Wow age 14, how fast little turtles grow up and become teenagers.
Chapter 9:
Year 10 –Age 14
(Mikey's POV)
"Yikes!" I proclaimed reaching out to grab onto the remains of a wall before I went sliding right off the top of the building. "And I thought this was hard before." I commented to no one in particular as I pulled myself back to solid ground and looked around at the white, frozen wasteland that had once been my training zone.
Our education had been postponed the last few days on account of a storm coming in only for us to wake up that morning to find a good foot or more of snow on every inch of ground we could see.
This wasn't the first big storm we had witnessed since coming to Japan and it probably wouldn't be the last; however it was the first time we had; had to train in it.
Normally the elders timed it right and took us inside when it got too cold, but of course there was also the possibility that they did it because we hadn't yet mastered Kale's art of storing heat to avoid hibernation. Unfortunately we were pretty good at it now so they obviously thought nothing of making us trudge through five feet of snow to train.
Looking around to see if there were any 'enemies' in the area I decided to take a minute to rub the cold out of my hands and gather a little warmth from the sun that was attempting to peek through the clouds; which was when I nearly jumped out of my shell as the sound of wood falling alerted me to the fact that someone was inside the building I was standing on.
However as I was about to bolt for another location I realized that the sounds had stopped.
There had been a few times in the past that some of the people who had been tasked with hunting me down had accidentally caused one of the dilapidated buildings to break even more and a couple times where they had even gotten stuck in the aftermath.
Training forgotten; I quickly rushed over to the doorway that lead from the roof to the inner structure only to realize that it was a wonder the building was even standing at all. It was literally just skin and bones, nothing but old rotting wood and a stone outer covering.
"Are you okay?" I called into the building hoping to receive an answer. I really didn't want to give up my training run for someone who didn't even need my help as I was actually doing pretty good so far, but their safety was far more important than my good grades.
"Hey?" I said again when no one responded but when there was still no answer I quickly started out onto a beam hoping to see where they were. Making sure not to put too much weight on anything that couldn't hold me; I was able to carefully make my way to the ground without causing anymore damage.
It only took a minute to locate the out-of-place pile of snow and broken beams that had obviously just broken away from the ceiling and I quickly started digging through the debris trying to find whoever was stuck underneath.
However it didn't take long before I had cleared away the whole pile only to realize that there was – no one there, which meant that it must have fallen all on its own under the weight of the new snow.
"Great!" I grumbled sourly as I dusted myself off and spoke a few choice woods toward the pile for throwing off my timing and concentration, but I'd be lying if I said I wasn't happy that no one was hurt and in the end that was all that really mattered.
However as I started to make my way back to the roof that little fact didn't remain true as I screamed like a little girl when I had pulled myself up onto a beam only to come face to face with – a face.
Unfortunately the force of my slight panic attack caused the beam under my hand to break away as well and I wasn't able to get to another before it collapsed altogether taking me with it.
I instinctively pulled into myself slightly to protect my head and let my shell take the hit which left me sitting pretty under an 8 foot pile of snow and logs. When the collapse was finally over I quickly started digging myself out and dusted myself off again before looking up into the rafters to find the little face was still looking at me.
"Hello." I said mostly to myself making my way back up to the area where I discovered a little orange creature that was obviously cold, wet and miserable. "Hey there." I said kindly reaching out to pet the little kitten gently.
It promptly nudged against my gloved hand obviously looking for some form of comfort and I couldn't help but feel sorry for the poor thing. It looked like the storm had snuck up on the little guy and on top of that his eyes were still blue; he couldn't have been old enough to be without his mother yet.
"It's okay." I told him gently and reached out to pick him up and cuddle the little creature to my chest hoping to share my warmth. It didn't take long before I had the little guy purring happily even though his fur was still wet from the snow.
"Meow!" The little dude proclaimed as he pushed his head above the collar of my jacket and I smiled before taking immediate notice of the fact that his ears and eyes were now focused on an empty window where one of my 'enemies' was currently sneaking around obviously looking for me.
I quickly dodged into the shadow of the wall on his right; soundlessly hiding from view just before the man peeked inside and took a look around the mostly collapsed room.
Turtle luck and the fact that he was supposed to be overly curious had the man stepping over the sill a second later and into the building, but thankfully he seemed to be too interested in the pile of snow I had just disentangled myself from to notice me leaving by the same means.
Ducking behind a piece of wall so another person on the other side of the street didn't see me I then took off for the rooftops again via some creative shadow hopping.
"That was close." I told my new companion truthfully to which he promptly mewed in agreement as I carefully unfolded the piece of paper I had managed to slip from my pursuer's pocket. "Huh!" I informed the page as I flipped it around trying to figure out which side was up before deciding where the image went in my map.
I was starting to think Shichi was trying to turn me into a pick-pocket; as I had already been forced to lift over 20 pieces of the same map, but unfortunately most of them had been duplicates; leaving me with a collection of only four usable images.
I still wasn't sure how I was supposed to pin-point the people with the correct pieces but I was happy to find that the one I had just obtained was different and quickly moved to pull the others pieces I had stolen out of my pocket and started working to fit them together; like some kind of crazy scavenger-hunt jigsaw puzzle.
"Meow!" The kitten informed me as I looked at the newest page from an angle; trying to figure out which part of the city it was displaying.
"I agree." I told him absentmindedly before finally placing it in the top right corner of the puzzle. "That is interesting." I added quietly studying an area of the picture that was clearly depicting the exit, or at least half of it, which was what I needed to find.
I didn't know how many more pieces of the map there were but if I could figure this out without having to hunt down the rest I might finally be able to finish my task and go home where it was warm.
Which would quite frankly make me a very happy turtle.
…
I hummed in thought as I studied the place where the map had led me; which looked to be the entrance to an underground parking lot and a quick peek around the nearby area informed me that there had to be something inside as it was very well guarded.
Though whether it was the exit to the training zone or not remained to be seen; but they had to be protecting something and that was good enough for me. However looking a little closer I found that it would be extremely hard to get there without being spotted as not only was it right out in the open but it was basically surrounded.
"Well you know what Master Splinter always says." I whispered sternly. "'The ninja's most powerful weapon is a good distraction'." I proclaimed in imitation of my father's voice; earning a little meow from my new friend. "Yeah I know, but apparently ninjas have a lot of 'most powerful weapons'." I told him distractedly as I turned to look at my destination again before slowly taking in the area around me.
