I surprised you all, didn't I? I really haven't forgotten about this story. Here's the next chapter, with a twist! Also, I have been thinking about turning this into a crossover with Mighty Morphin Power Rangers. What do you guys think? If you think it would be better as pure TMNT, I'll do the crossover as a sequel. To the person who commented: originally, I just forgot to change the "he" to a "she". Upon thinking about it, I have decided not to, because I don't think Raph would change how he views himself just because his enemy told him to, and he thinks of himself as a guy.
The days passed, one after another, and Raph's life settled down into a new routine. He would get up in the morning and eat as little breakfast as possible. Then, he would go to the dojo and train for a few hours until Splinter released them for lunch. Lunch was harder to skip, since his brothers were there watching him. Master Splinter would then watch his soap operas, and Raph would head back to the dojo. He practiced there until one of his brothers (usually Mikey) dragged him out for dinner. All four of them kept him out after that, saying he needed to rest. He would stay and interact with them for a while before going to his room to lift weights. He continued this until around midnight, whereupon he would fall into an exhausted sleep. If he was lucky, he wouldn't have any nightmares. (He usually wasn't so lucky.) Then, after a few weeks of this, his new routine was disrupted.
Raph was coming out to not eat breakfast, and found Splinter waiting for him. He stifled a groan. With Splinter there, he'd have to eat breakfast. "Morning, Master Splinter," he called.
"Good morning, Raphael, Splinter answered. "You slept well?"
"Well enough," Raph said. "You?"
"I slept very well, thank you. Raphael, I want you to take the day off," Splinter said.
"Ok, in that case, I'm going back to bed," Raph answered. He got up, planning to to go lift weights in his room.
"No. You will stay where I can see you," Splinter ordered. "I know you lift weights in your room when I tell you to go to bed. You are working yourself too hard, Raphael."
"But master Splinter, you said I need to practice more," Raph protested loudly.
"I did not mean for you to work yourself so hard you get an injury. This is not negotiable," Splinter informed him with a finality in his voice that Raph couldn't argue with.
"And what the hell am I supposed to do all day?" Raph demanded.
"Read, watch TV, play video games, listen to music. I do not care, so long as you do it sitting down where I can see you," Splinter answered.
Raph stalked to the couch, feeling unreasonably angry, and threw himself down. Just then, Leo and Mikey came out. Leo noticed the scowl on Raph's face as he was about to greet him. "What's wrong, Raph?" he asked instead.
"Nothin' you would understand," Raph quipped.
Before Leo could make a snarky remark, Splinter cut in, "I am making him take the day off."
"That explains it," Mikey said with a nod.
"Don't sweat it, Raph. You've been working really hard lately. You form's improved dramatically," Leo said, putting a hand on Raph's shoulder as he passed.
"Thanks, Leo," Raph growled, somewhat mollified.
"Yea," Mikey piped up. "you'll have this pouch worked off in no time flat!" He patted Raph's belly.
"You didn't just say what I think you said, did you?" Leo groaned.
"What? I was encouraging him. Right, Raph?" Mikey answered defensively.
Raph, however, didn't hear him. For the first time since it happened, he looked at his body. He found that Mikey was right. His belly had grown. No, it's not possible. Shredder was lying, this is just a coincidence, he thought, bowling Mikey over in his rush to get to the bathroom. He didn't hear the others calling after him.
Looking in the bathroom mirror, Raph saw that Mikey had been right. There was a pouch. But it wasn't soft like fat, it was hard. No, I'm mistaken, he thought desperately, but a snide little voice in the back of his head said, There's no way you've put on weight with how much you've been training and how little you've been eating. Shredder told the truth, and now you're pregnant.
The room seemed to shrink until all that Raph could see was the thing reflected in the mirror. His breath came in short gasps. He didn't see Splinter in the mirror behind him, or hear Splinter's concerned inquiry, or feel Splinter's hand on her shoulder. Raph whirled around, intending to go to his room. He finally noticed his family there, and vaguely wondered why Splinter was sprawled out on the floor. Splinter got up and they were all coming towards him, crowding him, trapping him. With a breathless shriek, he pushed through them and bolted out of the ever-shrinking lair.
