Mikey wasn't a big fan of conflict, especially among friends or allies. They were all living creatures, they all had feelings, what was the point of fighting? It just made everything harder, and often it didn't do anything except cause tension between people who should be getting along.
Mikey had fun messing around with people, but he did his best to not take things too far and truly hurt someone's feelings. He wasn't perfect at it, but as much as Mikey caused frustration, he had figured out how to recognize when he'd gone too far, and he had learned how to make it right again.
Sailing on a small boat with his brother and two demigods who had put the world at risk, there was definitely tension, and Mikey didn't like it at all. Especially since he didn't know the cause behind a lot of it. Sure, Mikey knew that Leo was furious with Raph for trying to trap them on the island, and Mikey was disappointed as well, but this didn't explain the quiet tension between Raph and Donnie.
After they'd started sailing off to the Hidden City, the demigods hadn't said a word to each other. Raph and Donnie had barely looked at each other. Mikey didn't know what was going on between them, but he didn't like it. They were brothers, and from what he had heard from the two of them, there was nothing that they cared about more than each other. So why were they fighting? What had Mikey and Leo missed while they'd been trying to get out of the cave?
Mikey couldn't really solve their problems for them when he didn't know just what their problems were, but he wasn't going to let that stop him from trying to make them feel better.
"How does it feel to be part of the rest of the world again?" Mikey sat down on the boat next to Raph, who was lying on the deck, dangling his hands over the edge of the boat into the water. According to Donnie, the Hidden City lived up to its name. To get to the realm of the Yokai and mutants, you had to be led there by someone who had a connection, and for them that was the ocean. It was opening the way for them, and communicating through Raph how to get there.
"Just because we're off that island doesn't mean that we're part of anything," Raph said moodily. He didn't sound all that angry, or that he might hit the first person who said something even remotely upsetting to him. He just sounded tired of dealing with everything. "You can't see any islands from out here. We're completely surrounded by the ocean,"
Mikey grimaced sympathetically and soaked his feet in the ocean. "You're still not very happy with the ocean?" It was a needless question, Mikey knew the answer. He may like the ocean, but it was nice to him and his brother. Mikey imagined if the ocean suddenly began to ignore him or Leo, or attacked one of them for little reason, and especially if it took something important to them and gave it to someone that they didn't get along with, he'd be pretty bitter too.
"I'm tired of not knowing what to expect from it," Raph said. "It was annoying when we got along with each other, but now, it's exhausting. I don't know what the ocean wants from me, and I'm sick of being the only one to give anything in our relationship."
"From what I've heard, it seemed like you were the one who was the taker in your relationship." Leo said. Mikey frowned and looked back at his brother. They were trying to get Raph and Donnie to be willing to cooperate with them. That wasn't going to happen if Leo kept on antagonizing Raph like this.
Mikey understood it, really he did, as so far Raph wasn't the easiest person to get along with, and he was so unapologetic about it. But that didn't make him a bad person. Leo really should know that as well.
Mikey expected Raph to argue against Leo's accusation, but Donnie was the one to speak up instead. "You're only familiar with a single thing we've done. Do you really think that you know enough to make any claims about us?"
Raph sighed and moved his hands through the water. "You guys are the ocean's new favorites, you should know just how unpredictable the fluctuating the sea is."
"I don't think we're the ocean's favorite," Mikey said, but Leo spoke right over him.
"The ocean hasn't given us any trouble." Leo said. Although, that didn't sound quite right to Mikey.
"It dragged us into the storm," Mikey reminded. "We got separated from each other." He didn't hold any resentment towards the ocean because of it, because Mikey knew that the island that Raph and Donnie had been on was probably like the Hidden City, meaning they had only ended up there because the ocean had decided to lead them. The ocean was working for the greater good, but it was clear to Mikey that it was working in mysterious ways that they didn't entirely understand.
