"Glub, glub… glub, glub…"
"Mike what're you doing?" Erika stood in the doorway to Maddie and Lita's room. Mike was kneeling in front of Lita's fish bowl, staring at 'Goldy'.
"Trying to speak fish… it doesn't seem to work." He furrowed his brow and crossed his arms. Erika laughed. "Hey, guess what." He turned to her. "I was asking Master Splinter about mabye havin' Flash come live with us." He grinned.
"Really?" She cocked her head.
"Yup. He said it'd be a good idea."
"Oh, wow." Erika smiled. Mike tapped the fishbowl and stood up.
"Where does Flash live anyway?"
"Oh, he lives with one of his friend's families."
"Oh… cool." Mike nodded. "We should go check it out with him later."
"Yeah." Erika moved aside and Lita came into the room.
"Hey guys." She sighed and flopped on her bed.
"Hey, Lita McPita. How's the hula business goin'?" Mike asked.
"Meh." She waved her hand around ambiguously. "Leonardo's being a big fat jerk."
"Yeah, I've heard that one before." Mike sat down on the bed.
"He's just such a dweeb to me. I've never seen him call Noriko difficult."
"Oh, Lita Rita Bita," Mike laid back on the bed. "It's not that he doesn't like you… it's just that he was kinda the last person to find his elemental… that and he was trailing someone else for awhile before he relized he was wrong…" Mike smirked to himself. "So he's just a little tweaked he didn't do everything exactly perfect, he likes you …really"
"Lita," Lita turned to looked to the doorway. Leonardo chucked a water balloon at her and cut a slit in it with his sword in mid air, sending water spraying everywhere. Lita shrieked and put her hands out. The water funneled itself around her hands in streams and floated in mid air. "Good …show's you can apply knowledge." Leonardo sheathed his sword and walked off. Lita glared at Mike.
"Heh heh…"
2 Weeks Later
Raphael piled his things on his bed. It was the middle of the night, two candals lite in his room. If he turned on his light it would wake Mike up, and make him bumble into his room to pester him. He tossed a handful of tapes onto the bed and turned back to the messy shelf. Rock posters plastered his walls, some with scantily clad women. He had others that were more racey, but Master Splinter made him take them down. Raphael sensed someone behind him in the doorway. "Hey Maddie." He pushed the pile of magazines aside.
"How'd you know it was me?" He shrugged.
"Ninja stuff." He grabbed the black plastic bag on his bed.
"You're packing already? We're not leaving for the beach till tomorrow."
"Yeah. But Mike has a way of poking through my stuff if it ain't packed." He cracked open the plastic bag. "What're you doing down here."
"I came to get a glass of water, there was some light on under your door."
"Oh."
"Want some help?"
"Why not." He shrugged. Maddie came around to the other side of the bed and started sorting things into distinguishable piles.
"Leo and Lita have been fighting so much, I hope they can get some work done while we're there."
"That's the whole reason we're going ain't it."
"Mmm." She handed him a stack of comic books.
"You know, we gotta old guitar… mabye ya should bring it."
"Why."
"Pfff, I dunno. You sing and stuff." She laughed.
"I'm not going to sing."
"Why. Yer not bad."
"I'm terrible."
"I heard you sing."
"Shut up about that! All I need is for Mike to get wind of that." He shrugged.
"Just sayin'." She ran her fingers through her hair. He ruffled the bag around. "Guess that's everythin'."
"That's all your bringing?"
"What're we, goin' ta the ozarks?" She smiled.
"Right. Well, I'll let you get back to sleep now."
"Yeah." He turned his head to the side, looking at the pretty linergie she had worn for him. She looked down at herself.
"Ah!" She wrapped her arms around herself quickly, quite aware her undergarments were partly visible in the candal light. Raphael looked up with a wide grin on his face. She glared at him. "Jerk." She ran out. He chuckled to himself, hearing her barefoot steps padding outside to the kitchen. He dropped his bag on the floor and blew out the candals.
"Jimmy, what are you looking for?" Erika looked in on her little brothers room. His room was terribly messy, clothes thrown everywhere. Flash was digging around under his bed.
"I borrowed some of Mike's comic books awhile ago and he's lookin 'for 'em."
"Jimmy." Erika groaned.
"Wha?" He asked.
"We're leaving, come on!" He grabbed the comics and jumped up. Erika turned and went back down the hall. Noriko slung her bag over her shoulder and walked with Erika down the hall. "I can't believe he's not ready." Erika sighed. Noriko smiled.
"Uncle Joey, I'm not going to crash the car, ok?"
"You're gunna drive that car like it was made 'a glass. Right?" Erika and Noriko went down the ladder. Maddie and her uncle stood in the den. She wore cut offs and a tank top with her hair pulled up, ready for a road trip.
"Right."
"…ok." He dropped the keys to the bmw van into her hand.
