Chapter 22: That's A Ninja Wrap!

The moment that Casey had gotten the panicked call from Raphael, he had wasted no time in alerting the others of the news, and after their insistence, he had ran out of the hideout and jumped into the van, accompanied by April, Karai, and even Master Splinter as he drove down the snow covered streets at near breakneck speeds, only stopping when the traffic lights turned red. The van was slipping and sliding all over the frozen roads, and in the back of the van, Karai and Splinter were having trouble keeping their balance. "Whoa! Jeez, where did you learn how to drive, Jones?!" Karai barked as she slipped and slammed against the wall of the van as Casey turned a sharp corner.

"Sorry!" Casey called over his shoulder, "but we can't waste time! Raph said that he needed us at the docks ASAP. They could be in trouble."

"Well, at least try to drive like a sane person, otherwise we won't make it to the docks without a few broken bones!" Karai growled. Clinging to the side of the van, Splinter merely rolled his eyes and shook his head at their pointless banter.

"Oh, sorry princess!" Casey droned, "Maybe you should just –"

"CASEY LOOK OUT!" April suddenly screeched over their bickering.

Casey let out a yelp as the van nearly crashed straight into what used to be the old laboratory, which was now covered in black slush from the snow and ash. He punched the brakes, and the van came to a grinding halt just inches before it hit the building. They all sighed heavily in relief. "Remind me never to get into a car with you again, Jones," Karai breathed out, pushing the back doors open and jumping out of the van and into the thick snow, closely followed by Splinter. Casey ignored her as he and April quickly jumped out of the front seats and hurried around what remained of the laboratory towards the docks.

"Raph! Where are you guys?!" Casey shouted out. "Leo?! Donnie! Can you hear us?! Mikey!"

"Don't you think they'd answer?" April deadpanned.

Splinter scanned his eyes over the area covered in a thick layer of snow, yet he could find no trace of his four sons. And as the human teenagers continued to call out for them with no answer forthcoming, his worries began to grow. The sun was slowly rising in the sky, bringing the dawn of a new day with it, and his four reptilian children could only take so much of this bitter cold before they froze to death. Not only that, but whatever wounds they had received from the battle would only hinder them further…

"Look! Over there!" Karai called, pointing over to the waters' edge. "There they are!"

To their relief, they had finally found the four missing turtle brothers…but they were all lying on the docks, half buried in the snow, and not moving.

Splinter's eyes widened panic at the sight. "Boys!" he cried out as they all raced over to their prone forms. They were so still that the old rat had feared that they were too late. Fortunately, after Karai quickly checked their pulses, they were still very much alive, but they all had severe injuries. Donatello was missing his mask, and had multiple cuts and bruises all across his body. Michelangelo's shoulders were both bruised, and his head was partly covered in congealed blood and his wrists held serious rope burns. The space underneath Raphael's left eye was swelling, and Leonardo's left leg was broken.

"Come on! We've gotta get them out of the snow and get them warm again! Hurry!" April urged as they all quickly carried the four turtles back inside the van, using the blankets they had brought with them in the van and wrapped them up as warm as they could as Casey drove them back to the hideout. Much to their dismay, he drove faster and more reckless than he had previously, but this time they chose not to gripe about it. The boys' health was their main concern now.

The first thing that Donatello was aware of was that he was warm. He was weak, and he couldn't feel or move his numbed limbs, but at least he was warm…so blessedly warm. He tried to crack his eyes open, but his lids wouldn't budge, so instead he just gave up. He was still so tired. A few more minutes of sleep wouldn't hurt…

"…hm? W-whazz this?"

He heard a voice beside him. It was sluggish, sounding just as tired as Donnie felt, but it was familiar. "…L-Leo?" he murmured, finally finding the strength to speak as he tried to turn his head towards the source of his brothers' voice, but was met with a scaled cheek. Was he lying against someone?

"…Donnie? Izzat you?" said another voice in that same sluggish tone. The voice sounded much closer…it was Raphael, lying on Donnie's left. Leonardo was on his right, and they were all covered in something thick that prohibited them from moving.

"Raph…you sound like a frog, dude," yawned a third voice. It was Michelangelo.

Raph let out something close to a growl. "Shut it. If I could move my arms I'd slap you."

Donnie sighed. Well, with all this noise there was no point in trying to get back to sleep. Mustering up some willpower, Donnie finally opened his eyes, the world around him being fuzzy and out of focus. "Ugh…where are we…?" he groaned as he tried to sit up, but remembered that he couldn't. He looked down at whatever was keeping him captive, and his eyes widened a fraction. "A-are these…blankets?"