However as my eyes fell on a building to my left I couldn't help but smile as it appeared to be the prefect disturbance and quickly got up to make my way to the outer wall, or what was left of it.
The thing was like something out of a war movie; I could still see panes of glass in the windows near the top but as my eyes traveled down it become more and more eroded until there was literally nothing but wooden beams showing at the bottom.
It would have been really cool if it wasn't so dangerous; heck it looked like it would take no more than the touch of a leaf on the wind to knock the whole thing on its head, but I took my chances and carefully made my way into the skeleton of the old apartment building; looking for a good way to topple it, knowing that if it fell people would come from all over to see if anyone was inside.
It was kind of a rotten trick considering what had happened earlier; but no one would get hurt and I would be able to get through the entrance without being noticed.
After checking to make sure no one was stupid enough to actually be hanging out inside I quickly decided on a single support beam that should accomplish my goal, then checking to insure the kitten was safely in my jacket I took a stance before leaping into the air to kick out at the beam with all my strength; promptly breaking it in half.
The cracking and collapsing started immediately and I high-tailed it back outside and across the street as it joined the other casualties of time scattered around it. Within seconds people were descending on the war ground and I smiled before bolting for the underground tunnel.
Once inside I quickly ducked into some shadows and circled the wall trying to see what was in here, but looking through all the concert pillars all I found were a few cars that had avoided the weather.
I continued to move along the wall silently wondering if maybe there was another exit but still nothing revealed itself; that is until I rounded a corner and came face to face with a group of 20-something enemies.
I gave them a sheepish little smile and waved before booking it back the way I came; but unfortunately the others were filing back in at that very moment and I found myself trapped.
"That's enough." Shichi's voice rang out as they all descended on me and I looked up to find her waltzing through the crowd to stand with me.
"Hi!" I told her painfully and she raised an eyebrow at me before replying.
"Why would you come here, kame?"
"It was on the map." I proclaimed immediately only for her to reach out for said object and I quickly pulled out all the pieces I had found to hand them to her.
"Where?" She asked looking at the thing questionably and I deflated.
"Well I thought it was." I said sourly turning to glare at a wall as I did so.
"You didn't complete it." She told me unnecessarily.
"How am I supposed to get all the pieces when there are 560 different look-alikes marching around out there?"
"The map is not what's important, Michelangelo." She told me sternly. "Only what you get from it, but your information was incomplete so you wound up at a dead end."
I was starting to wish that I could just melt into a puddle and live in the floor for the rest of eternity.
"So what have we learned today?" She continued as I sulked.
"Find all information before acting?" I guessed and she nodded.
"It is alright." She told me reassuringly. "You are here to learn." She added before reaching out to scratch the little cat behind his ears. "Now who is this?"
"I found him in a building," I started quickly in a panic; determined to defend my actions. "He was so small and cold and – I couldn't just leave him there. He –"
"Michelangelo." She quickly ordered with a little laugh. "Look at me." She commanded motioning particularly toward her tail. "There is no reason for you to defend your actions; I actually have quite the soft spot for cats."
"Oh." I stated simply as I honestly hadn't even thought of that before, but considering the woman was technically a cat herself I really shouldn't have been surprised.
"If you wish to keep him I shall have no quarrels." She added with a smile. "I merely asked what his name was."
"Ummm." I muttered thinking that over as I looked down at the little orange kitten in my coat. "How 'bout – Klunk? I've always wanted a cat named Klunk." I declared happily earning a strange look from my Sensei. "What?"
"Oh nothing." She said with a laugh. "You are without a doubt the most – interesting person I have ever met." She added and I promptly frowned in concentration; trying to figure out if that was a complement or an insult. "Shall we continue with your training then?" She suddenly asked and I promptly pouted.
"But what about –" I started to ask looking down at the newest addition to my family.
"It would seem that you do much better when you carry something you wish to protect." She added before I could finish.
"But I don't want him to get hurt." He argued quickly causing her to smile again.
"Nor do I, but I seriously doubt you would let that happen." She proclaimed and I promptly opened my mouth to retort before realizing that she might just have a point there and closed it again.
"Let's try it once more and see how you do." She stated thoughtfully. "If it turns out to be too dangerous then I shall look after him myself."
"Okay." I reluctantly agreed before carefully zipping Klunk into my coat again; allowing his little head to stick out the top which prompted Shichi to laugh at the sight before motioning for me to start the training run again.
…
(Donnie's POV)
"Drink!" Olcadan ordered holding out a gourd of water that smelled profusely of drugs and I quickly made to follow his command but found I couldn't keep my stomach in check long enough and promptly threw it up again.
Thankfully he was patient with me and waited until I had finished my business before helping me take a few slow sips of the medicated water.
"Are you alright?" He asked gently rubbing my shell to help guide my chi toward heath again.
"It – hurts." I told him after a few minutes of recuperation.
"Where?" He instantly asked and I put my hand over a spot on my lower right side causing him to nod before getting up to get something from his kit and returned with a really fowl smelling substance that I was sure I'd be able to identify had I not been so focused on breathing at the moment.
He held the vile under my nose for half a second and the pain flared to the point of near blindness before disappearing altogether a second later.
"Ow." I stated simply before curling into the fetal position.
"Take it slow; allow yourself to adjust." He instructed meticulously checking my pulse. "There is no need to rush, you are doing fine." He proclaimed absentmindedly while I made a weak attempt to control the spasms in my muscles.
After what felt like forever I was finally able to sit up again without feeling like my stomach was about to burst into butterflies and Olcadan gently helped me over to a seat.
Part of the agreement for letting me continue with this training was that I was never allowed to lie about my condition so he trusted me whole heartedly when told him that I was okay a minute later.
"Let's take a break." He insisted and I didn't complain; yet another law he had laid down before this venture had even begun; never argue.
He kept a close eye on me as I leaned back against the wall and focused on keeping myself calm and relaxed like he had taught me to, as apparently it helped my body to process and break down the poison faster and smoother.
After nearly a year of this training I had already seen a distinct decrease in out-ward side effects to which I was in no way complaining. Rashes, hives and bleeding were not something I liked explaining to my family at the end of the day.
