"Hey"

Slowly dragging herself from the dark unconsciousness of sleep, Aaliyah groaned and shifted in bed.

"Hey"

This time the prompt was accompanied by a none-too-gentle poke to the side, forcing her to blearily flail and sit up. "Wha? Hm? Who died?"

There was a chuckle from the massive form standing over her, and she rubbed her eyes at it. "Nobody died 'cept you. Time for trainin'."

She groaned and peered at the watch Donnie had kindly given to her just a few days prior, the weight of it still a bit foreign to her but she was adjusting to it. "It's fuck:30 in the morning. Who-" She paused, cringing a little and opened one eye fully up at Raphael. "Sorry. That was inappropriate. I'm up. We doing meditation first? I'd rather not change into the shorts n' stuff if I don't have to just yet. It's freaking freezing."

Raph just smiled that devilish smile at her that she was sure communicated just how much he loved watching her suffer. Aaliyah couldn't help but think The hell did I ever do to you, anyways? "Nope. Get dressed, girlie. We're startin' right inta katas. Hurry up, everybody's waitin'."

She groaned but nodded and shifted out from under the warm quilt, grimacing sleepily and shivering slightly. Raphael turned his back and walked out of the little area the boys had blocked off as hers. Donnie and Mikey had insisted that she could have more room if she wanted, that it would be easy, but she'd countered that if they kept the area small it would be easier to keep clean and organized. As it was, there was just enough space for a small dresser, the bed they'd managed to haul to the lair for her that was missing a chunk out of the corner but otherwise was in very good shape, and a small walkway.

Five minutes later she patted into the dojo carrying a sketch pad, pencil, and her one too-large sweatshirt allowing her shoulder to stick just barely out of the neck hole. She grinned at the boys who were stretching and limbering up before their morning training, and Mikey waved enthusiastically at her mid-flamingo. She giggled and waved back, taking up her place next to Master Splinter. "Good Morning, Sensei. How are you this fine day?"

"Well, my child. Was your sleep restful?"

"Very. I keep having dreams about the tmnt comics and cartoons, replaying them in my mind over and over again. Which is good, keeps them fresh in my mind, but two weeks now and I'm a little bit tired of seeing the same episodes over and over again."

Splinter stroked his chin whiskers and nodded. "Repetition often is a sign of a message that was missed. What can you learn from these dreams of yours?"

Aaliyah smiled and carefully pulled her pencil out, winking at Donnie who was currently trying his hardest not to be preoccupied by the way her hoodie was draped over her figure. He blushed darkly and jerked his head away, leaning deeply into a lunge. "I think it's my anxiety holding firmly to the one thing that makes me any help at all here. I can't forget anything because your lives and the fate of the world depends on it. And my one fear that I have is I'll forget something important and not tell you about it until it's too late. So my subconscious is trying to help me remember everything. If there's a lesson to be learned, I'm not sure I want to learn it. Repetitive as it may be, I am greatly relieved by the blessing it has been."

He nodded sagely and quirked a small smile at her. "It is wise to recognize the good in the world around us. I'm afraid it is a quality some of my sons have mastered while others struggle with it fiercely."

Aaliyah nodded and glanced at Raphael who had just finished his stretches. He was always a little more chipper on the mornings when he could wake her up and drag her out of her warm bed. Really it wasn't that cold in the lair, cooler than she liked but bearable, but it seemed he was happier when Raphael felt like he was making her slightly uncomfortable in the cool morning air. And she loved being able to tug his mouth into any kind of smile, even if it was at her expense.

"If you would be so kind this morning, my dear, I would like to use you in our lesson today. Would you mind?" Splinter asked her, and she immediately moved to put her things down. He chuckled and tapped her shoulder. "That won't be necessary. We have a few katas to work through first, and then we will require your assistance."

"Sure thing, Splinter. Just let me know when you need me and I'll be happy to jump in!" Aaliyah happily replied, bouncing a little in place.

He nodded at her and smiled at her enthusiasm, stepping forward to address his sons. Aaliyah plopped down against the weapons wall just underneath Mikey's collection of nunchaku. The boys were used to avoiding the weapons during practice, and considering the worst that could happen if something got knocked off the wall would be a bonk on the head as opposed to sitting beneath Raphael's Sai, Leo's Katanas, or Donnie's spring-loaded Bo staffs... she felt fairly safe there amongst the nunchaku. She'd been watching them from that spot for about a week now, talking quietly with Splinter from the sidelines about the types of enemies they would face and the fighting styles that would be required for each. Currently they were working on fighting techniques against Bebop and Rocksteady, with Raphael acting as the Goons.

