Here is chapter 7, the longest chapter I've ever written. That is, until I go onto writing Lord Warumagi's School For Human Hybrids.
I love how bad this is. It's unbelievable, but looking back... I think I've gotten better. xD Though I do wish I kept the ability to not use as much dialogue.
Leonardo scanned the area in front of him in case one of his brothers had chosen a stupidly obvious place to hide. He knew that they wouldn't, because they had played this game many times before and none of them chose to lose without some sort of effort. In any case, no one wanted to have to buy pizza for their siblings because they had lost a game for little kids. Leo found that he was right; none of his brothers were in the immediate area. The roofs of the surrounding buildings were bare and contained no obstacles to hide behind. Leo sighed and walked across the length of the roof to start his search.
Mikey covered his mouth to stop himself from laughing. If he made any noise, Leo would turn around and find him. To distract himself, Michelangelo listened to the sound of his brother's footsteps so he could work out the pace Leo was walking at. Then, Mikey mimicked Leonardo's footsteps so that they were both walking at the same time. Now it sounded as though there was only one set of footsteps. The orange masked turtle sighed in relief, glad that he was able to copy his brother without getting caught.
Leonardo flinched, coming to an abrupt halt. Mikey looked down, realizing that although his movement had matched his brother's, his breathing hadn't. Slowly, Mikey bent his knees, preparing himself to move. Leo turned his head, looking over his shoulder. Mikey dodged sideways so that he was positioned next to his brother. Leo, seeing that nobody was seemingly there, faced forward again and continued walking. Mikey resumed his place behind Leo, breathing as little as possible. Leonardo didn't turn around, so Mikey knew that Leo couldn't hear his breathing over his footsteps. It looked as though Michelangelo's idea was working. To show his excitement, Mikey took advantage of his ignorant brother and did a 'bunny ears' gesture behind Leonardo's head.
Leo, without any warning, jumped off the edge of the building and sailed through the air before landing neatly on a nearby roof. Mikey stayed where he was for a moment, giving his brother a head start. Then, the youngest turtle went after him, coming down on the same spot his brother had landed on. Mikey could see his brother a small distance away, jumping from building to building as he crossed the city. Michelangelo took a deep breath before chasing after him.
The atmosphere of the scene was too breathtaking to put into words. As he leaped from building to building, Mikey felt as though he was flying, landing briefly so he could take off the ground again. As he watched his oldest brother (so he didn't lose sight of him), he was able to see what the city looked like during the day. It was very different to what it looked like at night. The small details that were hidden in the darkness of the night were now clearly visible. Mikey could see the off-colour bricks of New York's tower blocks. He could see the cracks that the shadows usually smothered. And, when he glanced at the inside of an office block and saw the city's residents working within them, he realized how free he and his brothers actually were. They weren't tied down by work and school and whatever humans were required to do; the turtles were free to live their lives and not be puppets playing out the lives of everyday people.
The wind crashed into Mikey's face, waking him up from his trance. He didn't have time to think about life. He had more important things to do, like avoid having to buy pizza.
Michelangelo knew what he was doing, but he didn't quite understand what Leonardo was doing. Leo kept running forward and he didn't even pause for a breath. How was he supposed to find his brothers if he didn't stop to look for them? That was the point of hide and seek… even Master Splinter, who hadn't played it in years, knew the aim of the game. So what the shell was Leo thinking?
Leonardo came to a standstill, having reached his desired destination. Mikey stopped running as well and looked around to see where they were. They were on a two storey building, which was in a rundown area of New York. All the buildings within the vicinity were dull and dirty, having not been looked after for many years. Leo settled himself on the edge of the building, facing away from the depressing view of the neighbourhood. Michelangelo quickly jumped off the building, landing on a platform. He glanced at the door that led from the inside of the building to where he was standing. It was labelled 'Fire exit'.
"Leonardo," a female voice said from above him. Mikey recognized it immediately- it was the leader of the Foot clan, Karai. "When we arranged to meet here, I thought that you meant for us to meet inside of the building."
They arranged to meet? Michelangelo thought, confused.
