A.N.: Just so yah no, the songs in the last chapter don't belong to me.
"Backstreet's Back", obviously, belongs to the Backstreet Boys. "If I Had A
Hammer" belongs to Trini Lopez, and "We're Off To See The World" belongs to
Alvin & the Chipmunks. Also, from this point on was NOT in my dream! From
this point on, everything written is PURE fiction, & NOT a part of my
dream. Okie. Think I might've repeated myself slightly. Meh. *Shrugs*
Enjoy!
Disclaimer: Ah, man. Did I forget this again? Sorry I didn't post this before. I don't own the TMNT, or anybody else. The only people I own, are myself (Lenore), Ziptango, and of course, Daydream. Also, Zip & Day know I own them, I already explained to them why. It's basically, just 'cause. Lol.
Back to the present:
Lenore was lying in her room staring at her ceiling. Supper wouldn't be for another hour or so, and she'd nothing to do, as she wasn't allowed to leave her room. She had already thought about the day they'd had to leave their old home and had found their new one. She liked the new lair well enough, but still missed the old one terribly. They'd only been in the new one a month, the other they'd been in for fourteen years. Well, in her case, eight. But still, eight was forever, wasn't it? Well, whether it was forever or not, it sure felt like it to her.
"Why's Sensei have to be so grumpy?" She pondered. "He used to be so nice. He HAS to know by now I'm sorry for leading the Foot to our old home. I never knew he could hold a grudge, like Raph." She sighed.
There was a knock at her door then. She figured if she ignored it the person would go away, but the 'knocker' remained quite persistent.
"Come in!" Lenore called finally.
A green head with a light blue bandana poked in. "Want company?" Arista asked.
"You're gonna get in trouble," Lenore answered. "Sensei don't want nobody talking to me."
"So?" Arista shrugged. "I think you've been lonely too long, don't you? You need some cheering up."
The owner of an orange neon, white, and yellow tie-dyed bandana peered in. "Did someone say they need cheering up?" Daydream queried, her eyes shining mischievously.
Lenore laughed. "C'mon in Day."
Daydream came in, followed by Ziptango, Mily, and TMNTPunker. Raphiella came in shortly afterwards, with TygeroftheWynd, HexAdecimal, Machias, and Splinter at her heels.
"Okay, full house!" Lenore giggled. Her sisters laughed.
A green head with an orange and white striped bandana appeared in the crack between the door and the wall then. "Why's everyone in here?" Danceingfae questioned. "And you do know I'll somehow get in trouble for this, right?"
Her sisters all laughed at her, then motioned for her to come in and close the door. Danceingfae closed the door, then sat at the foot of Lenore's bed next to HexAdecimal.
"Hey, who wants to play telephone?" Daydream asked. "We haven't played the in awhile."
The girls all agreed, then sat around in the room in an odd shaped circle. Actually, it looked more like an egg than a circle, causing them all to giggle. They did Inky Pinky Ponkey to decide who'd go first, and it just so happened that Daydream wound up going first.
Daydream thought a moment, before leaning over and whispering into Ziptango's ear. Ziptango smiled, then whispered the message to TMNTPunker. TMNTPunker then whispered to Danceingfae, who told Mily, who told Machias, who told Arista, who told Raphiella, who told Splinter, who told TygeroftheWynd, who told Lenore, who finally told HexAdecimal.
HexAdecimal looked at Lenore oddly, before standing up to shout out the message she'd heard. "RAPH'S A MOO MOO NED WHO EATS POO!"
Everyone cracked up then at the look on HexAdecimal's face.
"Th-that's n-not wh-what I-I s-said!" Daydream chokes out. "I-I said-I said - Raph's a Poo-poo head who eats goo!"
The girls all laughed hysterically, but stopped short when they heard a knock at the door.
"Who is it?" Lenore called.
"It's Mikey."
"C'mon in!"
Michaelangelo entered then, and grinned at them. "Why didn't y'all tell me you were having a party in here? I would've come over sooner." He took a seat between Lenore and TygeroftheWynd. "Raph's a moo moo head, eh?"
They all smiled innocently. "Maybe."
"I start!" HexAdecimal cried. She was glad when everyone agreed to let her start this time. She whispered to Lenore, who passed it to Michaelangelo, who told TygeroftheWynd. They went around the circle backwards.
Finally, the message got to Daydream. Daydream stood up grinning. "DONNIE'S A BRAIN IN THE PAIN!"
"It's-it's - Donnie's a pain in the brain!" HexAdecimal managed through laughter.
Another knock at the door was heard.
"Come in!" Lenore called.
The door opened only to reveal Donatello, who was standing there trying to keep a straight face. "So, I'm a pain in the brain, am I?"