As Raph ran, he could hear his family pursuing him. He continued running blindly, not paying attention to where he was going. He eventually lost them. Looking around, raph realized that he was right beneath the alley where it had happened. He hadn't thought about where he was going, he had simply been trying to get away. Now, faced with the Outside- Shredder's domain- he knew he couldn't go there. It wasn't safe there. Shredder would be waiting for him.
Raph backed away slowly and silently. Where could he go? He couldn't go back home, not right now. Memories of when he was young growing up with his brothers suddenly came to mind as he wished times were still that simple. I could go back to the old lair, he thought. Maybe then he would finally feel safe.
Sitting in the dark of the old lair, RAph focused on old memories to avoid the new ones. Shredder was right. I'm a girl, and now... he forced the thought away, focusing instead on when they left. Our first battle with the shredder was soon after, he thought. He thought of that battle, and the Shredder's taunts. "He died...weapons!" "I learned something..."
Giving a start, Raph realized that his voice had changed. He knew he couldn't be remembering that night wrong; he'd been having nightmares about it almost every night since. But could he be remembering his past encounters with Shredder wrong? He could have sworn the Shredders voice used to be deeper and more hoarse.
Is it possible that someone else attacked me? If so, then who was it? Raph wondered. He didn't have time to ponder this, as a hand then landed on his shoulder. He smacked it away whirled around, expecting to see Splinter or a brother. Instead, an enormous human shape looked at her. Before he could draw a sai, a hoarse baritone said, "Raphael?" 'I was right,' Raph thought. It was a different person. I'd forgotten how much bigger Shredder got after drinking the vial of ooze; that guy was much smaller.
"Shredder," he said. "Oroku Saki." Calling him shredder didn't seem right after what happened.
"So you know it was someone else who attacked you," he said.
"His voice was higher than yours, and you're a lot bigger than him," Rap replied. "What do you want?" For the first time, Raph noticed how tired and hungry he was; he was no match for anyone, let alone Oroku Saki.
"I will help you find who did this, to clear my name and to atone for the past," Saki explained.
"I'm not accusing you of anything," Raph snapped.
"You're family might. He was wearing my armor," Saki replied.
"I haven't even told them yet!" Raph snapped, feeling slightly hysterical and angry. Even their enemy was pitying him.
"You haven't told them?" Saki asked.
"No, because oddly enough, I don't want them to have to deal with my dishonor!" Raph shouted, feeling even more pissed off and a little humiliated.
"Being a half a second too slow isn't dishonorable. No warrior wins every battle," Saki snapped as they circled each other.
"Oh, really? And what do YOU call it when someone manages to drug you before you even know they're there?" Raph drawled.
"I would call it a tranquilizing gun. I had thought to use one on you during our last battle, but I decided to give you a fair fight," Saki answered.
"That's the first time I've ever heard of creating a couple of super-powered mutants to kill a bunch of teenagers being called a fair fight," Raph snapped, and Saki glared. "But I guess it could be called that, if the alternative is a tranquilizing dart."
"So you see, I am not entirely without honor," Saki said. They had stopped circling, and were now glaring at each other from across the room.
"You're not entirely with honor either, or don't you remember murdering Tang Shen and Hamato Yoshi?" Raph countered.
"There were extenuating circumstances at the time," Saki hedged.
"Oh, really? I'd be fascinated to hear them," Raph drawled.
"We are getting off subject. Are you going to accept my offer? I have as much interest in catching whoever did this as you," Saki snapped. "If you told your family, perhaps our clans could finally reach a truce."
"I guess I'll accept the help, dunno about the family thing though." Raph hesitated for a moment, wondering if he should tell Saki the rest. What the hell, he decided. He already knows most of it anyway, and it's not like it matters if I lose his good opinion. "I guess I'm going to have to though, I'm pregnant, and they've already noticed the weight gain."
"As much as your father goes on about honor, I doubt he'd hold what happened against you or the child," Saki said.
"I don't want it. This stupid body of mine should have known better than to be female," Raph snapped.
"That is your choice, it does not affect our arrangement," Saki answered.
"Well, I'd probably better get back to the lair before they become looking for me," Raph said, backing to the door.
"When will we meet again?" Saki called after him.
"Uh, tomorrow I guess. Here again." With that, Raph left, being extra cautious about being followed. Oddly enough, he felt a million pounds lighter.