Note: The comment Raph makes about never seeing the kid's ears is V. important...later on in the story.
Chapter 2:
Raph lay in his bed that night, staring at the ceiling. For some strange reason, he couldn't stop thinking of that kid. He turned over onto his side and groaned.
"I don't even like kids!" he protested.
A barley audible thud came from the turtle's living room.
"Again!" Raph said, throwing off his blankets. "He's gotta stop falling asleep on his feet!"
Raph threw open the door. "Mikey!"
"What?!" Mikey asked, throwing his door open.
"Don?" Raph asked.
"Nope," Don answered.
"L-Leo?"
"What's going on?" Leo asked groggily.
"Master Splinter?"
"He's asleep," Leo answered.
"Then..." Raph crept cautiously over to the couch, both sias in hand. He quickly looked over and raised the three-pointed sword in a battle-ready position. "Kid?!"
On the floor next to the couch lay the raven-haired boy. He was coated in blood and dirt. Raph jumped over the couch and put a hand on the boy's shoulder. He shook him lightly. "Kid. Kid, wake up."
Slowly the boy regained consciousness. He looked up at the worried masked face of Raphael. "Turtle!" he mumbled absentmindedly.
"How'd you find this place?" Raph asked.
"Followed...big rat," he said sleepily.
"Big ra...Master Splinter went topside?" he asked.
The boy nodded weakly.
"Who is it?" Leo asked.
"If it's K.C.—!" Mikey started.
"Shut up!" Raph snapped. "It's the kid."
Leo bounded over the couch and squatted down next to Raph. "What happened to him?" he asked.
"No idea," Raph answered. "He followed Master Splinter down here."
"Kid," Leo said softly, "what happened?"
"Invisible men," he answered.
"Foot," Don observed. By now, the two of them had sat down next to their brothers.
"What's yer name?" Mikey asked.
"Ry...Ryu..." His voice faded and he was unconscious once more.
"Get him on the couch," Raph ordered. "Mikey, get Master splinter. Don, we need bandages and cold water."
"Yessir!" Don and Mikey set of in opposite directions.
Leo and Raph hoisted Ryu onto the couch.
"What in..." Raph brushed away a lock of black hair. A barcode was tattooed onto his neck, under it the number 18-20-15.
"Cold water, bandages, towel," Don repeated as he lay the items down next to the couch.
"Master Splinter," Mikey finished the checklist.
"What is so important that you wake me up at twelve thirty?" Master Splinter asked, slightly ticked off.
"Take a look," Leo ordered.
"Take a look at what? If it's a pet, you can't keep him," Splinter said in advance.
He peered over the top of the couch and saw Raph wiping blood of a thirteen- year-old boy.
"What happened?" he asked.
"The Foot," Leo replied.
"Apparently he followed a big rat down here," Raph said.
"Busted!" Mikey said.
"Michelangelo! There are more important things to do than tease your Master at this moment!" Splinter said strictly, striking the butt of his walking stick on the floor. ...........................................
Hours had passed since Ryu's arrival. Everyone had gone back to their rooms, Master Splinter included, and fallen asleep. Except Raph, who slept on the floor next to the couch.
For half an hour after everyone had left, he had stared at the teen-aged human. Why hadn't he gone home instead of coming here? Where were his parents? Weren't they worried about him? What was up with the barcode on his neck? Why didn't his hair ever show his ears? Even when he lay on his side, the locks never left...why? Which did he like better, pepperoni or cheese pizza?
By the time he had fallen asleep, he had a mental book of questions to ask the kid when he woke up.
Ryu slowly regained consciousness. He had a throbbing and everything hurt. He had been beaten before, of course, it was part of being a ninja, but never like this.
He slowly lifted himself up on his arms and moved is legs off the couch. They were numb. He swung them back and forth a little to get the feeling back and felt one foot hit something hard.
"Ow!"
Ryu pulled his legs back up on the couch.
"That was my head kid!" Raph said.
"Sorry," Ryu apologized.
"Don' bother. I've been kicked in worse places," the turtle replied. "What're you doing?" he asked.
"You wouldn't mind if I grabbed a snack er somethin', would ya?" Ryu asked.
"Nah. Stay there, I'll get it," Raph said, walking to the kitchen.
"Thanks." Ryu lay back down. Of course he knew the turtle, but he didn't know the turtle. Why was he being so nice? Sleeping on the floor when he had a bed, this guy was insane.
"Hey kid!" Raph called.
"Yeah?"
"What do you like better, cheese or pepperoni?" he asked.
"Uh...cheese," Ryu answered.
"That's one question out of my head," Raph mumbled, putting a slice of cheese pizza on a plate. "Only a few more to go."
Raph walked out of the kitchen and switched on a light. He sat back down on the floor and handed Ryu the plate.
"Thanks."
"No prob," Raph mumbled.
"I'm sorry to come barging in like this," Ryu apologized (he seemed to be doing quite a bit of it). "You don't even know me that well. If you wanna throw me out, please don't hesitate."
"That's a bit harsh. But I do have a few questions I need answers to."
