A/N: Next Chapter. Again, I edited this chapter. I OWN NOTHING!
Chapter 2: Enter the Turtles
Down within the literal underbelly of New York City, four large shadowy figures were celebrating their first victory that night as they made their way swiftly through the sewers, shouting and laughing out loud jubilantly. If, goodness knows why, someone were to go down there and heard these shouts, they would simply think they came from a couple of teenagers.
They would be half right in their assumption. However, these were no ordinary teenagers.
In fact, they were not even human.
These shouts and cries of victory came from four Teenage Mutant Turtles.
"Awesome!" one cried proudly, punching his three fingered fist in the air in triumph. The turtle was armed with two katana blades sheathed on the back of his hard shell, in a belt which he wore with two straps over his right shoulder. He had green scaly skin and wore a blue mask over his dark blue eyes.
His name was Leonardo, but his three younger brothers called him Leo.
Another turtle, this one slightly smaller and younger than his older brother and wearing an orange mask and armed with two nunchaku in his belt, jumped from behind the blue clad turtle and wrapped an arm around his shoulders.
His name was Michelangelo, also known as Mikey.
"Yes dudes and dude-ettes! Major league butt-kicking is back in town!" he yelled in delight, his baby blue eyes wide with excitement, and wearing a large grin on his green, freckled face. "Righteous!"
"Bossa-nova!" a third turtle cried out.
The other two turned and stared at the third turtle in puzzlement. He was armed with a long wooden Bo staff, which was sheathed on his shell attached to a belt that came over his right shoulder with a golden, but time worn buckle. He was the second youngest, but was the tallest and leanest of his brothers.
His name was Donatello or Donnie to his brothers. He wore a dark purple mask and had a gap between his teeth, which showed as he smiled nervously at his brothers who were both looking at him strangely.
"Bossa nova? Really, Donnie?" Mikey asked sceptically.
"Umm, Chevy-nova?" Donatello tried again, only earning a shake of the head from both turtles. "Umm…Excellent!"
"Excellent!" the others cried also, happy with the catchphrase he came up with, and the three carried on down the dark sewer tunnels, still laughing and joking all the way.
However, there was one more turtle lagging behind, holding his remaining weapon in his hand sorrowfully. This one was more muscular compared to his other brothers, and had a lightning bolt shaped chip on the left side of his plastron. He wore a red mask that was slightly ragged on the tails of it, and he was armed with two Sais…or was until recently.
His name was Raphael, but mostly referred to as Raph by his brothers.
"Come on, let's move it!" the blue clad turtle said as they reached the turnstiles of an old abandoned subway station and jumped over it with ease, "I'm starving!"
"Oh yeah, we're talking major pizza attack here, dudes! Pizza, I need it! Oh baby!" Mikey cried, flipping over the turnstiles with glee and following his eldest brother into their home. They lived in this old subway station, which had been filled with all the essentials throughout the years, including a kitchen, a fully functioning bathroom, a large pit in the centre that served as their living room with a TV and even an area with their own separate bedrooms.
They were now making their way to a room that functioned for them as a dojo.
"Wait, quick high three!" said Donnie as he raised his green hand into the air. The other two stopped and slapped their hands together in a high five (or three in their case) and laughed some more as they went up the steps and entered the large room.
The red clad turtle hung back for a moment and looked down as his remaining weapon in remorse. "Damn!" he cursed again testily, before following his brothers into the dojo.
Though this strange family lived in the sewers, in the centre of this dojo proudly stood a large flourishing tree, its lush green leaves reflecting the moon light beautifully from above the sewer grate, its presence in the lair creating a peaceful and almost spiritual aura. The room was also covered in decorated wood and carpets on the floor, and on the opposite side of the room was a small shrine of sorts with a small cracked glass bowl with a small umbrella inside it on one shelf, and next to it stood a black and white photo of a family of humans; a man, his wife and their baby daughter in the arms of her mother.
