Chapter Thirteen-Transformations

April sighed as she walked through the door to her aunt's apartment, tossing her backpack on a chair in the kitchen and raiding the cabinets for something to eat. She pulled out the peanut butter and bread and started making herself a sandwich when her aunt came in. April's aunt was a tall woman, about a head taller than April herself. She was skinny, yet muscular, dressed in blue slacks, a pink T-shirt, and white sneakers. Her red hair, streaked with gray, was pulled up in a ballerina bun with a pink headband to keep stray strands back.

"Hey April." April's aunt greeted.

"Hey Aunt Kelsey." April greeted. "What are you doing home?"

"I'm on a quick lunch break." Aunt Kelsey. "And there was a little incident at the hospital that required a change of clothes." April always found it funny that her father and aunt were twins that both decided to study to be doctors. True, her father was a scientist and her aunt was a doctor at the local hospital, but April for some reason found it hilarious.

"Well, I'm just having a bite before I go." April shrugged, taking a bite out of her sandwich.

"Off to see those boys again?" Aunt Kelsey guessed. April nodded, shrugging dismissively. "You know, I'm really glad you've found someone to talk to and hang out with. Those boys sound so nice."

"They are." April agreed. "And their dad is pretty awesome, too."

"I just feel kind of guilty." Aunt Kelsey explained as she made herself a peanut butter sandwich like her niece. "I spend so much time at the hospital and I leave you home alone all the time. I'm glad you're getting out and having some fun with friends."

"They are pretty cool." April agreed.

Aunt Kelsey tousled her niece's hair as she sat down at the table. She noticed something sticking out of April's backpack. "What's this?"

April's eyes widened. "Nothing!"

Too late; Aunt Kelsey pulled out the small, bright yellow card and took a look. "Oh, the 'Father-Daughter Dance'! Is that coming up again?"

"Well….uh…." April looked unsure on whether or not to answer.

"Why did you want to hide this?" Aunt Kelsey asked.

April looked down, setting her half-eaten sandwich on the counter, her appetite shot. "Well, it comes every year. It was one of Dad's favorite things to do with me. They were passing the flyers out at school and I just took one involuntarily. I forgot that…."

Aunt Kelsey nodded in understanding. "Ah yes. Well, you know you could still go."

"Without my dad?" April raised an eyebrow.

Aunt Kelsey shrugged and approached her niece. "April, I'm just trying to stay positive. Your father will come back. Who knows? Maybe you can find someone else to go with you. Maybe one of those boys will go with you." She nudged her niece playfully.

April smiled a little. "I don't think so."

"What about their father?" Aunt Kelsey suggested. "He sounds pretty nice. Do you two get along?"

April laughed a little. "I couldn't ask him to do that."

Aunt Kelsey smiled and pulled her niece into a hug. "April, try and smile more often. You've got to stay positive. My brother's a trooper and a fighter. He'll come back."

April sighed. "I will."

"Good." Aunt Kelsey nodded, pushing the flyer into April's hands. "Now, I've got to get back to work. You keep your head up." She walked out the door, finishing her sandwich as she did. April looked down at the flyer in her hands for a moment, her heart aching as she fondly reminisced her good times with her father at the dance. Every year, he insisted they get a new suit and dress for the occasion at least a month in advance. A month ago, April had gone out to buy a new dress for the dance, hoping her father would be back in time.

Evidence revealed: he hadn't.

April sighed and finished her sandwich before walking off. The flyer was still in her hands. She checked the date: two days from now. Tickets had been on sale for a week, but April hadn't bought any tickets yet. She figured if she even could go, they did sell tickets at the door. But there was no way she could ask Splinter to go with her. She didn't think he would be up for something like that; just because she looked to him as a father figure doesn't mean he looked to her as a daughter. Or did he? April didn't know. But she did know that the sight of a giant rat would freak people out. That was the main reason he couldn't go.

April sighed and stuffed the flyer into her pocket. "So much for the dance."

Kuro bit her tongue in concentration as she blowtorched her creation. She lifted up the welding mask to get a better look at it, then lowered the mask and started welding again. She smiled mischievously as she worked, almost bouncing in her spot at the work bench.

"Whatcha workin' on?" Donnie asked as he came up behind her.

