YEAH...I KNOW. CLICHE AND OVERDONE. I GET IT. BUT I REALLY WANTED TO PUT ASAMI IN ALL OF THE EPISODES. I WILL MAKE A LOT OF REFERENCES TO THINGS I AM INTO AT THE MOMENT, SO, NO JUDGING, OR FLAMING, OKAY? CUS, IF YOU DO, I WILL HAVE NO CHOICE BUT TO FLAME YOUR STORY! OH, AND I'M ALL OVER THE PLACE WITH TITLES FOR SPLINTER. ASAMI CALLS HIM SENSEI, FATHER, DAD, AND SPLINTER INTERCHANGABLY. THEY ALL APPLY TO HIM, AND AS I SEE FIT, I CHANGE TITLES FOR HIM. DON'T HATE ME! AND I DON'T OWN MARKIPLIER. MARK DOES. I AM JUST A BIG FAN OF HIS, AND I WANTED TO SHOW MY LOVE. YOU ROCK, BRO! OH, AND I ALSO DON'T OWN SEAN MCLOUGHLIN. (I think that's the right spelling of his last name). HE ROCKS LIKE A BOSS!*WHAPISH* HIGH FIVES AL L AROUND!

AND I ACTUALLY DO REPLACE CUSS WORDS WITH THE WORD 'CUSS'. DON'T JUDGE ME!

GOD BLESS AND GOOD DAY!

~LEOFAN221

I tensed, knuckles white on the handle of my practice staff.

My adversary? As yet invisible, but I know he is here, in this room. Okay, he's not an enemy, but he is my sparing partner. My ears flick at one small scuffling sound in the rafters. Tiny, hardly noticeable. But I was trained to notice the hardly noticeable.

There he is...

He leaps down, nearly on top of me, but I have enough experience with this to have already rolled away, blocking the head-swing from his staff. He swings multiple times within seconds, and I block nearly every one, earning hardly any bruises.

One swing to the legs; jumped over.

One swing at my abdomen; score for him.

One swing at my arms; blocked.

Back; Score two for my adversary, but there is a second in which he is vulnerable, and I suddenly grip the staff in both hands, and swing at his chest, pinning him to the wall with his hands preventing the staff from doing too much damage, which is a feat, considering how far outside my strength level he is. He chuckles, pleased, as always when we spar.

"Well done, Asami. You are progressing quickly." He said, still with a chuckle in his voice. I release my sparing partner, Splinter, and bow slightly to my father, as his other occupation is Sensei in the ancient art of Ninjitzu, the way of the ninja (or kunoichi, if you are a female.). "Now, let's go check on your brothers and sister." Splinter said, already walking toward the door. I smiled, eager as always to watch my siblings train. It meant that I was able to see how close they were to being at my level...which was most likely when Dad would let me take my brothers and sister to a whole new world. We emerged from our private training room, to find Raph standing over Leo, a smug smirk on his face. Lupa was leaning against the tree, having spared first with Mikey, and lost apparently. She hardly ever knelt on the mat when she lost a match anymore. It was a matter of pride to her. She needed to prove that she was independent.

Or something like that.

"Yame!" Splinter called, walking over, with me on his heels. Lupa sighed and knelt beside Mikey (even Lupa's pride was no match for the automatic authority Splinter held over her) as Leo and Raph joined our other siblings on the mat. Leo bobbed quickly in respect. "You all did very well." To-san continued, having listened to the others' fighting throughout our match. I nodded my agreement.

"But I did better." Raph quipped, earning a incredulous look from both me and Leo. I then rolled my eyes and face-palmed, realizing that Raph was just being Raph.

"This is about self-improvement, Raphael. It is not about winning and losing." Splinter admonished, circling behind the five mutants, me leaning against the tree.

"I know, Sensei. But I won, and they lost." He said, placing cocky hands on the back of his head, unable to foresee what was coming, as Splinter stepped closer to Raphael. I shook my head. Poor turtle...he should know the reprocussions of sassing out Dad...

"Raph, man, you just love digging graves, doncha?" Me and Lupa asked at the same time, chuckling as Splinter grabbed a nerve in Raph's neck. He craned his neck up in an effort to relieve the pressure on that spot, in vain.