"Are you guys ready to PARTY?!" Mike jumped out of the lower hallway, dressed in a pair of large hawaiin print boxer shorts and holding a beach umbrella and towel. Mr. Tagahasi stood by the kitchen, giving him a stern look. Mike grinned sheepishly. "…responsibly?" He nodded. Mike bowed and scurried off. Flash put his back pack on and climbed down the ladder.
"Hey Maddie, can I ride shotgun with you? I can read the map!" He offered.
"Sure." Flash grinned.
"Come on guys, let's go." Leonardo pounded on Raph's door, passing by into the den. "Lita, if you're still asleep we're leaving without you." He called up the ladder. Lita appeared above him.
"Ok, for one thing, I'm already up, and another thing if I didn't go you'd have no one to annoy." He leaned on the rungs of the ladder. "If I had one wish it would be that." She glared at him.
"Ok guys," Maddie put her hand on Leonardo's shoulder. "We should get moving if we want to get there at daybreak." Lita turned around and climbed down the ladder. Leonardo pushed away from the ladder and went to the kitchen to say goodbye to Master Splinter.
"Donatello, Raphael, we're waiting on you guys."
"Mr. Tagahasi, thank you for feeding my fish while we're away." Mr. Tagahasi smiled.
"It is my pleasure, Lita." Lita smiled.
"Coming," Donatello called, stumbling out of his room. He shook a static paper off of his leg. "Forgot one of my books."
"Ok, then where's Raph?"
"Mm-mm." He shrugged. Maddie sighed and jogged down to his room.
"Raphael…" She knocked on the door, one hand already opening it. Raphael was sprawled out in bed, fast asleep. His bag of stuff thrown in a corner. Maddie walked up to his bedside and picked up a pillow that had fallen on the ground. "Wake…up." She hit his stomach with the pillow. Raphael opened his eyes immediately and turned to her. He narrowed his eyes and pulled the blanket off him. Maddie yelped and took off out of the room, Raphael on her heels. He skidded to a stop in the den, seeing everyone up and awake.
"Oh…right." He yawned and turned back. Maddie sighed and shook her head. Flash jumped around the den.
"Let's go!"
5am Next Day
"Where'd you find this place anyway?" Maddie asked, driving the hippie van through the shadowy trail. There were two paths through the forest for either tire. The turtles were in the back asleep still. Flash had gone back with them for the night with Erika, Noriko, and Lita. Donatello had moved up front to give directions to the secret beach.
"I was looking over some maps of the beach and found it. Nobody comes here since it's cut off by rock jetisons. looks like it's just boulders." The van rolled over a large rock, making everyone jump. "The road ends just up here, pull over." She nodded and drove the van to the brush. "Come on, guys." Don looked back. His brothers were stretched out in the cabin, Flash's head propped up on Raphael's chest, his legs draped over Leonardo. Erika had fallen asleep on Michelangelo's shoulder. Noriko and Lita leaned against each other back to back. Maddie turned the car off and got out. Leonardo was already awake and opened the back doors. He carefully lifted Flash's legs off him and back onto the shag carpet floor. Maddie met him around the back of the van, rubbing her neck.
"The beach is about a half mile that way." Leonardo pointed off into the woods. It was almost pitch black out, light from the unrisen sun giving just enough light to see about 10 feet ahead.
"Is it that thick the whole way?" Maddie asked.
"Just about." He stretched his arms out. Donatello closed his door and came around. He started taking the things out of the back of the van.
"Ouch." Maddie rubbed her leg in anticipation. Leonardo smiled.
"I think if we go a little more south this time we'll get there faster." Donatello added. "And you should roll your socks up," He looked back. "Just in case you get bit."
"Bit?"
"We'll be fine once we get to the beach."
"Oh god."
"I think they'll still be asleep now. We'll be alright." Maddie's jaw hung open.
"Quit scaring her Don." Leonardo said.
"Woo hoo! Time for some surf 'n turf!" Mike jumped out of the van. "Who's ready to party!" He pulled himself ontop of the van.
"What's still asleep?" Maddie asked. "Rats." Mike filled in, unstrapping the surf board from the roof.
"What?"
"Rats. They're not as big as they sound though." Raphael crawled out of the back.
"You can hear them?" Mike chuckled, handing the board down to him. Flash jumped out of the back.
"Sweetness! We should catch one!"
"No." Erika corrected. Noriko followed her out and yawned. Flash pouted. Mike jumped into the back.
"Hey, if we do accidentally find a rat, we could trap it in this! Give it to Splinter." He brought a guitar out.
"Where'd you get that!" Maddie demanded.
"Raph said you could play. I grabbed it on the way out."
"Raph." Maddie growled.
"Hey, time ta go." He grabbed his bag and started off into the forest. Mike chuckled and set the guitar atop the van.
"Lita, get up!" Leonardo leaned into the back of the van. Lita had falled over onto her side and curled up on the carpet.
"Buzz off, I had to drive for 8 hours and this van has no shocks." She groaned.
"We have work to do, so get up."