He was relieved of his weapons and given some explicit instructions, as well as a paintball gun courtesy of Donatello's ingenuity. Leo's katanas were traded for wooden practice swords, to which he grumbled but accepted them nonetheless. And then they ran the drill again, the same as yesterday. Raphael snarled happily at his brothers as they attacked, eager to take them down again. This time, however, the brothers flowed together, playing off of each other and dividing his focus. He still landed a shot on Mikey's side and Leo's arm before the leader and the genius finally disarmed Raphael and knocked him over. Raph wasn't about to go down without taking out Leonardo with him, however, and pulled out a hidden bundle of colored powder from his belt, pelting Leo across the face with it.

"Yame!" Splinter called, and Leo lowered his practice sword from Raphael's throat. Then turning to Aaliyah, he addressed her kindly. "Miss Aaliyah, how would you assess their performance this time?" She dropped her sketches to the ground, clambering to her feet with a grin.

"Raphael was totally out of line! That wasn't fair!" Leo accused while coughing and wiping at his face, and Splinter shouted another 'Yame' in his direction.

"Raphael was excellent, actually. You're fighting Bebop and Rocksteady. They have no honor and will use every dirty, low-down, unfair trick in the book. These are characters that think the best kind of bait are women and children and that no cop is a good cop. They are the worst of the worst and easily twice your strength. Raphael's trick was perfect. Good thinking, honey!"

Raphael preened, especially at Leo's scowl, but the moment was short lived when she motioned for the leader to come closer. "See, here where Raphael got you with the paint? That would have been a laser blast. These guys don't mess around. They are using laser guns and your arm would have been gone from here, down."

"I didn't get hit!" Donnie offered eagerly, hoping to show his ninja prowess. She just laughed, however, and motioned for him to turn around. He did so to reveal two large paint splatters on his shell, making everyone chuckle.

"Donnie brings up a good point, though. You guys are used to bullets, and you can just turn your backs to them to avoid getting hit. You don't have that option with these guys. A laser blast will sear right through your shells and make you look like a block of swiss cheese. You have to watch your shells too. Not just your bellies."

Turning back around with a blush, he mumbled something under his breath. Sensing his insecurity, Aaliyah stepped forward and took him by the arm. "That was very impressive, however, being able to turn your back at a moment's notice. You are very skilled. Especially with all of that gear."

Donnie beamed and Raphael growled, pulling their attention back to him. "Skilled ain't gonna do shit when he's dead. Let's do it again, and this time don't die, knucklehead. I ain't draggin' yer ass back here if ya get blasted."

Coolly regarding him with a dangerous smile, she replied sweetly, "Oh of course not sweetie. I wouldn't dream of it. Obviously you'd be carrying him. Dragging your brothers would cause even more injury and knowing how much you care, you'd be running at a full sprint with them across your shell so they could get fixed up as quickly as possible."

Raphael narrowed his eyes at her, deepening his scowl only for Mikey to chime in, throwing his arm around her jovially. "That's totally true, brah. You'd be like a steam engine, ya big softie."

"Shut up Mikey."

"Yame, my sons. Again."

And so it went. Three times more they ran the exercise until they all came away with no new paint on their bodies, each time going over strategies at the end of the run. Noticing their panting and heaving, Splinter let them cool down a bit with a few katas, the slow and deliberate motions giving them a much needed chance to catch their breath. Aaliyah was back to using one of Donnie's sketchpads (donated to her with the apology that there was some water damage) quickly drawing the lines of motion as the boys moved, grabbing a few more shapes with each repetition of the kata. Splinter stood beside her, watching her work with great interest.

"Aaliyah, your strokes are sure and graceful, much as I wish each of my sons to be. Where did you learn your mastery of the arts?"

She started and blushed over her sketches, suddenly bashful. "Oh, Sensei, I'm only a beginner. I barely just dipped my toes into figure drawing a few years back and I'm just barely starting to grasp the way the muscles all flow together. Your sons have excellent definition and therefore make seeing the different muscle groups much easier for me to see and therefore capture. Most people are much more difficult to draw because the lines all run together."