But while it was hard to tell if my stomach was building up a tolerance I had noticed that it didn't take as long to recover from the effects of new poisons and old toxins were followed by nearly no reaction at all anymore.
Venoms too were quickly becoming a thing of the past as spiders, bugs and scorpions had little effect on me anymore and I was slowly working my way up the ladder to my last challenge; snakes.
All I could say was 'it's a good thing Raph and Leo weren't here.'
Leo hated snakes and Raph hated bugs; together the two of them would have single handedly caused Armageddon had they known their little brother was being exposed to the dangers of both.
"Drink!" Olcadan ordered again and I opened my eyes to see him holding out another little gourd which I took from him slowly and downed before immediately regretting the action.
He actually held his hand over my mouth as my body tried to regurgitate the foul liquid and I instinctively tried to free up the blockage but he only held on tighter.
"Swallow!" He insisted as I still attempted to fight him. "Swallow!"
Finally I was able to force myself to consume the vulgar substance when I realized I couldn't breathe otherwise; but as it went down I swear it had the same texture as wet cardboard and a taste that made Mike's homemade mustard and pizza-milkshake look like a gourmet delicacy.
"Easy!" Olcadan proclaimed rubbing my back gently as I worked to control my gag reflex. Boy was I really getting sick of being sick.
"What – was that?" I asked between breaths several minutes later.
"A medicine I designed to stop the spread of poisons in the body." He explained and I looked at him skeptically.
"What would possess you to create such a revolting substance?" I had to ask but he didn't appear offended and explained.
"I was not taught here at the complex, I was trained in Ninjutsu by my father; who believe it or not was actually a world renowned thief."
I blinked at that in slight shock. "Really?"
"Yes." Olcadan continued. "But he died when I was still very young and I was forced to wander Japan alone and unsure until I found this place." He stated looking into the forest nearby thoughtfully. "Without any questions or knowledge of my background the people here took me into their home and allowed me to stay for as long as I liked."
"I guess you never left huh?" I asked with a grin and wiped my eyes slightly as they started to water and cloud my vision.
"No." He answered with a smile. "It was during those early years that I became exposed to the Hamato's rival clan; The Foot." He stated and I couldn't help squirming a little at the thought of Shredder and his army. "They were experts on poisons and chemicals and would attack and kill people in a myriad of horrible ways."
"It was this that inspired me to become a healer." He revealed before holding up the urn with the repugnant fluid again. "And this was what drove me." He added. "It was actually the first medicine I ever created."
"But I needed a way to test and improve on it; to discover the effects of poisons and venoms and find what would be needed to cure them." He continued a second later. "However I refused to test it on others so the only logical compromise was to experiment on myself."
"So you started ingesting poisons." I finished finally seeing where he was going with this. "As a way to test the potency of the antidote."
"Yes." He answered with a nod. "Believe me I know all too well that it isn't pleasant, but it instantly halted the spread of toxins in a body; whether they be from ingestion, injection or exposure."
"And you never thought to try and make it taste like – I don't know – chocolate?" I asked absent-mindedly as I tried to rub the taste off my tongue, but it was at that point that I noticed the effects of the poison I had just eaten were indeed virtually nonexistent.
"This is why I didn't introduce it into your training before now." Olcadan explained and I looked back at him in total relief of that particular horror. "One of its treatment properties is to cause regurgitation as a means to extract the toxins from the victim's stomach."
"Right," I stated as the pieces clicked into place. "Wouldn't do me a lot good to purposely eat it if I was just going to throw it back up."
I'd already been privy to the joys of having to re-eat flowers and plants that I had not been able to keep down. "Not that it really matters sometimes." I added looking at the area that currently reeked of sick; already knowing that a similar experience awaited me in the near future.
"We'll wait." He stated and I looked back at him kind of shocked.
"Not that I'm complaining but I feel okay now." I declared in a totally non-arguing way. "Shouldn't we try again before my immunity kicks back in?"
"Normally I would say yes." He proclaimed causally as he placed the gourd back near his medical kit. "But the drink will continue to fight off any impurities injected into your system for several hours." He explained.
"That's cool." I stated impressed before I thought of something else. "Did you ever try to make something that would last longer? Like say – forever?" I asked curiously and he smiled warmly at the ground before answering.
"As a matter of fact I have." He proclaimed. "It was this search that allowed me to improve the lifetime of the drink to as long as I have. But even after years of research and struggle this is all I have been able to accomplish."
"Oh." I pouted and looked back at the ground as well. "But there's got to be a way." I muttered absentmindedly placing my finger tips together in a circle; a habit I was picking up when I needed to think something over.
After a few minutes I had obtained a few ideas and turned to voice them to my Sensei. "Maybe – what?" I asked finding that he had been studying me thoroughly the whole time, but he just smiled before patting me on the head.
"You are a rare find and I thank you for sharing that with me." He said off topic.
"O – K" I said slightly confused.
"I don't know if you realized this but you were my last hope, Donatello." He admitted. "I had given up on ever finding someone to follow in my steps, to pass on the knowledge that could help so many. But when I met you I knew I had to try again."
"I – I didn't know that." I stated quietly.
"Unlike you I never really had a desire to make a difference; just to help as many as I could." He admitted gripping his staff near the top as he spoke. "But I always felt that my knowledge should never fade; that it should always remain." I looked at the forest as I considered that. "Which is why I must ask a favor of you Donatello?"
"What?" I asked quietly.
"Improve on my designs." He requested still watching the trees thoughtfully. "Learn and teach them to others, never allow this knowledge to die." He continued and I couldn't help but to watch him with a certain level of honor as he went on. "Make it your own, make it something I never could and live for the day that nobody dies."
…
(Raph's POV)
I had no idea there were so many stinking weapons out there.
I was just lucky the elders didn't expect me to learn everything before my 15th birthday; which was when my brothers and I were eligible to become Jounin. However I wasexpected to keep learning afterwards and apparently never stop.
I decided that I was in for a long life.
But admitted I really was starting to enjoy it and found that I was actually having a lot of fun learning how to use these weapons and tools to the upmost of their abilities. Heck I was even starting to like the history part – a little.
I massaged my neck as I walked through the courtyard; respectfully avoiding the self-defense classes that were still in process for the people from the village.
"Ow." I said to myself as I lowered my arm again.