One by one, his brothers followed his lead as they all dragged themselves out of sleep, only to find themselves lying inside a warm, well lit room on the floor side by side, covered from head to toe in warm thick blankets…as well as many bandages.

After a miniature wrestling match with the blankets, the boys managed to disentangle themselves and properly sit up, despite the pull from their wounds. And due to all the noise they had made (and curse words shouted out in the process) they were greeted seconds later by the many relived, smiling faces of their friends and their father. April had immediately hugged each of them as tightly as she dared, tears of relief dripping down her cheeks as she thanked the stars over and over again that they were alive. Casey had pondered upon giving Raph a hard noogie, but due to his injuries, he had subjected to giving him a less violent 'Hug Me, Brother'.

After a few more hours of well-deserved rest, the turtles were all well enough to move around again. Leo had explained to Splinter what happened, from rescuing Mikey, to the final battle with Dogpound whom had double mutated into Rahzar. After his tale, Splinter had praised him and his brothers for their successful rescue mission and their triumph over the powerful mutants.

Soon afterwards, Keno had recently discovered that he and his family were moving back to Japan, due to his mother deeming it far too crazy to live in New York anymore, which they could all understand of course. He had promised that he would keep in touch with them whenever he could, and also vowed never to tell anyone else about their existence, which they were very grateful for. After bidding them a final farewell, his mutant friends waved him off in thanks for everything he had done to help them as he left the hideout for the last time.

With the TCRI building now shut down by a 'mysterious source', Dr. Falco decided to rent his own private science lab downtown, and carry on his scientific research there. Before he had left, he had continuously thanked the turtles for rescuing and sheltering him for as long as they did, and they bid him farewell. They trusted him enough to know that he would keep their existence quiet, too. After all, they knew where he lived…

As the boys had hoped would happen, Splinter finally announced that it was safe enough for them to move back into their Lair, to which everyone, especially the turtles, was happy for. The move didn't take very long with the help of April, Casey, Karai and Mr. O'Neil, and within a few hours, the turtles were finally home again…with a few big surprises.

Splinter had told April about the move in advance, so she and her father had taken the time to quickly decorate the lair with festive lights, their own tree, and lay the many presents she had bought for them a few weeks prior underneath. The boys were beyond excited, as they had almost completely forgotten about Christmas due to the problems they had to deal with, and were grateful to April and her father for their efforts.

After they had put everything away from their move, the family sat down together around the tree, and opened each other's presents. Raph had gotten a whole box full of 'Vintage Modern Ninja Magazine'. They were about twenty years old, but they were priceless, and Raph had even gone so far as to give April a short but affectionate hug in thanks, to which everyone found surprising. Mikey had gotten a "How to Create Your Own Comic Book" set, and Leo had nearly fainted at what he had received; the signed Space Heroes Issue 1 to go with the rest of his collection of comic books.

Donnie had gotten all new components, metal parts and highly advanced generators, which April commented that he could probably build a mini robot with (or anything that came to mind given how intelligent he was). He only replied by giving her one of the biggest hugs he had ever given her.

Splinter had gotten a new delicate Japanese tea set to replace his old one. Casey had gotten a new set of Hockey sticks…and tickets to see Oprah with backstage passes, to which he was beyond delighted to receive. Karai had gotten a new set of throwing knives, as well as a new CD of her favorite rock band. Kirby gave his daughter a new phone and new large family photo frame, to which she promised to frame the best picture she could take of the family to put inside.

April had said that she didn't need anything from her brothers, and that just spending the holidays with them was enough for her, but they had none of it. They ran into Splinters' room and carried back a large white box, all of them grinning all the while. April had opened it, and nearly burst into tears of joy upon finding her own kunoichi suit, with a silver breast plate and engraved with the symbol of Splinters' clan on the sash that tied around the waist. The arms and shin pads were black whilst the rest of the outfit was a bright yellow. She even had her own yellow mask to tie over her eyes, just like the ones her turtle brothers had.

Once she'd tried it on (and struck a few poses with Karai in front of the camera for Mikey) she had hugged them all, thanking her for the tremendous gift. Leo only smiled and replied, "It's the least we could do for our sister, after all…"

Of course they hadn't forgotten Spike and Klunk, who had received a scratching post, and a mini pool for Spike to swim in when he got bored, or if he ever needed a bath, but with the way Raph took care of him, they were sure he got that covered. The rest of the day had been spent partying, with no small amount of mistletoe pranks and karaoke, not just for the holiday, but for the turtles' second victory over the Shredder and his new army of Foot Bots and the Kraang.

