A/N: I kinda had a hard time deciding on how I wanted this chapter to go. It was a toss up between first person or third, but finally I did pick one. (yay) BTW: being that I'm writing in how they would talk, please excuse the bad grammar.


How They Feel

Racqel: Donnie's brothers don't like me and I really can't blame them. I mean here I come, out of nowhere, and invade their home (metaphorical speaking that is). I completely understand the fact that they must see me as the enemy. And, in their own little way, they kinda scare me. I don't mean by how they look, I mean by how they act towards me. Michelangelo is scornful, Leonardo is distrustful, and Raphael despises me. If they don't wanna share words with me, that's ok (to tell you the truth I rather have it that way). But…. (Sigh) in order for us all to live peaceful together (or somewhere close to it), it's gonna have to take effort on my part to get them to accept me. But first…let's just see if we can get along.


Michelangelo Accepts Loss

Dude! This is like, so not fair. I can't believe that Master Splinter just up and gave one of my rooms over to that girl without even asking me first. And if that wasn't bad enough, he gave her my favorite room. It was the one on the ground floor, the biggest of all the rooms here (aside from the dojo of course) and I had plans for it. I was gonna fill that room up with comic books, action figures, and cards. THEN I was going to spend hours pouring over all that I've collected.

But now, grrr…now, she is gonna have that room and she is gonna make it all girlie. I could picture it as I moved all my stuff back into the only room I had left. The walls will be pink, boy band posters all over the place, and all those other things girls gotta have up in their rooms. Shell, it just turns my stomach that my room is gonna be so…so…violated.

And do you know what's worse than knowing what's gonna happen? Having to watch the whole thing go down. Thanks to Donnie's girlfriend, who insisted that I help her move cause she got a lot of stuff, Master Splinter ordered me do just that.

So on the morning of the move I watch Racqel disappear into a cloud of red smoke to go to some weird named bank in a place she called, 'The Wizard World'. Riiiight, like there's really such a place as that. And while I'm waiting with Donnie for her to get back, I look over at him. The dude was like he couldn't sit still throughout the whole time she was gone. One minute he's up pacing around and the next he was fidgeting on his seat.

Hours later she finally comes back in that same puff of smoke and with boxes, on top of boxes, on top of boxes. By Bushido I didn't think she would have this much stuff (…or maybe I'm just exaggerating). Anyway, Donnie automatically jumps up and grabs the first box. But when I went to grab a box, the girl just shoves one into my arms.

"You take this one." She ordered.

"Yes, my lady." I replied coldly. 'Maybe when she's not looking, I'll drop kick it into the room.'

"And be extremely careful with that, wouldn't want to damage any of those vintage games." Racqel added as I stormed away.

I stop and turned around to face her. "Vintage games?"

"Well that's what I said, didn't I?" Racqel asked while coming up to me with a box labeled 'Nintendo'.

I looked down at the box I carried and saw a bunch of old NES games. "So you're into Nintendo, big deal."

"That's not all I have." Racqel stated. "I have almost every console that's out except the X-Box. But you already have one, right?"

"Uh…duh…yeah." I stammered. I really didn't know what to say.

"You're welcome to all that I have at any time that you want if you like." Racqel offered.

"Really?" I practically squealed. "Ya mean it?"

"Of course." Racqel replied with a nodded. "It's the least I could do after taking your room."

"Dude, I can't wait." I laughed. 'I'm in video game heaven!'

"Yes you can." Master Splinter ordered from the television area. "Cause you are not playing until she's moved in."

I saw Racqel stifled a laugh. I guess Sensei said something funny and it seem like only she could hear it. I have a feeling it had to do with letting him finish his soap opera or something like that.

Now that I had something to look forward to, I was in a big hurry to help get that girl's room set up. As I help move boxes in and unloaded them, I found that I was frumping over nothing. My room wasn't going to be girlified totally.

Racqel had a regular twin bed, just like everyone else, that was put in the left corner of the room. There were three tall shelves that went from the end of the bed to the corner and were stuffed with Nonfictions books, Potion books, and textbooks. Along the wall opposite the bed were two more shelves with display cases on top and regular shelves bellow them. In the display cases were Nutcrackers, Nesting Dolls, Music boxes, and Snow globes. On the bottom shelves were DVD movies, videotape cartoons, mangas (Ranma ½, Utena and Full Metal Alchemist), graphic novels (Elfquest was one of them), comic collections (For Better or For Worse, Calvin and Hobbs, etc.) and comic books (some went as far back as the fifties, nice).

