Disclaimer: We do not own TMNT, or any related characters.
A/N: Aaron here. Back again! I can't tell you how much this story is to write, thanks for all your reviews, guys! Glad to hear you like it!
The second Don's nose was back through the doorway, he was assaulted by a second pillow.
"I'm distressed, not deaf!" Joan cried indignantly with a hint of teenage girl melodrama.
She hefted the last pillow from her bed. Don chuckled as he ducked out of the room. He silently thanked master Splinter for giving the sais to Raph and not Joan, her aim was deadly accurate. Don peeked his head into Splinter's chamber.
"She's coming."
Splinter nodded and dismissed his son while he waited for his daughter to arrive.
&&&&&&
Joanny flopped back onto her plastron and sighed before rolling herself off the bed.
She poked her head out of the room cautiously, not wanting to alert her brothers of her emergence from her room. She'd had enough conversation on the dating topic for one day. In fact she'd had enough to last her a good twenty years, she smiled absently to herself, because there was no way they'd let her alone on that subject for a life time.
The coast was clear. Raph and Mikey were head to head in a vicious Halo battle. Don had already managed to absorb himself in his latest project, whatever the heck that heap of metal was supposed to be. Meanwhile Leo was in the middle of the dojo perfecting yet another kata, done, to her great advantage, with his eyes closed.
Joan slid the door to Master Splinter's room open without so much as a sound and quickly slipped inside, shutting it behind her. When she turned she saw Splinter sitting on the ground next to a low wooden table on which had been placed a tea pot and some tea cups.
"You wanted to see me, Father?" Joan asked.
Master Splinter gestured for her to join him on the floor next to the table.
"Tell me, Joanovarc, why it is you feel you are not equal to your brothers?"
The question caught Joan slightly of guard. She fumbled for her words
"Well, I uh, you all... You treat me like I'm a baby. Everyone in this household is on special alert watch over me. I can't go any where or talk to anyone or do anything with out someone around to make sure I'm ok. I've been practicing ninjitsu with Leo, Raph, Don and Mikey as long as they have and yet everyone's convinced I'm still a klutz of a beginner." Joan's voice started speeding up, getting out the thoughts she'd often contemplated alone in her room,
"I'm not a child anymore!" Her voice grew louder to match the speed. "You all treat me as if I'm incapable of doing anything myself, like I can't go any where without protection. Like I'm not old enough to handle exactly what my brothers can! You let them fight! You let them go topside alone! You let them see the girls of their fancy!" she stopped and added, "The ones that we know, anyway. It's just not fair!"
Joan finished her rant and immediately dropped her eyes and blushed at her outburst. "Sorry, sensei." she muttered halfheartedly. Her rage of words was uncalled for but it had been the truth.
She shifted her weight uncomfortably. Master Splinter continued to sit calmly on the floor eyes fixed on his daughter's face which only made Joanny squirm all the more.
Silence reigned over the room. It seemed Splinter had retreated into the far reaches of his mind, his expression unreadable, as usual when he fell deep into thought; leaving Joanny waiting anxiously for his response.
"Perhaps," Master Splinter spoke finally, causing Joanny to start in surprise; "your brothers and I have been too overprotective of you..."
Joanny glanced over at her father in disbelief.
"What?" She squeaked.
"I said, perhaps your brothers and I have been too overprotective of you. It is true we wish to keep you out of harm's way, but maybe too much so. You must learn independence and it seems you have voiced your opinion that you are ready for such lessons."
Joanovarc sat there for a moment on the floor, dumfounded as Splinter reached out and poured them each a cup of tea. She was tempted to pinch herself, just to make sure the present conversation was real.
Joan had been expecting weeks of fighting, bickering, pouting, door slamming, and other childish acts until her family would sigh one last time and agree to let her grow up. But now, after a mere five ten minute conversation (most of which spent in pondering silence) her freedom from warily over precautious family was hers for the taking.
"Tea?"
"Huh?" Joan whipped her head up and blushed; realizing she'd taken on Master Splinter's habit of spacing out.
"Tea?" Master Splinter patiently asked again.
"Oh, yeah, sure." Joan reached out and grabbed her cup and began to drink the bitter liquid her family affectionately referred to as green tea and began to sip, carefully minding not to scald her tongue.
"Um, Sensei?" She ventured after a few more moments of silence.
Master Splinter raised his eyebrows and waited for her to continue.
"Now that you've decided to let me grow-up and all, do you think I could, you know," Joan glanced nervously away from her father's steady gaze, "have that date?" Joan bit her lip anxiously.
"Who is this suitor of which you speak?" Master Splinter asked without hesitation.
"Well, I uh, met him at the battle Nexus while you were all having an adventure..." Joan stopped herself as her voice went sour from missing out on all the 'fun'.
"Yes, you mentioned something like that at dinner." Splinter nodded.
"And um, his name is uh, Kagai Hirestukan."
"How is it that you intend to meet with such a being that I can only assume lives galaxies if not dimensions away?
"He um, mentioned his race has a teleport device thingy and could visit earth at any time if I agreed to let him take me out for a night."
"I assume, then, you have been keeping contact, somehow, with this young man..."
Master Splinter trailed off waiting for an answer.
"Yeah, I actually have been, you know, emailing and stuff." Joan glanced down at her hands.
"Thus the reason you now spend so much time in your room, alone..."
Joan nodded.
"In his dimension, they're rather sophisticated in technology and can work nearly any system in our universe..."
Splinter nodded knowingly.
"So, date? Yes or no?" Joan asked directly on last time, wanting more than anything to get out of the room and out of the hot-seat.
"I believe that it might be best to bring the young man or being to our home to meet our entire family."
"Sensei!" Joan whined, "I thought you were going to be a little more on my own!" She slumped down, pouting.
"And after a analyzing your suitor, perhaps we shall entertain the idea of you dating."
Joan's eyes and ears perked up, "Really?"
Splinter nodded.
"YES!" Joan shrieked.
Outside the chamber in the Lair, four male teenage mutant ninja turtles looked p from their various activities to see a brilliantly smiling Joan exit Splinter's room and skip off to her own, but not before she pointed her forefinger out at all of them and yelled, "IN. YOUR. FACE!"
Don, Leo, Mike and Raph glanced 'round at each other and shrugged, wondering what the shell had happened now.
To be continued…
A/N: Please review.