Later into the night, Leo and Karai had excused themselves from the festivities for a moment for some privacy on the rooftops. They sat side by side in the darkness of the winter night, watching the snow fall softly from the starlit skies over the grand city of New York and let their legs dangle over the side of the roof. Karai leaned her head on his right shoulder as she stared down at the lights below. "You really had me worried, you know," she said quietly.

Blinking hard, Leo turned to her in surprise. "Huh? I worried you this time?" he joked.

She smirked. "I'm serious, Leo. You guys were gone for hours, and we thought you were all dead when we found you on the docks yesterday. How's your leg, by the way?"

Leo looked down at his bandaged leg, rocking it back and forth slightly. "It's fine. Rahzar really did a number on me, though," he chuckled. "good thing Donnie was there, or I would've been a goner."

Karai looked up at him. "You've all done well. You defeated Shredder again, and saved the city…again," she grinned. "And I'm more than happy to be here with you to celebrate that, if not just to get gifts from my Koibito."

Leo chuckled again. "Yeah. It feels good to win again…" his smile faded as he looked down at his lap. "But you know as well as I do that it's not really over yet. The Kraang are still on the loose, and Shredder's bound to come back eventually. But when he does…we'll be ready for him."

Bringing up her hand, Karai turned his head with a hand on his cheek, "I know you will." She smiled at him. He smiled back. The two slowly began to lean in close to each other, their eyes sliding closed as they drew closer.

"Yoo-hoo! Love birds!" Casey called from the other side of the roof.

Jolting in surprise, the two snapped their heads around, slightly irked from being interrupted yet again. "This had better be good, Casey," Leo droned. Seriously, how did he even get up there so quickly?

"Get down here! Mikey's gonna do the thing!" Casey cried.

Leo brightened at that. "He's gonna do the thing?!" he repeated with a snicker.

"Yeah, the thing!" Casey hollered back before jumping off the roof onto the fire escape.

Oblivious to what they were snickering about, Karai looked at them back and forth in complete confusion. "Thing? What thing?" she stuttered.

Leo laughed again as he quickly got to his feet and helped her up. "You'll see!" he said eagerly. "We've been working on it for a while for an occasion like this one. Let's go!"

Back inside the lair, the four turtles were now stood together in a line in front of their entire family, who sat on the benches opposite them as they waited eagerly for what the turtles had to show them. April's aunt had arrived a few hours ago, having run late from work that evening, picking up Irma on her way and bringing her along to the lair to join the festivities.

They had arranged themselves in order of size; Donnie first, Leo second, Raph third and Mikey last, who stepped forward after clearing his throat loudly, earning chuckles of both embarrassment and amusement from his three older brothers before he announced dramatically, "Ladies and Gentlemen, we bring you tonight, a totally awesome presentation from yours truly, The Turtles, in celebration of our favorite time of the year, and our kick-shell victory!"

The others clapped, laughing a little at Mikey's eager display as the four turtles bowed to their audience.

After Raph sent him a thumbs up, Casey flicked on the radio next to him. Music flooded the room, and the turtles began dancing in sync to the beat and to each other. Their audience clapped to the beat, all of them wearing grins on their faces.

Mikey brought out a microphone to his lips and with a beam brighter than the sun, he started to rap.

"YO! It's the green machine.

Gonna rock the town without being seen.

Have you ever seen a turtle Get Down? Slammin' and Jammin' to the new swing sound.

Yeah, everybody let's move, Michelangelo is here with the New Jack Groove.

Gonna rock, and roll this place, With the power of the ninja turtle bass.

Ninjas, ya know I'm not playin'.Devastate the show while the turtles are sayin'!

Together, the boys chorused in unison as they danced:

"Ninja, Ninja, RAP!

Ninja, Ninja, RAP!

Ninja, Ninja RAP!

GO GO GO GO!

Go Ninja, Go Ninja, GO:

Go Ninja, Go Ninja, GO!

Go Ninja, Go Ninja, GO:

Go Ninja, Go Ninja, GO!

GO GO GO GO!"

Leo took the mic from Mikey and continued:

Leonardo here, filling the gap

Drop that bass and get the NINJA RAP!

Just feel it, if you know what I mean

Give it up, for the heroes in green

Just flowin', smooth with the power

Kickin' it up, Hour after hour

Cause in this life there's only one winner

You better aim straight so you can hit the center

In it to win it with a team of four

Ninja Turtles that you gotta adore it's the –

"Ninja, Ninja, RAP!

Ninja, Ninja, RAP!

Ninja, Ninja RAP!

GO GO GO GO!

Go Ninja, Go Ninja, GO:

Go Ninja, Go Ninja, GO!