Kuro spun around in her stool and blocked her creation from Donnie's prying eyes. "You can't see! It's a surprise!"

"For who?" Donnie asked, setting down the tray he carried on the table.

Kuro covered her creation with a towel and shed her welding mask. "Everyone, in a sense. It's a new weapon I'm developing. I saw a guy fight with a weapon like this and designed a set for myself. I'm going to train with these weapons and show off my skills during a sparring session. Then everyone will see the great weapon I made!"

"Sweet!" Donnie flashed his gap-toothed smile. "Can't wait to see it."

"Me either." Kuro giggled a little maniacally from anticipation.

"Where did you see the weapons?" Donnie asked, looking through the flasks and beakers on his tray.

"There was this guy fighting or sparring with some other guys on the roof across the street from my apartment." Kuro shrugged. "I got a couple shots of them and I drew up some designs for the weapons I saw him use. He was pretty good; he beat down his opponents in minutes."

Donnie nodded in understanding. "Cool. Hopefully you finish soon. I'd love to see how you fight with them."

Kuro smiled warmly. "What about you? May I inquire what you are working on?"

Donnie looked around, but he and Kuro were alone in the workshop. "Promise not to tell anyone?"

"I promise." Kuro scooted closer, her eyes glittering with anticipation.

"You sure?" Donnie eyed Kuro.

"When I make a promise, I keep it." Kuro assured. Not a lie. I never break my promises.

"Well, you know how we were mutated by that ooze the Kraang calls mutagen." Donnie explained. Kuro nodded. "Well, we recently got some mutagen from a crazy scientist's office and I've been experimenting."

I don't think I wanna ask about the crazy scientist. Kuro thought. "Experimenting?"

Donnie looked around again and leaned in closer to Kuro. "I think I can reverse engineer the mutagen and turn us human."

Kuro's eyes widened. "Really?"

"Well, temporarily at least." Donnie shrugged, going back to his beakers and flasks. "I'm getting close to figuring it out. I'm planning test it pretty soon."

"So, what do you want it to do?" Kuro asked, looking over the beakers.

"The plan is that, once ingested, the formula will turn us into humans for about eight hours." Donnie explained.

"Will it really just be temporary?" Kuro asked. "Why eight hours?"

Donnie coughed a little. "I may have…uh…tested it….on myself….."

Kuro's eye widened. "Seriously?"

"I didn't know what else to test it on! Besides my brothers." Donnie waved it off. "Look, all I know is that the effects are only temporary. Hopefully, with these last little adjustments, I'll be able to perfect it."

"What was wrong the last time?" Kuro asked.

"I was a human with green skin." Donnie sighed.

Kuro giggled. "Well, good luck with that. I'm going to find a quiet place to work on my own little creation." She gathered her things and walked off. "Thanks for loaning me your blowtorch!"

"No problem!" Donnie waved. He resumed his work, looking at different liquids under a microscope, mixing different liquids together, and scratching his head. He sighed again and again. "I know I can do this. Come on, Donatello, come on! If you can do this, you can finally be together with April! Nothing can separate us!" He sighed dreamily.

Kuro giggled a little. It's a shame I have to kill that turtle. I think he and April get along quite well. She paused when she noticed April entering the lair. Kuro cocked her head. "Are you okay, April? You look kinda down."

April forced a smile. "I'm fine. Just thinking."

"About what?" Kuro asked. When April didn't answer, Kuro glared a little. "April O'Neil, you tell me what's wrong this instant."

April sighed. "I was just thinking about my dad."

Kuro's eyes softened. She stowed away her creation in her duffel and led April to the pit, setting her down on the couch. Raph, Mikey, and Leo scooted a little closer, smiling comfortingly.

April pulled out the flyer from her pocket. "There's this thing called the Father-Daughter Dance at my school. It was one of our most favorite things to do for a bonding day. Every year we got new outfits to match the theme of the dance and we had such a great time. We ate, danced, and he always took me out to our favorite ice cream place afterwards." April sighed. "I bought a new dress for this year's dance, hoping my dad would be back by now. But the dance is in two days and….." April sighed, leaning against the backrest of the couch.

"We're sorry, April." Leo said sincerely. "We're trying to bring him back."