On the top of all the shelves were the entire collection of small to medium stuff animals Racqel own and a couple of big ones were on the floor at the end of the bed. But that's to be expected of a girl, so I think I could let that slide. Next to the display case shelves was a roll-top desk with stationary things in all its drawers and holes. There was also a desk lamp on the top of the desk.

On the right side of the bed was a nightstand with a red lava lamp (how hippie) and a radio alarm clock. Along the same wall the nightstand was and a foot away was a lighted vanity dresser. Now that's very girly, but I guess a girl's got to keep her looks up for her boyfriend (mental note, ammunition for teasing both Donnie and Racqel, heh). Next to the dresser were these canvas closets and a canvas hamper.

On the walls above the bed going towards the dresser were posters. There was Sailor Moon, Utena Revolutionary Girl, and Mario Brothers. But there was one that both Donnie and I especially like. It was a Metal Gear Twin Snakes and it actually moved. I couldn't believe my eyes when I watched Solid Snake duking it out with Liquid Snake. After a short while they got tired and started heading their separate ways.

"I'm off to find a poster with Meryl in it." Solid said.

"Well I'm off to find one with a good gin and tonic." Liquid replied.

"Meet you back in half an hour?" Solid asked.

"Sure, why not." Liquid answered.

"See you guys later." Racqel told them and they put up a hand to acknowledge her.

After getting over the fact that the poster moved, talked, and Racqel spoke to it, Donnie asked, "How did you obtain all this stuff?"

"I may have been on the run, but it didn't mean I couldn't collect things." Racqel replied, somewhat insulted. "It's about time I got to have it all out." She added happily.

"But the gaming systems. When did you ever have time to play any of those?"

"There were times when Jason and I were able to play a few of the earlier ones. As for the others, we just bought them and stored them at the bank till we were finally safe enough to play them. If you noticed, most of them are still wrapped up."

I don't remember how the argument ended really, cause I was in the middle of reading one of her mangas. When I heard Donnie calling me I was halfway through the first volume. Racqel saw that I didn't want to leave and allowed me to stay while they went out to set up one of her systems.


Leonardo Gives His Approval

Master Splinter always taught us not to make snap judgments about people until all the facts were gathered. But I can't help being suspicious of Racqel. There was no way I can know if she is really safe to have around our home. I mean just because she doesn't know who she's related to doesn't mean there couldn't be a possibility it would be to our greatest enemy.

Plus it's hard to look over those punk-like attributes she's got. Sure she doesn't dress like one of those guys, but what about that one earring and those tattoos. In fact, Donnie and I got into an argument over that.

He claimed those roses around her neck are birthmarks, but I said, "No way. I've never heard of birthmarks coming in every color of the rainbow."

"Then I don't know what to tell you." Racqel said as she came up behind Donnie and me, without me even knowing it.

Oh that made me so mad. Nobody has ever been able to hide their presence from me, other than Master Splinter, not even my brothers. And yet she was able to do it with such ease. It made me feel somewhat inferior that a martial artist was able to out sneak a ninjitsu master.

Anyway, like I always do, I look Racqel over. She was wearing a maroon t-shirt and red shorts. Nothing out of the ordinary, except for the fact that she had a sheath dagger tattoo on her right calf. It was thirteen inches long; the point started at the ankle and the top was at the knee. At the top of the handle was a red tassel, the sheath was black with a red jewel two inches from the point and two red jewels an inch from the handle; the jewels were an inch apart.

I pointed at that tattoo. "I suppose that you're going to tell me that that's a birthmark too." I said coldly.

"No." Racqel replied honestly and then turned to Donnie. "This is that tat I was telling you about."

"The one you had since you were really young." Donatello said matter-of-factly. "It looks so real."

I cocked an eyebrow at her. "How young?"

"I dunno." Racqel shrugged. "I guess since I was…um…seven, I think."

"Seven?" I exclaimed. "What parlor would let a seven-year-old get a tattoo?"

"Dye Goonya got them to put it on me." Racqel replied as she bent down onto her left knee. "It's for protection." She tapped the tattoo twice with two fingers.

"Protection!" I gave a harsh laugh. "How in the world is that…that…" I began to stutter, because the tattoo suddenly started shimmering before turning into a real sheath dagger. "That was amazing."

"Ain't it?" Racqel asked as she pulled the seven-inch blade out and offered it to me.

