Cooler. More coming your way…right…now!

Disclaimer: The Ninja turtles are not mine! When Donny is, I'll be just fine! Though Mike, Raph and Leo are sublime. …I don't know how to finish this rhyme.

…TURTLE POWER!

Chapter Eight

Owen stepped into the store, blinking lightly as his eyes quickly adjusted to the weird lighting within. Red and blue as well as a few white light bulbs illumined the store as such, making everything seem extraordinary eerie. Black clothes occupied every shelf, line, and hanger as well as the bodies of the few individuals in there. Well, not every piece of clothing was black, but from where he was standing, it sure looked like it!

"Can I help you?"

Owen turned, and froze, his eyes widening as he beheld the most bizarre teenager he had ever seen in his long life.

Clad in complete and utter black, the teen looked up at him; the bright red contacts in his eyes making Owen grow uneasy under his gaze. Chains ran over the guy's chest, crisscrossing over the black spandex looking tee-shirt he wore before continuing down and over his body only to loop through the holes on the sides of guys long pant legs, (Which seemed to be the purpose of the holes, but he couldn't be too sure.) The chains then came back up individually, only to attach to the various belt loops on his waist.

Owen stared at him in complete shock. 'What…the hell?!'

However, other "jewelry" also adorned the boy's body, each one more grotesque than the next. A red spiked choker inhabited his thin pale neck as well as both of his equally thin wrists. Owen also noticed the several looped earrings that ran up and down the boy's ears, the longest ones inhabiting the boy's earlobe as they just brushed his shoulders with the blood colored skull tipped ends. Just when Owen thought he couldn't handle anymore, he noticed another piece of jewelry which he didn't see until the boy spoke once again.

And it made his stomach churned because of it.

A crimson glass stud inhabited his mouth, poking through the hole right in the middle of his tongue!

He grimaced, staring at it in bewilderment. He couldn't help but wonder as to how the boy was even still able to talk with that kind of monstrosity in his mouth. Nevertheless, the teen seemed to have no difficulty with his speech as he addressed him for a second time.

"Hey, dude. I said, can I help you?"

With complete distaste and appall, Owen then noticed the boy's nails and the black nail polish that inhabited them as well as the lip stick that also painted his lips black. However, the guise did not end there. To top it all off, the boy's hair seemed to defy all gravity and physics as it stood on end in all directions in six inched, red tipped spikes.

"Hey, dude? Can you…hear me?"

Owen was too stunned to speak and his face all but mirrored it.

Lucky for him, however, this time he didn't have to.

"N-No, I think we can find our way around, thanks." Mike stepped out from behind the gaping Owen as he gripped him by the arm to pull him away and deeper into the store. At Mike's response, the guy shrugged before turning back to finish his shelving.

"Well…you guys make sure to call me if you need anything. My name's Steve, by the way." He threw one last glance at the strange pair before disappearing into the backroom.

"Yeah, no problem." Mike responded nervously before turning back to the gaping Owen and almost laughing because of it. Even now Owen did not speak, but just stood there, the same expression of absolute shock and horror frozen onto his features as his eyes stayed glued to where the boy had disappeared.

Mike grinned.

However with the following moments, and no change in Owen's expression, Mike's grin faulted as he began to worry.

'What if he gets frozen like that?…'

"Owen?"

At his name, Owen turned to him, his mouth opening and closing a few times as his thought process began again after coming to that screeching halt the "boy" had brought about. Blinking, he addressed the turtle for the first time.

"Wh-…" He stopped, unable to get out anymore as his gaze fell back to the door where the creature had disappeared into. "What the hell was that?!"

Mike nearly doubled over at Owen's obvious ambivalence and serous question.

"A punk." He answered simply, his grin brightening, before turning only to walk deeper into the weirdly lit store in dismissal.

"Here," He stated absently, the past confrontation all but forgotten, "Why don't you look for something you like and go try it on."

Owen blinked as another thought quickly came over him, filling him with heavy dread. Almost angrily, he crossed his arms as he stood his ground.

"Not if I'm gonna end up looking like that!"