Raph frowned and sat up slightly until he was resting on his elbows, though his hands were still in the water. He gave Mikey an odd look. "How long has the ocean been with you? It clearly likes and trusts you guys, and yet the only time it's acted questionably towards you was when it was bringing you to us?"
"We've known the ocean since we were five," Mikey said.
"But we thought that we imagined the whole thing," Leo reminded him. "It was just a one time thing when we were kids. It only talked to us again when we decided to come out to fine you guys."
"What?!" Donnie jerked slightly. He was manning the sail, so he wasn't holding his staff, and yet Mikey could swear that he felt the breeze change suddenly with Donnie's exclamation. "The ocean likes you this much when in total it's only known you for a few days?"
"It took years for the sea to really warm up to me," Raph said somewhat bitterly.
"Well, maybe the ocean thought we were worthy?" Leo said carefully. "Not that you're not worthy, but when the ocean first talked to us as kids, it was only after we saved a baby seat turtle, even though we knew we might get in trouble for it."
"Oh yeah," Mikey remembered that day well. "For the longest time after that, we thought it had been a sign because of our destiny tattoos."
The whole boat jerked because of the wind, and Raph sat up completely, scowling darkly at Mikey. "I'm sorry, it's a sign of your what?" Raph said it like a threat. He'd heard what Mikey had said, but he clearly wasn't happy about it, and if the wind was anything to go off of, neither was Donnie.
"Destiny tattoos," Leo said. "It's just a silly nickname we have for our birthmark animals." Leo held out his arm to show the red-eared slider turtle design. Mikey nodded and showed Raph his own box turtle mark. Mikey quite liked his birthmark, and he'd always felt like it meant something.
Raph practically growled at Mikey. "You think the mark on your skin means anything?"
"It's a nice sentiment," Donnie said stiffly. "But you guys have no idea how many people there are out there who don't have that connection to their marks?"
"Or people who don't have a mark in the first place," Leo said gently. Raph froze. Donnie stiffened and put a hand on his covered up arm. It was the kind of reaction that Mikey had seen all the time from Casey when he was feeling especially self conscious about his lack of an animal mark.
Mikey looked at Leo, and he could tell that his brother was thinking something similar to him. The demigod brothers might be exactly like Casey. Maybe part of the reason why they were so upset with humanity and trying so hard to impress them was because they weren't as lucky as Casey was with a support system. Mikey had little trouble imagining people not being so accepting of people who didn't have marks. Some people put quite a lot of importance on these birthmarks.
Mikey just didn't know for sure, but he didn't want to ask. It was an extremely personal question, and these guys didn't trust them nearly enough to talk about it. And Mikey didn't want to make any assumptions. He thought he should back off for now, forget about the marks completely. If Raph and Donnie wanted to talk about them, they would open up in their own time.
"So, uh, I guess we kinda passed the ocean's test," Mikey said, trying to change the subject. Raph scoffed and laid back down on the deck. He reluctantly put his hands back in the water.
"Testing five year olds...why am I not surprised?" Raph scowled at the ocean. "Just don't get too attached to the sea. You never know when it'll turn on you or find something new to focus on."
Leo blinked. He looked conflicted. Leo, like Mikey, had really liked the ocean, but Raph brought up a good point, and it put a whole new spin on their limited experiences with the ocean. "We'll be careful," Leo said. Mikey knew his brother well, he knew that Leo wasn't just saying it to be reassuring, he truly meant it. Leo wasn't immediately going to distrust the ocean, but he was going to be more cautious around it.
"How far away is the Hidden City?" Mikey asked.
"It's not a matter of distance," Donnie said matter-of-factly. His tone somewhat reminded Mikey of Splinter's tone when he was teaching Leo about the traditions of their ancestors, or showing Mikey all the wonders of the plants on their island. It was a bit of a 'teacher' tone. "The Hidden City isn't in a given location. It's another world, and the entrance changes constantly."