I was starting to think that Gen was an even harder slave-driver than Roku and that was saying a lot, but I guess I shouldn't be surprised, as apparently the lady was responsible for training Roku when he was younger, so she would have to be pretty tough.
As I opened the front door to our home I allowed my senses to wander slightly until they told me that I was the only one there. Splinter usually made a point of waiting up for us so he must have had something else to do today.
I proceeded to retire to the basking room a minute later and laid out with a wet cloth over my eyes until I sensed another presence enter the house. I was about to just ignore it and go back to my basking but for some reason it nagged at me.
Something wasn't right.
I sat up slowly and looked around trying to pinpoint the feeling before getting to my feet and walked into the living room. "Donnie?" I asked the house but received no answer which worried me, Donnie never ignored us.
Slowly I made my way toward his room and quietly moved to take a peek inside; for all I knew he could just be asleep, a whole day of ninja training tended to have that effect on people.
However that was when I heard something coming from the bathroom and swiftly moved to check there instead. "Don?" I said to the room as I opened the door but he wasn't currently in my sights.
"What?" I barely heard him answer and raised an eye-ridge at the not right sound of his voice and quickly made my way around the corner where I found him leaning heavily against the tub; draped over the rim like a wet blanket.
"Hey!" Immediately rushing to his side I struggled to control my panic and help him sit up again as he obviously didn't have the strength to do it himself. "What's wrong? Are ya okay?"
All kinds of unpleasant scenarios played through my mind but the one at the top of the list was without a doubt the Retalion.
"Donnie?" I asked in a panic when he didn't answer right away.
"I'm fine." He lied before promptly pulling himself back toward the tub and threw up.
I quickly rushed to the sink to get a wet cloth and returned a second later. "Easy!" I said giving him the washcloth and he immediately held it over his mouth as he took in several deep breaths. We'd discovered a while ago that sucking in small portions of water really helped when we were sick.
I carefully maneuvered him into a more comfortable position and started to run the water in the tub as well, making sure to thoroughly wash away the sick before plugging the drain.
"I'm okay." He said again sleepily and I scoffed at his poor attempt to appear normal.
"Yeah I can see that." I told him sarcastically; trying desperately not to show how scared I was as I waited for the bath to fill and gently helped him to remove his mask so it wouldn't get in the way before starting to help him out of his clothes.
In truth we were much more comfortable without them anyway but people tended to act a little – put-off when you walked around in your birthday-suite, mutant or otherwise.
After several minutes I managed to get him into the water to which he hadn't argued one bit; which was even more discouraging. Donnie was about as stubborn as me when it came to being cared for, though my reason was simple pride where his was not wanting to be a bother to anyone.
I felt his forehead but he didn't have a fever so I moved to check his pulse just because I was paranoid, but I wasn't a doctor; I couldn't tell if there was something wrong just that he was still alive.
"Donnie?" I said again and he opened his eyes to look at me. "Tell me what ta do, tell me how ta help!" I begged.
"Well first off – you could stop – yelling." He requested.
"Oh – sorry." I quickly told him lowering my voice. "What else?" I insisted quietly.
"It'll go away." He said and I suddenly had a horrible realization.
"This isn' the first time this has happened is it?" I accused him and he shook his head. "Damn it Donnie, why didn't ya tell anyone?" I yelled causing him to wince and turn away from me slightly. "Sorry." I quickly said again with my inside voice.
"It's okay –" He started again but I interrupted him.
"It's not okay, being sick is not okay." I insisted and he turned to give me a look. "What?" I asked in annoyance.
"If you'd let me finish," He started again. "I already took something for it. I can feel it working, I'll be fine in about an hour."
"Ya sure?" I asked on auto-pilot and he quickly turned to glare at me.
"Why do you guys ask me that?" He grumbled suddenly. "Of course I'm sure, I wouldn't say it if I wasn't sure." He proclaimed before whining slightly as his headache seemed to flare again and he quietly leaned back against the side of the tub to close his eyes.
"Sorry." I said again out of more shock than anything. 'Who knew Donnie was such a grouchy sick person?'
"Stop apologizing!" He ordered and I jumped at the fire in his voice. "Just stop – asking." He declared without even looking up.
'Gees, I had no idea that bothered him so much.' I thought to myself before smiling as a little spark of an idea meandered through my mind. "Alright how 'bout this." I started and he turned slightly to listen. "Ya promise ta never lie ta me about being sick and I'll promise never ta ask that question again."
He opened his eyes slowly and gave me a look but I held my ground, I wasn't going to budge and he knew it. So after several minutes of nothing but staring each other down he finally relented; obviously too tired to argue with me right now, which was good 'cause if he had been in one of his debating moods I wouldn't have had a snowball's change in hell of winning this battle.
"Deal." He stated tiredly and promptly fell asleep where he was.
…
"I'm not an invalid, Raph." Donnie insisted about an hour later giving me an annoyed look as I helped him to his room; measuring out my strength and balance perfectly so as not to hurt him.
"Hey!" He argued when I kicked his door open with such force that it knocked the doorknob off on the wall behind it. "I understand you're mad but that's no reason to wreck my room." He grumbled as I sat him on the bed, gave him a glare that promised pain and suffering should he move and rushed off to locate a warmer blanket.
"Raph, will you –" He started but I interrupted him quickly by shoving the first bed covering I could find directly in his face and he glared at me evilly before snatching the offending piece of wool. "Will you relax." He ordered begrudgingly. "I'm fine."
"I thought we had a deal?" I asked folding my arms over my chest to glare right back at him.
"We do." He stated. "And I'm not lying to you, I really am okay now." Admittedly he really did seem back to his usually self, but I would be go-to-hell if I admitted that to him. Not after he nearly gave me a heart-attack.
He seemed to deflate slightly as he picked up on my emotions and turned to look at the floor. "I'm sorry." He stated seriously. "I didn't mean to scare you but I promise I'm fine."
I studied him for another several seconds looking for any indication that he might be hiding something from me but found none.
"So what happened?" I finally asked causing him to wince slightly like he had been dreading that question. "What?" I asked skeptically.
"It's – hard to explain." He admitted looking to the side slightly like the conversation made him uncomfortable.
