Fish Fry!
Chapter 1
by Mandy

Author's notes: Okay, the name fish fry really doesn't mean anything except for I loved going to those fish fry thingies when I used to live down South. They would be at a church and you could by a meal with fish (duh!), grits, coleslaw, and of course sweet tea. Since this is a story about fish, I thought the name was appropriate even though it really isn't. I also wanted to mention that this strange idea wouldn't leave my head so I needed to get it down. The reason why the story revolves around Mikey will be clarified at the very end but I really don't want to spoil anything. I also have to mention that I have a hard time writing in detail and this fic requires writing lots of details because you, the reader, are getting introduced to a totally new world. In saying that, I know it's going to take me a long time to hash out each chapter so that this fic flows well. Anyways, I hope you enjoy this fic. It certainly is different from the other fics I've written, so reviews about what you think about it would be cool: even if you don't like it or think it's boring.

It was early in the morning when Mike left the lair. I can't believe I got up so early in the morning. Mike thought to himself as he clutched a surfboard near to his side. This was a time that Mike would rarely see himself out of bed but it had to be done. How else could he sneak out of the lair?

The city was quiet ( A/N: and if I'm wrong on this then sue me cuz I've never been to NYC *sticks her tongue out*). Most of the city was still cuddled up in bed on this beautiful Saturday morning (A/N: watching turtles of course). Mike knew he had a good chance of being caught and getting in big trouble but it didn't really matter to him. It was all worth it. To be able to surf the waves, lie on the beach, and perhaps make a sand castle. The best part was that there wouldn't be any humans around to bother him. Sure the water would be colder in the morning but that didn't really matter to Mike. He had figured out the perfect spot where nobody would be able to spot him.

There was a beach, which had a big sign that bared a warning. It warned of the strong undercurrents and a $100 fine. Mike figured he was a good enough swimmer. That sign was up for stupid people who didn't know how to swim. They'd end up killed and of course the family would have to sue the state for tons of money. All people cared about now a days was money. Besides, dangerous waters would make things more interesting and adventurous.

Mike had never surfed these waters before so he really didn't know if the waves would actually be good. If not, at least he could do some intense swimming; periled waters could make for a good workout.

Mike reached the beach around six am. From the looks of it, the waves didn't look promising at all. Disappointed, Mike stuck his board in the soft sand. Mike stood by his board and looked towards the waters once again. He couldn't figure out what was so bad about them. They looked pretty mellow to him. Finally he ran towards the water and proceeded out until the waters were deep enough to swim in. The water was frigid but Mike ignored the cold. He was sure that he'd eventually get used to it.

Besides the normal waves he felt pass through him, this water didn't seem any different than the regular beach. Mike was hoping for more of a challenge. He had been out swimming for an hour now and decided it was time to head back home. The trouble he'd be in when he got home certainly wasn't a thought he enjoyed but he had to come home some time. Mike looked out to the beachside where he had left his board and noticed that he was a bit over from where he had started. Strange how that always happens he mused as his foot felt a strange tug. He struggled against the mysterious force but it was too little too late. It pulled him underwater. He continued to struggle for a couple more minutes, trying so hard to hold his breath. Finally, he won the battle and resurfaced. Unfortunately he was far from the beach side. All he could see around him was water.

"How the heck could I have gotten so far from the shore?" wondered Mike.

"Oh well, I can just swim back. Hmm..The only question now is, which way is back?" Mike looked at the position of the sun.

"If the sun rises from the east and sets on the west then I should swim in the opposite direction of the sun since it's morning."

Mike began to swim in the path that he had decided on. After an hour of swimming, he began to feel a bit fatigued from the struggle from earlier that morning and all of that swimming.

"It took me only a couple of minutes to make it out here and yet it's taking me forever just to get back." Mike glanced around to see if he could see any sign of land yet. He noticed with horror that the sun was in a different position relative to him than when he first started. Instead of behind him it was to the left of him. He was so busy swimming and thinking about home that he hadn't realized it.

"Damn it...At this rate, I'll never get home." Mike realigned himself with the sun and began swimming again. By noon, it was hard to tell which way to go anymore since the sun was straight up in the sky. Mike was exhausted and frustrated. He wondered if he even was going to ever see home again. His leg was now cramped and he was in a lot of pain. Mike decided to float on the waters so he could rest awhile. He closed his eyes to avoid the sun burning them. The combination of exhaustion and the warm feeling of the sun caused Mike to finally fall asleep.