"I didn't have time to get a disguise," Leo explained. "My brothers were so eager to play hide and seek that I didn't have time to get ready. I know that Pete's Burger Bar is just about deserted, but Pete will still be there and if he saw a giant mutant turtle come in he would probably phone the police."
So that's why he was so reluctant to go out with us. He wanted to leave the lair by himself so he could go and see Karai. But then… Mikey frowned. Why did he need to go see her in the first place?
"Very well. We shall have to make this quick. We are still enemies, in case you have forgotten. How are you, Leonardo?" Karai asked him.
"I've been better," Leo replied. Mikey jumped sideways and grabbed the top edge of the building. Then, he lifted himself up slightly so he could see the scene. Leo was mostly turned away from him and was watching Karai with his arms crossed. Karai was standing a few metres in front of Leonardo, her eyes staring hard at the blue masked turtle. Leo pressed on, "It's been… difficult, to say the least."
"If I wished to know that much, I would have just read the letters you have sent me again," she told him. "You speak of these so-called problems, but when it comes to elaborating on them your mouth remains firmly shut."
"It's just…" Leonardo sighed, averting his gaze away from her. He looked as though he wasn't willing to continue, but then Karai took a few steps towards him and grabbed him by the shoulders. Mikey reached his right hand towards his nunchucks automatically, prepared to help his brother if Karai tried to hurt him in any way.
"Do not walk in circles, Leonardo," Karai told Leo quietly, "for you will not reach your destination."
Mikey widened his eyes, expecting them to do something completely off-character like burst into song. In fact, it would make more sense to him if the Shredder materialized out of thin air with a tray of muffins. Why was his eldest brother, a goody-goody two shoes, talking to their enemy? Yes, they had come to some form of understanding after they had teamed up with one another to defeat the 'Darkness' a few weeks ago, but the turtles and the Foot weren't exactly best friends. In any case, they weren't friendly enough to meet up with one another to talk about how they were feeling. The brothers didn't even talk in much depth to each other about their emotions.
"Well…" Leo looked at the floor, gaining a sudden interest in it. "It's… it's just…"
"Go on…" Mikey murmured. "Unleash your inner emotions. Tell the world what you have to say."
To his horror, Karai and Leonardo flinched. Mikey ducked his head, his heart thumping. Why was it that on TV, when a character talked to themselves, nobody else heard them? Why couldn't the same be said for real life?
"Who's there?" Leo turned around, confirming Michelangelo's fears. They had heard him. Then, in an angrier tone, he added, "Show yourself!"
Mikey swung himself sideways and landed on the fire escape from earlier. His feet impacted loudly with the metal staircase, its scream ringing in his ears. Michelangelo jumped off the fire escape and landed on the ground, stumbling forward a bit to keep his balance. Then, on hearing the light footsteps of what he suspected was Karai, he made a break for it. Mikey crashed into some trash cans, knocking them to the side as he ran away from the area. He didn't notice he had run into a dead-end until his face smashed into some metal wiring.
"Shell." Mikey rubbed his chin. "Why does this kind of stuff only happen to me? I mean, you never see Sensei get his robe stuck in the door or-" He stopped before slapping himself on the head. "Shell Mikey, you're talking to yourself out loud again." He looked up at the chain link fence that was blocking him from entering the next neighbourhood, thinking. It seemed possible to climb up. It was several feet high, but nothing that he couldn't handle. Michelangelo put his fingers through the gaps in the fence and began to scuttle up it.
When he reached the top, he flipped himself over and arrived on the other side of the fence. Mikey turned around, curious as to why Karai hadn't caught up with him yet. It wasn't as if she wasn't wearing her father's armour, and even then she was pretty fast in it.
"Whoever… they are…" Karai complained from a distance away. "They… are… the filthiest creature… I know…"
Ah. She didn't want to get dirty from the overturned bins that now littered the alleyway, which Michelangelo had run through moments ago. Mikey sniggered. What a typical girl thing. And Leo couldn't go after me in broad daylight, Mikey thought to himself as he left the dark passageway and entered the adjacent neighbourhood, safely out of sight from Karai, because there was every chance that he would get… get spotted… by… oh shell.
