A/N: whoops, as I was re-reading some of my work, I noticed I forgot something!

Disclaimer: I do not own the TMNT. Cassiopeia, however, is mine.

Chapter 6

"Aw, Come on April! Please?" Cassi was close to begging, but she knew April was closer to giving in. This wasn't the first time she had come to April needing a favour. By now, Cassi was becoming pretty good at reading her friend without reading her mind.

"Explain to me why again?" April asked.

"I need to be in school for the day, and get a part-time job afterwards. I want to graduate so I can get a good job. Trust me; it won't take me long to get my diploma requirements." Cassi explained excitedly.

"What makes you so confident?"

"The fact that I built a DNA analyzer at age twelve?"

April sighed. There was no point arguing with Cassi. Somehow, every time she tried, Cassi was already far too prepared for April to even THINK about winning. She was fighting a losing battle, as always. "Why do I have to be your aunt?"

"Because you need to be a legal guardian and you wouldn't pass to be my mother. You're too young and I'm a brunette." She pointed out. "I liked it better when I could control my hair colour without having to dye it." Cassi muttered quietly.

A smile twitched at April's lips. "You can't anymore, huh?" The sixteen-year-old shook her head. April looked at her friend and sighed. "Cassi, I'm not…" April started, but Cassi cut her off. She turned her back and sighed dramatically.

"I understand. I guess I'll just ask Casey. He'll agree to help me."

"Alright, alright, I'll do it!" April finally agreed. Cassi smiled slyly then turned back to April.

"Thanks Auntie April." She said sweetly.

"You're welcome, Cassi, but let's get something strait. If Casey and I ever get married and have kids, you're not allowed around them. You'll just teach them how to talk me into getting what they want." This remark made Cassi grin.

"Hopefully I'll be a little more grown up by then."

"You, grow up? I don't even think that's possible, Cassiopeia."

---

Now all I need to do is get a part time job and I'm all set Cassi thought happily. For once in my life, everything has turned out all right! I don't have some sort of stupid mess to sort out. She fumbled around her desk looking for her necklace. She couldn't find it anywhere. Panic was beginning to set in when she heard a voice behind her.

"Are you looking for this, Cassiopeia?" Master Splinter asked, holding up her necklace.

Relief washed over her, until she noticed the look on her sensei's face. She had only seen it once before, when she was eight. She once blew up her science lab and she had received the very same look from him. Cassi had never forgotten it. That look meant she was in very hot water, probably boiling.

"Err, yeah! Thanks Master Splinter!" She said forcing a smile and extending her hand. He didn't give it to her. Instead, he turned it so the engraving was facing her.

"What has been going on with you and your brother? L.T. is Leonardo Turtle and C. is Cassiopeia, but what is G.?"

"First off, Leo's not my brother."

"Are you not a turtle?"

"No! I'm not! I found out what I really was when I was twelve, remember Sensei? That's what the 'G' is!" She snapped, which wasn't like her at all. Never before had she argued with Splinter.

"I thought that was a glitch in your machine." Master Splinter replied, handing her the necklace back. Cassi took it and clipped it around her neck, then looked at her hands as she changed back.

"It wasn't." She replied quietly, tears stinging at her eyes.

"I forbid you to continue with Leonardo. Do you understand?" He told her firmly. Cassi blinked back her tears and looked at him.

"No." Was all she said to him, and then she ran out the door.

---

Leo looked down at the sword he held in his hands. It's was Cassi's, yet he couldn't get it to work. It was supposed to shoot electricity bolts or glow, yet it wouldn't. All he wanted to do was use it like a torch, as she usually did. The tunnels were quite dark after the sun had set, especially the ones that led to their spot.

He wondered what had happened to make her so upset. All four had seen her dash out of the home, crying. Cassi had been so upset that she had left her sword. That was odd for her. None of them knew for sure where she had gone, but Leo had a good idea.

Sure enough, as he approached the platform, he could hear someone singing. At first, he thought Cassi was just listening to a tape or a CD. She loved music, and she told him once that she plays guitar or puts on a CD when she needs time to cool down. As the voice became clearer, he stopped. Whoever was singing had an enchanting voice that was sweeter than any he had ever heard! Then it hit him; Cassi was singing.

"Cassi! I didn't know you could sing!"

"Sure I can. Anyone can." She replied.

"But not everyone can sing like that! That was amazing!"

"Thanks, Leo." She said, smiling slightly. It was clear she was still upset. Leo handed her sword to her.

"It wasn't working. I tried to use it to light up the tunnel." He explained. Cassi nodded.

"Only I can use it. I designed it that way." She told him as she slipped it back in its sheath. She sighed and whispered, "Master Splinter knows." Leo didn't have to ask what she meant. He knew.

"I imagine he didn't react too well." Leo said sitting down beside her.

"You're right about that." She muttered. Looking at the expression on her face, Leo could tell there was something else wrong.

"What else is bothering you?" He asked.

"Leo, I spoke back to him. I disobeyed him. I've never done that before! It's like I don't even know me anymore!" She moaned.

"Surely you've had disagreements with him in the past?" To his surprise, she shook her head.

"No, I haven't. There have been times when I've disagreed with what he said, but I never told him. I would simply say 'yes Sensei'." She replied as a tear slid down her face. "If it's alright with you, could we change the subject? Please?" Leo agreed and decided to ask her something that Mikey had been talking about earlier. As silly as it was, in a way, Mikey's question had made sense.

"When you change to a human, shouldn't your hair be magenta?" He asked, expecting her to laugh but Cassi replied seriously.

