Author's note

Hi everyone! Sorry for the long wait, but in my defense I finally started working again! I know how lucky I am right now for that… I hope as many of you as possible can provide for themselves and their families in these hard times. I also hope you're all staying safe :)

Anyhow, onward to chapter 4! As always, I do not own TMNT but if I did there would have never been a Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles series! (sorry to the fans but I really did not like that one…)

To reward your patience, let us meet the mysterious musician!

The sun was rising upon the Ancient One's domain, and so were many of its occupants. Over time, ever since Splinter's visit with his sons so many years ago*, the Ancient One had welcome numerous people to live with him. Well, many mutants to be exact. It had been an arduous and complicated task but he had manage to build a mutant sanctuary. Most of them were humans who were mutated by their respective homeland government, secret societies or criminal gangs. Some had escaped on their own, some were freed by the Ancient One and the growing number of mutants living and training with him in the mountains.

The old master was always up with the sun. He calmly made his way to the dining room to drink a morning tea, even though he insisted on doing it himself, there was no stopping her. It was her way of saying « thank you » and she claimed she was used to getting up at wee hours. As he walked in, there she was, pouring a cup of tea, graceful and careful as ever. She had not been here for as long as others and yet she was very much the mistress of the house by now. Many among the younger ones saw her as a big sister or even a mother. She did not spoke much of her old life, beside mentioning that she was a newly appointed geisha when she was kidnapped and mutated by the Foot. Something else she did not talk about.

Hearing him, she looked up at him and smiled. That quiet and gentle smile… so much was held behind it. It pained him at times but he also knew that she would come and talk to him on her own terms. Or perhaps never and he would have to make peace with that. Although… Something had changed after Leonardo's arrival. It was subtle, it took some time… but the change was there. Some of the sadness in her gaze had been lifted, her smile was truer and not just a reflex. She was playing music now, when she thought no one could hear. That was something she wouldn't do before, even though he suspected she had musical education (almost all geisha do).

Also, she now paid more attention to her appearance, before she was of course clean and proper but that was it. No particular effort was put into it but now… Today she was wearing a silver and blue yukata* with a waterfall design on the sleeves. It was shorter than normal to accommodate her mutant, salamander like appearance (the tail had to fit somewhere). Her long, silky, raven hair was held up in an intricate messy bun with a simple long silver hair stick. She was beautiful, even by human standards. Her face kind of ressemble that of Leonardo and other reptile mutants but much more delicate, her dark eyes definitively still those of a human. Her lips were also still apparent, a slightly darker shade of green than her smooth pale skin. Not a sickly green, more like a pale spring green, like early maple tree leaves when winter would finally break its icy hold. A subtle black line upon her upper eyelids made her gaze even deeper than before, if that was possible. He suspected the special care she would put in her appearance had something to do with the steel-eyed and jade skinned turtle but he decided against asking. He knew better than to try and learn the secrets held within a woman's heart. She rose to greet him;

« Ohayōgozaimasu sensei* »

« Kon'nichiwa… Kaida-san* »

1. It was explained in season 5 (Lost episodes) ep 10 "Fathers and sons" that Splinter took his sons to Japan to bring his master Yoshi's ashes to lay by Tang Shen' side

2. A lighter kimono, like a summer dress

3. "Good morning master"

4. "Hello" Her name, Kaida, means "little dragon".

Until next time folks! Don't forget to wash your hands!