Chapter 3: Friends

A/N: In this chapter I'm going to introduce an original character I've had in my head for some time. She'll not only be in this story but also in a few one-shots and maybe another multi chapter story. I hope you enjoy this chapter and my character.

Disclaimer: We all know I don't own them. I only own the plot of the story and Reika Okiri.

Dear Master Yoshi,

I have often warned my sons about the dangers of humans discovering our secret. I do this to remind them that humans would not understand who we are and would likely take us to some laboratory to study us. I know that not all humans are cruel, but we cannot take the chance of trusting someone who could betray us.

There was one human I encountered who was very kind to me. I met her one day when I was searching for food for my sons. I was walking to one of the grocery stores to see if I could buy some food, but I was afraid the humans would discover what I was. So I decided to see if there was a more discreet way to find some food. I looked at one of the trash receptacles, but I knew I could not get food there. That would be unsanitary for my sons.

"Are you hungry?" I heard a voice ask. I turned to see a woman standing by a bench. She had black hair down to her shoulders and brown eyes. She had a Japanese accent, though her English was very good.

"I am trying to find some food for my sons," I replied. I felt it would have been terrible for me to lie about my intentions.

"You are thinking of getting some food from the trash?" she asked incredulously.

"No, I was not," I said. "I was just drifting off for a bit. I am going to go into the grocery store to get some food."

"Oh, I see," said the woman. "Well, when you are done would you like to have a cup of tea with me? I would like to get to know you."

"I am sorry, Miss, but I must hurry home to my sons," I responded. "We have not been acquainted enough for me to have tea with you right away. I mean no offense, but I do not even know your name."

"My name is Reika," replied the woman. "Reika Okiri."

"My name is Hamato Yoshi," I told her.

She smiled. "Well, now that we are acquainted, would like to join me for some tea?" she asked again.

"I am sorry, but I must go home to my sons," I told her. "Perhaps we could do so another time."

"Yes, perhaps," Reika said. "It was nice meeting you, Yoshi. I will see you again I hope."

I watched her leave and felt horrible. At that moment, I wished I was human like her so I could enjoy the company of someone else. I was afraid Reika would hold a grudge against me for the way I treated her, but that never happened. In fact, she became a good friend to me.

Every day after that, I continued to see Reika at the same bench by the grocery store. She always greeted me warmly and would strike up a conversation with me. I would talk to her as long as I could and then politely end the conversation so I could get my supplies and get home to my sons. Reika was never offended by this and often sent her regards to my sons. I felt good about that though I never told my sons about her.

I learned that Reika did not have a husband or any children of her own. She often asked me about my sons and what they were like. I told her some things about them though I made sure not to reveal that we were all mutants. She wanted to visit my home and see my sons for herself, but I told her that would not be wise. I explained that we lived in an unsafe neighborhood. I did not like lying to her, but I was unsure about whether I could really trust her just yet. She understood my reason without any doubt and wished me well.

I have not seen her since and often wonder what has happened to her. Is she still in New York, or has she moved away? Is she still alive, or is she buried within a cemetery? I am sure I will never know, but I will always remember her and miss her. I wish we could have had that cup of tea.

22222

Dear Master Yoshi,

My sons brought home a human today. They told me the young woman was being chased by the Mousers when my sons rescued her. It was a risky thing for them to do, but I know they could not leave her to the mercy of the Mousers. They laid her on the couch and explained the situation to me. I agreed that it was a good thing they were there and allowed the young woman to stay.

When she awoke, she was quite alarmed and thought she was having a dream. Michelangelo tried his best to make her feel better, but she fainted again. Raphael wanted to try to bring her back, but I prevented that before he could hurt her.

She regained consciousness and decided that she was not having a dream after all. Leonardo made her some tea while Raphael told Michelangelo that she was awake. After she had her tea, I told Miss O'Neil that it was important that she not tell anyone about us. She promised she would not tell anyone of our existence. I looked into her eyes and saw that she was telling the truth. Leonardo asked me if this was a lesson on sensing the truth.

"No, this is called trusting your gut," I replied.

I told Miss O'Neil about our origin, and she told us about the Mousers and how they had been created by Baxter Stockman. We saw a news report showing the Mousers robbing a bank. My sons and Miss O'Neil decided they needed to go and stop this man from creating more chaos. I warned them to be careful, and they assured me they would.

22222

Dear Master Yoshi,

My sons and Miss O'Neil came back from their mission, happy with their success. I asked Miss O'Neil what she planned to do now, and she said she was not sure. Donatello assured her that we would help to get her back on her feet. I could tell my sons wanted to help her in any way they could.