"Shoot," Ryu said, taking a bite out of the pizza.
Chapter 2:
Raph lay in his bed that night, staring at the ceiling. For some strange reason, he couldn't stop thinking of that kid. He turned over onto his side and groaned.
"I don't even like kids!" he protested.
A barley audible thud came from the turtle's living room.
"Again!" Raph said, throwing off his blankets. "He's gotta stop falling asleep on his feet!"
Raph threw open the door. "Mikey!"
"What?!" Mikey asked, throwing his door open.
"Don?" Raph asked.
"Nope," Don answered.
"L-Leo?"
"What's going on?" Leo asked groggily.
"Master Splinter?"
"He's asleep," Leo answered.
"Then..." Raph crept cautiously over to the couch, both sias in hand. He quickly looked over and raised the three-pointed sword in a battle-ready position. "Kid?!"
On the floor next to the couch lay the raven-haired boy. He was coated in blood and dirt. Raph jumped over the couch and put a hand on the boy's shoulder. He shook him lightly. "Kid. Kid, wake up."
Slowly the boy regained consciousness. He looked up at the worried masked face of Raphael. "Turtle!" he mumbled absentmindedly.
"How'd you find this place?" Raph asked.
"Followed...big rat," he said sleepily.
"Big ra...Master Splinter went topside?" he asked.
The boy nodded weakly.
"Who is it?" Leo asked.
"If it's K.C.—!" Mikey started.
"Shut up!" Raph snapped. "It's the kid."
Leo bounded over the couch and squatted down next to Raph. "What happened to him?" he asked.
"No idea," Raph answered. "He followed Master Splinter down here."
"Kid," Leo said softly, "what happened?"
"Invisible men," he answered.
"Foot," Don observed. By now, the two of them had sat down next to their brothers.
"What's yer name?" Mikey asked.
"Ry...Ryu..." His voice faded and he was unconscious once more.
"Get him on the couch," Raph ordered. "Mikey, get Master splinter. Don, we need bandages and cold water."
"Yessir!" Don and Mikey set of in opposite directions.
Leo and Raph hoisted Ryu onto the couch.
"What in..." Raph brushed away a lock of black hair. A barcode was tattooed onto his neck, under it the number 18-20-15.
"Cold water, bandages, towel," Don repeated as he lay the items down next to the couch.
"Master Splinter," Mikey finished the checklist.
"What is so important that you wake me up at twelve thirty?" Master Splinter asked, slightly ticked off.
"Take a look," Leo ordered.
"Take a look at what? If it's a pet, you can't keep him," Splinter said in advance.
He peered over the top of the couch and saw Raph wiping blood of a thirteen- year-old boy.
"What happened?" he asked.
"The Foot," Leo replied.
"Apparently he followed a big rat down here," Raph said.
"Busted!" Mikey said.
"Michelangelo! There are more important things to do than tease your Master at this moment!" Splinter said strictly, striking the butt of his walking stick on the floor. ...........................................
Hours had passed since Ryu's arrival. Everyone had gone back to their rooms, Master Splinter included, and fallen asleep. Except Raph, who slept on the floor next to the couch.
For half an hour after everyone had left, he had stared at the teen-aged human. Why hadn't he gone home instead of coming here? Where were his parents? Weren't they worried about him? What was up with the barcode on his neck? Why didn't his hair ever show his ears? Even when he lay on his side, the locks never left...why? Which did he like better, pepperoni or cheese pizza?
By the time he had fallen asleep, he had a mental book of questions to ask the kid when he woke up.
Ryu slowly regained consciousness. He had a throbbing and everything hurt. He had been beaten before, of course, it was part of being a ninja, but never like this.
He slowly lifted himself up on his arms and moved is legs off the couch. They were numb. He swung them back and forth a little to get the feeling back and felt one foot hit something hard.
"Ow!"
Ryu pulled his legs back up on the couch.
"That was my head kid!" Raph said.
"Sorry," Ryu apologized.
"Don' bother. I've been kicked in worse places," the turtle replied. "What're you doing?" he asked.
"You wouldn't mind if I grabbed a snack er somethin', would ya?" Ryu asked.
"Nah. Stay there, I'll get it," Raph said, walking to the kitchen.
"Thanks." Ryu lay back down. Of course he knew the turtle, but he didn't know the turtle. Why was he being so nice? Sleeping on the floor when he had a bed, this guy was insane.
"Hey kid!" Raph called.
"Yeah?"
"What do you like better, cheese or pepperoni?" he asked.
"Uh...cheese," Ryu answered.
"That's one question out of my head," Raph mumbled, putting a slice of cheese pizza on a plate. "Only a few more to go."
Raph walked out of the kitchen and switched on a light. He sat back down on the floor and handed Ryu the plate.
"Thanks."
"No prob," Raph mumbled.
"I'm sorry to come barging in like this," Ryu apologized (he seemed to be doing quite a bit of it). "You don't even know me that well. If you wanna throw me out, please don't hesitate."
"That's a bit harsh. But I do have a few questions I need answers to."
"Shoot," Ryu said, taking a bite out of the pizza.