Mike smiled a little at Owen's seriousness. Man, he needed to get with the times! With the way Owen was acting you would think he was born a thousand years ago or something…

"No, Owen. You don't have to look like that if you don't want to." Mike stated exasperatedly, as if he was reassuring a child. At Mike's "reassurance" Owen only huffed before slowly uncrossing his arms. "Good! Cause I don't want to look like that." His gaze turned back to Michelangelo, of who seemed to not be listening anymore as he looked into the vast amount of clothing on the racks before him.

"No one said that you had to…" He stated absently before turning back, his arms full of black clothing. "Now, go and try these on." He shoved the bundle of clothing and hangers into Owens arms before shoving the entire mass, Owen and all, into the general direction of the dressing rooms. At the shove, his feet moved automatically as he absently tracked to the back of the store. As he went, though, Owen eyed some of the clothes in his hands with distaste. Upon reaching the changing rooms, he found an open one, but did not go inside as he grew nervous once again.

'Are you sure you want to do this?' He asked himself. However, he didn't get a chance to wait for an answer.

"Dude! Just get in there!"

At Mike's speech Owen startled from his thoughts. He turned just in time to catch Mike throw him a 'thumbs up.'

'Well, here goes.'

Owen turned back, the empty room looming out front of him. With one more sigh, more to calm his nerves than anything else, he stepped inside and shut the door behind him.

"Come on, Dude. It can't be that bad!" Mike huffed as he leaned against the wall next to the changing stall Owen was still in.

"Believe me, it is." Was Owen's response. Mike rolled his eyes.

"Look, let me be the judge of that, Ok! Now, come out!"

"Is there a problem?" Mike turned his head just in time to see Steve approach him, his chains rattling with each stride. Mike stayed there as he waited for the guy to finally make his way over before speaking; his voice exasperated with the impatience caused by the vampire within.

"Yeah, there's a problem. He won't come out!" Mike threw a thumb over his shoulder and in the direction of the stall as Steve nodded knowledgably before making is way over to the locked door.

Meanwhile, Mike looked at his watch.

It was going on an hour since Owen had first stepped into that damn dressing room.

However, before he could completely get over his annoyance, soft knocking soon flowed to his ears as Steve gave it a try.

"Come on out. It can't be that bad." He coaxed softly. Meanwhile, Mike soured.

'That's what I said!'

From inside of the dressing room, Owen frowned.

This was all just too foreign. He didn't want to come out, but it seemed that the longer he stayed in there the more they addressed him like some tempering child, which only added more to his embarrassment and discomfort.

He listened now as Steve knocked on the door, willing him to come out and because of it, he sighed, leaning against the door in defeat. There was no other way out, except for that one door…

To the surprise of both of them, the door clicked from the inside as it was finally unlocked. At the heavenly sound Mike grinned.

He was finally coming out!

However, nothing could prepare him for what came next.

Owen stepped out of the changing stall and Michelangelo and Steve gasped in unison. Owen's shirt was the purest of black except for the icy blue Celtic cross on its front. The cross's sudden brightness seemed to make Owen's pale skin and hair stand out as well, giving them both a glow that would have never been there before. On his legs, Owen wore a pair of long black pants, not much different from that of Steve's. However, his pants, instead of loops going up its sides, had long, thin strips of thick cloth from his thighs that hung down and swayed as Owen walked. They also added color to the equally dark pants; each piece being the same icy blue as the cross on one side and black on the other.

Except for his frown, Owen looked awesome!

Both Mike and Steve stood frozen as Owen frowned heavily, watched them both for their reactions. When none came, he took it as such and turned back into the stall.

"See, I told you it was horrible."

However, Mike's voice soon broke the heavy silence, causing for Owen to turn back and for Steve to grin.

"No Dude! You look Totally Awesome!" The turtle punched the air in emphasis before breaking into a wild and crazy grin. Steve, too, grinned, as he nodded in agreement.

"He's right! You look fucking sweet!"

At this Owen's frown lightened, but didn't let up. He couldn't help but be skeptical.

"But I feel ridiculous."

He truly did. The big pants he wore he was anything but use to, and he felt like a clown because of it. However, once again, Steve disagreed with his assumptions.

"But you looked totally incredible!"

Owen threw him another look as Steve sighed. Fine. He wanted proof…

"Here, if you don't believe me; there's the mirror." Steve motioned to the outside of the door where the full length mirror hung proudly. Owen blinked as he realized what that meant. Although the thought of seeing himself filled him with dread, he had to admit.

