AN: I don't own TMNT or any of their characters such as Michaelangelo, Donatello, Raphael, Leonardo, Splinter, Shredder or the Foot Clan. I do however, own Aislinn, Kimberly, Jessica, Ana, Kojr, Sharon, Yasahiro, and the storyline. Merode belongs to Melody S., an ex-friend of mine.
I've learned a few Japanese phrases through reading and such, and you'll find them scattered throughout the story, mostly insults.
PLEASE R&R!! I like to know what people think and, while this story is complete, I need motivation to drag my ass into to post since I'm going to school full-time and working part-time. I'm hoping things will pick up on my postings, however, as soon as I can get my Internet re-connected. Until then, however, my postings are most likely going to have to wait until the weekends while I'm at work.
Chapter 4
A week later...
Mikey scratched his head, looking at the pile of comics before him. Where had he put his bug-man comic book? He snapped his fingers. Aha! He had left it in the bathroom next to the washer and dryer when he had been doing chores.
Getting to his feet, not bothering to clean up his mess, he walked to the bathroom. Damn, he thought when he heard the shower and loud music. Someone was in there.
"Hey, guys," Mikey said as Donny and Leo passed. "Ya know who's in the shower?"
Leo opened his mouth to say something, but Donny said quickly, "Raph is. Ain't that right, Leo?" Donny asked, nudging Leo in the ribs.
"Yeah," Leo said, catching on.
"Thanks," Mikey said and turned, opening the door. He didn't pay any mind to the strange way his brothers were acting. Hey, they were weird, what's to say? He closed the door behind him, music blasting his ears.
Donny and Leo smiled mischievously and stepped closer to the door.
Mikey started digging through the heap of clothes near the dryer. "Hey, Raph, have ya seen my bug-man comic book?" Mikey said, trying to be heard over the music.
No answer. He probably could hear over the shower and music.
"Dude, what the shell are ya listenin' to?" Mikey went over to the CD player and picked up the CD case. "Evanescence? Dude, what happened to your taste in music?"
No answer.
He put the CD case back down and smirked as an idea came to him. He put a finger on the flusher to the toilet. Did he dare...?
Oh, yes.
The toilet flushed and there was a scream as the cold water disappeared from the shower.
Mikey literally bent over with laughter at the scream. Raph screeched like a girl!
He turned as he heard Raph jump out of the shower to escape the scalding hot water.
The laughter caught in his throat and he stared bug-eyed.
"What the hell—?" Aislinn's sentence halted as she turned toward him. Then she screamed.
Mikey screamed in turn and threw up his hands to block the view. Much good that it did. He had seen everything there was to see.
Aislinn grabbed a towel and wrapped it around her. "Mikey! What the hell do you think you're doing!?! Get out!"
"I'm sorry!" Mikey blubbered. "I didn't mean to flush the toilet on you! Well, actually, I did. But I didn't know it was you! I thought you were Raph. I mean...I thought Raph was you! I mean—"
"Get out, Mikey!" Aislinn grabbed the nearest thing—which happened to be the plunger—and hit him over the head. "Out!" she screeched. "Get out now!"
"I'm—ow! I'm goin'—ow! Hey that—ow! Stop—ow!"
Donny and Leo leaped out of the way as the door swung open and Mikey ran out.
"And stay out! Perv!" came Aislinn's voice.
Mikey turned. "Aislinn, I'm sorry! I didn't know—" He was cut off as the plunger soared out of the bathroom and hit him in the face...where it stuck, suctioned around his mouth.
The door slammed shut.
Donny and Leo took one look at Mikey, the plunger sticking straight out from his beak, and fell to the floor, laughing.
Mikey grabbed the handle of the plunger and jerked several times before it came off with a loud slurp! He glared at his brothers. "Thanks a lot, guys."
Laughing, Don sat up. "No prob, little bro. Just tryin' to help ya get laid in any way we can," he chuckled.
Growling, he launched himself at his brothers, swinger the plunger like one of Leo's katanas as his brothers ran from him.
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Aislinn walked into the lair and closed the door behind her as supper was served. The smell of pizza drew her to where the others sat around several boxes. She sighed with relief. Mikey wasn't with them.
She sat down, setting her skateboard next to her, and grabbed a piece of pizza.
"Where have you been?" Merode asked, biting into her own pizza.
Her mouth full, Aislinn pointed to her skateboard. She swallowed. "The skate pit. Why?"