"Monster!" shrieked a woman, grabbing hold of her young son's arm and pulling him away from Michelangelo. The other humans reacted in a similar fashion, holding onto loved ones and backing away from him. "Somebody call the police!"
"No," a man with a thick moustache exclaimed, "call the army!"
Mikey rolled his eyes, hardly believing what was happening. Bishop had talked about their existence many, many times and they still seemed surprised. Though, in defence of the humans, Bishop had told them that the turtles were evil aliens that snatched children out of their beds at night and started their day with a bowl of brains. Michelangelo knew that he should retreat from the area as quickly as possible, but he found that he was frozen to the spot.
"There you are!" Karai appeared from behind him, a look of disgust on her face. Mikey wasn't sure whether or not he should be pleased with her appearance or not. "I wondered where you had got to."
"Ms Saki," said a woman wearing purple glasses. She widened her eyes. "Where did you come from?"
"I was at a conference when this associate of mine," she gestured towards Michelangelo, "who was doing an… entertaining presentation regarding what we should do with the giant turtles, when he realized that he had left some important papers in his office block. We allowed him to leave so he could acquire them, but it would seem that he lost his way. It is quite an unfamiliar place to many people at the meeting."
"So he's wearing a costume?" the woman wearing purple glasses remarked.
"Of course he is," Karai snapped. "The real turtles would not be idiotic enough to walk around in the daytime." Thanks, Mikey thought sarcastically. Karai grabbed Michelangelo's wrist. "Now, we must be off. We are all on the edge of our seat, waiting for your presentation."
She marched him down the alleyway in which they had come from, only stopping when they were out of view from the others.
"Well." Mikey stretched his arms. "Uh… thanks for helping me out back there. Dunno why you did that, but I'm not complaining. I thought I was a goner."
"I was not doing you any favours," Karai sneered. She didn't say anything for a moment, as though she was trying to think why she helped him. "You are family of Leonardo, and I owe him my life... he chose not to kill me... in any case, I did not want Agent Bishop to get hold of you and benefit in any way. I was doing myself a favour…" She narrowed her eyes at him. "You are... that… your name is…"
"I'm Mikey, remember?" Mikey reminded her.
"You are the stupid one, but that is not what I wish to know. What I want to know is this." She leaned forward, her eyes fixed on him. "Were you spying on me and Leonardo?" Although it was a question, the way she said it made it sound as though it was a statement.
"Hm…" Mikey pulled a face, putting a finger on his chin. "It depends on what you mean by 'spying'."
Karai gritted her teeth. "Do not make yourself look stupider than you already are. You were listening in on my meeting with your brother, were you not?"
Michelangelo sighed, realizing that Karai was not going to be distracted from the subject. "Okay Karai, you win. But... uh, why were you meeting him?"
"That is none of your concern."
Mikey had expected as much. Restraining himself from groaning, he said, "What can I do so you don't tell Leo?"
"I was about to ask the same thing," Karai replied. "I do not wish for your family to know of this incident. I suggest we both act as thought this never happened."
"That sounds like a deal." Mikey held out his hand. Karai crossed her arms, glaring at him. Michelangelo lowered his arm. It seemed they weren't going to shake on it, then. "I'll… uh… see you later."
"Our paths will most likely cross in the near future. Just pray that you are not on the receiving end of my sword when we meet again," Karai sauntered away, leaving the orange masked turtle by himself.
"No wonder she hasn't got any friends," Mikey muttered, returning to the metal wiring and climbing over it. He left the alleyway and entered the deserted neighbourhood on the other side. Then, finding a manhole, he dropped down it and headed back to the lair. His footsteps echoed, bouncing off the walls. Mikey felt as dirty as the walls surrounding him. He had made a deal with their sworn enemy and despite it being a peaceful one that both had willingly agreed to, it made him feel like he had betrayed his family.