"Hey, you guys never had to do this in the first place." April said with a sad smile. "I didn't think I'd be able to go anyway."

"Couldn't Splinter go with you?" Mikey suggested.

"He's a giant rat." Kuro noted. "Wouldn't people, you know, freak out?"

"April looks to Splinter as a dad." Mikey protested. "Right, April?"

April tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear. "Yeah, I guess so. I mean, he's the only father figure I have and I wish it could work. But unless you guys have a way for people to not freak over a giant, humanoid rat, it won't work."

Kuro noticed something out of the corner of her eye, but it disappeared before she could get a better look. If only Donnie's formula worked. She thought. "What about an uncle or a grandpa? Could they go with you?"

"My grandparents on both sides of my family live in Florida and California." April shrugged. "My aunt's divorced and her ex-husband moved away. There's just no way to do it." April propped her head up on her elbow. "Just forget it, guys."

"You sure there's nothing we can do?" Raph offered.

"I'm fine." April assured, standing up quickly. "I'm going to train for a while." She walked off without a word, leaving the boys and Kuro to share worried looks.

Leo stared at the blade in his hand, noting its characteristics: red handle, silver blade, about a foot shorter than his katana. The blade that belonged to the one girl he felt like he could really connect with, yet belonged on the side of his enemies. The others could never understand, especially Splinter. If he ever found out, he'd skin Leo alive. Leo sighed; what was he supposed to do if he ever saw Karai again?

Knock knock knock

Leo set the blade on his bed and walked up to his door. He opened it, but no one stood there to greet him. He stepped out and looked both ways down the hall, but not a single soul was in sight. He shrugged and returned to his room, but jumped when he saw Kuro standing by his bed, holding Karai's sword.

"You still have this?" Kuro scoffed.

Leo narrowed his eyes. "Give it back."

"Leo, this girl is messing with your brain." Kuro snapped. And you're messing with hers. "Holding on to this sword only adds insult to injury."

"Why do you care?" Leo demanded.

"You're supposed to be the leader." Kuro explained. "Yet it seems like I'm the one being the leader around here."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Leo snatched the sword from Kuro.

"For the past two nights, I gave orders and the guys followed them." Kuro noted. "I suggested where we patrol and how we patrol it. Your brothers follow me, and my ideas don't get us into trouble."

"Just because you gave us suggestions about patrol doesn't make you a leader." Leo protested.

"All right, how about when we ran into those Kraang last night?" Kuro pointed out. "Each of us came up with a plan to stop them from experimenting on those human captives, and my plan was the one that worked. Not yours."

"So, because you come up with good plans, that makes you a better leader?" Leo clarified.

"I'm the better leader because I don't put my comrades in danger with every decision I make." Kuro countered, a taunting smirk on her face.

"Hey guys!" Mikey called, standing in the doorway. "Lunch is served!"

Leo and Kuro didn't break their glares as they followed Mikey to the kitchen, where everyone sat waiting for their meal. Mikey didn't seem to notice the tension between his brother and Kuro as he hummed happily. He picked up the large pizza and set it out on the counter. He immediately grabbed a piece and shoved it into his mouth. Everyone else calmly took their own slices. Donnie got the teakettle and poured everyone some tea. When no one was looking, he poured a vile of bluish liquid into one of the cups. It disappeared before anyone noticed.

"Tea's ready!" Donnie announced, turning with the tray in his hands. He suddenly bumped into Mikey, almost dumping the cups to the floor. "Be careful, Mikey!"

"Sorry." Mikey shrugged, taking his cup of tea. Donnie passed out the rest of the cups and settled down beside April.

"So April, are you sure you don't want to go to that dance?" he asked. "I'm sure it could be fun without your dad."

"Donnie, drop it." April said firmly. "It won't happen. Not unless my dad shows up between now and the dance tonight."

"What time's the dance?" Raph asked.

"It goes from 8 to eleven." April answered.

"I wish we could do something." Leo sighed.

"Guys, don't worry about it." April assured.

"You know what? Why don't we spend the evening together?" Leo offered. "Let's have a movie night or something!" He looked to Splinter for approval.

Splinter thought for a moment, sipping his tea. "I think that would be acceptable. If you all finish your training and chores by this evening."