He was awoken by a violent pull on his shell. Soon after he had awakened, he was once again knocked out.


Mike could hear Leo and Raph arguing in the background. The TV was on but who knows if anybody really was watching it. Mike could hear the soft clicking of keys that was probably Don typing away at his keyboard. Was it morning?

Mike groaned as his attempted to get up, he felt so tired and it was such a struggle. He knew that Splinter would probably punish him for sleeping in this morning. His head felt like it was hit by a train. He finally opened his eyes but the sight he was awoken to was not his room in the lair. In fact, he had trouble focusing his eyes. Everything was so blurry. He was in a small, dimly lit room. He opened his mouth in awe, which caused a rapid surge of water to enter his mouth. To his surprise, he was having no trouble breathing. The water wasn't being swallowed though but it had to be going somewhere. This has just got to be a dream, Mike thought to himself. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw something move. He quickly got up and swam towards the thing. This creature was frozen with fear. It was frightened of him but at the same time curious as to what this turtle creature was. Mike came up to touch the creature. He wanted to say it was all right but no words could come out of his mouth.

The creature before him would not be thought of as beautiful in the eyes of a human. It was like no other creature he had ever seen except for maybe a fish. The creature had a long tail covered with gills. It was green in color but was shiny when looking at in certain angles. It had three fingers on its hands just like him. It's eyes were all black and it's head was somewhat shaped like a human's. The face was very much different from a face of a human. There was no mouth he could see. There were projections coming out where eyebrows would be and on it's cheeks. There was something shiny in the middle of its forehead, perhaps some sort of jewelry. At first, Mike was disgusted by the creature, perhaps because he wasn't used to seeing something so different. He looked away, no longer being able to bear the sight of it. The thought made him cringe. How could he think that way when he only wished humans wouldn't judge him by his looks? Reflecting on the thought, he decided to give it another look. This time he saw the creature for what it was. He realized that this was truly a beautiful creature. Just because it was different didn't mean it was ugly. Beauty is in the eyes of the beholder and this beholder was in awe.

He held out his hand hoping to touch the creature. The creature reacted by backing away. Mike waited a few minutes hoping to gain trust from it. He once again reached forward, very slowly. The creature looked as if it was flinching at the thought of contact. Then it happened. His hand was touching the creature's hand. The creature's hand felt rough yet soft. They looked into each other's eyes. Finally the creature grasped his hand firmly and guided Mike back to the room he awoke in. The creature sat him on the bed and looked in his eyes again. Mike heard a beautiful noise vibrate in the water. He wondered where the noise was coming from when he realized that it was coming from the creature. This must be the way they communicate.

The sound resonating from the creature had caused other creature to gracefully appear in the room. They were all looking at each other and making more song like noises to each other. One of them was making gestures towards him and kept looking back it him as if it was talking about him. At first all of the creatures looked all alike to Mikey, but then he started noticing differences that made each one of them unique such as: body size, markings on the skin, and shape of the face. Finally, they turned their attention to him and started making the singing noises to him. He wasn't sure what they want, maybe a way just to say "hi". Then the touching began. Each one of them touched some part of him. Mike felt a little weird about the whole touching thing but let them explore him anyway. (A/N: ack! no more touching!) He noticed that the first creature he has met was behind the others; just looking at him in what he thought was a thoughtful way. He lifted up his hand to wave at the creature. This action startled the other creatures and they backed away quickly. This of course startled Mike. "Whoops", he thought.

After a few minutes, the creatures had gotten over Mike's sudden action and were close to him again. Another creature came into the room and motioned to the other creatures. The other creatures took a hold of Mikey and guided him out of the room and down a long corridor. The walls looked like they were built by sand or some other white substance. There were many rooms down the hall that looked just like the room that Mike had found himself in that also had bedlike structures. Maybe this was some sort of hospital.