I took the dagger and held it in both hands so I could study from tip to handle. Then I moved the blade so that the light would hit it. It shone like silver and the sparkle at the end was like a twinkle of a star. "Nice." I breathed while holding the dagger out on one finger. "Light, well balanced too." I chucked it at the target shield we had laying around and it sunk deeply into the bulls-eye. "Yet strong and sturdy."

"If you think that's something..." Racqel says proudly while taking the dagger out of the target and put it away, "...wait until you see my sword." She took the earring out off her ear, held it in the palm of her right hand, and tapped it with her middle finger. Just like the tattoo, the earring shimmered before growing into a real sword. It was half her size, the handle long enough for two hands, and there was a blue stone embedded in it.

Donatello had said nothing through the tattoo changing and he could barely say anything through the earring changing but, "…w…wow."

Racqel held the sword out to me with both hands and bowed her head. "I offer my blade for you to inspect. May its clarity reflect my soul and its preservation reflect my loyalty."

Being a swordsman myself, I knew that respecting the blade was the number one priority. 'Take care of the sword and it will take care of you', Master Splinter always said. But I was surprised that Racqel knew how to act when presenting her blade to me. Nevertheless I took it and examined it closely.

The sword was well balance and light like the dagger, yet it was sturdy enough to take a good beating. When light hit it, it reflected off the blade like it was a clear stream. The attention that went into caring for it was flawless. The blade was smooth, not a dent in it, and it was sharp enough to practically cut air.

Satisfied that the sword did reflect everything Racqel asked that it would, I handed it back to her in the same manner that she handed it to me. To my surprised, she took her sword back with disappointment. "What?"

Racqel looked at her blade sadly. "Um…nothing."

Master Splinter came up behind us. "You did not do it right my son." He told me. "Does the sword meet your expectations?"

I responded obediently. "Yes Master."

"Then tell her so." Master Splinter ordered. "Take the sword back." I did as I was told. "Now hold it out for her and say…." The rest was whispered into my ear.

I held out the sword, looked Racqel in the eye, and said, "I see that its clarity reflects the purity of your soul and that its preservation reflects your devotion to loyalty."

Happily, Racqel accepted her sword back with a bow. "I thank you for letting me prove myself." Then she blew on the sword to make it change back into an earring and put it back in her ear. "My swordsmanship is not as great as it should be." She put her right fist into the palm of her left hand, held them in front of her face, and bent slightly forward in a semi-bow kind of way. "Please allow me to train and spar with you so as to sharpen my skills."

This took me by surprised. "Uh…sure."

"Thank you." Racqel replied and gave another bow.

'Perhaps she is not so bad after all.' I thought. 'I guess she deserves to be given a chance.'


Raphael Bares His Teeth

I don't know about anybody else around here, but I don't like Racqel. Actually, ta tell ya da truth, I just plain hate her. Dere's sumpthin' about her dat I don't trust, other den the fact dat she's da granddaughter of Shredder (I think it's da fact dat she's hidin' sumpthin' from us). Everythin' she does (and I do mean everythin') gets on my nerves.

Like when she was told she could make herself at home, she takes Mikey's other room (not dat he really needed a second room) and den goes changin' da lair around ta fit her needs.

But what I hate most of all, what really gets me down in da shell, is da fact dat she able ta so easily twist my tech-wizardin' brother around her finger. I mean she doesn't even love Donnie at all. Ta me, she's a succubus just suckin' da life out of him. She's a black snake coilin' herself around him, hypnotizin' him ta do her biddin'.

Anything Racqel needed, Donnie got for her. Instead of fixin' things dat need fixin' around da lair, uber-geek goes around installin' stuff. Like, for instance, a dishwasher.

When I asked him why, he tells me dat it's only fair since she makes all da meals around here now and so dat she don't get any dishpan hands. But nobody told her she had ta cook and if she didn't make those big breakfasts, large lunches, and four ta five course dinners, she wouldn't have so many dishes ta clean.

Den der's da washin' machine and dryer so she can clean her clothes. What? She too good ta do it by hand like Master Splinter does with his kimono? Besides what difference does it make? After couple hours of bein' cleaned dey'd just gonna smell like da sewers again anyway. If she didn't have so many clothes, she wouldn't even need a machine ta clean dem with.

As far as I'm concern der's no relationship, cause I believe dat no human would want ta have one with a mutant turtle. Racqel is just usin' Donnie ta get sumpthin' from him or ta get him do sumpthin' (sumpthin' evil I'll bet). Unfortunately I can't really put my finger onta what exactly. But I will tell ya dis much, I'm gonna find out. Someway, I gonna prove ta Donnie dat dis whole thing is nothin' more den a charade of some sort.

