Munks Meet More Mutants
About This Story: While the Chipmunks are taking a spring break concert tour, they spend a few days in New York City, where they meet a group of their unlikely fans - the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Age-wise they are 11. I don't own any part of the Chipmunk franchise, just borrowing them from Nickelodeon, Janice Karman, & Ross Bagdasarian, their family, & their company. I also don't own any part of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles franchise, just borrowing them also from Nickelodeon, as well as Mirage Studios (Kevin Eastman & Peter Laird & their entourage) who founded them.
About This Chapter: Rated PG, for mentions of mild teenage dating relationship drama, and some mention of self-harm (cutting) and punishment that borders on child abuse.
Pairings: Alvin/Brittany, Raph/Angel, Leo/Karai, Alvin/Karai
8. Band Plans
"...And this is the side-room of the garage where our garage band meets to practice." Angel led Alvin in Raph's body, giving him a tour of the outskirts of the Lair.
"We had to keep it separated from the part of the garage where Donnie works." Mikey explained as he followed the two of them. "Something about Donnie wanting peace and quiet as he does his nerd business. And that's why Donnie also sound-proofed the room."
Alvin marveled, "It's bigger than the music room at my house."
Angel added, "Sometimes we even put on a show for other family members and friends. There's room for them to pull up chairs and sit, but they usually wanna dance. We're even thinking of throwing a 'Mutant Prom' here later this spring or sometime early in the summer. We haven't set an official date yet. You and your family are welcome to come, if you aren't too overbooked with concerts and end-of-school-year parties of your own."
Mikey laughed as he shared a combined high-three/high-five with Angel. "Yeah, we're even on the planning team for that. Angel, because she can be the DJ and pick music, April, since she knows about other stuff that goes into a prom, and me, because I like to party. And, anyone else who wants to help us is welcome to it."
Alvin giggled. "That sounds awesome! I hope we can come, too." He glanced down, "And, no offense to Raph, but I hope I'm back in my own body by then, so I can dance like my chipmunk self and not have to re-learn how to dance as a turtle." He sighed, but changed the subject by motioning between Mikey and Angel. "So, does this mean that you two are going together to this prom?"
The two of them looked at each other and shared a laugh before Mikey explained, "Cool as you are, Angel, I was actually hoping to ask Shinigami. Besides, I know of someone else who probably wants to ask you." He started indicating with his eyes toward Alvin, before he remembered, "Oh yeah, I keep forgetting that's Alvin."
Angel shrugged, "I would totally go with him, if his out-of-town girlfriend Mona Lisa is still nowhere near this galaxy. Otherwise, she better watch her back!" She pretended to be tough by slamming one of her fists into the palm of the other hand, but she was laughing too hard.
Alvin giggled. "Whaaaat? Raph just got a lot more interesting. He has an out-of-town girlfriend that he didn't tell me about?"
Angel nodded. "Yeah, he's showed me pictures of her and he's told me about her once in a while. They met in space, on some planet that's not in this galaxy. She actually sounds pretty cool, and I've jokingly asked him stuff like 'So, when is the wedding? Where is the wedding? As in what planet? And where are you guys registered? Where are you gonna go on your honeymoon? Where are you gonna live? How many kids are you gonna have?' Stuff like that, just to give him a hard time. My favorite answer he gave was, 'We're still looking at some great real estate on planets in good school districts.' Ha! I'm not sure how it's all gonna work out, not the inter-species thing with her being a lizard-like alien and him being a mutant turtle, but finding a planet where they can both live without the need for space suits. Of course I'm getting into some really awkward territory wondering and asking about how complicated that's gonna make consummating their marriage. But Raph can be fun to mess with like that sometimes. He tries to act all tough, but he's like hard candy on the outside with a soft and chewy center. He's like another big brother to me."
Mikey added, "And if the inter-species thing was an issue for this Mutant Prom, we'd all be in trouble! I'm not prejudiced against humanity, since Shini is human."
Angel smiled, "And I'm not prejudiced against mutants, since I may go to the Mutant Prom with one, and most of my friends are mutants. Besides, I've never been sure my brother Casey is one-hundred-percent human."