"Yep," the girls replied.
Donatello sat down next to Ziptango and Daydream. "Whose starting this round?" He queried.
"ME!" Arista chirped. "I got one!"
Arista told her message to Raphiella, who told Splinter, who told TygeroftheWynd, and so on. She giggled to herself wondering what the message would be by the time it reached Machias.
Machias gave Arista a weird look, before shouting the message out. "LEO'S A BOOB!"
Arista's jaw hit the floor. "Okay," she said eyeing everyone. "Who changed dude to boob?"
Lenore giggled and raised her hand sheepishly. "I did. Sorry Arista, I couldn't resist."
"He's not a boob," TMNTPunker stated. "Raph is."
"Hmm. I've an idea," Mily thought.
Another knock at the door was heard. The door opened and there stood Leonardo with his big brotherly look on his face. "You're the boob, Lenni. Not me."
"Feel free to come in," Lenore answered. She watched him sit between TMNTPunker and Danceingfae. "Next."
"I'll go," Mily said, a mischievous smile on her face. She leaned over and whispered to Danceingfae, who whispered to Leo, and again, so on.
"Man! I'm the end again!" Machias groaned, but then delivered the message. "RAPH'S A MEAT-HEAD!"
"It was Hot-head!" Mily exclaimed. "But, Meat-head's good too."
Yet another knock on the door was heard. The door flew open, and there stood a scowling Raphael. "It's not nice to call your OLDER brother a Meat- head, Pink Freak."
Mily stuck her tongue out at him. "You complaining, or playing?"
"If you're playing, close the door," Lenore piped up. "Hopefully Sensei won't hear us then."
Raphael rolled his eyes, closed the door, then plopped down next to Arista and Raphiella. "I'd appreciate it if yah made fun of someone else for a chance."
"I'll go now," Lenore said. She whispered to HexAdecimal, who grinned at her.
Michaelangelo laughed, then stood up. "MIKEY'S PACEY!"
Lenore burst out laughing, falling over in the process. "I-I said - Mikey's crazy! N-not P-Pacey!"
Michaelangelo shrugged, then started a telephone, that had just come to mind.
Unknown to his children, Master Splinter had opened the door a crack and was watching them play telephone. "About time they all got along," he thought. "Though, they WERE told to leave Lenore alone until after supper." He saw Lenore stand up then, and waited to hear what she now had to shout out.
"SENSEI'S A PEERED LEAN GOLD SMAT!"
Michaelangelo chuckled, then translated, while everyone laughed. "It's s'pose to be - Sensei's a weird, mean, old rat!"
Master Splinter entered the room then, not liking too much where it was going. He was not mean, just strict and over-protective. He watched as the children who were facing his way took notice of him, and quickly stopped laughing. The others seemed to clue in that he was there not to long afterwards.
Lenore was still giggling long after everyone else had stopped. She paused when she saw everyone looking behind her, and gulped. "Um - hi, Sensei?" She said as she slowly turned to look at him.
All of them had sheepish looks on their faces, as their father stared at them.
"Dinner is ready," Master Splinter stated with no emotion. He moved aside and watched silently as they all filed out of Lenore's room. Lenore, being the last out, stopped to stand before him.
"Sensei?"
He looked down at her. "Yes, my child?"
"Am I in trouble for letting them in?"
Master Splinter smiled softly. "No, Lenore, you are not."
Lenore smiled at him shyly. "Um - thanks?"
"Run along and eat your dinner, Small One. It will disappear or go cold otherwise."
Lenore nodded, then darted out of the room to go eat her dinner. She joined her siblings at the table, and squashed in between Ziptango and Daydream. She laughed as Leonardo and Raphael fought over a slice of pizza, and then grabbed a slice for herself.
Master Splinter stood in the entrance way to the kitchen, smiling at his students, who all seemed truly happy for once, which was amazing in itself. Normally, there would be at least one unhappy child, but at that moment, they were all laughing and joking around. He knew then that this would be one off the very rare meals where nobody fought and upset someone else.
After dinner, those assigned to kitchen duty cleaned up, then either joined the ones in the den, or the ones in the dojo. He always made sure he split them up into groups of two for evening practice, so that not everyone was fighting over the television.
Michaelangelo, Lenore, Daydream, Ziptango, TygeroftheWynd, Leonardo, Mily, and Raphiella were group one. Group two was, Donatello, HexAdecimal, Danceingfae, Machias, Splinter, Raphael, TMNTPunker, and Arista. He'd stuck Michaelangelo and Leonardo with the eight-year-olds as most of then followed Michaelangelo everywhere, and Leonardo so that he could help tone down Michaelangelo's clowning. He had also made sure to separate Leonardo and Raphael as to cut down on the bickering. They may've been fourteen like they're brothers, but they should knew how to argue like mere children. He'd stuck Raphael and Donatello with the nine-year-olds. A) To keep Raphael and Leonardo apart, and B) most followed Raphael around. Donatello was basically just there because he wanted for two boys to always be with each group of girls.