Sensei smiled warmly down on her, bowing slightly. "I did not mean to cause you distress, my dear. I can move away to leave you at peace if you wish."

She shook her head and relaxed, only just now realizing that she had clutched the pages to her chest in surprise. "No, no, it's ok. I just got a little embarrassed when you said that I had mastery over anything. I am still just a beginner. There are thousands more hours to go before I could consider myself a master."

He nodded wisely and surveyed his sons as they moved together. "Would you consider my sons to be masters of their craft?"

She stared at them for a few long moments, blinking slowly in thought. "I know that they aren't masters yet. But compared to the fumbling that I do out there, they definitely seem as though they are."

"That is a wise answer. For while they are still young and have much to learn, they have been learning for most of their 22 years. And that is a very long time to acquire skill and confidence in any art. Even I still have much to learn, and I have been learning for a very long time. There are no true masters of any skill, my child. Only those who have reached a level of mastery such that they have the wisdom and the knowledge to begin teaching those who have not."

Aaliyah nodded and smiled as the boys had finished their katas and were beginning to compare weapons. "I agree. A master is one who understands that the tools they use are only as good as the hands that wield them."

His ears twitched, mouth quirking only just slightly. "That is a lesson I was just about to teach my sons. Your wisdom reaches far beyond your years."

She blushed and looked down at the sketches and doodles in her lap. "I had a good teacher." She looked up, face practically radiating adoration as she grinned and finished, "You. You were the one who taught me that. On my planet. You have already taught me so much, Sensei, and I'm so grateful. It's one of the lessons that kept me going through school and kept me learning as ravenously as I have been. I understood that not only were you talking about swords and sais, but you meant everything. Just like you said. Anything can be a weapon.

And I tried to use that in my classroom. Anything can be a teaching tool, if applied correctly. So I would bring the most random things into my classroom and apply them to my classroom. We made catapults out of popsicle sticks and had ecology lessons about bugs in the schoolyard. We made experiments out of shoe boxes and devices to protect eggs from a two-story fall out of paper and straws. There was nothing we couldn't do in my class with a little bit of lateral thinking and you were the one to teach me that. You and your sons."

Splinter's tail swished behind him, his beady eyes glittering even more than usual. "You... you have much to teach my sons. And I am glad that you are here in our home. We have been in darkness for so long we have forgotten what the sunlight feels like. Perhaps it is destiny after all that has brought you here, as I fear the years we have been in hiding have cost us far more dearly than we may know. And it is time we begin catching up!"

And with that, Splinter leapt out among his quarreling sons, disarming each of them in turn with grace and ease. She settled down in her place on the floor, grinning widely at the way the four boys were so easily overpowered by their aging father. The lesson was taught, this time with the addition of Aaliyah. He called her over, which she did eagerly.

"My child, take one of Leonardo's swords and face me."

Aaliyah balked and backed a step away, Leo and she both exchanging glances. "Uh, Sensei, I don't think..."

"You proclaim your weapons to be superior. Therefore, if this claim is true, they should at least be able to stand a chance against an old man and his cane. Now give her one of your katanas so that we may see if your claim is true."

"But Splinter, she hasn't had any training."

"This is true, my son. So how does that change the worth of your weapon?"

"Well it doesn't... not really... What I mean is that if she had equal training in katanas as well as other weapons, she would be a more superior fighter with the katanas. More difficult to beat."

"So then perhaps it should be you who proves the worth of your weapon, as you have had the most training with it. Attack me, my son, and do not hold back." Splinter's tone held a dangerous edge to it and Leo knew better than to disobey. This he did, and was very quickly (and forcefully) relieved of his weapons, requiring only moments before he was sliding across the dojo floor on his shell.

He then turned to his other sons and ordered them to attack him with ferocity all at once, holding nothing back. They exchanged nervous glances and started to say that they didn't feel right about it, that he was at a disadvantage, but he ordered again and they knew better to try a second time. Aaliyah made it to the edge of the dojo just as they began, each in turn getting knocked quickly from their feet and tossed easily at Aaliyah's feet. She giggled as each one in turn looked up her in embarrassment, acknowledging their defeat.

"My sons, the lesson you must learn today is this: Any weapon is only as good as the hands that wield it."

