Disclaimer: Don't own them, wish I did, prolly never will. OC's are mine, however.
Acknowledgements: I'd like to sincerely apologize for the utter lack of care taken with spacing and punctuation in my last chapter. Bows Please forgive! Will fix when plot bunny quits nagging!
ReinbeauChaser: Thanks for the critique on H,M,&M, and those incosistancies will right themselves later in THIS fic. This is kind of the prequel to everything else I've written.
KLCtheBookWorm: I know, I'll fix them eventually. I really want to get this damn plot bunny out of my already cluttered mind before I do much else! You know, side fics are just spawn of plot bunnies. Yuck.
Michaelangelo's POV:
"MIKAELA!" I heard myself shout.
I felt so helpless when I saw Mika-babe get scratched and plow into the windows. I was also somewhat impressed with the amount of destruction she caused with her bodacious body alone! Three windows! That's, like, a record or something!
I saw my bro move in for the kill, an eerie light in his eyes. It totally freaked me out- I'd never seen him like that, so… so willing to kill! I mean, I was pissed off about the cheap shot, but goddamn! Leo looked livid! He almost reminded me of Raphie when I left his Sais in the toilet, and forgot about them. That turned into a major stink, pun intended!
I turned away as my bro's katana parted the air, and the creatures neck in a spray of blood. I think I turned green, er, greener than normal, cause the body, oh yuck, was flopping around like a beached fish, except it was splattering its red essence around.
"Oh, gross!" I cried as it splashed across my chest. I saw Leonardo kind of wobble, then sink to the ground.
"Leo!" I cried, rushing over to him. A quick glance behind me let me know that Raph was a little busy with the lizard thing. "Leo, bro, are you okay?" I bent over him, rubbing his shoulder gently. He looked shaken.
"Mikey," He croaked, turning a pained gaze towards me, "Go help Raphael. I'm going to look for Mikaela."
Just then two large figures swooped to the deck, Gabriella and Azriel. They rushed forward, wings rusting, feathers ruffled.
"Michaelangelo!" Gabriella shrilled, frantically scanning the area. "Where's Mika? I saw her jump, but she disappeared from view!" Her short white hair shook along with her head, "Have you seen her?"
"MIKE!" I heard Raphie shout angrily, "I COULD USE AN F-ING HAND HERE!"
""Comin', dude!" I shouted, starting towards him, "Sorry Gabby, I can't talk now, Leo can help ya!" I called over my shoulder as I palmed more shuriken to blaze at the Demon Lizard.
Leonardo's POV:
I was shaking as I explained the situation to Gabriella and Azriel. Both were frantic with worry, and quite frankly, I was terrified for the female myself.
Azriel flew us both to the jagged, gaping hole Mikaela had blasted into the structure with. There were bloodstains on the glass, on the carpet, oh gods, so much blood!
"Mikaela?" I called out. Azriel hovered outside, his wings were just too big to allow him entry. I got no answer, which led me to two horrifying options. Either she was dead, or she'd been captured, and would be dead soon.
I heard a noise. It sounded like a moan was coming out from under one of the messes of desks, chairs and paper that graced the room. The lights were out, and the filtered moonlight gave everything an frightening glow, casting gruesome shadows on the walls and floor. Then I realized that one of the big shadows wasn't a shadow after all. It was a trail of blood, leading to a pair of feet and papers.
"MIKAELA!" I cried, scattering the papers. "Oh my god, Mikaela!" The extent of her injury was a spectacle to behold. The faint rise and fall of her chest caused a flood of relief to wash over me as I gingerly picked her up, mindful of the glass that had buried itself all along her arms and legs. Amazingly enough, her ribcage and abdomen were unscathed, save for the four gashes down her left side that were still bleeding profusely.
"Oh man…" She needed immediate attention! I moved to the window.
"Azriel!" I commanded. Az flew in closer, eyes widening in horror as he saw his friend, broken and bloody in my arms.
"Oh my god, MIKA!" He cried, starting to shake.