"Training?" I asked simply and he nodded. Okay so that I could understand, I knew from my own experience that the elders had all kind of rules regarding whom we could and couldn't tell about our personal training with them. Though I didn't like that he couldn't talk to me about it I would just have to live with it for now.
"All right." I admitted slightly annoyed and sat down next to him. "Just tell me everything's okay and I'm being a idiot for worryin' so much." I ordered and he smiled.
"Everything is okay and you are being an idiot." He repeated and I promptly gave him a look.
"Ya forgot the last part." I grumbled and he laughed before we sat in companionable silence for another minute until I finally just had to ask. "What can I do ta help?"
"What do you mean?" He asked the floor.
"Don' play dumb Donnie, it doesn' suit ya." I insisted causing him to finally look at me. "This isn' the first time this happened and I'm willing ta guess it won' be the last."
We watched each other for a minute and I could clearly see the knowing look in his eyes. "Probably not." He finally admitted and I couldn't help but twitch slightly in discomfort. It was one thing to suspect it but another to have it confirmed.
"What can I do?" I asked again and he sighed before getting up to walk to his dresser.
"This." He answered as he sat back down a minute later and handed me a little leather bag, however as I went to open it I promptly gagged and held it as far away as I could; trying to escape the foul odor.
"What the hell it that?" I scoffed using my ninja training to block out the sent.
"Aromatherapy." He answered simply as he reached over to carefully tie the bag closed again; seemingly unaware of the horrid stench emanating from within.
"Please tell me ya haven' been eatin' that?" I begged giving him a disbelieving look as my eyes started to water.
"No." He stated raising an eye-ridge at me. "Aromatherapy is smell, doofus." He corrected. "All you need to do it make me sniff it for about a second." He instructed as he returned the bag to its hiding place and picked up his blanket again before making his way to the door; obviously intent on going to the basking room.
"That's it?" I asked somewhat amazed. "No pills or needles?"
"Nope." He answered simply stopping at the threshold to look back at me. "It's all natural."
"Well that's a lot better than some a the things I was imagining." I admitted standing up to follow him and he laughed under his breath. "But still." I added. "That stuff should be considered legalized torture." I proclaimed looking back at the dresser questionably.
"Than I guess I shouldn't tell you that, in some cultures, it is." He stated and I quickly turned back to tell him just what I thought of that comment only to find that he had already vacated the premises.
"Donnie!" I yelled into the house and stomped after him; determined to knock some sense into my little brother.
…
(Leo's POV)
"Great!" I groaned sourly as I looked around the dreaded Ha'shi.
"Relax Leonardo; this will be nothing like your former training." Ichi told me reassuringly but unfortunately there was something about the little smile he displayed that failed to reassure me that this would be any less maddening. "Stand in the center please." He instructed which caused me to flinch involuntarily but I did as I was told.
I nearly started running on pure impulse to get to the other side as fast as I could; fully expecting the traps and weapons to activate as soon as I set foot inside the training zone, but thankfully I wasn't flattened by any ceiling tiles or dropped into any pits.
For now
My paranoia made the journey feel at least three times as long as it actually was so when I was finally standing in the middle of the room I started to wonder if I was actually dreaming. I would have been lying if I said I hadn't hoped for a similar accordance in the past.
"Ready your sword." Ichi ordered from his place near the activation pad and I did as I was told; quickly pulling my blade from my back and took a stance. "We'll start slowly." He informed me before pressing a button and I immediately cringed as I heard the gears fall into place; half expecting every weapon in the room to activate instantly.
It took about a second for the first attack to come in the form of a sharp projectile zipping by at high speed causing me to instantly dodge out-of-the-way as it missed my head by barely an inch.
"Your sword Leonardo!" Ichi demanded as I quickly moved to dodge several other kunai. "This is not an exercise in evasion, defend yourself." I quickly did as he said and dug into a spot on the floor so I could raise my weapon into a protective position instead.
I successfully deflected the weapons from all angles for several minutes as they started coming faster and faster and in larger and larger numbers until before long I was so overwhelmed that I had to resort to dodging again, but Ichi didn't seem to care so long as I was still defending myself physical.
However it wasn't long after that before I felt a sharp pain in my shoulder and knew I had been hit, but I ignored it and remained completely focused on my training; refusing to flinch as I continued the exercise. However a second later everything came to a stop anyway when Ichi deactivated the room again.
"Stand down." He advised as he started walking toward me.
"What? Why?" I asked in a panic, surprisingly enough I wasn't that concerned about failing as from the way the older mutant had been steadily increasing the speed told me that I wasn't supposed to win this one, but that only meant that he was waiting for me to do something and I would have to figure out what it was before I was cut to shreds.
"As I said this is an exercise in defense." He answered before motioning for me to lower my sword. "Not endurance." He added distractedly as he leaned down to inspect my wound.
It wasn't that bad as the kunai wasn't even real; it was actually origami paper with its edges cut off so it didn't cause serious damage. But that didn't mean the thing hadn't hurt like a son-of-a-bitch when it had hit.
A second later Ichi decided I would live and started back to the switch so he could begin the session again.
"Sensei?" I asked in his wake. "What am I supposed to be doing exactly?"
"Defending yourself." He responded simply.
"But – we've already learned this." I complained truthfully as my brother's and I had mastered the art of defense years ago.
"This is true." He agreed cupping his hands behind his back as he turned around to regard me with a studying look. "However it's always important to insure your skills with your own weapon."
That made sense.
However as I thought it over for a second I realized a little late that he had activated the room again causing something to immediately spring up directly behind me. It took me less than a second to ready my sword again, turn and proceeded to slice downward intending to cut the practice dummy in half, however I was forced to stop my momentum barely an inch from the thing's neck when I realized it wasn't one of my usually targets.
Just as quickly as I had attacked I pulled my sword back; trying to get the blade as far away from the fake as I could which finally gave me a chance to see it clearly.
True it wasn't a good representation by any stretch of the imagination, but it was close enough to make attacking it extremely uncomfortable, as the practice dummy had been purposely dressed to resemble one of my– brothers.
I quickly turned back to face Ichi who was still standing near the switch studying me thoughtfully; having obviously known exactly what was happening but made no move to change it.
"Sensei – I –" I started nervously.
"It is alright." He assured me. "You don't have to attack it if you don't want to."
"I don't." I answered quickly causing him to nod in understanding before pushing another button on the wall.