They each drug themselves to their feet, kicking and shoving each other half-heartedly as they did so, all mumbling a humble 'hai sensei.' Leo looked the most frustrated out of all of them, and Aaliyah knew it was a lesson that was not going to be understood right away. Then Splinter nodded and motioned for Aaliyah to join him in the center again.

"And now my sons, to finish your training for today I have asked Miss Aaliyah if she might help us. She has graciously accepted and therefore will be the very object of our final lesson for today." The boys looked at her curiously, and her face burned hotly at all of the pairs of eyes on her. "It has become clear through our talks that it is your fate to be involved in the rescue of many hundreds, thousands, and millions of people on this world and others. Some of those more directly than others. Today we practice the most direct form of rescue. It is your object to work as pairs to keep Miss Aaliyah away from each other. You shall be working against each other to try to steal her for your own team and place her on one end of our home or another using any means necessary. Raphael and Michelangelo will be working to take her to the south conduit junction, Leonardo and Donatello to the North drainage pool. She is our hostage, in our care, and it is of the utmost importance that she remain safe and unharmed at all times. For each injury she receives, you will all earn an hour in the Hashi. Understood?"

There was a chorus of affirmation and Splinter grinned at his sons. "Training is over when one team has claimed victory."

Raph cracked his knuckles and smirked at Don in particular, who seemed very nervous about the idea of actually picking Aaliyah up and carrying her about forcefully. "You goin' down, son."

"Hajime!"

Mikey dashed over and scooped Aaliyah up, bridal-style. "Sorry baby cakes, gotta move!" He dashed out of the dojo, giggling with the lady in his arms as he ran. He only made it to the spacious living area before Leonardo was on him, knocking his shoulder and catching Aaliyah around the waist.

"Sorry!" Leo muttered to her as he ran the other direction, making Aaliyah laugh.

"Don't apologize! This is fun! Now run faster! Raph's comin' like a Mac truck!"

And sure enough, Raphael was on them in an instant, sweeping Leo's feet out from beneath him while Mikey stole the girl from Leo's grasp. Leo dropped heavily to the floor with an 'oof' and Mikey skidded around a corner to head in the opposite direction. Aaliyah couldn't stop her laughing long enough to warn Mikey about Donnie's approach, grinning devilishly when she noticed what he had.

"Hey Mike! Pizza Delivery!"

Momentarily distracted by the slice dropped on his head, Donnie scooped up Mikey's bundle and took off and breakneck speed. There was a sudden growl by Raphael who had shaken off Leo, and the larger brother was tearing after Donnie. Aaliyah happily squeaked and 'weeeee!'d over every object Donnie vaulted over in an attempt to slow down Raph. Mikey, on the other hand, was not so easily deterred. The two were closing in and Leo couldn't get close enough to take either one down. She grinned up at Donnie and asked quietly through the commotion, "How good is your throwing arm?"

Donnie's eyes widened and he looked like he was about to protest when Raphael's snarl in his ear made him yip and take the offer. "Cross your arms and stay stiff if you can! LEO! CATCH!"

Aaliyah shrieked and laughed happily as Donnie easily heaved her over Mikey's head, Leo yelping at the surprise maneuver and catching her in a basket-catch. "A little more warning next time!" He shouted at his brother, jumping over some piping and sliding on his shell down a shute. The bundle in his arms squealed in equal parts fright and excitement, latching almost painfully around his neck. There wasn't time to question it, Mikey hot on his heels as he skidded out of the slide and skittered down the next tunnel.

"Don'tcha worry angelcakes! I'm coming!" Mikey called after her, though she didn't miss the glance he gave to his left.

"Leo! On your nine!"

The leader skidded to a halt, Mikey smacking into him and falling over as Raph barreled past and missed grabbing the girl from his brother. "Donnie! Think fast!" Donatello emerged from a tunnel on the right just in time to catch the giggling little mop of very messy hair so Leo could run interference with Raph and Mikey.

"I am so sorry about that." He apologized, running as fast as his long legs would carry him. "I'll- I'll fix it when we get back."

"Is that a threat or a promise? Because I'll take it either way. It's just nice to know before hand what I'll be getting into."

"Threat, most likely. I'm afraid I am frightfully inexperienced with hair."

"That's ok. I can-"

Raphael shoved Donnie roughly, snatching her out of his brother's grip as Don tried to roll to keep her safe. "Too slow, Dee!" Raphael called back triumphantly, tearing off like a bull elephant towards their end of the sewer system. "Sorry to break up the love fest, sweetheart, but I think you got somewhere to be."