The four turtle teens ran in single file into the dojo, and the eldest turtle knelt down on one knee in front of the dark figure that sat cross-legged under the tree. He placed his right fist into the palm of his left and bowed. "We have had our first battle, Master Splinter," he began confidently, "they were many, but we kicked serious – uh, I mean…we fought well." He looked back up at his master respectfully.
"Were you seen?" asked the figure.
Leonardo shook his head.
The figure nodded and stood up, regarding his four students thoughtfully. The figure was a large, humanoid rat, covered in dark brown fur and dressed in a red robe that stretched down to his feet. His long pink tail twitched subconciously underneath his robe as he walked and picked up his emerald staff from its resting position against the tree, and looked at his four students one by one. Leonardo still bent on one knee respectfully, whilst his three younger brothers stood side by side in a line behind their elder brother, looking up at their mentor dutifully.
"In this, you must never lapse." Master Splinter spoke again, his voice holding great authority and wisdom. "Even those who would be our allies would not understand. The ninjas' domain…our domain…is the shadows. Stray from it reluctantly. For when you do, you must strike hard, and fade away…without a trace."
Raphael couldn't hold it back anymore. "Sensei, I lost a Sai!" he blurted out.
He received a glare from his older brother as he spun around to face him. "Why didn't you say anything earlier?" he snapped.
Master Splinter brought up a hand to silence him before he spoke. He stroked his long white beard thoughtfully."Most carless of you, Raphael. However, what is done is done. It is gone." He said calmly.
"But I can get it back, I can get it back!"
"Raphael!" Splinter snapped, causing the other turtles to shrink back slightly, before he said in a more gentle tone, "It is best to let it go."
Raph hung his head in shame. Donnie tried to console him by putting a hand on his shoulder, but the hot-headed turtle would have none of that and smacked his hand away. Insulted, Donatello smacked him back, and Raphael retaliated again.
"Yame!" Splinter instructed sharply, causing the two of them to immediately cease their fight and stand to attention, (with the exception of Michelangelo who was now typing something away on his T-phone, an invention of his intelligent brother, Donatello.)
Splinter continued, "Your ninja skills are reaching their peak. But one truly important lesson remains, but must wait. I know it is hard for you here, underground. Your teenage minds are broad and eager. But you must never stop practicing the art of the ninja. The art of… invisibility."
He was abruptly cut off by the sound of Mikey speaking on his T-phone, not loud, but still nonetheless rude, with his back to them. "Hey there…yeah, I wanna large thick crust with double cheese, ham, peperoni, oh but no anchovies, and I mean NOanchovies! If you put anchovies on there, buddy, you're in big trouble – ow!"
Splinter whacked his staff over the orange clad turtles' head. "Michelangelo!" he snapped.
Mikey smiled apologetically, before finishing off his pizza order quickly, "Uh, that'll do, and the clocks' ticking, dude!"
As he hung up the phone, Leo and Donnie couldn't help but snicker at their youngest brother. Splinter cleared his throat, and the snickering stopped.
"I know you are still young," he continued, "but one day…I will be gone…"
All four turtles snapped their heads up and stared at him. The four teenagers knew that one day they would have to leave their sensei, the one whom they had all come to see as a father. They also knew that one day, he would leave this world permanently, leaving his sons behind to face the world alone.
They knew that day was probably still a long way away, but a life without Master Splinter?
A life without their father?
"…and when that day comes, my sons," he continued after a moment of silence, "Use my teachings wisely."
"Hai Sensei, warewarewo rikai shimasu," they all replied in unison, bowing to their master in deep respect.
Splinter nodded in approval. "Good. I suggest we all meditate on the events of this evening." He said as he sat back down underneath the tree in lotus formation as he prepared to meditate. Leonardo, Donatello and Raphael sat Indian style in front of him and closed their eyes, placing their hands on their laps as they sat in silence.