Michaelangelo, Lenore, Daydream, Ziptango, TygeroftheWynd, Leonardo, Mily, and Raphiella were all in the dojo when Master Splinter finally arrived. He arrived only to find some of the girls bickering.
"I'm standing here!" Lenore stated. "I was here first!"
"No! I was!" Daydream argued. "I'm standing next to Mikey!"
"I was!" Mily and TygeroftheWynd exclaimed together, then looked at one another. "No you weren't! I was! Hey! Stop that! I said stop it!"
Master Splinter stuck his fore fingers in his mouth and whistled shrilly. He watched as his students all grew quiet and turned to look at him. "That shall be quite enough bickering," he riposted. "Ziptango and Raphiella shall stand on either side of Michaelangelo." Proud that he'd solved that problem, he turned to get something.
"I'm standing next to Leo!" Lenore exclaimed.
"No! I am!" Daydream shouted.
"Me!" TygeroftheWynd and Mily shrieked. "Hey! Quit it! I said quit it!"
Master Splinter spun on his heel. "SILENCE!"
The four grew silent, and looked up at him sheepishly.
"You girls know better than to argue over something as silly as that."
"But-"
"No buts. Now, TygeroftheWynd shall stand next to Leo in the back. You three shall be in the front so that I can keep an eye on you."
"Figures," Lenore grumbles.
"He always watches us," Daydream adds.
"Yeah," Mily finished.
"There shall be silence during the rest of this practice session, unless a question is being asked."
"Hai Sensei," the girls answered meekly.
Everyone lined up in their spots and prepared to practice their ninjitsu. About halfway through the practice the girls were sent of to do their own thing while their brother practiced their lessons. Master Splinter walked around watching all of them, and noticed that one child was not doing their katas. He walked over to her and placed a hand on her shoulder.
Daydream had been, what else, daydreaming. She was fantasizing about their upcoming trip to the circus. She couldn't wait to go and have all the marshmallow-looking cotton candy she wanted. Okay, so maybe cotton candy didn't exactly look like a marshmallow, but it was still nice to dream. She was still staring off into space when she felt a hand on her shoulder. She jumped and let out a yelp of surprise.
Master Splinter merely chuckled to himself when his second youngest daughter jumped at his touch. "My child," he began, turning her around to face him. "Why are you not practicing like the others?"
"Sorry Sensei," Daydream apologized. "I was - ah - thinking."
"I did not name you Daydream for nothing, my little one. Now, do tell what you were daydreaming about."
"The circus," Daydream admitted sheepishly. "And all the cotton candy."
"Ah. Wise choice. That is soon, is it not?"
"Hai."
"How about you think about that later, and focus on your training right now, alright? Once done here, you may dream about it as often as you like."
"Yes, Master Splinter."
Master Splinter merely smiled and patted her head. "The circus shall come soon enough."
Daydream nodded, then went back to doing her katas.
Master Splinter walked around some more, until he spotted another child having some problems. Only, she wasn't daydreaming, just becoming frustrated, like Raphael used to when he was a child.
"Is there a problem, my child?" He asked, stopping near her.
Lenore sighed. "No."
"Then what is wrong?"
"Nothing Sensei," she answered. "I'm fine."
"Is the kata too hard?"
Lenore knew better than to say yes, for she'd heard tales of getting longer and harder katas if you said yes. She told a white lie instead. "No, master Splinter. It's not too hard."
Master Splinter nodded, knowing she was having problems, but let her be and advanced to the next student anyway. He knew her little lie was only hurting her, so he would let her learn from it. He also noted the bit of fear in her eyes when he'd asked if it was too hard. "I wonder what that was about," he wondered.
Michaelangelo watched as Lenore grew more and more frustrated, before finally throwing her bo down in disgust.
Lenore looked around hoping that no one had seen her little hissy fit. She spotted Michaelangelo and gave him a small, sheepish, grin. She quickly picked her bo up, sighed, and tried again.
Michaelangelo had seen Lenore's shoulder's slump before starting up again. Only he knew how much she wanted any weapon other than the bo. She'd confided in him when he found her crying after the girls had been given their weapon of choice. Well, Master Splinter's choice. He hated being the one to tell her that she'd been given the bo, so she wouldn't hurt herself. Not that she ever hurt herself deliberately. She was just a klutz, that's all. He remembered how Master Splinter had let the girls try all the weapons before deciding which suited them best. Lenore had stabbed herself with a sai, and sliced her foot with a sword. She had also given herself a minor concussion after conking herself in the head with a pair of nunchucks. Though she HAD tripped over the bo, it was felt it was the least dangerous and less likely to harm her.