"Oh that's ok Raph! Donnie and I were just talking about hair. How are you, honey?"

He grunted and ducked Leo's high-kick, rolling and continuing his run while Mikey attacked Leo with a victory shout. "Eh, runnin' the sewers. Pretty standard mornin'." He then hip-checked Donatello into the wall, chuckling at the curse he earned from the tallest brother. Aaliyah couldn't help but giggle too.

"Wow, that's impressive! I don't think I've ever heard Donnie swear before!"

"It's a gift." He checked over his shoulder and made a quick calculation. He ducked into a side tunnel and stretched up on his tippy toes to place Aaliyah on a ledge. "Stay here a sec. I'll be right back."

"I dunno Raph, with a little bunny hop like that I might just take off and wander the sewer system until a hungry Leatherhead shows up." She quipped dryly as she peered down at the nearly 10 foot drop. "Nope. Nope. Consider me glued here."

"Good. I'll just be a sec." He nodded, peeling off the way he came and loudly collided with whoever it was that had come after him. There was a lot of grunting and shouting until Donnie's head dropped down right smack dab in front of her with a happy 'hello!'

Aaliyah screeched and fell backwards into the wall, trying her best to scowl at Donnie when she realized who it was. "Donatello Hamato! Goodness gracious you nearly gave me a heart attack!"

"Sorry to disturb you but would you mind joining me? There's a shortcut that leads almost directly to our destination from this tunnel up here. We'll save ourselves about 13.47 minutes this way." She grinned up at him, eyes bouncing between his smile and the floor below.

"Yep. Uh huh. As soon as this ledge grows a little larger I would love nothing more than to hop up there and join you. As it is... however... I'm terrified of heights and so I'm not going anywhere. I'm stuck. If I move I will fall and die."

Donnie's eye ridges furrowed in slight concern and disbelief. "You... aren't exhibiting signs of distress..."

Aaliyah grinned and took a deep breath. "I've got a poker face to rival Master Splinter. Now you have two options. Let me move reeeeeeaaly slowly or hop down there and pick me up."

Raphael had spotted Donatello and the former bellowed his protest. "Donatello don't you even think about it!"

He squeaked and stuck his hands under her armpits. "Really sorry about this." Then using nothing but his arm strength he hoisted her up to the pipe he was sticking out of, rolling onto his side to seat her on the edge until he could get his knees under him and drag her backwards. Raphael made a jump for her feet, managing to just bump the bottom of her shoe with the tip of his finger. With a victorious giggle that ended in a teeny snort, Donatello wriggled backwards out of the small conduit with Aaliyah crawling after him quickly. Raphael's snarl from the other side of the pipe echoed like a promise through the concrete, urging Donnie to hurry things along before the largest of the brothers managed to find a way to their location.

"Geez, Raphael is really taking this game seriously, isn't he?" Aaliyah giggled, brushing off her knees and looking up at Don.

"More serious than usual, yes. I wonder what the cause for his consternation this morning could be." Donnie mused out loud, offering his hand. "If you don't mind, I'm afraid the rest is a rather steep slide downhill and you would be far safer with me than without. I-if you'd rather-"

But Aaliyah was already doing her little step-hop up into Donnie's arms, shifting so that she could hold his neck more securely. "Stop talking and start walking. We've got a game to win!"

Nodding quickly Donnie took off at a fast jog again, soon coming to the slope and taking a seat on the slick floor. "Hold on tight. There's a curve near the bottom I tend to loop through." And then he pushed off, zipping through the tunnel like a bullet. Aaliyah was curled against his chest, eyes squeezed shut so she couldn't see the drop, and giggling at the rocking motion and butterflies in her stomach from the quick change in elevation.

Donnie was just assuring her they only had another 100 yards to go when a boistrous 'cowabunga' sounded through the tunnels, making Donnie groan. Mikey shot out of a tunnel just ahead of him, and he turned around backwards to grin at the pair of them. "Hey Baby! MC Mikey's come to save the day!" He dug his heels into the slick walls to slow himself just enough so he could grab Donnie's feet and make a reach for Aaliyah.

