Little Brother
By Maikafuiniel


Chapter 16
"You're only the badguy if you don't honestly believe in what you're doing."

Mikey laughed at something Bebop had said- and smiled largely as he called out another set of cards he knew the warthog would have. Sure, he had been coming to like the guy a little… just a little of course, seeing as he was the bad guy and all, but it had almost shocked him into a heart attack when he realized just how much he was enjoying his company.

They had played what he had thought to be just a few games before Tobias had come in, claiming that it was already six in the morning. They had been chatting about nothing, playing cards, for an hour. No fighting, no rude comments, no jumping up for food, just a general good time with general good company.

That was something he hadn't even been able to master with Leo or Raph after almost two decades. And now with his enemy… so, yeah. He had almost had a good heart attack.

The only reason I didn't, he decided, Is that this body is probably too young for that kind of thing.

Tobias had opened his cell, and brought him back to the training room that he had been introduced in earlier. There was a class going on already, so he was quietly lead to the back of the room where there was a number of different punching bags and mats all set up and ready to go.

"Do you know anything about stances?" Tobias asked him softly, trying to keep his voice from interrupting the other students.

"Some," Mikey replied, trying not to let loose the knowledge that he knew quite a few- something that was almost impossible for a turtle of his 'age'.

"Let's see something basic then," Tobias had requested, "If your uncle has shown you one, or your other family."

It was easy enough to fall into position, and Mikey held it for only a moment while the older man studied him. "No, no, no," he suddenly said, a little put off- and Mikey both curious and kind of insulted. He had, after all, gotten the stance perfect. He knew this stuff.

There wasn't a whole lot of things he could call himself great in, but he was- had been- one heck of a ninja. "This is wrong," Tobias said, "Who taught you this?"

"Splinter!" Mikey replied, a little angry, "I know this. This is how it's done. This is how I was taught to do it."

For a moment he wondered if he was being childish, but decided that he really didn't much care. The fuzzy feelings of the morning had all but worn off, and he was ready to go back to his family.

This was a stupid plan.

Tobias shook his head slowly. "I suppose it makes sense- he would have had to teach you an adaptive version of ninjitsu…"

"Adaptive?" Mikey asked, curious again.

Taking his curiosity wrong, the trainer explained, "A different version. A stance that he probably made up. Something much like the original, the right one, but altered because he isn't human and therefore can't move like a human. Not only that, but he's teaching more non-humans to move with non-human moves. And he had to teach them things that they would be able to do, that he couldn't. Shell spins for example- I've seen them done."

"What are you talking about?" Mikey asked faintly.

"Well, he couldn't have taught his sons how to move like they're supposed to, because he can't move like they're supposed to, you see Giovanni?" Tobias explained again, in a more childish way- something akin to how Don would talk when explaining how something worked.

"He was trying to teach you something that he wasn't made to do. Something you weren't made to do. He probably tried his best, I'm sure, and obviously they're fairly well trained ninja's…"

"So what?" Mikey asked, "What does that mean now?"

"It means that I'm going to teach you how to do this the right way," Tobias said, "We have equipment here that will study your body. The way it moves, and works. Then we can set up computer simulations of how you should best be moving around when doing ninjitsu, and I'll help you copy and learn them. By the time you're doing training for a week, you'll have gotten farther then your uncles could have done in two months at your age, because we'll know why you can or can't do things."

Mikey blinked, blinked again, and blinked a three time.

This was not what he had expected at all.


Back at the Cell

Bebop slowly picked up the scattered cards that had been left lying about the room when Giovanni had left with his sensei, and he considered what was going on. It had weirded him out, what he had done, and left him good and confused.

He was used to being confused; that wasn't the problem. It was the fact that he really didn't know if he was doing the right thing.

Have a fight with your friends, and go to your enemies? He used to beat people up for things like that. You just… weren't supposed to go to the other side like that. It made you a rat.

And sure, he wasn't a teenage mutant ninja turtle- but he was family.

Was that enough?

Did it make him a rat?

That was when the sirens started going off, the bells and whistles. Bebop poked his head into the hallway, and frowned at the sight of foot clan members running around wildly, trying to get their heads on straight.

Didn't they know how simple a fight was supposed to be?

Grabbing the gun from his waist belt, he took a quick run and made for his room, where Rocksteady was waiting for him.

"Was' goin' on?" He asked the Rhino, curious.

"Them Turtles are on the base," Rocksteady explained, "Shredder want's 'em caught."

Bebop frowned, but didn't comment.

Gio might be falling into the category of 'friend', but that sure as heck didn't make him a turncoat.