I want to give a special thanks to Myrling, who gave me, a complete stranger, her permission to use Irrilia in this fic. I've admired Myrling's work for a long time and I'm both honored and thrilled that she would entrust me to write her character. If any of you are not familiar with Myrling, please be sure to check her art out on DeviantArt!
I came up with this a while back and wrote it down not long after. My sister (Ultimate hothead) and I were talking about day to day struggles that the turtles would have later on in life. And I'm pretty sure that every parent had to go through this at some point soooo, why not torture the guys a little. ;)
Disclaimer: Irrilia belongs to Myrling, and (alas) I do not own the turtles.
Please comment and enjoy! :)
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The 'Question' ~ part 1 (いち)
Raphael swung the bo staff in a large arc.
Ever since that embarrassing scene a few weeks ago, Mona was finally able to convince him to start polishing up on his techniques with other weapons.
He was in the middle of a kata, and he couldn't help but thank the Lord for not sending Donnie in at that moment.
Unfortunately, God had a different sense of humor today.
Raphael turned, sweeping with the leg, and pulled the bo staff in a graceful swooping motion.
"Hey daddy?" a small, sweet voice called from the dojo entrance.
Raph glanced over his shoulder to see a small figure standing in the doorway.
She was three feet five inches now. She had light, blue-green skin covering her body, with a thick, frilled, Salamandrian tail trailing behind her. Her golden eyes, which reminded Raphael wonderfully of her mother's, glimmered in the light. The faint shape and design of a plastron and carapace faded onto her back and belly.
She cocked her head to the side, at the unusual sight of Raphael practicing with a weapon commonly used by Donatello.
Raph looked away, closing his eyes with a sigh of annoyance at the interruption.
But, of course, she had attained the special skill of her mother. Raph could never stay mad or frustrated with her for long.
"What are you doing?" the little Salamandrian asked with innocent curiosity, strolling over to the red masked turtle.
"Your mother thinks it's a good idea for me to start working with other weapons," Raphael answered, reopening his eyes and swinging the staff forward in a strike.
The small lizard girl watched with fascination, and her eyes twinkled with delight as Raph gracefully spun around into another sweep with the wooden weapon, going into the next few moves of that particular kata.
"What'd ya need Rilli?" Raphael asked, pausing only a moment before cleanly flipping the bo into several striking movements.
"Daddy, I need to ask you a question," she said her tone suddenly taking on a serious note.
"Okay. What is it?"
"Where do babies come from?"
Raph tripped mid step of an imaginary takedown and almost fell on his face. He was just barely able to catch himself and stand up straight.
He was not expecting the question.
He looked at his daughter in shock, his eyes widening.
She had caught him off guard, but he tried to hold his composure.
Or, what was left of it.
Cmon you knew this day was coming... But really?! At five years old?!
Raph cursed internally, Scratch that! I'll have Donnie walk in and correct my stances! Just please!!!!! Don't make me have to answer my daughter's question! He pleaded, Maybe I can still get out of this with dignity. Just be cool.
He took a flustered breath and looked into his precious daughter's curious eyes.
"Why-What-How come you're asking?" he fumbled awkwardly.
So much for keeping cool..
The small Salamandrian shrugged her shoulders innocently.
"I was just wondering," she answered honestly, "So do you know where babies come from? I asked Auntie Karai, but she just blushed. Then uncle Leo told me to ask you."
Wow thanks Leo. Raphael growled inwardly, he could feel the heat rising to his face and could only imagine how red he looked right then.
"Well? Where do they come from?" Irrilia asked again, folding her hands behind her back in the most adorably innocent way.
"Why don't you go ask your mother?" Raph said quickly.
"She's not home. Why can't you just tell me daddy?"
"Be-because!" Raph stammered, his face turning red from embarrassment, "You can ask your mom when she gets back!"
"But that could be days," Irrilia whined, "She left for Salamandria! It could take forever until she comes home!"
"Irrilia!" Raphael shouted, his face still scarlet, "I don't want to hear another word about it until your mother is home! Then you can ask her!"