"Oh no you don't!" Donnie returned, peeling his brother off and shoving his shoulder roughly to shoot him ahead. Mikey wasn't deterred, however, screeching to stop by bracing himself on the walls of the tunnel with his hands and feet, shimmying up just enough so Donnie could shoot beneath him and Mikey could snatch their 'hostage' out of his arms. Whooping triumphantly Mikey slid into a different, smaller conduit and started heading back the opposite direction. Donnie shouted at Michelangelo from below, making the younger brother giggle.

"Gotcha now babycakes. You doin' alright?"

"Just fine sweetie. How far until your side of the sewers?"

"Not too far. If I can just get up a couple levels we can make it to another tunnel that'll take us right where we wanna go. Just hang on and we'll be there in no time. Hey, wanna sing a song to pass the time?"

She giggled and shook her head, leaning in close to his face to whisper, "Aren't we supposed to be sneaking so the other team doesn't find us?"

Mikey laughed and shook his head in return. "Naw, Donnie knows we're here and Leo's too big ta fit in this pipe. I'm the small, cute one, remember? Donnie can fit without all his gear on but since he's wearin' it he'll be too big ta fit in this tunnel."

It was an incredibly tight fit, but Mikey was moving steadily upwards nonetheless even with one arm occupied. Aaliyah just leaned her head on his plastron and grinned, unfazed. "It's not a problem. I'm not claustrophobic. Just be careful you don't scrape your shell too badly."

"No way baby girl. I got this, no problem. Heh. You know, this'd be the perfect place to pretend to be stuck. Like..." He shifted just barely so his shell was on a slight angle, wedging him in place. "Oh No! We're stuck here in this tunnel, all alone! Whatever are we gonna do!? Only a kiss from a beautiful princess can free us from this awful fate!" Mikey's tone was playful, but the glimmer in his eye indicated he was going to see if he could still pull it off. Aaliyah just laughed at him.

"Well you better find yourself a princess quick or we're going to be stuck here awhile."

"Aw now baby girl, don't be like that! YOU are my beautiful princess! You're like a ray of sunshine down here in the sewers, all warm and bright and gorgeous. Seriously, if the guys wouldn't seriously kill me for it, you'd be like the perfect cuddle buddy to sleep with. How are you so warm all the time?" Mikey nuzzled her neck, making Aaliyah squirm and squeak. Giggling nervously, she hugged him just a bit more tightly.

"You know, I'm usually the one people worry about because I'm cold all of the time. It's kind of weird being the only one who's warm blooded in the house."

"MICHELANGELO!" Donnie's bellow from below made them both jump, urging Mikey to dislodge his shell and keep climbing. "You better not be headed where I think you're headed!"

"Sorry brah! Gotta win! Splinter said no rules!" Mikey called back, appearing to shout at Aaliyah's chest but really trying to make his voice carry below.

"Mikey! Don't you dare! You know that part of the tunnels is unstable!"

"It's totally fine brah! I got this!"

"Leo! Move! Now! He's headed up to the old abandoned shafts above!" Donnie's voice could be distantly heard, heading away from them, and Mikey's hostage eyed him warily.

"Michelangelo..."

"Don't worry chica. I got this. You're safe. I wouldn't take my best girl somewhere I couldn't totally keep her safe!" He reassured her, approaching the top of the conduit. "Besides..."

"Nice of you to finally show up. Didja stop for pizza along the way?"

"Yeah brah, and ice cream. You totally shoulda been there."

"Well I hope ya brought a receipt because we got places ta be. Come on, slowpoke." Raphael snagged her from Michelangelo's grasp and hoisted her into the air, tucking her against his side as though she was a small child.

They moved quickly and cautiously, eyeing the ceiling at all times and darting ahead of the places that creaked and groaned forebodingly. Mikey gave a small squeak that echoed dangerously through the tunnel, making Raphael and Aaliyah turn to look around. Donnie and Leo were running at full steam, angry as a stung pair of hornets, and Raphael took off at surprising speed for his size. Then darting quickly to the left, hopped into what appeared to be a black abyss without warning. Aaliyah gasped and whimpered, mashing her face into his neck and clinging to Raphael tightly enough he hardly had to hold her. Which was helpful because it meant he could use two hands to help him swing on the pipes and ropes scattered throughout the darkness.