I was happy that Miss O'Neil would keep her word. I have a feeling she will be a good and loyal friend to all of us.

22222

Dear Master Yoshi,

Miss O'Neil visited the Lair today. My sons were out on patrol in the sewers when she came, but she did not want to leave.

"My sons may not be back for a few hours," I told her.

"I know," she replied. "I came to visit you and keep you company. I know you're often left alone when they leave."

"I appreciate your sincerity," I answered. "Thank you."

"No problem," she said. "I noticed something when you first met me. Your sons seemed awkward when they talked to me. Well, except for Mikey. He seemed pretty happy to see me."

I chuckled. "Yes, he is a bit exuberant at times," I told her. "I think he was excited at the prospect of seeing a human up close for the first time."

"Yeah, I guess so," she replied. "Anyway, you looked fairly relaxed around me. Why is that? Have you met humans before?"

"Yes, I have," I responded and told her about Reika. When I was finished I could tell she was surprised by my encounter.

"Do the guys know about this?" she inquired.

"No, they do not," I said. "I did not feel it was right to tell them about it."

"Well, they deserve to know," she said. "Maybe once they hear about your encounter, they won't be so nervous around me or other humans they might meet."

"I suppose you are right," I conceded. "I will tell them tomorrow. I do not want to trouble them with such news tonight."

"Fair enough," she replied. "I just don't like the idea of a father keeping secrets from his sons."

She stayed until my sons came home then went back to her apartment after having dinner with us. She mentioned that she was going to reopen her father's antique shop and see if that would bring her some business. We all wished her good luck in her endeavors as she left us to go home.

22222

Dear Master Yoshi,

I finally told my sons about Reika. They were surprised that I had kept my encounter a secret, but they were glad I confessed to it. I told them about the few times I talked to her and how she always wanted to have tea with me.

"Sensei, you had your first crush," Michelangelo said. "That's so cool!"

"I think Reika had a crush on Master Splinter, Mikey," Leonardo argued. "He didn't feel that way about her."

"How do you know, Leo?" Raphael replied. "Maybe he did feel that way." He turned to me. "Did you have the hots for her, Sensei?"

"I did think she was nice, but I was not attracted to her romantically," I responded. "Such things do not happen right away."

"You're right, Master Splinter," Donatello said. "These things take time. Maybe I could run a search on the Internet and see if she's still around."

"No, you do not have to do that, my son," I said. "It does not matter anymore."

"How can you say that?" Michelangelo cried. "This is a chance for you to find true love! You should go for it."

"I do not want to do that, my son," I told him. "We would not be able to be together anyway because of my appearance. Please, let us not speak of this anymore."

I could tell they did not want to let this go, but they knew they could not argue with me when I used that tone of voice. They said, "Yes, Sensei," and went to their rooms to sleep.

I have a feeling they will not let the matter go until I meet Reika again. They will more than likely concoct a scheme to get me to see her again. Those sons of mine can be very sneaky.

22222

Dear Master Yoshi,

Raphael almost hit Michelangelo with a pipe today. The two of them were sparring when Michelangelo won. He began bragging about it, which made Raphael angry. My temperamental son located a pipe and started toward Michelangelo. Luckily, Leonardo saw what was about to happen and stopped it. Raphael's anger faded as he realized what he almost did. I lectured to him about his anger and that he must learn to control it. Then he left to get some air. Michelangelo wanted to go after him, but I stopped him from doing so because I felt that Raphael needed time to himself.

While we waited for him to come home, I had a practice session with Leonardo. It was hard to concentrate because Michelangelo was persuading Donatello to make some sort of vehicle. I told them to be quiet and that they should be practicing as well. I instructed Leonardo to do a split kick. He tried to but was not successful. He let out a frustrated sigh at his failed attempt, and I reassured him that it would come with time.

After some more pleading, Donatello gave in and built the vehicle for Michelangelo and called it the Battle Shell. Unfortunately, he decided to test it in the Lair rather than outside, which was a disaster. I told him that while his vehicle was a good thing I did not want it tested inside the Lair again.

Raphael came back and apologized to his brother for lashing out. Then he told us about the young man he met and that he was in some sort of trouble. My sons decided to go help him. Once again, I warned them to be careful. I truly hoped they knew what they were doing.

Luckily, they returned home with a new ally in their group of friends, which consisted of Miss O'Neil and now Mr. Jones. I just hope Mr. Jones will be as discreet as Miss O'Neil about revealing our secret.

22222

Dear Master Yoshi,

Mr. Jones came to the Lair today to visit. I must say that he is very different from Miss O'Neil. He can e quite loud and vocal in his opinions and has a temper much like Raphael's. Perhaps that is why the two get along so well.