Lenore let out a frustrated scream/growl. "Argh!" she threw her bo down yet again. She didn't see Michaelangelo making his way over to her.
"Need some help?" Michaelangelo asked, giving her a warm smile.
She looked up at him. "I can't do it Mikey! I can't!"
"Lenni, there's no such word as can't."
"Fine then, I can NOT do this stupid kata!"
Michaelangelo shook his head at her. "It's not stupid. A pain, yeah, stupid, no."
Lenore cast him an annoyed look. "Are yah gonna help me, or tease me?"
Leonardo, who was talking to Master Splinter, heard her then and smiled slightly. "She wounds like Raph, eh Master?"
Master Splinter nodded smiling. "I do believe she has some of his traits."
"I came to help," Michaelangelo answered. "Now, get your bo, and I'll see what you're doing wrong."
"Like you'd actually know," Lenore grumbled, grabbing her bo once more. "You do nunchuck katas, not bo ones."
"Just trust me, alright?" Michaelangelo told her. He eyed her stance. "First off, move your hands further apart. No. A little farther. Ah. There you go."
Lenore looked at him. "Now what? Want me to start?" She watched him nod, then began her kata. Her stopped her about halfway through and explained what she was doing wrong.
Michaelangelo watched her kata, then caught what was wrong. After explaining it to her, he took her through it slowly, explaining each step.
Leonardo looked on shocked. "H-How'd he know to do that?"
"Michaelangelo is not as much of a slacker as you think," Master Splinter verified. "I have seen him watch me closely while I teach you and everyone else the katas you must know. He learns the katas, and fights, not because he wants to, but because he has to. He much rather take care of his little sisters and nag Raphael, than have to fight."
Leonardo watched the two still. "He understands her Sensei, doesn't he?"
"I believe he may be the only one who will ever fully understand her," Master Splinter replied. "He may also be the only one to ever understand Raphael and his moods. I, myself, have not yet figured him out, and fear I may have the same problem with her."
The two of them stood there watching as Michaelangelo helped Lenore with her kata, then help TygeroftheWynd with hers.
Meanwhile, out in the living room, everyone else was either fighting over the T.V. or playing Twister. Donatello, HexAdecimal, Danceingfae, and Machias were playing Twister, while Splinter, Raphael, TMNTPunker, and Arista were arguing over what they were going to watch.
"I wanna watch Gundman's Wing!" Arista cried.
"X-men!" Splinter shouted.
"Fresh Prince of Bel-Air!" TMNTPunker yelled.
"Care Bears!"
Everyone one in the den stopped what they were doing and turned to stare at Raphael in shock.
"What?" Raphael asked. "It's not like none of you have ever watched the show before."
"Yeah. But, Raph, that's us, not you," Donatello said as HexAdecimal fell over. "You always complain when we put shows like that on."
"Oof!" HexAdecimal exclaimed. "Not fair! Raph made me laugh!"
"It is so fair!" Danceingfae argued. "I'm laughing and I didn't fall over!"
"Well, that's you," HexAdecimal retorted.
"Guys, can we just play, PLEASE?" Machias begged. "I don't wanna get in trouble again."
"We're watching Care Bears," Raphael stated, grabbing the remote and putting them on. "And whoever says ANYTHING about me watching the show, will be stuffed under the couch pillows and sat on."
"I'd like to see you try, Grumpy Bear!" Arista snapped.
Raphael said nothing as he lifted her up, then stuffed her under the couch pillow and sat back down.
"Yep, he's Grumpy all right," TMNTPunker laughed. Next thing she knew, she was being squashed under the couch pillows with Arista.
Raphael eyed Splinter warily. "You gonna say anything?"
"Nope. Not a word," Splinter answered, pretending to zip her lips shut. "Mmm?"
"Yeah, I see," Raphael said, then pulled her into his lap. "Now, quiet Kid, or wind up sharing the same fate as them."
Donatello shook his head. "Raph, just don't suffocate them or make them lose circulation in any part of their body for too long," he told his brother. "It could be damaging."
"Shut-up Donnie!" Raphael snapped. "We're watching my show."
Donatello rolled his eyes, then spun the spinner for Danceingfae and Machias, who were still in the game.
A.N.: Well, hope y'all enjoyed this chapter. I said I'd make people nicer. Lol. It may be awhile before I post another chapter to any of my stories, as I've company coming up next weekend for Easter & my birthday is the 17th. *Grins* Whoo! Lol. Also, my Mom's home now, so it's clean! Clean! CLEAN! Grr! Lol. Plz R & R! Adios! KTBSPA & KTNTPA & KTACPA & KTJTPA & KTKCPA & KTCPA & KTJTTPA!!!!!