"Azriel, look at me!" I shouted, gaining his attention. "Mikaela needs immediate care. Do you think you can carry her to the Lair? I'll send Mikey back to brief my brother."
"But-" he started.
"But NOTHING!" I yelled, handing Mikaela over. "My brother can help her, GET HER TO SAFETY!"
Azriel shot me a frightened glance and flew off into the night with his load cradled in his arms.
I leaped over the precipice and landed on the rooftop.
"Mike!" I called, running to the battle the two were involved in.
"Yo bro!" Mikey cheered, but even he couldn't hide his fear. He thwacked a Foot on the temple, dropping him like a stone. He laughed. "Mikey 23, Foot ZIP!" He grinned. "So what's the news bro?" His gaze went from happy-go-lucky to worried in point-one seconds.
"Mikey, I need you to go back to the Lair and make sure Donnie and Lillian get the full scope of what happened, okay?" He nodded as I gestured to Raph. "Raphael and I will finish up with this mess."
"Gotcha, bro. Mikey to the rescue!" He shouted, beginning his rooftop journey back home.
I turned toward my brother in red.
"Raphael!" I yelled.
"What, O'fearless leader!" He yelled back, more exasperated, as he kicked a Foot ninja in the back, sending him sprawling.
"Save some for me!" I growled, leaping into the fray- katanas exposed and whirling.
Lillian's POV:
A crash announced someone's presence in the Lair. I looked at Donnie, who got up and poked his head out the door.
"Oh my- Lillian, come here!" I heard him cry. The tone he used sent a shiver straight to my heart.
Something was really wrong.
I walked out to the living area and screamed.
Mikaela, my best friend, was lying on the couch, looking like she'd gone through a bloodbath, and a shredder.
"Mika!" I yelped, racing over to her side. I immediately noted the shallow breathing and felt for a pulse. I was relieved, she had one, faint as it was. I looked at the frantic turtle behind Don.
"Mikey, what happened?" I asked hoarsely, "Donnie, get the med kit please, I need surgical tools, gauze, antiseptics and a dose of antibiotic, something strong… penicillin?"
"Back in a flash," he said hurriedly, dashing back into his lab.
"Mikey." I ordered, snapping him to attention. "This may sound odd, but I'll need your help undressing her so we can get a better idea of the damage." Mikey flushed profusely, but nodded. "Okay, lift her shoulders up," I directed, unzipping her jumpsuit to her waist, exposing bruised and burned flesh. I rolled the suit down, and ripped the sleeves away, not wanting to risk moving any possibly broken bones. I checked her pulse again. Good, getting stronger.
"Mikey, please help me rip the front of the suit up, it needs to come off." Mikey and I painstakingly tore the uniform up making the removal process easier.
"She's gonna be mad." I murmured, as the last of it was carefully removed, exposing the true extent of injury.
Mikey whistled. "Da-amn…"
"Excuse me, but I think we should focus more on the injuries, NOT the body!" I snapped, infuriated that he would ogle my injured friend.
He held his hands up in defense, shocked. "No, no babe, not like THAT, I was commenting on her wounds- they look pretty awful!" I softened slightly as Donnie came running up with a large bundle in his hands. He flushed as well.
Rolling my eyes, I took the tweezers. "What is with you guys and blushing?" I snipped, as I began the slow and thorough process of removing the glass from her arms and legs…
About an hour into it, the two other Turtles came back to the lair, bloodied- but otherwise intact. Donatello went to give them first aid as they had a few attention-worthy cuts and scrapes, Leonardo mostly.
WHERE IS SHE! A scared-yet-enraged voice rang out in our heads. I winced. I wish she'd learn to control that… A blonde blur literally flew into the lair, trailing paper and dust in her wake. WHERE'S MIKA! Anastasia cried, running to my side, tears streaming down her face. My heart went out for her, poor girl. She looked like I felt about an hour ago, collapsed and terrified, shaking like a leaf.