No… I didn't betray anyone. Karai helped me and I decided to help her in return, because I'm cool like that. There's nothing wrong with saying thanks to someone who stopped people calling the army on you. I did the right thing making that deal with her.
Feeling marginally better, Mikey's pace sped up and he ran the rest of the way home. Now all he wanted to do was just sit in front of the television and play Rock Band 2. Thinking about the game made his fingers twitch. Michelangelo mentally reassured himself that he would be able to play it soon.
By now, he had reached the lair. Breathing deeply, he entered.
Donatello and Raphael were sitting on the sofa, a brightly coloured box of pizza on the end table in front of them. Donnie was grinning slightly, chewing his mouthful of pizza slowly as he watched Raph out of the corner of his eye. The red masked turtle had his arms crossed, a look of defeat clearly present on his face. Michelangelo settled himself next to Donatello, helping himself to a slice of pizza.
"So ya finally decided to quit hidin'," Raph remarked, glaring at the pizza in Mikey's hands with disgust.
"How'd I do?" Mikey asked, cramming the slice of pizza into his mouth. An eruption of heavenly flavour overwhelmed him, the hot cheese exploding rapidly as he chewed.
"You won," Don told him after a moment, realizing that Raphael wasn't going to admit this. "Leo found Raph very quickly. Do you wish to tell Mikey about your chosen hiding place, or can I have the honour of doing so?"
"Go ahead. I ain't dat bothered." Raph yawned, leaning back. Mikey smiled at him. Raphael was being too laidback, which meant that he was secretly bothered.
"Raph went to Angel's place," Donnie explained, "because her friends have a steady supply of alcoholic beverages. So Raph was busy having fun drinking in Angel's room when who should come by but Leonardo himself. And what happened next, Raph?"
"He was Mister Attitude," Raph muttered darkly. "I dunno what was botherin' him, but somethin' had ticked him off. He started this stupid lecture, sayin' dat I was poisonin' myself. I had one stinkin' can, and he made it sound like I was dancin' with a lampshade on my head on the table. So we had an argument, said stupid things, and he went off in a huff."
"Then he came back to the lair," Don continued, "and… uh… 'found' me at my laptop. He didn't say anything, but judging by the look he gave me he disapproved of my hiding place. Or he was just mad from earlier."
"But he never found ya, so ya won." Raphael's face twitched when he said 'won'. "Okay Mike, tell us where ya were."
"Oh…" Mikey decided to suddenly have a coughing fit. Raph leant over Don and slapped him on the back. Mikey's eyes watered from the impact, so he decided to miraculously recover. "Well. It's a very boring story, which would be too lame to even speak of. Next topic- Rock Band 2."
"Come on," Don nudged him, "tell us where you were. Where was the great, fantastic, sneaky-"
"Don, his head's big enough." Raph put his hands near his head before moving them away. "His head will explode or somethin' if ya flatter him much more. He was probably playin' some stupid game at the arcade. Or readin' a stupid comic."
Mikey's face reddened. "I wasn't."
"Yeah Raph." Don glared at him. Mikey gave his brother a grateful smile. Donne grinned. "He was most likely playing air guitar on a rooftop."
The ends of Mikey's mouth dropped downwards, while in contrast Raph's face lit up.
"Yeah, and I bet he was learnin' the words to the 'Turtle Titan' theme song." Raph chuckled. He stood up, grabbing a nearby coat rack. The trench coats that were hanging from it fell to the ground as he pulled it towards his mouth. Then, in a low voice, he said, "Is it a bird… Is it a plane…"
"No." Don stood up, putting his half eaten slice of pizza to the side. "It's the Turtle Titan!"
Why did I help them make up again? Mikey thought bitterly.
"Who keeps the-" Raph started, but Mikey had stood up angrily, distracting his taunting brothers. They blinked at him, confused. Usually Mikey played along when they made fun of him. He never got cross.
Michelangelo didn't know why he said it. Was it because he was sick of his family stereotyping him? Was it because he wanted to prove that he was more mature than they thought he was? Nevertheless, Mikey said what he said.
"If you must know, I was with my girlfriend!"