He was curious…

Both the smiling Steve and the grinning Michelangelo stepped back to give Owen room to shut the door as he looked into the full length mirror for the first time…and froze.

Owen stared into the mirror. A typical Twenty-first Century teenager stared back.

Behind him, both Steve and Mike waited as Owen looked in the mirror, but at the absence of a reaction, Mike lost his patience first.

"Well?" He prompted. At that Owen blinked as a slow smile spread over his lips.

"I like it." He stated simply before turning around. Mike beamed as Owen began to grin as well.

"See, dude! I told you you would!"

Meanwhile, Steve grinned before turning to the smiling Owen.

"Do you want to try on anymore clothing, or is that it?"

At that Owen shook his head before motioning towards the changing room full of clothes. Mike's eyes widened as well as Steve's grin at Owen's next statement.

"No, that's ok, I've tried enough. I'll just take them all…"

"Dude, I don't believe you just bought them all!" Mike shuffled down the dark street, the bags in his hands making it just that much harder. Owen shrugged as he too, walked, his own backs making it rather difficult as well. He was now clad in his old clothes, for his other ones he was in had to be rung up at the front counter.

He still smiled anyways. He really did like his new clothes and he would have to thank Mike later for them.

However, because of that 'like,' both of them now struggled with two bags each, each one heavy with the dark material of his new clothes. Meanwhile, Mike sighed, but grinned nevertheless and the memory of a few moments ago. Earlier, Mike had assumed that Owen was poor; him having no home, no clothes, and barely any belongings. But now, he realized that he had been dreadfully mistaken.

"Dude, where did you get all of that money?! You're, like, freaking rich!" At that Owen blinked slowly, thinking over what to tell the turtle.

He wasn't a lair. And he wouldn't start now. But if he did tell him what exactly he did for a living he knew that the night would never end as question after question after question would flow from him and his brothers…

"Odd jobs." He stated simply. He prayed that that was enough. Heaven only knew how much of a bind he would be in if he had to say what those odd jobs were. However, Mike only nodded in acceptance as the manhole cover soon came up.

This was their stop.

Owen sighed in relief as Mike looked around, eyeing there surroundings. I would be best that no one saw them go into the sewers for that might lead to followers. However, there was one guy approaching them and for that Mike waited. The guy seemed sidetracked as he walked, but when he met eye contact with them, his eyes widened before as quickly turning the corner. Mike shrugged.

"Geez, what was his proble-?" He stopped when he finally caught sight of Owen as his eyes, too, grew wide at the sight of the man. However, his eyes soon grew distant and sidetracked as he absently shoved his bags into the turtle's hands before quickly walking off into the night.

"Mike, Can you take these back to the lair for me? I have…some things…to take care of."

"W-Wha-?!" Mike frowned as he fumbled in confusion as the sudden weight weighted his arms down heavily. He was barely able to get out his question as he struggled with the suddenly large mass of plastic and clothing in his arms.

"Where are you going?!" He asked into the night, his voice strained, as the distance between him and Owen grew considerably in his few moments of struggling. At the loud and panicky inquiry, Owen turned back, his own voice still distant...

"Just bring those back to the lair. I know the way back. I'll be by later." And with that Owen continued into the night, only to turn into the same alley he saw the guy turn into only moments ago.

Now suddenly alone, Mike analyzed the quickly changing situation. There he was, heavily laden with bags, and told to go back to the lair by the mysteriously disappearing vampire. However, with one more look in Owen's direction, he knew what he was gonna do.

Quickly, he looked around for somewhere to stash the bags and settled for the thick bushes nearby. They would not been seen nor stolen here. Besides, he would come back for them later. It didn't take to long for them to disappear within the thistles of bush, and when they did, Mike stood, smiling slyly before walking in the direction he had seen Owen disappear into only moments before.

"He never said when to bring them home…" He ginned as he disappeared into the night. Where Owen went wasn't even an issue as his ninja stealth and tracking soon lead him right to the vampire. In no time at all he soon found himself hot on Owen's trail as he watched the vampire from above.

He would be finding out what was going on, or his name wasn't Michelangelo, which it was.

-

Wow! This took no time at all! I think I may even be posting this today as well! Two chapters in one day! A record! (Btw, I feel the action revving up…I hope you're ready for it! :D) R and R.