Alvin laughed. "Well, if things don't work out with Raph's out-of...galaxy girlfriend, I can see why he'd like to take you to that Mutant Prom - you're as cool as all three of the Chipettes combined! I mean, you're sweet and daydreamy like Jeanette, you've got Brittany's awesome sense of style, and you're talkative and spunky like Eleanor. And Eleanor has told me many times before that I'm like a big brother to her. And thank you for finding some great human clothes I could wear, since I still felt naked in just the usual Ninja Turtle gear. You've got great taste! And I'm sure Brittany would approve of these clothes, and she's probably having fun dressing up Raph in my body. The thought of that still makes me nervous, thinking of Brittany digging through my underwear. Yikes! But I digress..."
Angel shrugged, "Well, I'm just glad that black hoodie sweatshirt and those faded jeans are an outfit that both Alvin and Raph like. As the unofficial stylist to the mutants, I made some sewing adjustments on them so that they fit around your shell better, so you don't just feel like you're wearing human fat clothes."
"You did that?" Alvin marveled as he admired around the shoulders and sides. "That's what Eleanor does, she sews up some small human clothes to make them fit our tails better, and so we don't look like we're wearing infant or toddler clothes. It's one of her many talents - not just keeping Brittany and me from killing each other."
Angel added, "Funny, since one of my other talents is keeping Raph and Karai from killing each other!"
"I'm sorry, who?" Alvin asked.
At that moment Casey entered the garage, followed by two human girls. Both of these girls had the olive-toned skin, almond-shaped eyes, and dark hair characteristic of people of Asian descent. One girl with longer hair wore a bedazzled "I Love NY" black baseball cap turned sideways, an extra-large gray shirtdress that was draped off the shoulder, with a black tank top or sports bra visible underneath, leggings in a black and white houndstooth print, and black boots. Her friend had her hair cut in a cute shag-bob, with some honey-blonde highlights on the underside at the nape of her neck, and wore a black tank top, faded blue jeans, black keds-style shoes, and some black fingerless gloves covering both forearms like gauntlets, and a black choker-necklace around her neck.
The latter girl looked around the group and asked, "So, are we gonna practice or what?"
Alvin smiled over at this girl, while saying to Angel, "Whoa! No one told me that Joan Jett from 'Joan Jett and the Blackhearts' practiced with you guys!"
"Who? What?" The girl looked confused.
Her friend in the hat laughed and explained, "You know, from that eighties band, that sings 'I Love Rock-n-Roll'?" She nodded over to Mikey. "Mikey has been introducing me to American Pop-Culture."
"Good job, Shini!" Mikey applauded.
Shini looked back at the other girl and said, "I think Raph just paid you a compliment, Karai."
"By the way, this is actually not Raph." Mikey explained. "It's weird, but last night we went out for pizza at Antonio's, and we met the Chipmunks and Chipettes, who have a concert at Radio City Music Hall in a few days. As we were leaving Antonio's, the Kraang attacked us, and at some point, Raph and Alvin got hit with the brain-switching device. So, this is actually Alvin the Chipmunk in Raph's body, while Raph is in the body of a Chipmunk." He turned to Alvin. "Oh, and Alvin, this is Shini..." he motioned to the girl in the hat, "...and Karai." He motioned to the girl that Alvin had earlier confused with Joan Jett.
"Oh, as in 'Alvin And The Chipmunks'? The ones who do that Christmas video you showed me, Mikey?" Shini asked him again.
"Yep! The very same." Mikey nodded with a smile. "I know it's hard to process, but maybe he can give us some insights and pointers for our band, since he's a big rockstar, himself."
"I at least want to hear you play." Alvin shrugged.
Karai rested the sides of her forehead on her hands and took in a few deep breaths. "Whoa...Armin and the who, the what?"
Shini explained, "You know, Alvin And The Chipmunks, they sing the song about the 'Witch Doctor', and the 'Christmas Don't Be Late', that the Turtles did a parody of when they had that tank of helium?"
Karai shrugged. "Sorry, never heard of them, since I never had a pop music course as part of my kunoichi training or boarding school."
"Oh yeah, I forgot how much culture Shredder deprived of you while you grew up with him." Mikey stuck out his lower lip and made his eyes look big. "You poor, poor child." He shook his head in pity.
Karai laughed and rolled her eyes at his antics. She looked back at Alvin, "Sorry, I really don't know who you are, but I find it easier to believe that you aren't Raph, since you're already being too nice to me to be Raph, and Raph doesn't usually wear human street clothes. So, you're some big rockstar who wants to hear our band play?"