"That's why the ocean has to take us," Raph said moodily. "It changes just as much as the entrance does." Raph said this like it was a bad thing, but Mikey wasn't so sure. Change can be scary, but it wasn't inherently bad. It made life more exciting.
"We could get there in a few days," Donnie said. "Or it could be any second now. It's all in the hands of the gods now."
"Because there's nothing better than trusting the gods," Raph said sarcastically. He clearly wasn't happy. "They're just as bad as the ocean is." And Raph had made his opinion on the ocean very clear.
"I thought you guys were demigods," Leo leaned against the mast, ignoring Donnie's annoyed glance. "Doesn't that make you part god?"
"In a way," Donnie admitted. "But the gods, they're...complicated."
"They always send others to do their dirty work," Raph muttered. "A lot of them only directly involve themselves with humanity when they've been insulted and feel the need to punish them." The boat was hit by a small wave that splashed Raph, and only Raph. He glared out at the ocean. "Hey, you know I'm right. If the gods were actually punishing us for dooming humanity, they would have done something to help them sooner instead of waiting for five hundred years. No, the gods were just mad that we stole from one of their own."
Mikey frowned slightly. "If you know how the gods are, why would you steal from one of them?" It just seemed like asking for trouble, like provoking somebody who you knew would react badly.
"Just because they're gods doesn't mean that deserve all the power in the world," Donnie said. "Miwa is especially powerful, but she was also fairly kind hearted. She didn't misuse her power, but many other gods who wanted her power couldn't exactly be trusted with it."
"And you thought that mortals would be better?" Mikey raised an eyebrow. Sure, he loved humanity and there were some pretty amazing people, but there were some pretty bad people too.
"Not really," Raph said. "But no matter how long you guys had Miwa's power, you wouldn't be able to get a hold of all of it. And I'm a lot less afraid of mortals than I am of gods." Mikey didn't know whether to be insulted on behalf of all humanity, or honored, so he settled with the middle ground of nodding like he completely understood what Raph was saying.
Leo frowned and squinted out to the distance. "Uh, is it just me, or is the horizon a little blurred?" Mikey blinked and focused out on the horizon. Focusing on it, he could see that Leo was right, the line between the ocean and the sky was practically nonexistent. Mikey couldn't tell where one started and one ended.
Raph grinned and gave the ocean a small, appreciative smile. "And here I thought you would lead us on a wild goose chase for a few weeks." He stood up and looked towards Donnie. "You see the mist?"
Donnie trinned. He looked happy that his brother was talking directly to him. "Yeah, I see it." Donnie adjusted the sail, changing their course till they were headed towards the blurriest spot on the horizon.
"How can you tell that's where we're supposed to go?" Leo asked, a little doubt in his tone.
Raph gave Leo an annoyed look. "We've been there before. We know how to recognize the signs."
"Hey, you're the demigods here," Mikey was all too willing to take their word for this. Raph and Donnie knew more about the world of the mutants, yokai, and gods than they did. Mikey's words seemed to do a lot to please Raph, who didn't like to be questioned, and Donnie, who liked to be right.
Raph's pleased expression fell slightly as he looked out towards the sea again. "It's been so long since we've seen other beings."
Leo blinked in slight shock. "What about us?" He asked, gesturing to himself and Mikey.
Raph didn't look back towards Leo, but Mikey could see him smirking slightly to himself. "You freaks don't really count." Raph didn't sound like he was trying to be cruel, but just playfully teasing them. It was a nice change, and Mikey couldn't help but laugh as Leo let out an insulted sound. Raph chuckled along with Mikey.
"It will be nice to see the mutants and yokai again," Donnie commented. "But we should really be careful in the Hidden City. Remember the groups of yokai and mutants who hated humans?"
Raph looked back towards his brother and raised an eyebrow. "Honestly, I'm more worried about what they'll think of us. Some yokai and mutants might agree with the mortals and gods about our encounter with Miwa."