Disclaimer: Ah, man. Did I forget this again? Sorry I didn't post this before. I don't own the TMNT, or anybody else. The only people I own, are myself (Lenore), Ziptango, and of course, Daydream. Also, Zip & Day know I own them, I already explained to them why. It's basically, just 'cause. Lol.
Back to the present:
Lenore was lying in her room staring at her ceiling. Supper wouldn't be for another hour or so, and she'd nothing to do, as she wasn't allowed to leave her room. She had already thought about the day they'd had to leave their old home and had found their new one. She liked the new lair well enough, but still missed the old one terribly. They'd only been in the new one a month, the other they'd been in for fourteen years. Well, in her case, eight. But still, eight was forever, wasn't it? Well, whether it was forever or not, it sure felt like it to her.
"Why's Sensei have to be so grumpy?" She pondered. "He used to be so nice. He HAS to know by now I'm sorry for leading the Foot to our old home. I never knew he could hold a grudge, like Raph." She sighed.
There was a knock at her door then. She figured if she ignored it the person would go away, but the 'knocker' remained quite persistent.
"Come in!" Lenore called finally.
A green head with a light blue bandana poked in. "Want company?" Arista asked.
"You're gonna get in trouble," Lenore answered. "Sensei don't want nobody talking to me."
"So?" Arista shrugged. "I think you've been lonely too long, don't you? You need some cheering up."
The owner of an orange neon, white, and yellow tie-dyed bandana peered in. "Did someone say they need cheering up?" Daydream queried, her eyes shining mischievously.
Lenore laughed. "C'mon in Day."
Daydream came in, followed by Ziptango, Mily, and TMNTPunker. Raphiella came in shortly afterwards, with TygeroftheWynd, HexAdecimal, Machias, and Splinter at her heels.
"Okay, full house!" Lenore giggled. Her sisters laughed.
A green head with an orange and white striped bandana appeared in the crack between the door and the wall then. "Why's everyone in here?" Danceingfae questioned. "And you do know I'll somehow get in trouble for this, right?"
Her sisters all laughed at her, then motioned for her to come in and close the door. Danceingfae closed the door, then sat at the foot of Lenore's bed next to HexAdecimal.
"Hey, who wants to play telephone?" Daydream asked. "We haven't played the in awhile."
The girls all agreed, then sat around in the room in an odd shaped circle. Actually, it looked more like an egg than a circle, causing them all to giggle. They did Inky Pinky Ponkey to decide who'd go first, and it just so happened that Daydream wound up going first.
Daydream thought a moment, before leaning over and whispering into Ziptango's ear. Ziptango smiled, then whispered the message to TMNTPunker. TMNTPunker then whispered to Danceingfae, who told Mily, who told Machias, who told Arista, who told Raphiella, who told Splinter, who told TygeroftheWynd, who told Lenore, who finally told HexAdecimal.
HexAdecimal looked at Lenore oddly, before standing up to shout out the message she'd heard. "RAPH'S A MOO MOO NED WHO EATS POO!"
Everyone cracked up then at the look on HexAdecimal's face.
"Th-that's n-not wh-what I-I s-said!" Daydream chokes out. "I-I said-I said - Raph's a Poo-poo head who eats goo!"
The girls all laughed hysterically, but stopped short when they heard a knock at the door.
"Who is it?" Lenore called.
"It's Mikey."
"C'mon in!"
Michaelangelo entered then, and grinned at them. "Why didn't y'all tell me you were having a party in here? I would've come over sooner." He took a seat between Lenore and TygeroftheWynd. "Raph's a moo moo head, eh?"
They all smiled innocently. "Maybe."
"I start!" HexAdecimal cried. She was glad when everyone agreed to let her start this time. She whispered to Lenore, who passed it to Michaelangelo, who told TygeroftheWynd. They went around the circle backwards.
Finally, the message got to Daydream. Daydream stood up grinning. "DONNIE'S A BRAIN IN THE PAIN!"
"It's-it's - Donnie's a pain in the brain!" HexAdecimal managed through laughter.
Another knock at the door was heard.
"Come in!" Lenore called.
The door opened only to reveal Donatello, who was standing there trying to keep a straight face. "So, I'm a pain in the brain, am I?"
"Yep," the girls replied.
Donatello sat down next to Ziptango and Daydream. "Whose starting this round?" He queried.
"ME!" Arista chirped. "I got one!"