"AH! AH! AH! But what's really important is that we all did our best." Raph cried, voice strained in pain. "Good job everyone!" He congratulated, in the same voice. Splinter chuckled as he let go of Raph's neck, and we all went to do our own things. Leo went to watch an episode of his one true obsession besides training; Space Heroes. Raph went to practice punching the dummy for a while, Donnie went to his lab to work on Lord knows what, Mikey went to his room to read comics for awhile before he had to make the Mutation Day dinner, and Lupa went to tease Leo. I went to my room, to read Harry Potter (yes, I am in love with it. It's such an intoxicating story!) and listen to my music.

=#=#=#=

I picked at my algae and worms (A 'special treat' that we all ate on Mutation Day. Even Splinter.) as Leo did the same, eyes closed. Raph stabbed his food with his chopsticks, getting only a little at a time. (Cuss, is everything stabbing with him?!)

Donnie got a worm in his chopsticks, lifting it up and trying to get it in his mouth before it fell back into his plate. He failed, letting out a 'bleh' as he put his arms back down. Me, Splinter, Raph and Leo were the only ones that didn't audibly complain about the food. If you count Donnie's little noise as complaining.

"Eww, I saw that worm move!" Lupa exclaimed, in a voice of disgust. Mikey stood at the stove, stirring the pot, a wide grin on his face. I swear, he is the only one who loves algae and worms.

"There's a little more algae and worms left, if anyone wants it. Anybody? Aanyybbody?" Mikey drew out the last 'anybody', as if that would make us want more. No one did, and we told him so. Politely, but we told him none the less.

"Well then, I guess no one left room for...Cake!" Mikey said, producing said cake from behind his shell. We all leaned forward eagerly, me and Lupa desperately wanting it not to be more algae and worms.

"Whoa!" Everyone except Splinter exclaimed. "It is a cake!" Donnie said, hopeful.

It was just more algae and worms. I sighed and sat back down on my bar-stool, as Raphael tasted the cake, and proclaimed what I had just figured out.

"Made of...algae." We all saw a worm go out of and back into the 'cake.' "And worms." Raphael finished. Ever curious, Leonardo took a closer look at the cake.

"What's the frosting made out of?" He asked. Mikey slid the cake closer to himself, as if to shield it from his siblings.

"You don't wanna know." He replied, then changed the subject quickly. " HAPPY MUTATION DAY!" He cried quickly as he whipped the cake back out, and we all agreed.

"Ah, yes. Fifteen years ago, our lives changed forever, and we became the unlikeliest of families." Splinter said, as he always did on Mutation Days. Not missing a beat, Mikey leaned in close.

"Tell us the story, Master Splinter." He pleaded. "Please? Please?" I rolled my eyes, smiling down at my goofball of an older brother. I can't imagine my life without My whacky siblings, though the circumstances under which we formed our family wasn't the greatest.

"Michelangelo, I have already told it, many times." Splinter was replying patiently asI slipped out of the room, knowing where this was headed, and prepared to go topside. My very own Mutation Day present to myself. I have been doin' it for around five years now. With Splinter's permission, obviously. I slipped into my room, locked the door and changed into my catsuit, clipping on my few pieces of armor.

(A.N: Think elvish armor from The Hobbit/Lord of The Rings, but made of iron, with the Hamato Clan symbol etched into the breastplate, with the same pieces to it as Karai's outfit, and no helmet. Just her ninja mask.)

That done, I came back out.

"That was the beginning of our lives together. It was the mysterious substance in this canister that, in a way, gave birth to us all." Splinter was saying, and I had to suppress a giggle at Lupa's almost dead expression. Leo and Donnie were paying polite attention, Raph just looked bored, but Mikey, as always, looked extremely happy, no sign of the fact that we had heard this story every Mutation Day since we could understand it. Splinter held the same canister he had been talking about.

Where did he get it, you may ask? Probably for the best if you DON'T know, really...I don't even know.

Mikey happily grabbed it, hugging it tightly.

"Mom!" He sighed.

"You know that's not our real mother, right?" I said. She's dead. I add inwardly. Lupa chuckled as Mikey stuck his tongue at me, and Leo turned to Splinter, leaning forward with his eyes bright and eager.