"Then defend it." He ordered as the throwing stars started raining down again and I immediately took up my sword to stand between the weapons and the target that was supposed to be my brother where I quickly started deflecting kunai after kunai; refusing to let even one get through.
However it wasn't much longer before it got to the point that I would have started dodging again, but of course this time I couldn't afford to do so and instead used my shell as a shield.
Again Ichi didn't seem to care that I had switched up the rules again as he just continued to watch me for – whatever it was he was waiting for.
"That's enough." He called when I finally missed another star which embedded itself into my leg this time and I carefully reached down to remove it as he made his way over again; before turning around to check on my fake brother who was completely unharmed.
"Am I doing something wrong?" I couldn't help but ask as he checked out my newest injury to insure it wasn't serious.
"I would like to see something." He answered simply. "And being a third party makes it easier." However he didn't turn to go back to the switch this time; instead he just folded his hands behind his back and looked at me from the spot.
"When something you care for is in danger you are unstoppable." He proclaimed randomly motioning toward the dummy. "However when you stand alone that passion wanes." I couldn't help but deflate slightly as he said this even though he obviously didn't mean it as a failure. "Why is that?" He finished a second later.
"I – don't know." I admitted nervously causing him to nod once in understanding before talking again.
"It is almost as if you do not care what happens to yourself; so long as your team survives." He guessed seriously. "Is this true?"
"I –" I tried to answer but for some reason his question hit a lot harder than I had expected. "Yeah – I think it is." I finally answered after a minute of thought which caused him to promptly look at me with a saddened expression. "I'm sorry." I immediately added but he quickly shook his head and laid a hand on my shoulder.
"No Leonardo, it is I who is sorry." He corrected gently. "I should have seen it before now, done something before now."
"You couldn't have known."
"But I did." He proclaimed before moving to sit on the floor and motioned for me to join him. "It has been a very long time since I have trained another so personally; I have no shame in admitting that I am a little – rusty." He added which caused me to back peddle slightly.
This was him rusty? I'd hate to know what he was like at full strength.
"I consulted your father in the hopes of isolating your strengths." He continued mindfully. "And Mr. Perry as well."
"Jordan?" I asked slightly shocked. "Why him?"
"He knows much about your past." He responded simply. "But it wasn't until I watched you wield your weapon that I realized it was indeed still weighing heavily on your shoulders."
"I don't understand." I admitted. "You said I was a natural."
"And you are." He declared unquestionably. "That is what worries me." He added and I couldn't help but feel even more confused than I already was. "You brandished your sword as if it were apart of you, as if you had never been without it. In time your ability will no doubt rival even my own."
"Really?" I asked in shock and he smiled before going on.
"However that kind of skill must be tempered." He continued seriously. "It would be devastating in the hands of someone who does not value life."
"I do." I immediately retaliated. "I would never hurt anyone."
"I know." Ichi admitted with a nod and I opened my mouth to respond but found that I still didn't have a clue what I was supposed to be learning here. "Let me tell you a story." He suddenly stated and I quickly closed my mouth in preparation to hear what he had to say.
"There was once a boy; much like you who was naturally gifted, he excelled in his training and welded a weapon with such skill that no one could challenge him." He gave me a minute to muddle thought that information but I was still very much confused by the time he continued.
"You have met the man he is today." He started seriously and I suddenly had the feeling I wasn't going to like his next sentence, and I was right. "Oroku Saki." He finally revealed and I found myself immediately shunning away from the name. "The man you know as Shredder."
"But –" I started in a panic; fear leaking into my voice as I struggled to find a way to deny his words.
"However –" Ichi continued immediately and I quickly focused on him again desperate for a lifeline. "There is one very subtle difference between you and him and it is this very difference that makes you nothing alike." He told me reassuringly. "You see when things went wrong in his life; Saki would always blame others, where you focus that blame solely on yourself."
I tried to say something during the time he allowed me to think that over but for some reason there didn't seem to be any words to say. In the space of but a minute I had faced one of my worst nightmares and come out the other side with nothing to show for it.
"I did not tell you this to scare you." Ichi continued and I slowly looked up at him again to listen. "It's important to know your enemy that's how we counter them, but sometimes being the opposite is just as dangerous."
"I don't understand." I admitted solemnly.
"Saki cares only for himself and accelerating his own power, he would waste not one moment of his time on the well being of the people that serve him." Ichi explained quietly. "But you are different, your power comes from the compassion you have for others and the reckless determination you show for protecting them."
"And that's – bad."I asked in a fit of confusion. How could being everything Shredder wasn't not be a good thing?
Ichi smiled kindly in my direction before continuing. "These traits are what make both you and Saki so extremely dangerous, however they are not what make you strong."
I watched the ground as I tried to muddle that out before looking back up again to find him studying me thoroughly and I was suddenly under the impression that he had seen straight through me to something that he did not like.
"Give me your hand please." He stated simply and I immediately did as I was told only to quickly pull back again when he suddenly sliced the sharp end of his knife across my palm, however he wouldn't let me retreat instead he only held tighter to my wrist forcing me to remain in my spot.
"You are not immortal, Leonardo." He stated suddenly so forceful that I couldn't help but freeze in slight fear of his anger. "You live, you breathe, you bleed!" He continued as he pushed one of his fingers deep into my new wound to emphasize his point and I couldn't help but cry out slightly in pain. "And one day; no matter how great your skill, no matter how prepared you are you will die." He stated seriously and I quickly looked up at him in surprise.
I was so shocked by this sudden turn around that all I could do was stare at him as he finally released my hand and watched me for a response, but I didn't have one.
"No matter how hard we try there will always be things that we cannot do, there is no dishonor in this." He said gently and I looked down at my hand as I flexed it gingerly; letting his words wash over me as he finished. "Only if you give up will you ever truly fail."
…
To say I was nervous was a serious understatement but I kept my cool for my brother's sake as Jordan gently closed and locked the door to the infirmary behind him. It was pretty obvious that the poor man was just as spooked about this as we were; if not more so, which was hard to believe.
"Are you sure it's –" He started to ask Donnie again for a twelve-hundredth time today.
"Yes!" Donnie promptly interrupted. "We trust you and you know more about this than any of us." He added before calming down again and looked in the man's direction seriously. "Please, I need your help."