Arista told her message to Raphiella, who told Splinter, who told TygeroftheWynd, and so on. She giggled to herself wondering what the message would be by the time it reached Machias.
Machias gave Arista a weird look, before shouting the message out. "LEO'S A BOOB!"
Arista's jaw hit the floor. "Okay," she said eyeing everyone. "Who changed dude to boob?"
Lenore giggled and raised her hand sheepishly. "I did. Sorry Arista, I couldn't resist."
"He's not a boob," TMNTPunker stated. "Raph is."
"Hmm. I've an idea," Mily thought.
Another knock at the door was heard. The door opened and there stood Leonardo with his big brotherly look on his face. "You're the boob, Lenni. Not me."
"Feel free to come in," Lenore answered. She watched him sit between TMNTPunker and Danceingfae. "Next."
"I'll go," Mily said, a mischievous smile on her face. She leaned over and whispered to Danceingfae, who whispered to Leo, and again, so on.
"Man! I'm the end again!" Machias groaned, but then delivered the message. "RAPH'S A MEAT-HEAD!"
"It was Hot-head!" Mily exclaimed. "But, Meat-head's good too."
Yet another knock on the door was heard. The door flew open, and there stood a scowling Raphael. "It's not nice to call your OLDER brother a Meat- head, Pink Freak."
Mily stuck her tongue out at him. "You complaining, or playing?"
"If you're playing, close the door," Lenore piped up. "Hopefully Sensei won't hear us then."
Raphael rolled his eyes, closed the door, then plopped down next to Arista and Raphiella. "I'd appreciate it if yah made fun of someone else for a chance."
"I'll go now," Lenore said. She whispered to HexAdecimal, who grinned at her.
Michaelangelo laughed, then stood up. "MIKEY'S PACEY!"
Lenore burst out laughing, falling over in the process. "I-I said - Mikey's crazy! N-not P-Pacey!"
Michaelangelo shrugged, then started a telephone, that had just come to mind.
Unknown to his children, Master Splinter had opened the door a crack and was watching them play telephone. "About time they all got along," he thought. "Though, they WERE told to leave Lenore alone until after supper." He saw Lenore stand up then, and waited to hear what she now had to shout out.
"SENSEI'S A PEERED LEAN GOLD SMAT!"
Michaelangelo chuckled, then translated, while everyone laughed. "It's s'pose to be - Sensei's a weird, mean, old rat!"
Master Splinter entered the room then, not liking too much where it was going. He was not mean, just strict and over-protective. He watched as the children who were facing his way took notice of him, and quickly stopped laughing. The others seemed to clue in that he was there not to long afterwards.
Lenore was still giggling long after everyone else had stopped. She paused when she saw everyone looking behind her, and gulped. "Um - hi, Sensei?" She said as she slowly turned to look at him.
All of them had sheepish looks on their faces, as their father stared at them.
"Dinner is ready," Master Splinter stated with no emotion. He moved aside and watched silently as they all filed out of Lenore's room. Lenore, being the last out, stopped to stand before him.
"Sensei?"
He looked down at her. "Yes, my child?"
"Am I in trouble for letting them in?"
Master Splinter smiled softly. "No, Lenore, you are not."
Lenore smiled at him shyly. "Um - thanks?"
"Run along and eat your dinner, Small One. It will disappear or go cold otherwise."
Lenore nodded, then darted out of the room to go eat her dinner. She joined her siblings at the table, and squashed in between Ziptango and Daydream. She laughed as Leonardo and Raphael fought over a slice of pizza, and then grabbed a slice for herself.
Master Splinter stood in the entrance way to the kitchen, smiling at his students, who all seemed truly happy for once, which was amazing in itself. Normally, there would be at least one unhappy child, but at that moment, they were all laughing and joking around. He knew then that this would be one off the very rare meals where nobody fought and upset someone else.
After dinner, those assigned to kitchen duty cleaned up, then either joined the ones in the den, or the ones in the dojo. He always made sure he split them up into groups of two for evening practice, so that not everyone was fighting over the television.
Michaelangelo, Lenore, Daydream, Ziptango, TygeroftheWynd, Leonardo, Mily, and Raphiella were group one. Group two was, Donatello, HexAdecimal, Danceingfae, Machias, Splinter, Raphael, TMNTPunker, and Arista. He'd stuck Michaelangelo and Leonardo with the eight-year-olds as most of then followed Michaelangelo everywhere, and Leonardo so that he could help tone down Michaelangelo's clowning. He had also made sure to separate Leonardo and Raphael as to cut down on the bickering. They may've been fourteen like they're brothers, but they should knew how to argue like mere children. He'd stuck Raphael and Donatello with the nine-year-olds. A) To keep Raphael and Leonardo apart, and B) most followed Raphael around. Donatello was basically just there because he wanted for two boys to always be with each group of girls.
