Edited.

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There is just one life for each of us: our own. ~Euripides


Randolf squirmed uncomfortably, cramped in the back of a covered wagon. His brothers and he were all in this wagon much too small for all four of them. The chains at his ankles pinched and he could hear his youngest brother Macabeth's soft breathing beside him. The farmer that had captured them insisted on covering the wagon and traveling overnight so that they would reach their destination faster.

"Awake, Randolf?" His eldest brother Lysander asked quietly, careful not to wake their younger brothers.

"How could I not be?" was his reply. "Where do you think we're going, Lysander?" He asked hesitantly.

"I have no idea. Most likely somewhere this cursed farmer can make money off of us. You know he wants vengeance for us stealing his livestock," Lysander replied lowly.

A soft moan came from the corner. "Brothers?" A waking Democritus murmured.

"You shouldn't be awake, Democritus," Lysander told him softly.

"Something bad is going to happen isn't it?" Democritus asked warily.

"We don't know," Randolf answered. "But if anyone tries to harm any of my brothers they shall not get away with it," He added hotly.

"Do not let your anger get ahead of you," Lysander told him patiently. "How does the weather look for tomorrow, Democritus? Perhaps we shall try to escape, bad weather would be preferred. The farmer would most likely be hesitant to follow us in a storm."

"The sky said for good weather tomorrow," Democritus answered sadly.

"Do we still have the stick for picking the lock of these chains?" Lysander asked.

"Yes."

"We'll just have to be patient then." Lysander sounded worried as thought waiting would only bring more trouble.

"Things wouldn't be like this if this world was how it was when the five ruled," Randolf sighed.

"And perhaps it wouldn't be."

"You'd think these filthy humans would have more respect for the ones that helped take down The Shredder."

"Do not bite the hand that feeds you!" Lysander snapped. Macabeth still snored, a heavy sleeper he was.

"They do not feed us! They would kill us if they knew we existed and we're probably going to be if we don't get away!" Randolf shot back.

"Still, we depend on them for food and supplies and you know it," Lysander argued. "Remember what Silvanus told us."

"Where is Silvanus?" Randolf's voice softened.

"Another thing we do not know, brother," Lysander told him gently.

"He told us to come and find him," Democritus said.

"When will that be?" Macabeth said sleepily.

"He said we would know when," Lysander assured.


"Baseball teams too!" I frowned, gesturing at the TV with my hand. I was watching a baseball game with two of my brothers- Donatello and Michelangelo.

"Just like the football teams." my brother, Donatello, shrugged. He didn't really care, but it made me mad like a lot of things did.

I sniffed and turn back the TV screen as number 24 slid to home plate in a cloud of dirt. I was sort of glad they didn't have it in baseball because I never liked the striped uniforms. They looked wimpy. Now football uniforms are cool. They make the players look buffer than they are.

"There's the Gators football team in Florida." My youngest brother, Michelangelo, suggested.

I snorted. "I meant turtles." I shot back without turning away from the screen. I wanted to see a sport team with a turtle as a mascot. Preferably football.
"Well, since you used the general term, reptiles, we presumed you meant any reptile." Don had an amused tone to his voice, as he talked in his genius language.

"Hmph." I didn't pay attention since 35 and 16 of different teams were putting out fists at 35's dugout. The referee was running over and it disappointed me. It would be nice to see some blood and pounding in this sport.

Donatello, aka: Don is the genius of the four of us. Yes, there's four; the forth one, also the only one older than me is Leonardo, or Leo. I've always wanted to be better than him; though I doubt I'll ever be. I still try though. Then the youngest, Michelangelo- or Mikey- is of course the jokester; if he's serious it's either rarely, or he's sick. He's always making up lines, like you hear in movies, the ones that everyone quotes - or so he tries. Actually, he's pretty funny, at the right times. I guess you could say he's the light of the group. There's also a fifth one of us. Master Splinter, he trains us. Don, Mikey, Leo, and I are ninjas in training.

"Wow!" The sports announcer exclaimed. "Tommy James is having quite the comeback! Who woulda thought that he could play like that! It's like he's added to himself!"

Added to himself. I frowned, thinking back as the announcer rambled on at how Tommy used to be. I had been told I once 'added to myself.' I wasn't always so hot-headed. I've always been easily angered but it became extreme when I was younger. Nine or ten, I think. But who cares. I remembered no reason, no reason at all. It was just like I woke up one day with a new level to my personality. That's not the way my brothers said it happened. They said I looked like I was half-dead for a month, and wouldn't talk. They didn't know what happened either. It was like a part of my life had been completely erased. Master Splinter doesn't talk about it and the one time I asked about it he rambled on for a moment and then changed the subject without answering my question. That wasn't like him so I knew something really weird happened.

"It's boring." Mikey sighed, waking me from my thoughts.

"What's borin'?" I asked with a grunt.

"We haven't done anything. No Purple Dragon, or Shredder." He frowned.

"That's a good thing, Mikey." Don pointed out, and I nodded in agreement. Yes, it was really boring around here. We thought that we had finally brought down Shredder once and for all, but he'd proven that he can come back before. Though it was strange that the Dragons hadn't tried anything lately, they hadn't tried a robbery, assault, nothing.

Mikey sighed, and simply slouched over even more, into a curve. Mike and his posture's just something else. That nut-job could be half limp across a pointed rock and still be comfortable.