Mika! She sobbed, reaching out a trembling hand to touch her forehead. Lily! I can't sense her mind! Ana cried, turning her stricken gaze to me, then to Donnie. You can help her… right? She asked, her 'voice' small and frightened.
"Yes, Ana, we can help." I soothed, my sympathies extending to her. I patted her arm. "Don't worry Ana, she'll be fine. She's getting better already."
Really?"Yes, really," Donnie interjected. "Her cuts and bruises are already healing. As for the larger cuts, I think she should be properly healed within a week." He smiled at her, patting her head. "Come on, why don't you go rest. I'm sure you're either really exhausted, or on your way to a really bad migraine." He frowned. "I'd offer you my room, but we may need that to monitor Mika…"
"She can use mine." Raphael said, surprising us all. He walked over to Ana, and helped her up off the floor.
Ana nodded and allowed herself to be led to his room.
A few minutes later, Raphael emerged.
"She's asleep." He said, moving to the kitchen.
Donatello's POV:
Once I was assured that my brother hadn't more than a few cuts, scrapes, and bruises, I re-focused my attentions back to the couch. Lillian was still patiently examining wounds for glass, tweezing what was found, daubing clean cuts, and flushing infected ones. I couldn't help but feel a twinge of warmth towards the quiet female mutant, as she cared for her friend. That twinge suddenly turned to a full-out twang of heat, as she looked up at me, smiled, and brushed her hair out of her face.
"Don, could you tie this for me?" She asked, flipping her mane over her shoulder. I could understand the need for securing it- it would keep her hair out of the wounds. Still, I flushed as she nodded towards a scrap of cloth that looked long enough to hold her thick gray-brown hair.
I picked it up. "Um, Lillian?" I gulped. "I don't know how to tie hair… I've never had any to worry about." Wow, flop of a joke. She smiled patiently.
"Just gather it all together, wrap the cloth around the hair and tie it off tightly." She winked reassuringly. "It's not hard, trust me."
I moved around behind her, hesitantly reaching out to gather the shaggy sections together low on the base of her skull. Her hair, despite its wiry appearance, was incredibly soft, almost softer than the fur behind Sensei's ears. I remember their softness from a post-nightmare hug years ago. As I was smoothing it all back, I noted a lack of human ears, replaced by dark brown mousy ears on the upper sides of her head. Said ears twitched in amusement, I supposed. I guess I was doing a clumsy job of it, but come on, I only have three fingers!
"Thank you Donnie." She acknowledged, as I tied off the ponytail with the strip of cloth from Ana's mangled jumpsuit. Said mutant was covered with a sheet now, one leg exposed for Lillian to examine.
"Woo, Donnie!" Mikey breathed in my ear as I brushed past, suddenly feeling claustrophobic in that room with two beautiful women. "Already have one snapping at bait, huh?" He grinned mischievously, winking his approval.
"Mike," I sighed, knowing what would happen if no denial was given. "You know me. I'm the computer geek, perpetual inventor. I don't care for, nor need, a woman's attention!"
"Yeah right, bro." Mike rolled his eyes, sauntering into the kitchen. I followed.
"Whaddaya mean, 'Yeah, right'?" I countered. I didn't like how he was reading me like that, it made me feel vulnerable. Having someone almost read my thoughts set off loud alarm bells in my head, making me feel non-secure. Like someone had invaded my most inaccessible sanctuary.
"Dude," Mikey said around a mouthful of cookie, spewing a small shower of crumbs. "I'm not blind. I've seen the way you look at her, how you've managed to open up to her more in the past few days than to us in the past few YEARS." He swallowed, glancing balefully at me. "I'm not an complete idiot, you know."
"Yeah, you're an incomplete one." Came a voice from the doorway. Raph opened the makeshift fridge, and pulled out a bottle of Yoohoo. "Mikey's right Donnie-bro." He took a large swig, grimaced and shook the bottle more. "We've all noticed, but like always, we gave you privacy." He swilled his Yoohoo thoughtfully. "Let it ride, Donnie. See where this goes." He looked at me meaningfully. "Once this shit blows over, what're we gonna do now that we've found more of our kind? Think about it." With that, he left, leaving two astounded turtles in his wake.