Michaelangelo, Lenore, Daydream, Ziptango, TygeroftheWynd, Leonardo, Mily, and Raphiella were all in the dojo when Master Splinter finally arrived. He arrived only to find some of the girls bickering.
"I'm standing here!" Lenore stated. "I was here first!"
"No! I was!" Daydream argued. "I'm standing next to Mikey!"
"I was!" Mily and TygeroftheWynd exclaimed together, then looked at one another. "No you weren't! I was! Hey! Stop that! I said stop it!"
Master Splinter stuck his fore fingers in his mouth and whistled shrilly. He watched as his students all grew quiet and turned to look at him. "That shall be quite enough bickering," he riposted. "Ziptango and Raphiella shall stand on either side of Michaelangelo." Proud that he'd solved that problem, he turned to get something.
"I'm standing next to Leo!" Lenore exclaimed.
"No! I am!" Daydream shouted.
"Me!" TygeroftheWynd and Mily shrieked. "Hey! Quit it! I said quit it!"
Master Splinter spun on his heel. "SILENCE!"
The four grew silent, and looked up at him sheepishly.
"You girls know better than to argue over something as silly as that."
"But-"
"No buts. Now, TygeroftheWynd shall stand next to Leo in the back. You three shall be in the front so that I can keep an eye on you."
"Figures," Lenore grumbles.
"He always watches us," Daydream adds.
"Yeah," Mily finished.
"There shall be silence during the rest of this practice session, unless a question is being asked."
"Hai Sensei," the girls answered meekly.
Everyone lined up in their spots and prepared to practice their ninjitsu. About halfway through the practice the girls were sent of to do their own thing while their brother practiced their lessons. Master Splinter walked around watching all of them, and noticed that one child was not doing their katas. He walked over to her and placed a hand on her shoulder.
Daydream had been, what else, daydreaming. She was fantasizing about their upcoming trip to the circus. She couldn't wait to go and have all the marshmallow-looking cotton candy she wanted. Okay, so maybe cotton candy didn't exactly look like a marshmallow, but it was still nice to dream. She was still staring off into space when she felt a hand on her shoulder. She jumped and let out a yelp of surprise.
Master Splinter merely chuckled to himself when his second youngest daughter jumped at his touch. "My child," he began, turning her around to face him. "Why are you not practicing like the others?"
"Sorry Sensei," Daydream apologized. "I was - ah - thinking."
"I did not name you Daydream for nothing, my little one. Now, do tell what you were daydreaming about."
"The circus," Daydream admitted sheepishly. "And all the cotton candy."
"Ah. Wise choice. That is soon, is it not?"
"Hai."
"How about you think about that later, and focus on your training right now, alright? Once done here, you may dream about it as often as you like."
"Yes, Master Splinter."
Master Splinter merely smiled and patted her head. "The circus shall come soon enough."
Daydream nodded, then went back to doing her katas.
Master Splinter walked around some more, until he spotted another child having some problems. Only, she wasn't daydreaming, just becoming frustrated, like Raphael used to when he was a child.
"Is there a problem, my child?" He asked, stopping near her.
Lenore sighed. "No."
"Then what is wrong?"
"Nothing Sensei," she answered. "I'm fine."
"Is the kata too hard?"
Lenore knew better than to say yes, for she'd heard tales of getting longer and harder katas if you said yes. She told a white lie instead. "No, master Splinter. It's not too hard."
Master Splinter nodded, knowing she was having problems, but let her be and advanced to the next student anyway. He knew her little lie was only hurting her, so he would let her learn from it. He also noted the bit of fear in her eyes when he'd asked if it was too hard. "I wonder what that was about," he wondered.
Michaelangelo watched as Lenore grew more and more frustrated, before finally throwing her bo down in disgust.
Lenore looked around hoping that no one had seen her little hissy fit. She spotted Michaelangelo and gave him a small, sheepish, grin. She quickly picked her bo up, sighed, and tried again.
Michaelangelo had seen Lenore's shoulder's slump before starting up again. Only he knew how much she wanted any weapon other than the bo. She'd confided in him when he found her crying after the girls had been given their weapon of choice. Well, Master Splinter's choice. He hated being the one to tell her that she'd been given the bo, so she wouldn't hurt herself. Not that she ever hurt herself deliberately. She was just a klutz, that's all. He remembered how Master Splinter had let the girls try all the weapons before deciding which suited them best. Lenore had stabbed herself with a sai, and sliced her foot with a sword. She had also given herself a minor concussion after conking herself in the head with a pair of nunchucks. Though she HAD tripped over the bo, it was felt it was the least dangerous and less likely to harm her.