"You'll ruin your posture," Don said, in a monotone voice, without bothering to glance at him. He had discovered a book somewhere around here- I'm beginning to think he has a stash in every room- and had stuck himself into it.

Mikey mumbled something but, sulking as he did, sat up. "Where's Leo anyways?" He inquired.

Don shrugged, so I felt forced to answer as he was still absorbed in the book. "Knowin' him," I sighed lazily, "he's probably out 'trainin'.'"

"Oh," was Mikey's only response. Leo was always out 'training.' Sometimes he would join us for something other than training but it wasn't all the time.

There was a silence as Mike and I turned back to the game and Donny kept up with his book.

"Who's winning?" The question was accompanied by the opening of sliding doors. It was Leo.

"Jays," Don said simply, but not rudely.

"13 to 10." Mikey added enthusiastically.

"I half expect Raph to say the losing team," Leo said, sounding amused.

"Ya only asked who was winnin'," I replied.

"Besides, Raphy's in his own world," Don replied calmly, using my rare nickname, "but no surprise there."

I said nothing, ignoring the conversation. Unfortunately, Mikey seemed to notice.

"I bet," He gushed with no humility to his voice (no shock), "his world is full of pretty ponies and fairies!" Then he burst into laughter. Don snickered a bit.

"Is not!" I shot up, turning on Mikey. "My world is your worst nightmare!"

"Theory or fact?" Don inquired teasingly. I shot him a glance, and the expression change told me he was out of the argument. Don never stays around for my arguments long. I think that brain of his does more for him than he thinks. That and Mike is the only person not really afraid of anger.

"Fairies can be scary," Mikey grinned. I felt my chest strain from refusing the urge to whip back my arm and thwack him. Donatello says that it's just that I react and Mike wants attention and all this blah blah blah crap. My explanation is much simpler: Mike is Mike.

"Then I can be terrifying," I growled. I scowled, I'm not sure if it was at Mikey or that I was just still resisting the urge not to beat him.

"No…not really," Mikey grinned bigger, laughing. His laughter broke it, my resistance was gone and I was fed up.

Leo obviously knew I was going to teach Mikey a lesson, because I was interrupted by: "Raph! Don't start another!" I guess he knew since my arm was going back to swing at that nut-job's head.

"So I'm the bad guy now am I? He started it!" I hollered. Yeah, at that point, Leo's 'guidance' was not what I needed. I would always say that really, but to admit it…in the deep dark abyss of my soul, I know I need it sometimes. But that is only in the deepest part of me.

"You know he only does it because it gets to you!" Ouch. I had no comeback for that one. He was using Don's own words against me. That hurt.

I snorted, sitting back down. I couldn't argue with that, but neither did I want to surrender to that.

"I've been thinking," Leo frowned, changing the subject, "that we should patrol tonight."

"Since when do we 'patrol'?" I asked, but was ignored. We actually patrol all the time- or used to. This was going to be the first time in a long time that we had gone patrolling.

"Why?" Don asked, looking up from his book. We sounded lazy for a bunch of ninjas, but the city had become quiet lately and all but Leo had gotten used to it. Hey, on our off hours, we're teenagers. Don does his 'techy' thing, Mike's got video games, I've got – ahem – magazines…and I don't think Leo has any off hours.

"Because I think Shredder's holding back on us for a reason…" Leo crossed his arms, looking at the ceiling, giving off to thought.

"So we're going to go find him?" I frowned. "Not a good idea." I knew Leo knew better than to go find the Shredder, but I felt annoyed suddenly and decided to poke his ego. I guess I was still kind of brushed off from the earlier thing so I decided to brush him off.

"No, well yes, but we're only going to look for suspicious actions." That didn't work, so I gave up. Leo doesn't normally react to my pokes like I do to his. Maybe I do react better than I think I do.

"Crud…I at least want to pound someone tonight." I yawned, stretching. That's another thing I got, I like pounding people that deserve to be pounded. Let's leave it at that.

"You might," Don shrugged. My violent personality was common, so it didn't shock anyone.

"Depends on who or what we find," Leo added, placing his hands on the back of the couch and leaning forward. To most, it would be uncommon for teenagers to be talking of looking for crime in such a casual way; but to us, it's life. When we were younger, we didn't have to fight, but Master Splinter taught us for self-defense in case anyone found us. Ironic thing was, just about everyone we've met we found, they didn't find us. It's funny really if you ask me.

"I just hope it's someone just a little challenging," I sighed.

"Like the Purple Dragons?" Mikey asked, looking at me.

"Yeah," I grinned, "that'd be great."

The Shredder and the Purple Dragons are enemies. Like I said, we're ninjas. The Shredder's a big metal man. Well, actually he's a man with a metal suit. He has these three blades on either glove. They remind me of the ones of Wolverine off X-Men. He has a ninja army, so you would think he would be too. Well, he's not. The Shredder claims he is, but he's just a lunatic who wants to rule the world…or something like that. Anyone in his way he'll kill, or try to. He's no succeeded with us yet though. He's got allies too, like the Purple Dragons. They're violent crazy-heads in for the money. We're always picking with them for picking on others. You can always find them by the purple dragon tattoo they have. They have a lot of people and strength, but no brain.

I cracked my knuckles, I couldn't wait. I hoped tonight, we'd catch a few. I don't care whether my personality changed mysteriously, I'm me for now, or at least who I want to be. Though I wonder what I'm missing that created what I have.