Alvin shrugged. "Yeah, sure! And it's cool, since it's clearly not your fault if you've never heard of 'Alvin And The Chipmunks'. We have fans all over the world, and I'm sure that anyone who isn't our fan just hasn't met us yet. But it's cool to meet you, Karai." He turned to her friend, "...and Shini. How did you two meet the Turtles?"
Karai chuckled. "It's quite the story... You see, I was raised by their enemy, Oroku Saki - The Shredder - and until I was sixteen, he had always told me that he was my father and that Tang Shen was my mother, and that Hamato Yoshi - or Master Splinter, as you probably know him - was the enemy who killed my mother when I was only a few months old, before I ever got a chance to know her. But a few months after I met Leo, and the other Turtles, and they knew me as 'Shredder's daughter', Splinter confronted Shredder in battle one day, and he's told me that was the moment he realized that I was actually Splinter's long-lost daughter Miwa. Leo was even telling me that for a while, but since we were enemies at the time, I of course didn't believe him the first several times. But in the following months, things started coming together, and I realized that Leo had been telling the truth, while Shredder had been lying to me my whole life. The moment all that sank in for me was when I only pretended to believe Leo, so that he would take me to the Lair, and I could help Shredder's henchmen trap Splinter and the Turtles. After I got here, I started talking with Splinter, who showed me some old family photos of himself as a human with my mother Tang Shen, and me as a baby. He even had some wedding photos. He says I look a lot like my mother, and some of the others say that I have his eyes."
"You do!" The others simultaneously nodded.
She laughed. "Really? I still don't see it. I take it as a compliment, even though I don't see it. At my core, I guess I've always been a 'Daddy's Girl'."
Mikey giggled. "You know, there have been times I've thought Leo looks or acts like Splinter so much - only with a shell instead of fur. Sometimes Raph even calls him 'Splinter, Junior', but it's usually not to Leo's face unless he's giving Leo a hard time or when he's mad at Leo. And I don't think I've ever heard Raph call Leo that in front of Splinter. Sometimes during training, Leo can be harder on us than Splinter."
Karai shrugged. "I don't doubt that at all, but you guys still had it easy compared to my training."
Mikey rolled his eyes. "That doesn't surprise me at all! But I definitely had a new respect for Shredder when I learned that in addition to your kunoichi training, he also managed to homeschool you for several years before he sent you to boarding school, and he gave you piano lessons. I just can't see him as a music aficionado. Hmm...'Oroku's Orchestra', or 'Shredder's Symphony'?"
The others shared a laugh, before Alvin sighed. "Sorry about your mother, and that you didn't know her that well."
Karai smiled at him. "Well, that's sweet of you to say that. It's been nice bonding with my real family, and hearing Splinter tell stories of her, though."
Mikey nodded. "Yeah, I like hearing stories about Tang Shen, and getting to know her through Splinter's stories and photos. She's a lot more beautiful - inside and outside - than the cracked canister of mutagen that I even think of as my 'other mom'."
Alvin smiled at them. "I've never known my chipmunk mother, either. Since I was two, the only parent I've ever known is my father David Seville. My brothers don't remember anyone else either."
Shini sighed. "Well, you guys are all lucky, since I grew up in an orphanage in Tokyo, and I don't remember either of my parents. I met Karai at a boarding school where Shredder sent her while he had business outside of the country. And it's been great getting to know her real family since we came to New York. I had given up on the idea that anyone would adopt me after I turned thirteen, but I've felt so at home with this family that has already accepted me as one of their own."
"Of course we do, Shini!" Mikey laughed. "We'd gladly trade Casey out for you, any time!"
"Hey!" Casey kicked Mikey's shell as the others laughed.
Some of them started to take their places tuning various musical instruments, while Alvin wandered around to see what everyone played. Mikey picked up a lead guitar, Casey a bass guitar, Karai was at the keyboards, while Angel and Shini tuned the microphones. "What does Raph do, again?"
The others exchanged looks, as Shini threw one hand in the air. "Drums! But I guess I can fill in for him while he's gone." She explained to Alvin, "Normally, I'm equipment and sound manager, but I also have some experience as an 'understudy' of various instruments, especially if someone needs a break."
Alvin clapped and cheered as they played a quick song for him. "Yeah!" He exclaimed.
Shini shrugged. "It sounds even better with Raph on the drums."
"Not bad, Shini!" Karai chuckled as she got up for a water bottle that was resting a few feet from Alvin. Some of the others took a break as well.