Irrilia was taken aback slightly by her father's reaction, but she nodded respectfully, a look of forlorn understanding in her golden Salamandrian eyes.
"Yes sir," she said, turning back to the dojo exit.
Raph looked away from the green retreating figure and back at the bo staff in his hands.
The heat in his face was still pulsing with embarrassment.
He let out a long breath, covering his face with one of his green three fingered hands, and leaned on the staff for support.
He could feel his heart pounding against his plastron. This conversation terrified him more than when they were fighting Shredder all those years ago!
"Who would've thought that being a parent, is more scary than being a vigilante, or even being hunted by a blood thirsty psychopath," Raph groaned.
But at least he'd bought some time with Irrilia. And, hopefully, by the time Mona got back, Irrilia will have completely forgotten about 'the question.'
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Irrilia left the dojo, an understanding in her posture and expression.
Her poor daddy. She knew he couldn't know everything. Don't get her wrong, she was very aware of the fact that her father was extremely knowledgeable, just more in some areas than others.
Raphael had always answered her questions before. But of course, she knew there would be that one question that even her daddy couldn't answer.
The solution? Find someone who knew.
Auntie Karai didn't know, or she would've answered. Uncle Leo didn't know or he wouldn't have told her to ask her father. And surely daddy would've known. But apparently he didn't, or he wouldn't have told her to go and ask mommy.
Luckily for her, there was at least one person in the family that could answer any question you threw at him. Uncle Donnie.
He had answers for everything.
Nodding to herself she made her way across the lair to Uncle Donnie's favorite room, the lab.
———————————————————
Donatello listened to the calming sound of the whirring computers around him, as he gazed at the glowing screens.
He tapped his pencil on the edge of his desk thoughtfully.
Sticking the pencil into his mouth he leaned forward and typed in some new algorithms, his keyboard clacking loudly underneath his quick working fingers.
It was his responsibility to teach the kids mathematics, and he basically had to recreate textbooks so that they became currently accurate.
"Humans are so technologically, and mathematically behind," he mumbled quietly past the pencil that was clenched firmly between his teeth.
Donatello just barely caught the sounds of shuffling steps coming from the lab doorway.
He looked up to see a light blue-green Salamandrian girl walk uncertainly into the lab.
Ah yes. She was indeed Raphael's daughter. Confident, strong willed, outspoken. Until put into an environment that involved the higher functionality of technology and sciences.
Donnie looked back at his computer screen, hoping that maybe if he pretended not to notice her she would go away and then he could get back to his tedious responsibility.
Of course, when it came to kids, you were never that lucky.
"Uncle Donnie?" Irrilia called to him.
He sighed, taking the pencil out of his mouth and putting it on the desk next to his keyboard.
"Yes Irrilia," he answered tiredly, not taking his eyes off of the white glowing screen.
She must've heard the reluctance in his voice because she didn't say anything else until she had shuffled up to his desk.
"I have a question," she stated matter of factly.
He turned to look at her incredulously, an eyeridge raised.
He leaned back in his chair. He loved it when the kids came to him with questions.
A questioning child was the sure sign of an intelligent mind being developed.
"Alright," he said, "What kind of question?"
"A scientific one."
"Really?" Donatello asked, somewhat surprised, "And how do you know it's scientific?"
Irrilia stared at Donatello, forcing him to keep his attention on her golden eyes.
She leaned in closer, as if she was about to tell him a very important secret. Donnie leaned forward as well, indulging the child.
"Because daddy couldn't answer it," she whispered.
"Oh," Donnie whispered back.
He couldn't help a small smirk making its way to his face, it was quite amusing that Irrilia, Raphael's own offspring, had figured out on her own that science wasn't one of Raph's strong points.
"Well then in that case," Donatello chuckled, slapping his hands on his knees, "What do you want to know?"
"I want to know where babies come from."
"Aaahhhh," Donnie said his tone filled with understanding, he chuckled, "That scientific question."
I wish I could've seen Raph's reaction! It must have been priceless! He inwardly laughed to himself.