Lenore let out a frustrated scream/growl. "Argh!" she threw her bo down yet again. She didn't see Michaelangelo making his way over to her.
"Need some help?" Michaelangelo asked, giving her a warm smile.
She looked up at him. "I can't do it Mikey! I can't!"
"Lenni, there's no such word as can't."
"Fine then, I can NOT do this stupid kata!"
Michaelangelo shook his head at her. "It's not stupid. A pain, yeah, stupid, no."
Lenore cast him an annoyed look. "Are yah gonna help me, or tease me?"
Leonardo, who was talking to Master Splinter, heard her then and smiled slightly. "She wounds like Raph, eh Master?"
Master Splinter nodded smiling. "I do believe she has some of his traits."
"I came to help," Michaelangelo answered. "Now, get your bo, and I'll see what you're doing wrong."
"Like you'd actually know," Lenore grumbled, grabbing her bo once more. "You do nunchuck katas, not bo ones."
"Just trust me, alright?" Michaelangelo told her. He eyed her stance. "First off, move your hands further apart. No. A little farther. Ah. There you go."
Lenore looked at him. "Now what? Want me to start?" She watched him nod, then began her kata. Her stopped her about halfway through and explained what she was doing wrong.
Michaelangelo watched her kata, then caught what was wrong. After explaining it to her, he took her through it slowly, explaining each step.
Leonardo looked on shocked. "H-How'd he know to do that?"
"Michaelangelo is not as much of a slacker as you think," Master Splinter verified. "I have seen him watch me closely while I teach you and everyone else the katas you must know. He learns the katas, and fights, not because he wants to, but because he has to. He much rather take care of his little sisters and nag Raphael, than have to fight."
Leonardo watched the two still. "He understands her Sensei, doesn't he?"
"I believe he may be the only one who will ever fully understand her," Master Splinter replied. "He may also be the only one to ever understand Raphael and his moods. I, myself, have not yet figured him out, and fear I may have the same problem with her."
The two of them stood there watching as Michaelangelo helped Lenore with her kata, then help TygeroftheWynd with hers.
Meanwhile, out in the living room, everyone else was either fighting over the T.V. or playing Twister. Donatello, HexAdecimal, Danceingfae, and Machias were playing Twister, while Splinter, Raphael, TMNTPunker, and Arista were arguing over what they were going to watch.
"I wanna watch Gundman's Wing!" Arista cried.
"X-men!" Splinter shouted.
"Fresh Prince of Bel-Air!" TMNTPunker yelled.
"Care Bears!"
Everyone one in the den stopped what they were doing and turned to stare at Raphael in shock.
"What?" Raphael asked. "It's not like none of you have ever watched the show before."
"Yeah. But, Raph, that's us, not you," Donatello said as HexAdecimal fell over. "You always complain when we put shows like that on."
"Oof!" HexAdecimal exclaimed. "Not fair! Raph made me laugh!"
"It is so fair!" Danceingfae argued. "I'm laughing and I didn't fall over!"
"Well, that's you," HexAdecimal retorted.
"Guys, can we just play, PLEASE?" Machias begged. "I don't wanna get in trouble again."
"We're watching Care Bears," Raphael stated, grabbing the remote and putting them on. "And whoever says ANYTHING about me watching the show, will be stuffed under the couch pillows and sat on."
"I'd like to see you try, Grumpy Bear!" Arista snapped.
Raphael said nothing as he lifted her up, then stuffed her under the couch pillow and sat back down.
"Yep, he's Grumpy all right," TMNTPunker laughed. Next thing she knew, she was being squashed under the couch pillows with Arista.
Raphael eyed Splinter warily. "You gonna say anything?"
"Nope. Not a word," Splinter answered, pretending to zip her lips shut. "Mmm?"
"Yeah, I see," Raphael said, then pulled her into his lap. "Now, quiet Kid, or wind up sharing the same fate as them."
Donatello shook his head. "Raph, just don't suffocate them or make them lose circulation in any part of their body for too long," he told his brother. "It could be damaging."
"Shut-up Donnie!" Raphael snapped. "We're watching my show."
Donatello rolled his eyes, then spun the spinner for Danceingfae and Machias, who were still in the game.
A.N.: Well, hope y'all enjoyed this chapter. I said I'd make people nicer. Lol. It may be awhile before I post another chapter to any of my stories, as I've company coming up next weekend for Easter & my birthday is the 17th. *Grins* Whoo! Lol. Also, my Mom's home now, so it's clean! Clean! CLEAN! Grr! Lol. Plz R & R! Adios! KTBSPA & KTNTPA & KTACPA & KTJTPA & KTKCPA & KTCPA & KTJTTPA!!!!!