Go Ninja, Go Ninja, GO:

Go Ninja, Go Ninja, GO!

GO GO GO GO!"

Raph then took the stage:

"Villains! You better run and hide

Because one day you might not slide

So choose, your weapon don't slip

Raphael's in control with the flex of the mic grip!"

Donnie then quickly took the mic from Raph.

"Rockin' the crowd the way it should be rocked

With the Donatello drop that you like a lot

You know it's hitting, like a ninja turtle

When the bass kicks in, you better check your level

The power of the ninja is strong

Fighting the crooks 'til they're all gone!"

"Ninja, Ninja, RAP!

Ninja, Ninja, RAP!

Ninja, Ninja RAP!

GO GO GO GO!

Go Ninja, Go Ninja, GO:

Go Ninja, Go Ninja, GO!

Go Ninja, Go Ninja, GO:

Go Ninja, Go Ninja, GO

GO GO GO GO! BOOYAKASHA!"

As the music played on, the others decided to stand up as they joined the turtles in the dancing, not caring if they looked foolish as they let loose, (including April, who could not dance to save her life, to everyone else's immense amusement). Everyone took to the dance floor, laughing and cheering all the while. Even Splinter was dancing, to the boys' utter surprise; it was so unlike him to give in to such temptation. "Sensei! You dance?!" Mikey laughed as he moved to the beat beside Irma.

Splinter chuckled as he danced. "My son, just because I am old, does not mean I cannot 'Cut a Rug' when I want to! You have all made me proud these past few days. You relied on your ninja training well, and have once again defeated our enemies. Of course, it calls for a celebration, does it not? And now, I give you a new lesson that you must all remember for years to come…"

"What's that, Sensei?" Leo asked after twirling Karai.

With his four sons listening intently to what he had to say, Splinter grinned. "Go Ninja, Go Ninja, GO!" The others burst out laughing in response. Splinter chortled. "I made another funny!"

After the dancing, the large family gathered together in the dojo as they prepared to end the evening with several boxes of delicious pizzas – their version of the perfect 'Christmas Dinner', with several kinds of toppings chosen by Michelangelo, who couldn't wait to dig in. Before they sat down in the pit on the cushions they had prepared however, Karai tapped Leo on the shoulder. Leo stopped in his tracks and turned to her. "What is it?" he asked.

Karai grinned mischievously, motioning her eyes above their heads. Leo followed her gaze, and then a massive yet very sheepish grin spread across his face as he caught sight of the object hovering over their heads by a string. "Hey, isn't that a mistletoe?"

"Mm-hm!" Karai smirked, before she launched herself at the turtle, wrapping her arms around his neck as the two of them fell over with a surprised, high-pitched yelp coming from the blue clad turtle.

Moments later, Leo's face was covered in lipstick smudges in the shape of kisses, complete with a goofy grin as he sat down beside Raphael on the cushioned floor. At the sight of his older brother in such a stare, Raph's eyes widened before he smirked loudly, and then began to laugh near to hysterics as he pointed at him. "Oh dear god!" he cried as he wiped a tear from his eye. "You let her do that to you?! Man you're totally wimpy!"

Instead of getting embarrassed however, Leo turned to his younger brother and beamed playfully. "Oh-ho, I'll show you who's wimpy," he laughed before he leapt up and tackled Raph to the ground, taking the red clad turtle by surprise. "No mercy!"

When the evening had finally come to a most satisfactory end, and the rest of the family retired to their homes or their rooms for the night, Leonardo walked into the dojo to put away his katanas, smiling to himself as he recollected the night's events with fondness. If this was what Christmas was going to be like from now on, he could only imagine what New Years was going to be like. Perhaps they could introduce their human friends to their Japanese customs this time around.

He entered the dojo to receive a slight surprise when he saw that Donatello was sat in front of the tree, holding the blanket with the shattered mutagen canister from years ago in his lap. He seemed to be in deep thought as he stared down at it. Quirking a brow as he put his swords away, Leo crossed over. "Donnie? You okay?" he asked as he sat cross-legged next to his younger brother.

Donnie didn't look up, but he nodded. "Yeah. I'm just taking one last look at this thing before I put it away," he replied. He softly ran his thumb across the old glass surface. "…this was what started it all…" he said softly.

Leo nodded as he looked down at the canister. "Yeah. It's pretty hard to believe it after everything we've been through, huh?"

Donnie nodded again. "After what Falco told us, I admit that I was kinda mad that our lives were basically the result of a great big mistake. I was almost desperate to find out more, to prove that there was something important that came out our mutation fifteen years ago…But after all of this, after seeing what the mutagen can really do…" He finally looked up and turned to face Leo. "I really don't care anymore."