He did hold her tightly again as he hit the ground below heavily, running through the tunnels that lead to victory just a few dozen yards later. Grinning smugly at Leo, Donnie, and then Mikey who came barreling into the open drainage area currently devoid of any water, he hoisted Aaliyah up onto his shoulder. "Guess who just won the game, suckers."

"AW YEAH BOY!" Mikey cried triumphantly, pumping his fist at his side. "Totally beat you guys into the dirt! Booyah!"

Leo and Donnie, however, were not pleased. "Raphael, of all the stupid, reckless, irresponsible-"

"Hey! We won, didn't we? Splinter said! If this was a real hostage situation-"

"You could have seriously injured not only Aaliyah, but also yourselves! You KNOW that part of the tunnels was abandoned for a reason! If Splinter found out-"

"Whatchu gonna do, Leo? Run to daddy and tell on me? Hah."

"Ah come on now brah, don't be like that! We won the game and nobody got hurt! It's all good! Now gimme my best girl, winners get kisses!"

"Shut UP Mikey!" All three brothers finally chorused together, making Aaliyah laugh.

"Well it's nice that you boys at least agree on one thing. And Mikey does have a point." She replied, making everyone start. It was at the same moment Raphael realized what she meant that he registered her lips on his cheek and her hand cupping his jaw on the other side of his neck. He nearly dropped her, only saving himself the embarrassment buy instinctively stiffening and freezing.

It was quick, only a couple of seconds, but the second she'd pulled back he was practically dropping her into Mikey's arms and bristling hotly. He rolled his shoulders and cracked his neck and stormed off towards home, completely ignoring everyone else. Mikey was happy to play it up when Aaliayh went to kiss his cheek, turning his head with a giggle and puckered lips at the last second. She knew it was coming, however, and jerked away in time to narrowly avoid his face, smacking his arm with a laugh in response. Donnie looked ready to kill Mikey, fuming at his audacity first to even ask for a kiss and then second to try to steal one when he was about to get a kiss on the cheek! How dare he be so greedy!

Leo noticed the red in Donnie's eyes and quickly stepped in, cuffing Mikey on the back of the head. "Don't be an idiot, Mikey. You're lucky nobody got hurt."

"Ow! Hey, come on brah, why you gotta be like that?" But Leo wasn't paying Mikey any attention, instead pulling Aaliyah from his baby brother's grasp to set her on the ground.

"Are you hurt? I'm sorry things got a little bit out of hand."

She giggled and shook her head, turning in a few circles before shrugging. "I think I walked away from this one scratch free. Dirty, but no scratches. How about you guys, nobody got hurt, right?"

"Uh, hello? I did! Just now!" Mikey cut in, pointing to the back of his head and huffing. "I think I'm a turtle in need of some lovin'!"

"MIKEY!" Donnie shouted, and Aaliyah could tell his feathers had been ruffled. She squeezed Leo's hand and winked, then let go and stepped between the two brothers.

"How about we head home and have some breakfast, hm? Mikey and I can make pancakes and then I can help Donnie with that repair you were mentioning yesterday. Does that sound good?"

"Aw but baby girl! The new issue of Space Avengers just came out!"

Aaliyah laughed and shook her head. "Mike, we haven't even made it all the way through Volume One yet."

"That doesn't mean you can't have a sneak peek at things to come!" Mikey tried to prompt, but she just laughed louder and flipped his mask tails.

"Michelangelo, I'll hang out with you later and we can keep working our way through some more comics then, but after I help Donnie out I already promised Leo some time. I asked him if he could teach me a little bit more Japanese."

"I can teach you Japanese while we read comics together!"

"Mikey, you can't hog all the attention. You're not the only one who enjoys her company you know."

"Exactly! You have already monopolized Aaliyah's time exactly 4.87 times more than the rest of us combined!"

"Boys, really, there's plenty of me to go around. It's not like I'm going anywhere anytime soon. I still don't even know how to exit the sewers yet."

"Maybe I could help with that." A voice broke in as the family entered the kitchen. There was a man sitting comfortably at the island with Raphael that Aaliyah had never seen before, but judging by the hockey mask splayed out in front of him and the haphazardly deposited bag of hockey sticks and baseball bats against the wall it wasn't really much of a mystery. "'Sup gorgeous."

Grinning from ear to ear in a devilish way that made Donnie swallow thickly and Mikey and Leo exchange glances, Aaliyah shifted her weight onto one leg and placed her hands on her hips.

"Hey Arnold."