Just then, the silence was shattered as music flooded the dojo, and their eyes snapped open. They all turned to see Michelangelo dancing to the music blasting from his T-phone, clearly enjoying himself even though he looked like a complete and utter fool.
Whilst Splinter, Leo and Raph stared at the dancing turtle incredulously, Donnie merely shrugged and decided to join him in his little dance, despite the stupidity of it all. The two laughed together and struck a dramatic pose. "Ninjitsu!" they yelled in unison and began dancing again, singing the lyrics to the song as they danced.
"Well, this is like meditating!" said Mikey with a laugh, as he and Donnie linked arms and spun in a circle around the room.
Splinter sighed, but had a weary yet warm smile on his face. Highly trained ninjas or not, boys will always be boys.
Leo couldn't fight the smile that spread across his lips; Donatello and Michelangelo were extremely close to one another, even though they were polar opposites; Donatello was a genius, able to tinker and build amazing gadgets by using only simple things they found in the nearby dumpster within mere hours.
Michelangelo…well, he was a practical jokester, unable to focus on things very long due to his ADHD problem, but what he lacked in focus, he made up for in speed and agility in ninjitsu, as did Donnie; with his lack of strength, he made up for with intellect.
Both brothers were so different, but both were inseparable.
Next to him, Master Splinter rose and placed a hand on his shoulder. He bent down to his kneeling son and whispered in his ear, "No later than eleven. And no sugar. You will spoil your dinner."
"Hai Sensei," Leo chuckled as he watched his father make his way to his room on the opposite side of the dojo.
As soon as he was behind his door, Leo decided to get up and start dancing also, throwing all caution to the wind as he danced, looking like a complete fool. "Sock it to me, baby!" Leo yelled with a laugh.
Donnie and Mikey laughed along as they watched him perform his ridiculous display, though they did not stop their own. Even though they were supposed to be mature, responsible ninjas, it didn't hurt to have a little fun every once in a while.
Next to him, Leo saw that Raph had already gotten up and left the dojo. Leo stopped his dancing, and he ran after him, just in time to see him with a large red hoodie, a baseball cap, black baggy pants and black gloves with two finger holes stitched together to fit his three fingered hands, making his way the exit of the lair.
"Where do you think you're going?" Leo asked, folding his arms over his chest as he looked at his brother suspiciously, who chose to ignore him and carried on towards the turnstiles.
"Out to take a breather. That OK with you, 'fearless leader'?" Raph shot back, glaring at his older brother over his shoulder.
Leo glared right back.
All of the turtles have had their share of disagreements in the past, but out of all the brothers, it was Leonardo and Raphael who fought the most. Somehow over the years, even as small children, they managed to get under each other's skin so easily, always arguing, always fighting over who's right it was to earn the title 'leader'. But after Splinter declared Leo as the leader of the team on their first night going up to the surface, it didn't make matters any better between the two; rather, it made things worse, making Raph more aggressive towards Leo than before.
Raphael was extremely hot headed by nature, easy to rile up and had a 'fight first, ask questions later' attitude, which annoyed the tactical, mature and responsible leader, Leonardo, to no end. But over the years, Leo had learned the hard way to keep his emotions under a very, very tight leash.
To get into a fight with an angry Raphael was one thing, but to get into a fight with an angry Leonardo was something else entirely, a road no one should ever venture.
Leo let out a heavy sigh. It had been a long night, and he was too tired to fight with Raph right now; getting him to listen to a single order was a mission in itself. "Alright, Raph," he said finally, unfolding his arms and planting his hands on his hips, "but you better be careful. And be back before ten, or sensei will kill us all. Hear me?"
Raph scoffed and rolled his eyes. "Loud and clear, mom" he muttered sardonically. He leaped over the turnstiles and made his way out of the sewers.
Leo rolled his eyes, exasperated. Listening to the music and laughter still echoing from the dojo, he decided to let his remaining two brothers' dance a little while longer, and made his way to the TV.
After all, it was a 'Space Heroes' marathon tonight.