Actually der was dis one time I had a chance ta make him see da light. See, one day I was passin' by Mikey buggin' Donnie over near his lab. "Come on Don-san. I bet you're a natural Don Perignon." He gave my purple bro a nudge in the rib area with his elbow while one of his eyebrows bounced up and down.

Donnie rolled his eyes. It was just like our little brother ta get his terms mixed up. "That's Don Juan, ya idjit."

"Whatever dude." Mikey pressed his face close inta Donnie's personal space. "Just tell me what it's like to kiss."

Donnie let out a heavy sigh. "To tell you the true Mikey, I don't know."

"What do ya mean ya don't know?" I exclaimed.

Both my bros' heads shot tawards my direction, obviously dis is da first dey knew of me bein' der.

"Well…" Donnie let out a nervous laugh. "We never kissed."

"Figures." I muttered.

"Don't go there Raph." Donnie scolded. "She's not a speciesist."

"She's not a what?" I asked.

"Speciesist. Prejudice against other species." Donnie answered in his matter-of-factly way. "If you must know, we've come close many times."

"Sure ya have." I said while rollin' my eyes. "But please, tell me why ya two have never kissed." Donnie went to say sumpthin' and stopped ta think about it. "I know, why don't we ask her?"

Donnie put down whatever he was doing and stood up straight. "Alright, we'll ask her and then you'll be sorry about what you thought of her." He marched over to the T.V. area with Mikey and me followin' him.

Both our 'fearless leader' and dat girl sat on the couch; he was watching da news, she was reading a book (big surprise der).

"Racqel, why haven't we kissed yet?" My brother asked in a demandin' tone from behind her and Leo.

Da way da question was asked caught everyone off guard, includin' me. Leo squeezed da remote so hard dat it flew out of his hand, Mikey nearly choked on his spit, I felt like smackin' Donnie upside his head, and da girl lost hold of da book she was readin'.

"Whoa, what?" Racqel looked up at him with shock.

Donnie leaned over the edge of the couch and calmly asked, "I want to know why we never kissed."

"Oh…um…" Racqel looked around at all of us, uncomfortable-like. "It's just that…you never seemed that interested in wanting to kiss. I mean we came close once and then never again."

"Well I'm interested now." Donnie announced as he jumped over the back of the couch, landing right next ta her. "Kiss me." He closed his eyes, puckered his lips, and leaned tawards her.

Racqel looked at him like he was crazy. "Here? Now?" With his lips still puckered, Donnie nodded. "You have got to be kidding me." She jumped up from her seat, snatched her book up off the ground, and began ta walk away.

"What?" Donnie's eyes shot wide open and he turned ta yell at her backside. "Why won't you kiss me?"

Racqel turn around with her book tucked in her right arm and her left hand on her hip. "I can't believe you actually have to ask." She shook her head in disbelief before turnin' ta walk ta Mikey's old room.

Donnie sat der for a moment in bewilderment, den his face screwed up inta a totally pissed off look. He pushed of the couch with such force da we all though the couch was gonna collapse under the pressure and stormed back ta his lab ta resume whatever he was doin'.

And of course I, bein' da sensitive brother dat I am, went over ta him ta rub my victory in his face. "What did I tell ya?"

Donnie let out a snarl before sayin', "Shut up Raph."

"Oh come on." I got on da opposite of da table he was workin' at. "Der is no way ta explain why she won't kiss ya other den the fact she don't l…."

"I said, 'Shut Up!'" Donnie barked. "I don't want to talk about it."

I put my hands down on da table and got as close ta Donnie's face as I dared ta. "Da girl is bad news, I just know it. I can feel it in my bones." I watched Donnie grip his screwdriver tightly as he got even angrier with me, but I continued. "Da girl wants sumpthin' from ya and I'm not gonna stop tellin' ya dat until ya get it through yer thick skull."

"I told you I don't want to talk about it." Donnie growled. Den he slammed his screwdriver down on da table, right between my hands. "But I'll tell you this much, if you don't stop talking about Racqel like that I'll…"

"Ya'll what?" I asked in a darin' tone, while shiftin' my eyes down tawards the screwdriver. "Don't tell me ya'll take her over yer own brother."

Donnie let out a frustrated sigh. "No, I'm not." His angry glare did not go away. "But you're not giving her a fair chance."

I pulled back and turned my back on him. "She's not givin' me much ta wanna give her one." Decidin' dat I would give Donnie some time ta cool off before tryin' ta argue my point with him again, I walked away.