Alvin smiled at her as she took a drink. "I like those gloves, by the way. Don't your hands and your arms get hot from wearing them so much?"
"Oh, thanks." Karai let him get a better look as he admired her gloves. "My arms do get kinda warm, but these gloves also cover up some old scars." She pulled the end of her left glove from her elbow to her wrist, baring various criss-crossing scars all over her forearm.
"Yikes!" Alvin winced empathetically. "Did Shredder do that to you?"
She sighed. "I mostly did those myself. Since Shredder taught me not to cry, I learned to internalize things and cut myself. Now that I've been here, with my real family, I've done a lot of healing and stuff. My father Splinter has been very helpful, and so have my other friends."
Alvin wondered, "How did Shredder teach you not to cry?"
Karai took a deep breath. "He used to lock me in this dungeon-like cell like some caged animal. Then he would ignore me for a few hours."
Alvin shuddered in sympathy. "Whoa... Back when my brothers and I lived with this other manager named Ian Hawke, we used to get locked in a cage for punishment, too. Our dad Dave never does that, but Ian used to do it all the time."
"Really?" Karai looked intently at him. "I never knew that would be something I'd have in common with a rockstar."
Alvin shrugged. "Well, yours was probably a human-sized dungeon. Ours was the size of a cat carrier, or some kind of rodent hunting trap. My brothers actually spent more time in the Punishment Cage than I did. Not because I was so good or anything, since I'm the one who gets grounded the most nowadays, but Ian would lock up my brothers for dumb things like because Simon was being 'too smart' and asking too many questions about Ian's judgment, or because Ian thought Theodore needed to go on a diet. Sometimes if I was giving Ian too much attitude, he would flick me with his finger - and sometimes he'd leave a big bruise, since he was so much bigger than my usual chipmunk body, which is currently eighteen inches tall, but back then I was maybe eight or ten inches tall. It was scary for me to be hit with his big sausage man-fingers!"
"At least he hopefully didn't wear gauntlets full of metal blades when he did that! Or did he?" Karai smiled at him.
Alvin shook his head. "No. I guess we still had things easier with Ian than you did with Shredder. It's amazing that you turned out to be so cool, Karai." He smiled at her. "I get the impression that you and Raph don't normally get along. What is up with that?"
Karai shrugged. "Usually Angel has to keep us from fighting. I'm not entirely sure of the reason, but it may have something to do with the fact that Raph is not used to me being one of the family and not one of the enemies."
"That's it?" Alvin chuckled. "I thought it was because you two were a 'couple' with a history, and an ugly enough break-up that it makes things awkward."
Karai scoffed. "Yeah right! I don't have a history with Raph. If anything, I have more of a history with - and still kind of a thing for - Leo."
"Oh?" Alvin perked up.
"Yeah, I like hanging out with Leo, he's still cool." Karai chuckled. "We kinda have an on-again-off-again thing, but it's kinda weird now that he's practically my little brother. I guess Raph also knows that, and still just doesn't think I'm good enough for Leo."
Alvin smiled, "Well, Brittany is practically my sister, and sometimes we fight like a brother and sister in the middle of a really bad family feud, but other times we...don't hate each other as much as we say we do."
"Oh yeah?" Karai looked interested. "Who is this 'Brittany' anyway?"
Casey interrupted their conversation at that moment with, "Yo, are we gonna practice some more, or what?"
A/N: Splinter has known that Karai is his long-lost daughter Miwa since the last episode of Season 1 ("Showdown: Part 1 & 2") of the Nickelodeon cartoon. Leo has known since the Season 2 episode "Follow The Leader". Leo told Karai in "The Manhattan Project: Part 1", and it started to sink in a little at the end of "Part 2". Karai finds out the truth in "The Wrath Of Tiger Claw". Shinigami is a character introduced in Season 4, in the episode "City At War", where we also see Mikey has a crush on her. Mona Lisa is in the episode "The Moons Of Thalos 3". Raph calls Leo "Splinter Junior" more in the 2k3 cartoon series, as well as the 2007 CGI movie, while Leo calls Raph "Hothead". Mikey also calls the canister of mutagen "Mom" in the episode "Rise Of The Turtles: Part 1", after the origin story retelling during their "Mutation Day" festivities, when Splinter says that the mysterious substance in this canister - in a way - "gave birth to us all." Ian Hawke put the Chipmunks in a cage near the end of the 2007 movie, and he put the Chipettes in a cage near the end of "The Squeak-quel".