Jordan seemed to deflate as that sank in and nodded solemnly "Of course."
I jumped when a hand fell on my shoulder and turned from the exchange to look up at my father. "Are you alright, my son?" He asked gently.
"No." I answered truthfully and he smiled sadly at the admission but nodded in understanding.
"Are you ready?" Leatherhead asked then and we all turned to look at him as he moved a little roiling tray closer to the metal table in the middle of the room. "The jammers are in place." He added encouragingly. "You will not be detected." Looking around at my brothers I discovered that none of us really wanted to answer his question; regardless of the reassuring comment.
My brothers and I had been discussing this for a while but it wasn't until we realized that our Jounin test was less than a month away that we finally decided it was time to remove the GPS chips; our last real connection to Shredder.
On top of that Donnie had even found the verbal commanded center in the nano-bots control panel in our necks and was prepared to remove it. The fear we had; had since kids of being controlled by another would no longer consume us; we would finally be truly free.
However looking back at the medical table in the room all the memories of our tortuous childhood came rushing back. This was why Donnie was going to do the procedure himself and between him, Leatherhead, Jordan, Jyu and even Olcadan we couldn't have asked for a better group of doctors.
So when Donnie finally spoke up saying that he was prepared to start; I was immediately on my feet ready to go before anyone else, however I was quickly interrupted by Raph who just stood up and forced me back into my seat.
"Sit down fearless, it's my turn." He proclaimed sternly.
"Raph." I quickly reached out to grab his shoulder and pull him back as I whispered my argument. "I can go –"
"No!" He refused. "One of us has ta be there for Mikey and I don' want him goin' first."
He had a point there.
"You're sure?" I asked in a low voice that only he could hear and he nodded seriously before moving to remove my hand from his arm and walked over to willingly lie on the table.
"Sure ya'll be okay without me?" Raph joked with Donnie obviously trying to ignore the fact that he was about to undergo surgery.
"I think we'll live." Donnie told him with a smirk but it didn't reach his eyes as he was still preparing himself mentally for what he was about to do.
After exchanging a few more words of banter Donnie handed our brother the oxygen mask. He'd explained before that he wanted us to feel in control for as long as possible, so by giving us the option to put ourselves to sleep he hoped to improve our state of panic.
However Raph was clearly still having a problem with the motion as he just stared at the mask for several minutes before finally turning to look at me again and it was then, as I looked into his eyes, that I saw the true extent of his fear.
He would never admit it but it was consuming him.
I quickly took a few steps closer to the table and smiled reassuringly as I reached out my fist for a bump. "The day is gone." I said simply and his eyes widened a little as he recognized the words from a life-time ago when our positions had been flipped. "It doesn't exist." I continued and a slow but genuine smile slowly crept across his face as he finally reached out to tap his fist against mine.
"The day is gone." He repeated quietly before confidently raising the mask to his face and laid back to start his new life.
…
We were well aware that Donnie was the main doctor on sight as it was the whole reason we had even agreed to do this in the first place for he was the only one we truly trusted to do the job and everyone knew it. Which was why something about watching him work seemed to reduce Mikey's stress to the point that he was almost calm as he waited for his turn.
Though they didn't do anything; both Olcadan and Jordan were constantly at his side giving him advice and walking him through the process; even though I was sure Donnie already knew what to do.
But watching him myself I could tell he wasn't nearly as relaxed as he wanted everyone to believe. This was the stuff of our nightmares and he was actually making it happen;that couldn't have been easy to work through so I was glad they were there to give him confidence.
However there was a time when things seemed to go a little south as the nano-bots in Raph's body started working overtime to close the wound; obviously under the impression that he was under attack.
Though it was nice to know that they would do that in the future it still made things pretty tense for a minute, but Donnie took it in strides; almost like he had expected it and quietly continued his work as if nothing had happened.
I admit I was impressed.
He had gone from priceless supporter to irreplaceable asset in just five short years, if that didn't earn him a 'most improved' sticker I don't know what would.
Though it felt like longer; Donnie was stitching up the wound in little under half an hour and with the nano-bots in the area feeding on steroids I doubt it would take long to heal the cut; however that only meant that there would be a scar.
The nano-bots weren't capable of replicating some of our body's more complicated natural healing components, so by healing the injury instantly we were actually skipping several processes and as such the scar tissue was almost always thicker than necessary.
I watch as Leatherhead stepped up to gently lift and turn Raph over so the next process could be done which was the part that really made me nervous. I didn't have to be a doctor to know the spinal cord wasn't something you messed with; but I had faith in my brother's ability to perform the procedure without worry.
A couple minutes later Donnie had removed a tiny little chip from Raph's neck that was probably no bigger than a the head of a pin and gave it to Jordan before working to check that everything had gone alright and closed the wound again.
When he was finally done Jyu made him sit while Leatherhead and Splinter moved Raph to a recovery bed where he would probably remain unconscious for the next several hours, so we'd have to wait a little longer to know for sure if anything had gone wrong.
After checking him over myself; just to make sure he was alive in my own obsessive way I headed back to the table to be with Mikey as he got up to start his own surgery.
"You okay?" Donnie asked with a smile as Jordan went to prepare a clean set of instruments.
"I think so." Mikey admitted distractedly playing with the mask before taking a little whiff of the gas and actually laughed as it made him light headed.
Donnie gave me a look out of the corner of his eye as he washed his hands and I quickly reached out to force our baby brother onto his back so he didn't fall.
"Hey Leo, you look funny." He told me with a goofy grin.
"Thanks." I stated sourly.
"Ay-yah!" Donnie complained with a roll of his eyes which I couldn't help but agree with. Only Mikey could turn this into a fieldtrip.
"Hey Don?" He asked next and Donnie quickly looked in his direction to let him know he was listening. "If I lose my arm will you make me a new one?"
Donnie seemed slightly taken aback by that and for good reason, with his overactive mind I could just imagine him visualizing our little brother without his left arm.
"No Mikey I won't." He answered without pause. "Cause you're not going to loose your arm." He said this with just the right level of dismissive talent to convince his patient that it was a stupid even ridicules notion.
And it worked.
"Yeah okay." Mikey agreed with a smile clearly comforted by the words.