They reached what looked like to be an exit and what Mike saw next would have left him breathless if it weren't for the lack of air already. A bustling city lay ahead of him with beautifully structured buildings and thousands of the creatures and colorful fish swimming around everywhere. Creatures stopped in their motions, curious to see Mikey. Young creatures were yanked by their parents to continue moving. Lights illuminated the city because of the lack of natural light. This city was probably very deep underwater. Mike was too busy taking in the sights to notice that the creatures had slowed down in front of a large, important looking building. He nearly ran into the back of the creatures.

They slowly guided him into the building that had more open areas than the hospital-like building. He was taken up through a tunnel to another floor. On this floor, there was a large, open room that was colorfully decorated. A group of creatures were gathered together as if they were awaiting his arrival. A few creatures, including the one he had originally met, had come up to the group and began vibrating noises at each other (sounds like a whale would make).

Some of the vibrations sounded intense as if they were mad. Some of them sounded like they were trying to counter the anger with a reasonable argument. Eventually the vibrating subsided and all eyes were on Mikey. A few of them came over to him and guided him out of the room. He was brought down through the same tunnel and out of the building. The city was still bustling when he came out and many stopped to stare. Many of them looked frightened by the way they were frozen and looked ready for a flight response. It made him feel uncomfortable.

He was brought into a smaller building and guided down a hall to a small room. They vibrated to one another before shutting the door. He heard a clicking noise that probably meant they were locking him in for who knows how long. He sat down on the bedlike structure in the room, feeling lonely. There were no windows and nothing but walls. He was desperately homesick and confused by the day's events. He realized that he was very exhausted and soon fell asleep.


"Hey, Don?" Don looked away from the computer and turned his attention to Mike.

"Yeah, Mike?"

"Have you seen Raph or Leo?"

"Ummm...no, I haven't."

"Oh, I, um...never mind."

"Huh? What's wrong Mikey?" Don asked with concern in his voice.

"Nothing, really..it's stupid.." Mike began to walk.

"Wait...did you want to talk about it?" Mike blinked a few times, unsure if he should. Don smiled.

"Come on, I won't bite." Mike smiled and Don motioned Mike to have a seat in the chair next to him.

"I guess, it's just that I feel lonely sometimes. Our world is so limited and I feel like such a prisoner down here. I watch TV and see people on the streets and I wish I would be able to interact and be with people like that too. Why can't I just be normal? I guess I just felt especially lonely today since Master Splinter is meditating and Leo and Raph have disappeared off somewhere." Mike's voice cracked at the end of his sentence. Don sighed.

"I know, it's tough Mike. So many times I have wished I could also get out of this place and live a normal life. I guess it's harder for you than it is for me, because I can deal with being alone but you're more social than me. I don't know what to say that would comfort you except that you are not all alone at least. At least you have Leo, Raph, Master Splinter, and me. Imagine what it would be like if you had nobody. So feel lucky to have family."

"Yeah, I guess you're right but still..." Mike looked down and as if his twiddling hands were the most interesting thing in the world.

"Hey, am I really that bad to hang out with?" Don asked, smiling. Mike looked up, a smile began to sneak its way onto his face.

"Yes, you are, Don."

"Oh, I see, so you wouldn't be interested in play Super Mario Melee with me then?" Mike perked upon hearing the game.

"Well, I'll make an exception, because I know I'll kick your butt." Don rolled his eyes and laughed.

"Yeah, whatever, we'll see." Mike eagerly led Don out to the Gamecube, forgetting his loneliness at the moment.


I wonder why I just thought about that just now. Mike wondered in the wake of his sleep. He felt so lonely and now realized how much family had really meant to him upon remembering his conversation with Don that was only a couple of weeks ago. Now I just wish I had my family back instead of being locked away.

Mike heard the door rattle open and the first creature he had met swam cautiously in. It sat down by Mike and touched his hand. They both looked down at their hands and then made eye contact. There was warmth to this creature that made Mike feel more at ease. It was as if the creature could sense Mike's pain and confusion. The creature made soothing vibrating sounds. Maybe things will work out...eventually.


Well, that's it for the first chapter. *hides* I'm so embarrassed. I think I have about two more chapters planned for this story. I'll just have to see how it all goes. Not much really happened and it was very vague but things will be clarified in the next chapter. It will get more interesting, I promise! (don't make promises you can't keep..sigh) Also in the next chapter, some time will have elapsed so Mike will know more about what's going on. Stayed tuned to for the next chapter.


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