Raphael was furious about the whole arrangement of being related to Shinchu.
He never even felt the blow to the back of his neck. He fell to the ground hard and rolled over quickly. A Foot ninja was raising his foot to smash through his face. As it came down Raphael brought the tip of his sai up.
"AAAHHHHHH!"
Maniacally giggling he stood up and tossed the ninja over two three of his colleagues, affectively knocking them over. Hearing a familiar scream he looked over his shoulder to see Donnie on the ground and Mikey dishing out several fast kicks into the stomach of a Foot ninja. But this ninja was tough; he wasn't even fazed by the kicks. Putting a devilish smirk on his face he pulled out his second sai and through it into the head of the ninja.
----
Donnie was surprised to see a ninja fall across him. What was even more surprising was that a sai was sticking through its head. He looked over to see Raph standing some yards away. But it wasn't Raph, at least, not the Raph he knew.
The one he was looking at head a devilish smirk on his face and a dark gleam in his eyes. His face and shirt were covered in blood. He also had a large cut on his left arm which was bleeding profusely.
He had never seen Raphael like this! It was horrifying.
He recovered quickly, though, to see a flick of black behind Raph. Rising up he ran towards Raphael, stuck one end of his bo staff into the ground and poll vaulted to Raphs rear. Swinging around quickly he brought the ninja down. Looking at the body he noticed a pool of blood forming. He lowered himself to check the ninjas pulse, but there was none.
"My, my," Raph said, "who knew brainiac had it in him!"
Donnie was furious with himself and Raph. He twirled around and punched his brother in the face. "I'm NOT a homicidal maniac like you!"
----
Leonardo was calm, graceful and together. He kept his cool and never backed down. He allowed his opponents to waste their energy on futile attacks then knocked them out.
They were down to the last 5.
Realizing that his brothers were arguing with each other he snarled in annoyance ran towards his brothers.
"What the hell is your problem?"
Raph was rubbing his cheek, which was bruised, Mikey was a little shocked, but Donnie…Donnie was completely shaken!
Pulling out a small round packet he motioned for the others to do the same. Then they all threw them down on the ground and ran while their smoke screen provided an excellent distraction as they ran from those last 5 ninjas. When they were at a safe distance he looked over at Donnie who was now crying. Raph was angry and annoyed. Walking over to Donnie he put his arm around him to comfort him.
"You ok?" he asked.
"I…I ki…I killed a guy!"
Leo was astonished that Donnie was capable of such things. Donnie hated blood shed with a passion. I fact, on several occasions, he had discussed the idea of no longer being a ninja!
He looked Donnie reassuringly and said, "It's all right."
Donnie then broke out in tears and hugged Leo. Leo did not back away. In fact, he returned the gesture.
"How sweet," said Shinchu.
Raph, Leo, Donnie and Mikey looked over in surprise to see Oroku Shinchu standing right there in front of them! He was alone but armed.
Pulling a remote from his belt he pressed a button.
----
Several miles away, at the Oroku house, Oroku Saki came across a package. Curious as to what it was he shook it then pressed his ear to it. Hearing a ticking sound he smiled in bittersweet pleasure.
"You are truly my son."
----
The turtles looked in surprise as a plume of fire and smoke rose from the Oroku residence. Shinchu had been looking as well. Turning back to the four brothers he pulled off his helmet and threw it to the floor.
"Rule number one, have no attachments."
Again, everything started, but in slow motion, Shinchu running towards the four brothers, and the four brothers running towards Shinchu. As they converged lightning light up the sky and a large boom could be heard.
----
Splinter Hamato had been watching TV when he heard a knock at the door. Being cautious he pulled out a dagger and slowly crept to the door. He then quickly opened the door and jabbed with his dagger.
Opening his eyes, which he didn't remember closing; he saw his dagger was jammed in a pizza box. A box held by four teenage boys looking at him as if he was a mental patient. He smiled warmly and said, "Welcome home, my sons."
If you liked this keep an eye out for the Prequel: A Mothers Choice. It'll be out soon.