"So, Sensei, now that we're fifteen, I think we're finally ready to head to the surface, don't you?" Leo asked, placing special emphasis on the age. This was done every year in an attempt to convince Dad to let me take the boys and Lu-lu up to the surface. Needless to say, it never works.

"Yeah, like Ami does." Lupa said, face a mirror of everyone elses' eagerness.

"I am five years older, guys." I mumbled, but then clamped my mouth shut as Splinter started talking.

"Yes." Everyone cheered. "And...no." Everyone groaned.

"You have grown powerful, but you are still young. You lack the maturity to use your skills wisely." He said, rising from the table, and started pacing the room. I frowned. That was a little harsh.

"So, Sensei...isn't that just...no?" Donnie asked.

"Yes. And...No." Splinter said enigmatically, "Wisdom comes from experience, and experience comes from making mistakes." This was practically the same lecture he had given me when I tried to get him to let me go out top.

"A-ha! So, in order for us to gain the wisdom, we have to make the mistakes." Donnie said, deep in thought, trying to decipher what our father was saying. He seemed to finally get it. "So we can go!" He exclaimed. I scoffed. Not likely.

"No." Splinter said with a subtle shake of his head. Called it.

"And...yes?" Asked Don with false hope.

"No." Father replied, a bit firmer this time.

"AW!" Donnie cried, exasperated. Leo looked like he wanted to say something right then, but thought about it for two seconds before speaking.

"Sensei, we know you're trying to protect us," Leo said. I think over-protect is more like it. I grumbled in my mind, not daring to speak it out loud. "but we can't spend our whole lives hiding down here, while Asami gets to go up-top..." He trailed off at the last sentence, wincing as though just realizing that what he was saying might actually hurt me. Which it didn't. Honestly, I was used to it by now. Suddenly, all five of my younger siblings were on the ground, hands clasped out in front of them, eyes looking as close to a lost puppy's as is humanly-or mutant-ly—possible, Lupa obviously in first place. Splinter struggled against the over powering attack of cuteness,(more so from Lupa than any one else, really) but in the end he submitted. He sighed heavily, ears slumping slightly before resuming their usual place. Me and Sensei had discussed this. We agreed that perhaps they were as ready as I was when I was fifteen.

"You may go with your sister. Tonight." He said. Anything else he may or may not have said was drowned out by the elated cheers of everyone. This was what I had wanted from the start of my excursions. To show my siblings the awesome world I had discovered beyond the manhole covers that had previously been as close as we ever got to the surface. I mean, Dao was close by, but going to meet him was nothing compared to patrols. It only gave barely a glimpse of the city.

"High Three!" Mikey declared, and we all joined in happily. Unfortunately, we had to wait until the sun went down to leave, so we were stuck for a few more hours. In that time, we all trained a little before our excursion. Just to make sure we were at the top of our game, and prepared for anything the surface might deal out. I stood in the doorway to the dojo afterwards, leaning against the post, watching the way Leo watched his show (again) as Raph came over and sat down to read a magazine, and make fun of Leo's fan-boying. Splinter suddenly appeared and placed his hand on my shoulder.

"My daughter, please be extra vigilant. Bring your siblings home safely." He said, eyes never leaving the main room.

"Hai, father." I replied, also looking at Leo's fanboy grin as he watched his all-time favorite hero lamely slap an equally lame under-dog whose name I keep forgetting. Raph looked up momentarily.

"Asami, you will need to take charge of your siblings while you are out, and protect them, should the need arise." Splinter said, drowning out whatever Raph was saying to Leo. I turned to see Splinter's almost sad and worried face. "And do not be incredibly late tonight. Understood?"

"Of course, father. I mean, hai Sensei. You think I'm ready?" I said, dipping my head slightly. I still harbored doubts. But I knew that anyone who wanted to hurt my brothers would have to get through me before I let them take a single step toward my family.
"I know you are, my child." He replied in a confident voice, drawing me into an embrace. Our conversation was cut off by the entrance of Donatello and Michelangelo.

"It's go time!" Mikey cheered, as he and Donnie strummed air guitars. I grinned as I watched the boys and Lupa practiced a few moves one last time, then stood in a line, stick straight, like little soldiers.