"You missed lunch," Merode said, concern in her voice.
Aislinn shrugged. "Wasn't hungry." She grabbed another piece of pizza, having finished with the first.
Don's door opened and Mikey stepped out. "I smell pizza!" he exclaimed.
Since Mikey was the youngest of the brothers, he had moved in to Don's room so the girls could have a room.
Aislinn put her half-eaten pizza down and grabbed her skateboard. Getting to her feet, she headed for the door.
"Where you goin'?" Merode asked.
"Back out," Aislinn called over her shoulder harshly as she passed Mikey.
"Aislinn, wait—" Mikey started.
"Shove it, Mikey." She slammed the door behind her.
"Sheesh," said Raphael. "What d'ya do to her, Mike?"
Mikey rubbed the back of his neck, slightly embarrassed. "I kinda walked in on her while she was in the shower this morning."
"You what!?!" Merode asked, jumping forward.
"Donny and Leo told me Raph was in the shower. I was lookin' for my bug-man comic. I thought it'd be funny if I flushed the toilet on Raph, so I did." His cheeks turned red. "Cept it wasn't Raph that jumped out."
"Oh my god," Merode groaned, leaning back on the couch and laying her head back as if she had a sudden headache.
Raph whistled. "You've sure dug yerself a hole, little bro."
Mikey nodded. "I tried to tell her that I didn't know it was her, but she won't listen."
Merode leaned over and slapped the sniggering Don and Leo across the back of their heads. "What were you thinking?" she scolded them.
Donny began choking on his pizza and Merode smacked his head again. He swallowed as Merode continued, "I suppose it was your idea to trick Mikey, genius?"
"Well, yeah," said Donny as he rubbed the back of his head where she had hit him. "But why are you getting mad at me? He's the one who's so gullible." He pointed to Mikey.
Merode slapped him over the head again. Before she could start her lecture, however, Splinter pounded his walking stick on the floor. "Enough, Merode."
Merode gritted her teeth, but sat back. "Yes, Sensei."
"Donatello," said Splinter. "You should be ashamed. It was wrong of you to deceive Michaelangelo and embarrass Aislinn."
Donatello bowed his head, guilt on his face. "Yes, Sensei. I know."
"You will apologize to both of them and then scrub the bathroom spotless every day for the rest of the week."
"But, Master Splinter—"
"Two weeks."
When it looked like Donny was going to protest again, Splinter added, "Don't make me make you use a toothbrush in your cleaning."
Donatello lowered his head. "Yes, Master Splinter."
"As for you, Leonardo," Splinter said. "Being the eldest of your brother and their leader, I expected better from you."
Leonardo looked down at his hands. "Yes, Sensei."
"You'll apologize to Aislinn and Michaelangelo and for the next three days you'll practice an extra five minutes after the others have finished. Tomorrow, you'll set an hour aside to meditate."
Leonardo knew better than to argue. "Yes, Sensei."
"Where'd Mikey go?" Raph asked, looking around. Mikey wasn't anywhere to be seen. "He hasn't even ate yet."
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Aislinn skateboarded to the pit not far from the lair. It was different from the one she used to go to, but it didn't matter. The only reason she had gone to the old pit was to hang out with Ana and her friends. But Ana was gone now.
Aislinn felt the familiar pang of hurt and her eyes filled with tears. She still cried herself to sleep at night after everyone else had fallen into slumber. Ana had been like a sister to her. Sometimes even like a mother, even though the girl had been younger.
Aislinn wiped the tears away and entered the pit, but stopped her board. Instead of skating, she sat on the edge of a ramp and thought. She thought of what had happened in the past few weeks: Merode had come back. Ana had died. Aislinn and her friends had found a new home.
Aislinn smiled at that particular thought. Home. Is that what she called the sewer lair now? In a way, yes. Splinter had become like a father to her, and she knew the other girls felt the same. The turtles had become like brothers. Except Mikey. For a while, he had been closer than a brother.
But if he had been closer than a brother, why should a single incident change that? She wasn't sure. She really wasn't positive why she was mad at him. After all, it was bound to happen sooner or later, living under the same roof. Technically, she wasn't really even mad at him. She was just embarrassed.