"And what exactly did your father say?" Donnie asked the young girl.
"He said to ask mom," she answered honestly, "But mom's gone to Salamandria, and I don't know when she'll be back."
"So you came to me," Donatello finished.
"Yes."
"And you're sure you don't want to wait for your mother?"
The small salamandrian hybrid shook her head.
"It could be days till mom gets back and I really need to know now. So, do you know where babies come from?"
"As a matter of fact I do," Donnie began, his scientific know-all kicking in, blocking out any common courteous sense, "In fact I have done some on the side research, considering the variety of species in this family alone. But the reproductive system in, uh. The.. Um.."
Donnie's rambling began to slow when he glanced up at the lab entrance to see a tall feminine figure with wavy red hair standing just inside the doorway.
"Mutants.. uh isn't.." he trailed off, not able to turn his gaze away from April's sharp blue eyes, which glared at him warningly.
He knew better than to cross her, she was more than capable of making his life miserable, and to be very efficient at it.
He began to feel a slight buzzing in the back of his head and he knew, with dread, what was coming next.
Don't you dare say another word to her. April's voice echoed demandingly in his mind.
She asked a question. Donnie responded in explanation, trying to excuse what he was doing.
He could see Irrilia cock her head inquisitively at his strange behavior and he tried to continue on nonchalantly.
"What I meant to say was-"
Hamato Donatello! If you say one syllable more you will regret ever meeting me! She threatened.
Donnie gulped.
"Uh, what I meant to say-"
He watched as April crossed her arms across her chest sternly.
"Was that-" His eyes darted back and forth between the two females uncertainly. He sighed, defeated, turning back to his computer screen, "I don't know," he mumbled, "Ask your mother when she gets home."
Irrilia noticeably deflated, a pouting groan escaping her lips as she turned away from the desk and began to trudge back out of the lab, her tail dragging heavily behind her.
April stepped out of her way and, after the little salamandrian disappeared into the rest of the lair, glided over to Donatello's desk. Her features softened by a content smile spreading softly over her face.
"There, see? That wasn't so hard was it?" she asked soothingly, placing a hand on his shell and rubbing it gently.
"Mmm," Donnie grunted not looking up at her, the pencil wedged back in his mouth.
"Do we need to find some devotions on pride and humility?" she teased.
"How about devotions for telepathic wives," he mumbled, "Cause it's really frustrating when you do that."
"Well I think it's extremely useful."
"Yeah, you would wouldn't you," he muttered.
"Please don't be upset Donnie," she said, wrapping her arms around his neck from behind, leaning on his shell, and resting her head on his shoulder.
He sighed at the extra weight resting dependently on his back, as April looked over what he'd done on the computer so far.
"Have I ever told you how important you are?" she asked him quietly.
"I thought I needed to work on my pride," he smirked, pulling the pencil out of his mouth again and putting it on the desk.
"Yes, you do," April stated matter of factly, "But that doesn't mean I can't appreciate you. You're gifted Donatello. I hope you can see that past all the trouble and every day stumbles of life. You really are a gift from God."
Donnie blushed lightly at his wife's words, and ducked his head slightly out of habit.
She chuckled fondly at his all to familiar behavior.
"Alright, well that's enough ego boosting for now," she declared with a small laugh before giving the purple masked mutant a quick kiss on the cheek, "Don't be too long, or Mikey will eat all the dinner."
"Okay," Donnie chuckled in response.
April straightened, tussling Donatello's long bandana tails before striding back out of the lab.
Donnie watched her go, a happy smile on his face and a blissful peace in his heart. April was right. He was gifted. But more importantly, he was blessed.
_
Ok! There it is! I hope you all enjoyed! Originally, this was where I was going to end it when I first wrote it. I liked the happy contented ending. But I like to have at least a little something to make things more interesting, and at that point in time my muse wanted to play around a little. So! There is a part two! And in it we'll get to meet some new friendly faces! :D
Please comment and tell me what you think! And thank you so much for reading!