"Or they might still be after the Heart of Miwa," Mikey frowned slightly and clutched tightly at his necklace. He remembered Sensei and Donnie both mentioning that there were lots of mutants and yokai who had wanted the Heart of Miwa for themselves. Mikey tucked his necklace into his shirt. It would probably be good to not draw attention to themselves while they were in the Hidden City.
Leo did what he usually did to try to calm Mikey, he showed that he was confident and knew what he was doing. "We're just going in there, finding Slash and the sais, and leaving before we run into trouble." Leo sounded so sure that if they just didn't overcomplicate things, they would be just fine, and Mikey already found himself feeling calmer. It was hard for him to worry when he knew that his brother had his back. Leo would do whatever he could to make sure that not just Mikey was okay, but also Donnie and Raph. Leo may not like them very much, but he was a protector. It was in his nature.
"Leo's right," Donnie said, his tone somewhat strained. He seemed really nervous now that they were so close to the Hidden City and Slash. "Let's just get this over with."
Raph took a deep breath as he looked out to their destination. They were only a little closer now, but Mikey could see that the hazy horizon had been because of a mist or a fog that looked unnatural, not like anything that Mikey had ever seen before.
Even after meeting demigods, interacting with a living ocean, and learning that gods and mutants were real, this was the moment that Mikey actually realized that the world was a lot stranger and larger than he could ever imagine. This was the moment that made it all real, and Mikey realized just how excited he was for it.
Looking back towards Leo, his expression was guarded, but Mikey knew his brother. Leo wanted to see these mutants and yokai for himself, he was just trying to act all serious because somebody had to take charge, and it only made sense for it to be him. Donnie and Raph may be the ones who had experience with the residents of the Hidden City, but they both looked way too stressed to properly focus.
Donnie looked out towards the haze like he was expecting it to eat them alive, like he was questioning every life decision he had made that had brought him here. Raph's eyes were cold and guarded. He was trying to mentally prepare himself for whatever they would find. Neither of them looked ready to deal with anything, but that was okay. That was why Leo and Mikey were here. Leo could focus on their mission enough for all of them, and Mikey could watch all of their backs.
Things may still be really tense between them, and they weren't exactly best friends, but whether they liked it or not, they were a team, and Mikey would see to it that they actually started to act like it.
They gradually got closer and closer to the haze. Because the wind and water was on their side though, it was a lot quicker than Mikey thought was natural before they were sailing right into what looked like a wall of mist. Mikey tensed slightly, not knowing what to expect, and grabbed Mayunk as they entered into the mist. He felt shivers go down as spine as they entered. It felt like being hit with sea spray, except it seemed to go under his skin and soaked his very soul. Based on Leo's shudder and the way that Donnie grimaced and Raph rolled his shoulders as though trying to shake something off, Mikey wasn't just imagining it.
The more they sailed through the mist, the denser it got until it seemed more like a thick fog. It wasn't long before Mikey couldn't even see his own hands held out in front of his face. They were sailing completely blind here. They may have been relying on the ocean earlier, but at least before they'd had the illusion of being in control. Now, they were completely at the mercy of the sea, and Mikey didn't know how much he liked that.
After what could have been five minutes or a few hours they suddenly sailed out of the thick cloud. One second there was fog as far as the eye could see (which, to be fair, wasn't very far at all) and the next Mikey had to shield his eyes at the sudden increase in brightness. After taking a minute to allow his eyes to adjust, Mikey realized that 'bright' really wasn't the right word for their surroundings. Colorful, yes, but definitely not bright.
Everything was so dimly lit, but there were so many colors, and so easy to see everything. Mikey was also surprised to see just how little wildlife there was. As someone who had really come to love plants, he noticed every little leaf, tree, and bush, so it was always really clear when there was nothing around.
Everything that Mikey could see was lopsided stone buildings and structures, as well as a number of creatures that must be the yokai and mutants. Mikey tried to get a closer look at them, but Raph pulled him back.