Blinking in surprise, Leo raised a brow. "You don't?" he repeated.

Donnie shook his head with a small smile. "Nope. It's just like Splinter said, the mutagen made us into what we are today; an unlikely family. Sure, we found out that the ooze was created by alien brains in robot bodies, but that's all in the past now. What I need to focus on…what I want to focus on, is what's happening in the present. And right now, that's you guys. My family. And I can't believe it took me nearly losing my brothers and a very near death experience to figure that out. It was so simple, but I guess my logic blinded me from the obvious truth."

He reached out and placed a hand on Leo's shoulder, confidence setting his brown eyes alight as he smiled at him. "And now that I know, there's nothing in this world that can take that away from me, or make me change my mind."

Leo smiled widely at Donnie, a warm feeling rising in his chest as he gazed at his younger brother. Donatello was so intelligent that at times common sense tended to elude him, and he tended to over-think the challenges ahead of him. But Leo had watched him grow that night. He had watched them all grow in their own little ways into more mature young ninjas over the past few months. But on this night, Donnie had made him very proud. Without another word, Leo threw his arms around Donnie's neck, and held him close in a tight embrace. "I'm proud of you, Donnie," Leo said softly, "and I love you, okay?"

Donnie nodded, feeling a lump in his throat as he returned the hug immediately. "Love you too, big brother."

Unbeknownst to them, from outside the dojo doors, Raphael and Michelangelo watched the two as the scene unfolded. Raph smiled, happy that Donnie had finally realized what he had missing all this time. He looked down at Mikey, who smiled back at him, knowing exactly what he was thinking.

Raph suddenly wore a huge grin as he wrapped an arm around his youngest brother and drew him close so he could whisper in his ear. "I've got an idea. You in?" he asked.

Mikey nodded with a grin to match his brothers'. "You know it, bro."

Within seconds in a flurry of movement, Raph and Mikey had grabbed two wooden swords, surrounded the two turtles, and whacked them hard over their heads.

"OW! Jeez, what was that for?!" they both cried in unison, rubbing their bruised heads as they glared at Raph and Mikey.

They simply shrugged. "It doesn't matter! It's in the past!" Mikey and Raph laughed in perfect unison and shared a high three.

Donnie and Leo got the corny reference, and sent them both a tolerant smile. "Are you serious, guys?" Leo laughed, "How old are you?"

Raph folded his arms and smirked down at the two of them. "So Donnie, if what you said about the whole 'mutagen is in the past' thing is true, then what are you gonna do in your spare time? Fantasize about April again?" he teased.

Donnie grinned and shook his head. "Oh no, my fantasies already came true. I already got a kiss from her, so it's all good," he chuckled.

Silence befell his three brothers as they all stared at him in shock. "Wait, what?!" they exclaimed, shattering the silence in the process.

"She kissed you?! On the mouth?!" Raph barked, slapping a hand against his forehead in disbelief. "Since freaking when?!".

Donnie only stood up from the floor and slowly unsheathed his Bo staff with an ominous grin. "I'll tell you that story later. The first order of business, however, is now…I'm gonna hit you with my stick!"

Eyes going wide, Raph and Mikey both backed away. "No, no, no, no, no, no, no, not the stick!" Mikey cried as he and Raph made a break for the door, with Donnie chasing them waving his staff in the air, the three of them laughing all the while.

Leo shook his head with a smile before he looked back down at the old broken canister still wrapped up in the blanket. He was certain that there was, of course, much more to the mutagen than they could possibly imagine, and more to the Kraang who still prowled the streets. However, Donnie was right; the past was in the past now. Though they still needed to think about the future and solve their ever growing problems, such as defeating the Shredder once and for all, stopping the Kraang, and for Leo, possibly considering doing what Karai had done and leaving New York for a while to train in another country.

But for now, Leo mused, the future could wait. For now, he had to focus on the present; his family, his home, the city they protected and all the people within it.

And in the present time, he had to stop three certain brothers of his from destroying each other.

With a goofy grin, he ran from the dojo and joined his brothers in the rowdy dog pile in the pit, leaving the past behind him, and living only in the moment with those he cared about more than anything.

His fun-loving, rowdy and rambunctious mutant family.

A/N: I LOVED this one! Also I DO NOT OWN THE NINJA RAP, OR THE LION KING/ TOY STORY REFERENCES. THEY WERE JUST FUNNY! VANILLA ICE OWNS THE NINJA RAP.

But we're not done yet! Stay tuned for the next and final chapter!