"Just go to sleep." Donnie ordered taking the mask from his hands to drop it on his face. "Goofball." He added as Mikey clamored for the thing so he could place it over his beak, however before he took a breath he suddenly seemed to think of something else and quickly reached out to grab my arm.
"What?" I asked him gently thinking he was starting to panic but instead he was looking at me like I was the one in need of comfort.
"No dying!" He suddenly ordered and I back-peddled a little at the seriousness of his voice. "Promise me – promise me you're gonna be here when I wake up."
"Of course I am." I told him quietly with a smile but he didn't seem convinced.
"I mean it Leo." He added sternly. "You gotta start caring more, we need you."
To say I was shocked at these words would have been an understatement; but somehow I finally understood what Ichi had been trying to teach me before. If I continued to regard my own life as useless I would be no better than Shedder, I had to care, I had to live – for them.
"Okay." I finally told him seriously. "I promise."
My little brother seemed to except it this time and smiled at me before finally laying the mask over the mouth and nose so he could breathe into it like he was Darth Vader.
It took a minute; but after several lines of Star-Wars quotes he was finally down for the count and Donnie carefully laid a mask over his own mouth before picking up a scalpel and gently but expertly started the incision on his arm.
"Leo!" He stated calmly a few minutes later as I looked over to see that he had found the little piece of tech buried in Mikey's veins. "Go sit down please, you're making me nervous."
"Sorry." I told him quickly and carefully back stepped out-of-the-way to sit with Splinter again.
"It is alright my son." My father informed me after I spent a couple minutes trying to see from my new spot. "Your brother is well trained; he will not allow anything to happen."
"I know, but –"
"Have faith." He interrupted me and gently reached out to pull me back into my seat. Normally that would have been it as my father's word was law, but in less than a minute I was back on my feet and checking on Raph instead.
He was still sleeping as I had expected, but I still leaned in to make sure his chest was rising and falling like it should which was how I saw the little black band on his nightstand.
Now that it was such a big deal I found myself remembering that day more and more. The day we had escaped from the Purple Dragons, when we had lost our first real home, how Leatherhead had gently lifted my arm to slide the band over the spot where Shredder's tech threatened to keep us imprisoned or on the run for the rest of our lives and now as I picked up the little radar jammer I couldn't help but be thankful.
For something so small it had given us so much.
A life we wouldn't have had otherwise, friends we had just learned to love and freedom we now thrived to fight for.
…
I had almost forgotten how light Mikey was as he had long since grown out of his clinging stage. I remember at one time thinking that it was annoying but as I carried him to his bed I found I actually missed it.
"You ready?" Donnie asked quietly after checking him over one last time as if making sure that his arm was indeed still there.
"Yeah." I answered before following him back to the table. "Are you sure you're gonna be okay?" I asked for probably the 10th time today as I moved to lie down as well. Though I understood his reasoning for being the last one I still didn't like the idea of him being alone.
For not only would he have to go through the process knowing that none of us would be at his side; but he would also have to do it knowing the someone else was performing the operation.
"I'll be fine." He told me simply as he washed his hands again. "I trust Olcadan."
"You could wait." I suggested again. "Just wait for us to wake up that way we'll be here."
"Leo." He started seriously turning to look at me straight in the eye. "To be perfectly honest that would only make it harder, I just want to get it over with, I don't want to be the only one conscious."
"But –"
"Just promise me you'll be there when I wake up." He repeated just as Mikey had and I suddenly found myself unable to protest further. The look in his eye told me it would be futile anyway; he had made up his mind and nothing could change it now.
"Okay." I finally agreed as he handing me the mask. "I promise." I made sure to say before placing it over my mouth and nose and watched him as he remained comfortably in my line of sight until everything went black.
…
"I think he's waking up." I heard Mikey's voice suggest as I started to come to and opened my eyes to find him not even a full inch away from my face.
"Ahh!" I proclaimed in shock trying to back up into my pillow so my personal space would be a little bigger.
"Hey nisan." He stated with a big goofy smile before he was roughly pushed out-of-the-way by a dark-green arm that clearly belonged to Raph. Looking to the side I found said sibling sitting backwards in a chair between me and the bed next to mine; where I could see Donnie still sleeping.
"'Sup?" Raph declared in my direction with a smirk. "Guess I lost the bet."
"What bet?" I asked pushing myself up as Mikey jumped back into the conversation.
"He thought you would do kata's in your sleep." He answered before plopping down on the edge of my bed.
"That again, you already know I don't." I told them with a look of 'seriously?'
"Yeah but people do lots a crazy stuff when they're drugged." Raph complained but for some reason he didn't seem all that upset about losing. "Like talking in their sleep." He added with a smirk and my heart dropped.
"What?" I demanded quickly causing Mikey to roll over in a fit of giggles. "I do not."
"Oh yes ya do." Raph countered clearly enjoying himself.
"Like what?" I ordered sternly but that only made his smile grow bigger.
"Let's just say I got lots a blackmailmaterial." He proclaimed before looking behind him when Donnie stirred slightly and Mikey quickly jumped off my bed to get up close and personal with the purple clad turtle this time.
"Donnie." He whispered slowly in his ear. "Dooonie."
"Knock it off shell-for-brains." Raph ordered threatening to pound him if he didn't stop being a nuisance, but Mikey just continued what he was doing; choosing to ignore him.
Raph was about to get up and just throw him off himself when Donnie beat him to it and simply reached up without even opening his eyes to push Mikey's face away; causing the turtle to fall off the bed to the sound effects of a collapsing tray of towels and bedpans.
"I swear Donnie ya've turned ignoring Mikey into a real art." Raph commended around his laughter as our brother just rolled over in bed to make himself comfortable again.
"Did anything go wrong?" He asked tiredly; still struggling between wanting to sleep some more and needing to wake up.
"Nope." Raph answered with a smile. "Ya did great bro, though it would a been nice if ya could a turned off Mikey's annoying switch."
"Yes it would have." Don agreed still choosing not to open his eyes.
"Hey!" Mikey complained popping up on the other side of the bed as if the floor was spring loaded. "You could at least say some fancy words about how it's not possible."
"Now why would I say that? I need something to get me out of bed in the morning." Donnie answered without missing a beat and Raph promptly bust into laughter to which I couldn't help but join in as Mikey pouted over the comment.
"You guys aren't any fun at all."
Hope you enjoyed
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