"DOn't stare at these guys," Raph growled in a low tone. "They'll notice, and they'll stare right back at you. We're trying to not get noticed here, remember?"
"Right," Mikey lowered his gaze, turning his attention to the small canal that they were now sailing through. There were a couple of larger boats as well as a couple of mutants and yokai that were moving around the water. Donnie guided their sailboat into a dock that was on the side.
Raph immediately jumped off the boat and began to negotiate with the creature that was manning the dock. Dock moved to follow him, but Donnie put a hand on his shoulder to stop him.
"Raph knows what he's doing," Donnie said. "Someone else coming in could mess up his whole process."
Leo frowned slightly. "Raph has a process to paying for things?"
Donnie grimaced slightly. "No, but he has a process to talking himself out of paying for something." Leo and Mikey both looked at Donnie in shock. He held his hands out defensively. "We don't have any money on us. What else are we supposed to do?"
"So, what, he's just going to con a mutant out of his pay?" Leo sounded disgusted, and Mikey was a little unnerved as well.
"No, he's probably just going to tell the mutant that we're here to see Slash." Donnie frowned as he got to work bringing the sail down. "Chances are, the mutant knows who we are, and they'll definitely know who Slash is. Nobody dares to mess with Slash."
Mikey grimaced. "Is Slash really that bad?"
Donnie scowled. "He's a little like Raph, if he'd never had me to calm him down." Leo's eyes widened. He actually looked concerned.
"Is there anything else we should know about Slash?" Leo asked.
"No, because you two aren't meeting up with him," Raph said, looking away from the mutant he was talking to. "Slash doesn't trust strangers, and he gets aggressive when he feels like he can't trust someone."
Donnie looked unimpressed. "Don't make excuses for him. He's just an aggressive guy."
"Sure, but why give him any reason to get worse?" Raph pointed out. He grabbed a rope next to the ship and pulled it closer to the dock where he tied it off. "This nice yokai here said that we could find Slash at his old roof hangouts."
Donnie nodded his appreciation. "We'd better get going." He tucked the sail into the storage area. Donnie looked to Mikey. "Keep a close eye on that cat of yours. You never know what mutants or yokai might want to eat a cat." Mikey's eyes widened in horror as he pulled Mayunk close. He was definitely not going to be letting Mayunk out of his sight.
The four of them got off the ship, but before they could get anywhere the mutant...no, Raph had called him a yokai...gave them a sharp look. "You should stay away from the main square. That Baron Draxum is having one of his rallies there today."
Donnie paled slightly and Raph's expression darkened. "We'll be careful," Raph gave Leo and Mikey a push to get them going before they could ask about what they were talking about. Leo's curiosity couldn't be dissuaded that easily.
"Who's Baron Draxum? And why do we need to beware of him?" Leo asked.
"Does he hate humans?" Mikey asked. He'd noticed that the yokai had been looking straight at him and Leo.
"Yes," Raph said at the same time as Donnie responded "No." The demigods looked at each other and seemed to silently argue through their glances before Raph sighed. "Alright, fine, he doesn't actually hate humans, he just kinda hates the way that mutants and yokai are treated by humans. He doesn't think that they should have to hide away in another world."
"That sounds fair," Mikey said. He probably wouldn't like it very much if he'd been all but banished to a single place just because some people were afraid of him.
"Yes, but what's not fair is that Draxum's solution is to turn all humans into mutants." Donnie's displeased frowned showed exactly what he thought of that idea, and yeah, Mikey wasn't too happy with it either.
Leo grimaced. "You think he'll try to turn us into mutants?"
"It wouldn't be the first time he's mutated someone," Raph said.
"Mikey frowned slightly as a thought came to him. "Are all mutants mutated humans? What's the difference between a mutant and a yokai?"