I came back ta da lab a while later. Donnie had moved inta dat subway car he had and he wasn't alone, Racqel was in der. "Come on D, don't do this to me." She whined. "Don't shut me out like this."

Now dis was too good ta pass up. Donnie and his 'girlfriend' were havin' a fight. I leaned up against da side of the subway car, just under one of da windows, ta listen ta it all play out.

"Do you know how embarrassing that was?" Donnie snapped. "There I was, defending you to Raphie and you just up and leave me hanging. All I asked you to do was kiss me. Was that really too much to ask?"

"Yes."

"How?"

"You wanted me to kiss you in front of your brothers. I wasn't going to do that."

"Why not? Are you trying to prove Raph right? Are you too good to kiss me?"

"No!"

"Then why?"

"Because a kiss is sacred and I want it to be just the right mood for us. I don't our first kiss to be proving something to your brothers or anyone else for that matter."

"Well, forgive me for not believing your motives this time."

I couldn't believe my ears, he wasn't believin' her lies dis time. I jumped way from the subway car ta look up at the window I was below. Donnie was just turnin' his back ta da girl. 'Good fer you bro.' I thought.

"Donnie…D…you have to…"

"I don't have to do nothing." Donnie took up a test tube full of clear liquid. "Now if you'll excuse me, I really want to get back to my experiments." Suddenly, da girl grabbed his shoulder and spun him around to face her. "Racqel, what are you doing?" Den she slammed him up against da wall.

I raced around ta da side of da car where da door was. Just as I go der, I hear glass shatterin'. "Leo! Mikey! Da girl is doin' sumpthin' ta Donnie!" I yelled as I burst inta da lab with my sai drawn and saw da girl holdin' my bro up against da wall.

Racqel took a step back from Donnie. "Well, that wasn't exactly the mood I wanted, but still…it was nice." She said quietly.

"Get away from him." I shouted.

Racqel turned ta face me with redden cheek. "Oh." Da girl gasped. "Um…hi." Den she gave me a sheepish wave.

"Don't 'hi' me." I snapped. "What did ya do ta my bro?" Leo and Mikey finally joined me, but der weapons weren't out.

"Um…nothing." Racqel cleared her throat. "Well…um…bye." She jumped out of da lab through da other door.

I went ta chase after her, but stopped when I heard Donnie mumble something incoherent while slidin' down da side of da wall. "Bro…ya ok?" Leo and Mikey came up behind me.

Leo looked over my shoulder at Donnie. "What did she do to him?" He asked with his usual elderly brother concern.

"I don't know." I answered while lookin' closer at Donnie.

Mikey was lookin' over my other shoulder. "He don't look so good."

My techie bro had really red cheeks and dis goofy grin on his face. "Please sir, I want some more." He slurred out.

"Come on Donnie…bro…" I smacked his cheeks lightly. "Shake it off, ya gonna be alright."

Donnie shook his head and looked around at us. "Wha…what are you guys doing in here?" He looked around his lab. "Where's Racqel?"

"She ran way." I told him while helpin' him up onta his feet. "Probably locked herself up in da room she took from Mikey."

"Why did she run?" Donnie asked.

"Raph chased her off." Mikey said in his tattlin' voice.

Donnie just glared at me. "Whatchya go and do that for?" He snapped.

"Cause she was attackin' ya." I told him sternly. "I came in here ta save yer shell."

"She wasn't attacking me." Donnie retorted. "She was kissing me. We just had our first kiss."

"She wha…" Before I could finish my question, Mikey shoved past me ta get ta Donnie.

"Oh, oh…" Dat bratty little turtle groaned as he jumped up and down. "Tell me what's it like. Was it cool? Was it disgusting?"

I grabbed Mikey by the back of the shell and pulled him outta my way. "Let me get this straight. She kissed you?"

"Yup." Donnie said proudly. Den a grin came onta his face and spread as far as it could go. "Told ya she loved me."

I put a hand ta my stomach and made a face. "I think I'm gonna be sick." I gagged as I exited the sub-car, leavin' Donnie to retell his recent encounter of the girly kind.

Poutin', I wandered over ta the T.V. area and flopped onta da couch. 'Ok, so she won dis battle. But she won't win da war. Someway, somehow, I'll figure out what she's up ta and expose her as the evil dat she is.'


A/N2: Well, now we know how everyone else feels about the new girl in the sewer.
Anyway, thanks for reading. Until next time.