I blinked. "Was Raph… philosophic!" I was dumbfounded. To be honest, I knew he had more depth than he let on, just as Mikey had proved a minute earlier, but I foolishly thought that his vocabulary was little more than beer, rock'n'roll, and expletives galore.
"Wow, and it made sense, too!" Mikey cheered, spraying more cookie crumbs everywhere, including on yours truly.
"Mike, that is so gross." I said, sickened by the paste of saliva and cookie running down my plastron. Grabbing a washrag, glared at him, then started to wipe myself off.
"Ah, well, can't change who I am!" Mike quipped, cheeky squirt, and ambled off. "I'm gonna check up on Leo. Where is he?"
"He's most likely in the Dojo, or in his room meditating."
"'Kay."
Leonardo's POV:
I sat in tumultuous meditation, reliving the night's battle, trying to seek out weakness in our opponents. The Foot were easy to deal with, last night's even easier, possibly trainees receiving their first brutal lesson of battle. I tried to focus on the Wolf-Bat and the Lizard, but images of Mikaela, broken and bloody flitted through my consciousness, followed by a rekindling of the blazing, fiery rage I had felt after. Images of me hacking away at the Wolf-Bat, finally severing its neck, watching the head roll away in revulsion, fountains of blood streaking the night air with its pungent coppery smell.
"Leo?" I heard my brother, Mikey, call softly into the flickering darkness. I had lit incense and candles to enhance relaxation, but it just wasn't happening.
"Leo, bro, you okay?" Mikey asked, worried. He sat down next to me, searching my face over the flame of a candle. "Dude, you've got me worried." He looked down at his lap, "Bro, when I saw you fight before, you seemed so controlled, so….you. But then… Mika-babe got hurt and you… you… you lost it. I mean really lost it." He looked up, scared- something that shocked me.
"Leo, you had the same look that Raphie gets when he's really ticked off." Mikey cried, anguished. "What happened bro? We've never seen you lose it like that, or even that bad!"
I was silent. What my brother pointed out was something I wasn't able to put my finger on either. "I have no idea why, Mikey." I said softly, reaching across to grip his forearm. "I just saw Mika crash into the building, and then this volcano erupted in me."
Mikey nodded. I sighed in disappointment. "I really have no idea. It's like the thought of someone hurting her enraged me!"
For some reason, Mike smirked. I raised an eye ridge, silently asking 'What?'
"I think you liiiike her!" Mike sang.
I swear, if I'd been one of those anime characters Mike raves about, I'd have fallen over in shock.
"Not at all Mike!" I protested. He leered knowingly.
"C'mon dude, I've read the signs!" he cackled loudly, pointing at me. "It's like Raphie pointed out, we've never known more of our kind, much less FEMALES of our kind, whatever kind that is, so what makes it so unnatural for us to be attracted to them!" He gave me the fish-eye look. "Dude, you're not the only one, Donnie's got the hots for Lily-babe out there, and I'm more than sure that Raph is into Anastasia. Why do you think he actually let her into his room?" Mike reasoned.
I grunted. Why didn't I think of that?I mused, irritated at missing the obvious. "So what do we do?" I asked. I was at a complete loss. Natural instincts demanded that eventually we procreate a family, and the opportunity was handed to us, almost on a silver platter! I shoved away that thought, offended. They're not objects! I yelled at myself , They're women, and deserving of respect!
Mikey laughed. "Ride it out dude, ride it out." He stood up. "You know, it was Raph that said that." He gave another fish-eye look. "Makes me wonder just how much of those lectures he's actually absorbed!"
That brought a smile to my features.
"Go away Mikey, I need to meditate on this a little while longer."