The boys whooped and cheered. Kuro pulled April into a comforting side hug. April smiled for the first time that day, happy that her friends were being so kind. Splinter only rolled his eyes at his sons' joyous cheers and continued to drink his tea. His nose wrinkled slightly at somewhat bitter taste to the tea. I wonder if the water isn't clean. Or maybe the tea's gone bad. Splinter shrugged it off and continued to drink, respectfully hiding his discomfort. Once the boys had finished their lunch, they ran off to start their chores. Kuro mentioned something about hiding her bag so they didn't mess with it and disappeared as well. April followed close behind. Splinter journeyed off to his room to meditate. But as he did, he felt something sting in head, and he stumbled a little. Before he could register anything, the pain disappeared. Splinter was confused, but he shook it off and continued to his room.

For the rest of the afternoon, the boys worked hard. They made sure the lair was spotless, sometimes re-cleaning one spot to make sure Splinter would approve. Kuro helped out as much as she could, but her main concern was making sure her duffel and backpack were untouched. When they finished cleaning, they went on to training. Splinter tried to focus on them, but he kept swaying a little and shaking his head.

"Sensei, are you all right?" Leo asked, blocking an attack from Raph.

"I'm fine." Splinter assured. "Just a little tired." He blinked as he vision blurred. "That is all for now. Go prepare for April. I am going to rest." He walked off before the boys or April could respond. He shut the door behind him and allowed himself to sway and go to his knees. His fists clenched as pain seared through him, like needles pricking his skin.

Donnie checked the time on his T-phone. "Uh, I gotta go work on the patrol buggy. See ya!" He hurried off to his workshop, locking the door and pulling out an old mattress he found on one of his scavenges. He lay down upon the mattress, staring at the ceiling. From his last test, the formula caused a good amount of pain when he transformed into a human. So he waited patiently, hoping the mattress would provide some comfort as he transformed. He waited….and waited….and waited…..he checked the time….waited….waited….

Donnie finally sat up. "That's weird. It should've worked by now. My food's been digested and the formula's gone through my system by now. I should be a human by now, or at least transforming into one. Unless….." Donnie's eyes widened and he realized that, when he bumped into Mikey, he forgot which teacup was his. "Oh no." He jumped up and sprinted out into the lair. April had arrived, talking and laughing with Kuro, Leo, Raph, and Mikey.

"Hey Donnie!" Raph greeted.

"Guys!" Donnie panted. "How are you all feeling?"

The group exchanged looks. "Fine…I guess." Mikey answered uncertainly.

"No pain?" Donnie asked. "You don't feel funny at all?"

"Should we?" Leo asked, narrowing his eyes.

Donnie looked sheepish. "Um….."

Kuro sighed. "All right, Donnie. What'd you do this time?"

"Well, Kuro, you remember the formula I was working on?" Donnie asked.

Kuro's eyes widened. "Donnie?"

"I slipped the formula into my tea so it wouldn't taste bad when I drank it!" Donnie said hurriedly. "And I think I mixed it up at lunch today and now—"

"A formula?" Leo repeated.

"Donnie!" April cried. "What did you do?!"

"It was nothing big!" Donnie said hurriedly. "I just wanted to—"

A shout of pain suddenly echoed throughout the lair. The turtles and girls froze. Leo, Raph, Donnie, and Mikey had only heard that scream once before: when the Rat King attempted to take control of the screamer.

"Splinter." April breathed. She, Kuro, and the boys sprinted off to the dojo, stopping right at the doors to Sensei Splinter's room. They stared at the door, the air tense and silent.

"Donatello." Leo said slowly. "What did you do to Sensei?"

Donnie gulped. "I….uh…"

Suddenly, the door slid open. The Turtles, Kuro, and April jumped. They leaned forward tentatively. "Master Splinter?" Kuro called softly. "Are you all right?"

Someone stumbled forward into the light, and everyone stared with eyes the size of dinner plates. The "someone" was a Japanese man with dark black hair the color of soot and slightly tanned skin. He groaned and held his head in his hand, his maroon robes swishing with every movement. The group stepped forward to help the man, but they froze when he looked up and they saw his eyes.

His bright, red-brown eyes.

"Dude." Mikey breathed. "You turned Splinter into a human."

A/N: I hope I'm not going too fast for you guys. Is the story at an all right pace?