"Bite me." She drew her knees up farther. Leonardo grabbed a bottle of water and squeezed it at her. Leonardo put the bottle down and looked at her. "Stupid jerk." The water flew back at him and hit him in the chest. He lost his balance and fell backwards. Mike laughed. Lita groaned and crawled out of the van. "God, it's not even light out."
"It's very dark where's you're going." Leonardo grumbled, wiping the water from him.
"I say we take or odds with the rats." Maddie grabbed their bags and Lita's hand.
"Ack!" Lita ran after her into the forest.
Raphael stood back looking the beach over. The sand was nearly white, totally smooth without and dunes. The sun was just beginning to rise, just as Leonardo had projected; casting long shadows into the beach from the surf. The water sloshed along the shoreline freely, then retreated back into the ocean. Donatello busied himself setting up the camp, lying out the towels and setting up the big umbrella Mike had brought. Michelangelo had taken Flash, Erika, and Noriko off to the fishing ridge to catch dinner, even though they had brought a cooler of food. Leonardo had dragged Lita off the minute they had arrived to begin training. She called him a long list of names but had assented to being taken away from the party. Maddie stood at the shoreline watching the water. She had taken her sneakers off and pulled the elastics out of her hair. Raphael crossed his arms. Maddie turned back to look at him, the wind blowing her hair off and in in the air. "Wanna go for a swim?" She called up the beach.
Raphael shrugged. Maddie laughed and pulled her shirt over her head. He raised an eyebrow at the red bikini top she wore. She unbuttoned her shorts let them drop around her ankles. With a kick she sent them to a pile with her shirt back onto the beach before walking out into the water. Raphael watched her dive under and swim out. He smirked and started untying his bandana.
"Ok! Throw the net over!" Michelangelo called. There was a wide water crossing that went from a river subsidary into a cave series, hidden in brushery. Fish were known to swim through there and would be caught in the netting if they set it up for themh. The turtles had been using the trick ever since they had found the caves, that first time they had came and forgot to bring food. Erika wound the net up and threw one end over. Mike reached forward and caught it over the stream. "Got it."
"Is this gunna work?" Flash asked, crossing his arms. He wore sunglasses over his eyes even though they were standing in the woods.
"Works mah-va-lously." Mike tied up the other end of the net. "We can check it again in a few hours and there'll be something in there."
"Right. So, we goin' back to camp? I wanna go surfin'."
"Yeah, but check it out, this tunnel leads right back into the ocean. So we can just go zippin' right down through!" Mike beamed.
"Is that safe?" Noriko asked, wringing her hair out. "Course! Done it tons of times." He finished the knot on the net.
"I'm in!" Flash jumped over the net and into the water, he was immediately swallowed up by the mouth of the cave. "WOOO HOOOOOO!" His voice trailed off. "Jimmy!" Erika put her hand on the side of the cave and looked in.
"C'mon Erika! It's great!" Mike jumped in and grabbed her hand on the way down. She shreiked and fell in the water. "Hold on!" He called as they shot down the twisting pitch-black tunnel. Light came in form the open end above them and reflected off the shimmering walls into the water. The tunnel sloped at an alarming angle, water sloshing around the walls. Erika screamed and held onto Michelangelo's neck. He smiled to himself and put his arm around her waist. A white light began to show at the end of the tunnel. The two shot out of the little river and into a free falling waterfall. Erika squeaked, holding onto Mike. "Take a breath." He offered. She gasped before they dropped into the ocean. Flash was already swimming towards Maddie and Raphael. Mike let Erika go so she could swim back to the surface.
"Ack!" She burst to the surface and gasped for air.
"Weee!" Mike came up next to her. "That was fun!" He turned to her and grinned.
"Mike! I'm soaked!" She looked down at her clothes. Her skirt and shirt clung to her and the bikini she had bought the day earlier was very apparent beneath.
"Ah, you can dry it out. Come on!" He back swam towards the beach. Erika growled and swam after him. "Hey Raphy!" Mike called.
"Wussup?" Raphael smiled slyly.
"…What?"
"Heh. Check it out." He nodded out to the ocean. Mike followed his trail of vision, only to find Maddie. Well, that was something to behold.
"What?"
"Hey Maddie!" She turned. "Check that out!" He pointed behind her. Maddie turned around again to where he had pointed. One of Raphael's bands was tied in the bottom knot of her bikini top. Michelangelo snickered.
"What?" She turned back around. Raphael smirked to himself. Mike started laughing. His brother had finally gotten somewhere with Maddie. Or he had made it seem that way at least. Ha.. She put her hands on her hips. "What?" She insisted. Mike pointed to his shell. She looked over her shoulder and caught site of the stripe of red fabric hanging down her back. Donatello turned the radio down and looked up from the beach. Maddie yelped. "Hey!" She reached around her back and grasped the band. Raphael started to swim away towards the beach, confirming her evolving suspicions. "Raphael! You big jerk!" Maddie called, pulled the band off. The knot around the cinch of her top came undone, tied in with the band. She shrieked again, the tails of her bikini floating in the water next to her. She threw the band away and quickly tied them back together again.