"Mutants are either mutated creatures, or descendents of someone who is mutated," Donnie said simply. "Yokai were created that way from the beginning. But other than that, there's no difference."
"Yokai are proud to be yokai, and mutants are proud to be mutants," Raph said. "But other than the occasional turf war, there's no issue between the two groups." That actually sounded somewhat nice to Mikey. He just wished that mortals could get along with these yokai and mutants as well.
Mikey tried to stay close to his brother and the demigods, but he got easily distracted by his surroundings. There were so many things around that he had never seen before, and he wanted to bring it all in. Everywhere he turned there was a new fun thing to see, a new mutant or yokai to try to think about. It was a lot of fun.
Mikey found himself lagging a little behind the others, but he didn't think it was that big a deal, but Mikey was so distracted that he accidentally walked right into a mutant or yokai that resembled a dog, causing him to almost trip. Mikey was able to keep himself from falling, but the creature he bumped into turned and growled at him, startling Mayunk, who began squirming.
"Watch where you're going," The stranger growled. Mikey wasn't intimidated, he would be grumpy too if someone walked right into him.
"I'm really sorry," Mikey said sincerely. "I wasn't watching where I was going, and I just...Mayunk, no!" Mikey's apology was cut short as his cat darted out of his arms and ran off. Mikey felt bad about leaving so abruptly, but he needed to get his cat.
Mayunk darted between mutans, and Mikey did his best to keep up with him, but it was a little hard. Mayunk had an easier time getting through crowds than Mikey did, but he was pretty nimble himself. "Mayunk, come back!" This wasn't the right kind of place to get lost. They knew nothing about the Hidden City. Mikey barely noticed that the buildings weren't as close together, but the crowds had gotten bigger.
Finally it wasn't just Mikey who was struggling to get through the crowds. Mayunk was forced to stop suddenly when a mutant stepped right in her path. Before Mayunk could find a new path Mikey dashed right up to her and grabbed her before she could run off again. "There you are. You can't run off like that, Mayunk, we have to stay with the others." Mikey straightened and looked around. The first thing he noticed was that he didn't see a familiar face anywhere. The second thing he noticed was that he was standing in what looked like a public square...like the one that they'd been warned to stay away from.
...oh, no.
"Mutant brothers, yokai sisters!" A loud voice cut through the crowd. Mikey froze and clutched Mayunk tightly as he looked towards the speaker. In the middle of the big crowd stood a tall goat like creature. Everybody was paying attention to him. "The mortals have been running the world above for far too long, while we've been forced to hide away." There were murmurs of agreement and frustration. Mikey stiffened and began to retreat back through the crowd. He needed to get back to the others.
As Mikey retreated, the crowd began to get antsy. Baron Draxum seemed somewhat professional and straightforward, but the mutants and yokai were getting riled up even after just a few words. Mikey didn't want to stick around to see just how bad things could build up to.
Mikey stepped back slowly so as to not draw attention attention to himself. He was almost in the clear and ready to run when he felt a hand grab his shoulder. Mikey flinched and let out a sound of alarm that was quickly smothered by the feel of a large, rough hand over his mouth. Before he could think of a way to get away or call for help Mikey was dragged into an alley, completely at the mercy of this mystery mutant or yokai.
Mikey didn't want to make any quick assumptions about mutants or yokai, because logically he knew that not all of them were bad, just like not all humans were bad, but it was hard to think the best about someone you couldn't see as they were pulling you into the shadows.
He wished his brother was here.
A/N: A bit of a cameo from Baron Draxum, because I really like him as a character. He's just fun. He likely won't be in the story any more than this, but I thought it would be fun to have him trying to rally up the troops. And, you know, it's a good way to have a way to show that the Hidden City can be dangerous for mortals without having any mutants or yokai being shown as 'evil'.
Now, before writing the next episode I need to go back to the 2012 series and rewatch a few episodes. I can't exactly write about Slash if I don't remember just what he's like.