She smiled again, recalling her friends' attempts to find out why she had avoided Mikey before she left that morning. They had come in pairs. First Leonardo and Jessica, then Kimberly and Donatello. Merode and Raphael hadn't bothered her. She knew Raph just didn't care. Merode, on the other hand, was glad she was mad at Mikey. She was afraid Aislinn would become more than friends. Like Jessica and Leo were beginning to. And like Don and Kimi.
Aislinn snorted with mirth. Like that would ever happen.
"What's so funny?" a voice asked as a hand landed on her shoulder. She jumped and spun. Then she groaned silently. Mikey.
"What're you doin' here?" she asked harshly.
He sat down beside her. "I wanted to apologize for this morning."
Aislinn got to her feet, but he grabbed her wrist to keep her from leaving.
"Will ya just listen to me?" he asked, slightly irritated. "I came all the way down here to apologize. Now that's gotta count for somethin'."
Aislinn snatched her hand away. "I don't want your apology. I want to be left alone." She turned and started to leave.
"Jeez, Aislinn!" he half-shouted with frustration as he got up. "Why are you so mad at me?" He grabbed her shoulder and turned her toward him.
"Let go!" Aislinn said, shoving his hand off.
He only grabbed her wrist again. "Not until you tell me why you're acting like this."
"You purposely walked in on me while I was in the shower!"
"I know, but come on. It was bound to happen sooner or later."
"I would rather have had it happen later." She shoved him away and whirled to walk away. "As in next to never!"
"Come on, Aislinn. It's not like it's nothin I ain't seen before."
She turned sharply to him. "Excuse me?"
"Well, yeah. I mean, I may be a mutant turtle, but Playboy ain't that hard to get a hold of. 'Sides," he blushed slightly again. "Ya kinda left the door open when you were dressin the other day."
Aislinn slapped him hard across the cheek. "How dare you! Not only do you walk in on me in the shower, now I find out your a Peeping Tom as well!"
"No, I didn't mean...I mean...The door was open and I just happened to glance in that direction..."
"I can't believe you!" She spun to walk away once more, but this time she stopped in her tracks. Twenty men from the Foot Clan stood in a semi-circle around them.
"Is there a problem here, Miss Aislinn?" asked one who stepped forward as he spoke.
Aislinn took a step backward, recognizing his voice, and stood in front of Mikey. "No, Yasahiro. I'm fine." Although she tried to keep her voice calm, it came out as a whisper.
Yasahiro frowned through his mask. "Master Shredder wishes to see you again."
"I'm not interested, Yasahiro."
"Forgive me, but I have orders to—"
"Cut the formalities, Yasahiro. I ain't goin'."
"Master Shredder said you'd say something like that. Which is why he sent the others."
Aislinn pressed the button on her ring. "Yasahiro, don't make me fight you. We were friends once. Doesn't that friendship still hold?"
Yasahiro bowed his head in acknowledgement. "It does. I have great respect for what you did for the others and me. But we have strict orders to bring you to Master Shredder. You'd be better off if you come willingly."
Aislinn shook her head. "I ain't goin' back."
"So be it. I'm sorry, Aislinn." He lifted his hand and the ninjas surged forward...
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She took the first out with a punch to the solar plexus followed by a palm strike to the face. The second she brought down with two swift slashed in the neck.
"Mikey?" she called.
"Right here!" came his reply from behind her. "Don't worry 'bout me. I've got your back covered."
Another ninja rushed her. She gave him a quick double punch to the abdomen, her dagger sliding in and twisting back out. She barely had time to shove him aside before another came for her. She aimed a spinning crescent kick at his head, knocking him out.
"Aislinn! Look out!"
Aislinn spun, striking out with her dagger. Blood gushed as it cut through an artery in the ninja's neck.
Blocking a punch and side kicking another ninja, she said, "Thanks, Mikey."
"Ah, shit! Ais—oof!"
Suddenly, the ninjas backed off as one and Aislinn turned to look. She swore softly, heaving from exertion.
"Aislinn, run!"
Mikey was held between two ninjas and a third, Yasahiro, held a knife to his throat.
"Give it up, Miss Aislinn," Yasahiro said. "For the sake of your friend."
"No, Aislinn!" His eyes widened abruptly as he spotted something over her shoulder. "Aislinn! Behind—"
Something cracked hard against the back of Aislinn's head, throwing her to the ground. Stars exploded with excruciating pain in her head. Her skateboard landed beside her.
"Aislinn! Bastards, let me go! Aislinn!"
Darkness overcame her and she knew no more.