"You might as well know." She said as she gently touched her eye. Leo watched as she lifted something off. She turned towards him with one deep blue eye and one brown. "My eyes really are blue. My contacts colour my hair." She answered Leo's unspoken question. "All four of you have brown eyes; I guess I just wanted to fit in with you. While we're at it, I've got another confession to make." She sighed. Leo listened patiently as she explained. It was somewhat surprising

"The others are going to find out eventually Cassi." He didn't mean about her eyes, he meant about the secrets she kept. Cassi nodded.

"I know."

---

"So why did you wait so long after you became a human to go to school?" April asked as they pulled up in front of Cassi's school.

"I just want to go here long enough to graduate. A couple months, and I'm set." Cassi said happily.

"Okay. Let's go over your story again, just so we're both strait. Age?"

"16." She replied.

"Grade?"

"12."

"Parents?"

"They died in a car crash when I was younger."

"Name?"

"Cassidy O'Neil."

"Are you sure you want to do this?" April asked.

"I'm sure." Cassi replied, giving April a reassuring smile as she opened the car door.

---

325, 325 Cassi repeated mentally to herself as she walked down the hallway searching for her locker. When she reached it, she tossed her things in and sorted it quickly. The girl with the locker beside Cassi's was struggling with her locker door.

"Do you need any help?" Cassi asked.

"No, I'm fine. You're the new girl in my English class, right?" She asked tugging away at it. Cassi gently stopped her.

"Yeah. My name's Cassidy." Cassi said as she wiggled the girl's locker free. "Here."

"Thanks." The girl said, reaching into her locker for her books.

"No problem." Cassi smiled and took her books for the next class. She jerked up and looked at the girl. "You know Ninjitsu?"

The girl gave her an odd look. "Uh, yeah. I haven't done it for very long though. How'd you know? Oh, never mind. You saw the poster, right?" Sure enough, in the girls locker there was indeed a poster advertising martial arts classes. Cassi hadn't seen it, she had read the girl's mind.

"Yeah, I did. If you ever need help training, I'd be glad to help. I've been training my whole life." Cassi offered.

"That would be great! My stupid parents are always pressuring me to be better. Extra training would help some. By the way, I'm Christina, though I go by Christy."

"Most people just call me Cassi." She said while writing down the address of the abandoned warehouse that lead to the underground home. She tore off the piece of paper and handed it to Christy. "Just call for me and I'll let you in. Parents can be forceful sometimes, I know, but they just want the best for you and to see you succeed in what you're doing. They don't want you to be crushed if your dreams and hopes are crushed." Cassi told her, not believing that she was saying this. Splinter had only been trying to protect Cassi, and Leo, from a broken heart. He knew that she had had her eye on him since she was quite young. Christy nodded as the bell rang, ending their conversation.

---

Christy read and reread the address. This was the right place, yet it couldn't be! Who would live in a rickety old warehouse? This had to be a prank.

I am such a moron! I should have never trusted her. She probably hasn't trained her whole life. Heck, she probably doesn't even know what Ninjitsu is! With her every thought, Christy grew angrier. I should just go.

She didn't leave though. Something in here kept her there. Deep within her she hoped that Cassi might be here. Oh well, what have I got to lose? She thought as she cupped her hands around her mouth and called out "Cassi!"

---

And so it was, for the next couple months, Cassi helped train Christy. During this time, the four boys would disappear until Christy left. The blond haired girl had never seen them, and if all went according to plan, she never would.

"Okay, she's here." Cassi said to the boys one night as she unclipped her necklace and set it on the table. The boys all headed up to their rooms. As Don was going up to his, he noticed that Cassi's necklace was scratched. I'll fix it for her. He thought as he grabbed it off the table.

After he had gotten his welding things out, he noticed that the scratches were actually an engraving! It was something you would see carved in trees sometimes by teenagers. A simple shape, a heart, with two sets of initials carved inside it.

"L.T. to C.G." He pondered aloud. "C" has to be Cassiopeia, but G. And who is L.T.? Cassi's never mentioned that she was seeing someone to us. Hearing Cassi's voice from down in the lair, he decided what to do. It was the only thing he could think of doing; eavesdrop on Cassi and Christy. Girls like to talk; maybe Cassi will mention something about a boyfriend. He grabbed some gear from his room and inconspicuously snuck into Cassi's training room. Don quickly wired the room, and then snuck out before the girls reached it.

---

"This place is more amazing every time I see it! Do you live down here?" Christy asked in amazement as she looked around.

"Yes, but you mustn't tell anyone. The staff at school think I live with my Aunt April."

Christy looked around, speechless. Cassi lead her to the part where she lived. Unknown to them, Don was already back in his room, listening to every word they said.

"Cassi, this place is way too big for just you. Do you have any siblings?"

"No, but I train with four boys. They're sixteen, like I am." Cassi explained.

Cassi brought her friend into the training room. She opened a hidden door and pulled out two Bo staffs. Turning, she tossed one to Christy.

"What are their names? Are the boys cute?" Christy asked with a bit of a grin as Cassi closed storage door. Cassi shrugged in response.

"Leonardo, Raphael, Michelangelo and Donatello. They're quadruplets and they're like family to me. What about you? Do you have any brothers or sisters?"

Christy walked to the middle of the padded room with Cassi. "Yes, two older brothers."

Christy leapt into the air and tried to attack Cassi. Grasping the Bo, Cassi blocked every attack she made easily. After a while, Christy stopped.

"You're good. You've beaten me every time." She panted, obviously out of breath.

"Thank-you. As I once said, I've trained my whole life."

"And I thought my boyfriend was good." Christy gasped. "You've never mentioned anyone before, but what about you? Any special guy in your life?" Bingo Don thought slyly.

"I guess you could call him my boyfriend." Cassi said hesitantly.

"Well? What's his name?" Christy asked, very intrigued.

Cassi blushed, and looked around as if to make sure the boys couldn't hear her. "Leonardo." She whispered. Don fell off his chair.