Anyway, he came to tell my sons about some unusual graffiti that was in the city. Raphael decided to join him in the investigation while my other sons continued with the practice session. I was not happy that Raphael left, but I knew it was better for Mr. Jones to have someone to aid him in case there was trouble.

Soon, Mr. Jones came back and reported that some invisible ninjas had taken Raphael. My sons hurried to find their brother. I was very worried until they returned home. Raphael was with them, and he seemed to be fine, which made me feel better.

22222

Dear Master Yoshi,

Raphael has become better at controlling his temper since the incident. He even makes an effort to be nicer to Michelangelo. I think he feels guilty about what he did and is trying to make up for it. Yesterday he offered to do the cooking so that Michelangelo would not have to. My youngest son tried to decline, but Raphael was insistent, so Michelangelo gave in. We tried to enjoy the meal, but it did not taste very good. Raphael is just not an experience cook. We did not want to hurt his feelings so we pretended that it was a good meal. I think Raphael saw through our charade, but he thanked us anyway.

That afternoon I had tea in my room. Leonardo joined me for this ritual since he enjoys tea so much. None of the others really like it, but they sometimes have to drink it when I give them medicine. Donatello prefers coffee while Michelangelo and Raphael drink soda. I have often tried to get them to like tea, but they will not relent. I suppose it is true that you cannot teach an old dog new tricks.

Leonardo smiled as I poured the tea and gave him a cup. "Arigato, Sensei," he said.

"You are welcome, my son," I replied.

"I perfected my split kick yesterday," Leonardo told me.

"Very good, Leonardo," I praised him. "I had a feeling it would come to you soon. Now we can progress to other lessons in your training."

"I look forward to it, Master," he said. Then he hesitated as though he wanted to say something but was afraid to.

"Is something on your mind, Leonardo?" I prompted him.

"Yes, I was thinking about the meal today," began Leonardo. "I think we may have hurt Raph's feelings by pretending to enjoy the meal."

"Yes, I suppose you are right," I said.

"So, what should we do?" he asked.

"Just try to be polite to him," I answered. "Do not tease him about what happened. I will speak to him myself a bit later."

"I'll do that, Sensei," said Leonardo.

We spent the rest of the time discussing the latest episode of "Hearts and Souls." Leonardo predicted that Miguel would find out that he is the father of Anita's baby in the next episode. I disagreed and said that it would happen a bit later than that to build up the suspense.

When Leonardo left my room, I heard Raphael ask, "Been having a good laugh in there about my cooking?"

"Not at all, Raph," Leonardo replied. "I just told Sensei that I perfect my split kick, and he said I could progress to another lesson."

"That's it?" Raphael asked skeptically.

"And we discussed what happened on Sensei's soap opera," answered Leonardo.

"Yeah, right, Leo," scoffed Raphael. "You don't have to lie. I know you two were laughing at me behind my back. I can see it in your eyes."

"Raph, we wouldn't do that to you," insisted Leonardo.

"Shove it, Leo!" snapped Raphael. He stormed up to his room and slammed the door.

I sighed and decided the time had come for me to speak with him. I exited my room and went upstairs. Loud music was issuing from Raphael's room, but I knocked anyway. He wrenched the door open and stopped when he saw it was me.

"May I come in, Raphael?" I asked him.

"Oh, sure, Sensei," he replied and backed up so I could enter. He went to his radio and turned the music down so we could talk.

"I heard your argument with Leonardo," I told him. "I assure you that we were not laughing at you about your cooking."

"But you talked about it, didn't you?" he asked.

"Yes, we did," I answered. "Leonardo was very concerned about your feelings and wanted to know what he could do. I told him to be nice to you and to not tease you about your cooking."

"Oh, I get it," said Raphael. "You told him to be nice to me and say that my cooking was good. Fat chance! We all know my cooking sucks."

"Raphael, do not use such language in front of me," I chastised. "Yes, your cooking may not be the best, but you still did a good thing by doing a favor for Michelangelo. Your heart was in the right place, and that is what matters. I am proud of you, my son."

He smiled at my words and said, "Thanks, Sensei." Then we embraced. He let go quickly so as not to be caught in a tender moment by the others, but the talk we had changed him. He asked Michelangelo for advice on how to be a good cook, and Michelangelo said he would teach Raphael. That made him feel better about everything. I am so glad I have such kind sons.

To be continued….

A/N: So, what did you think? Did you like it, or could it have been better? I'm not sure when the next chapter will be up. I'm working on it, but I also have another plot bunny that is biting at me, and I'm going to work on that as well. Feel free to leave a review and have a shell-tastic day!