Splinter's POV:
Journal entry:
From my carriage I could sense much of the turmoil within each mutant, and my sons. I could understand their desires and their lack of experience in dealing with such, as they have never been in what would be a 'normal' environment for experimenting and understanding their drives; physical, sexual, even life-long desires such as raising a family. I extended my sympathies to my sons. Even I was not immune to the effects of the charming Miss Mauser. But I am old, and therefore I was able relinquish any desire for attachment easily. I have had long years of practice to thank for my ability to resist earthly desires. As of late, my only true desire has been to see my sons happy and prepare for my departure from this world, which I suspect is sooner than I predicted. I must meditate more on that matter.
As for the female mutants, they have been a welcome addition to the household. I have noticed a distinct change in my sons since the arrival of Mikaela, days before. They are less irritable with each other, and in my son Raphael- grant him peace- a lessening of the torrential anger he holds within. I believe I have Miss Williams to thank. Her mere presence now soothes the rage, a startling revelation, as she has performed a feat in a matter of days, compared to the years I have spent trying to teach him to control his rage and impulses. I sincerely hope that she can continue to pacify him, and grant him the peace and happiness he deserves.
My son, Leonardo, has shut himself in his carriage to meditate on a troublesome matter. His complete loss of control shocked me thoroughly- I had never seen, or felt my son so angry. It was as if he had suddenly started channeling his brother's anger through himself! I refrain from passing a judgment on his actions, as he seems to be as confused as myself. Ah, his brother Michaelangelo has joined him, worried for him. Michaelangelo. At times it seems that he and his antics have been all that held the four together. His sweet and understanding nature allows him to soften even the hardest hearts, minutely at least. I find it odd that he, the self-appointed 'ladies man' of my sons, has not shown an interest in the newcomers. I regret to say, I thought he would be the one to react the way my three eldest have. Maybe he has more discipline than I give him credit for. I must correct that.
I must go now, journal, I feel a storm brewing outside my carriage.
Jya.
Anastasia's POV:
I'd forgotten how I got there, but I woke up in a strange room. It was neat, semi-tidy, only a few magazines and things cluttered in a corner, and a few dust bunnies here and there. I decided to take a quick peek around.
"You're awake." A voice said. I recognized it as the red one… Raphael! That was his name again.
Yeah. I brushed my hair out of my face. I felt sticky and gross. I'm up. How is Mika?
"She's sleeping now. Your mouse friend and my bro patched her up good." He jerked his head towards the outside of the carriage. "She's in the lab, Donnie's room, if you want to see her."
Lillian. I said automatically, picking my way to him.
Thanks. I patted him on the shoulder. He looked away.
"C'mon, I'll take ya to the lab." He placed a large, leathery feeling hand on my elbow and guided me to the lab. I know he knew I knew where it was, why was he acting …well, for lack of a better term, gentlemanly? It boggles the mind, especially since he'd been so hostile the first time we'd met!
Change of heart, maybe. Who knows?
"Here." Raphael held the door open for me as I timidly crossed the threshold of Lair to Lab. I immediately noticed the cloth-swathed figure on the bed.
Mika… I murmured anxiously. I sat on a stool beside her, caressing her forehead- poor thing was sweat streaked and grimy. She needed a bath once she healed. Maybe before, if the 'docs' clear it!
I looked up at a silent Raph. You're sure she'll be okay? I pleaded, imploring him for the bitter truth.
Raphael squatted beside me. "Doll, she's gonna be fine. Lillian said she heals quickly anyway, and Donnie said there wasn't any serious head trauma or internal damage." He nodded to the sheet covering her. "Already her cuts are healing, most of the smaller ones are gone!" He looked back at me, something akin to compassion flashing in his gaze for a moment. "She'll be fine."
On impulse I reached forward and hugged him.
"Thanks Raphael."
A/N: I hope this was better than last one. Mika's down for the count, but not for long, according to the 'Docs', Splinter is reveling on the emotional shifts in his children, and the girls are a little dense. Whee! I'm having fun! R&R please!
The Spade