Awww, they're so cute when they look this serious...

"You are going up to a strange and hostile world. You must maintain awareness at all times." Splinter ordered.

"Hai, Sensei." They replied, heading for the turnstiles that had mainly been the boundary of their world, until now.

"Don't talk to strangers." Sensei said, hand reaching out as if to pull us back. I was sitting on the base of a turnstile, grinning, as the boys and Lupa returned to the line-up.

"Hai, Sensei." They said, sounding only slightly impatient. Again, they headed my way. Again, Splinter called them back.

Oh, boy. Over-protective Splinter on the loose. Look out.

"Everyone is a stranger!" He reminded us. I chuckled at their expressions. They were really, really bored, and wanted to get going, now that they were this close to getting to the surface. They didn't even bother getting back into line.

"Hai, Sensei." They said, letting the impatience out in their words. Splinter sighed, sensing our unease, and impatience to get topside. I was struck with deja-vu from when I went to the surface the first time.

"Good luck, my children." He said, and we cheered and finally the others reached me, but as we were leaving Splinter called out one last piece of advice.

"Make sure you go before you leave. The restrooms up there are filthy!" He called. Me and Lupa laughed, but the boys seemed embarrassed by father's words.

"Sensei!" They cried, not even stopping in our headlong rush to the ladder.

We made it to the ladder without incident. Leo was first, and I brought up the rear. It was only fair, since I had already seen the wonders of the topside city. When I finally got up, I was behind a wall of shells, with one break for Lupa's back.

"Whoa..." They all breathed. I was relieved to find that they liked their first taste of the city. I was, to be honest, slightly worried that they would not like the city, though Dad would be happy that they'd given up going to the surface.

"It's so..." Mikey continued, "beautiful." He finished, in complete awe of everything around them, including the homeless man of this alley, who turned in his sleep with a disgusting fart. Me and Lupa were the only ones to pull a face.

"Eww!' We chorused, careful not to wake him up. Then, we all moved down the street.

"This city is just FULL of possibilities. There could be an adventure around this corner," Nothing. "Or this one," Still, nothing out of the ordinary. "or maybe this one." Oh, look. A kitten meowing! Definitely a sign of adventure. Not. "There's not, but there could be!" Leo said, with such an excited face, I thought he was gonna explode. The only other time I can recall Leo looking like that was when he received his katanas. He had spent the entire rest of the day with them in his hands practically the whole time. Lupa was swinging from her knees on a streetlight, admiring the view from up there.

"Guys! This is so cool! Why don't we have one of these in the Dojo?! Donnie should totally make one!" She chirped happily, if not loudly. Despite being slightly annoyed that my siblings didn't take the stealthy route, I chuckle.

"Lupa...shush! Do you want to get us discovered?" I called as loud as I dared. Lupa stuck her tongue at me.

Donnie suddenly ran up to an electronics store, pressing his face against the glass as he examined the contents. I rolled my eyes, despite myself. It was hardly surprising that my geek of a little brother went to the electronics store. He'd always told me he wanted better computers.

"Whoa, look at all the computers!" He gasped, and leaned in a little closer. "Is that the Next Generation cadmium processor with Quantum encryption?!" He said excitedly. Raphael walked over, and looked at the computers, and his drooling brother, with mock admiration.

"I don't know, Donatello." He said, obviously mocking his scientific brother. "Is it?"

Donnie leaned in close to get a better look. "It is!" I looked around, making sure that no one was around. That would be awkward. I saw Mikey looking around, too, though most likely not for the same reason. Then, he spotted something, and ran over to it.

"Guys! Check this out! It's a hand made outta light!" He had found a neon sign. I face-palmed. Wow. Lupa instantly jumped down, and ran over, standing right next to her overly excited brother. Oh, boy. Then, they gasped as the sign for a fortune teller's shop flashed a eye. "Now it's an eye made outta light." Another switch. "Now the hand's back!" On and on it went for a few moments, Lupa just staring in admiration. Raph grabbed Mikey by the bandana tails. I just grabbed Lupa's head, not saying a word.

"Come on, Genius!" Raph pulls his brother toward the street,("The eye!") and the rest of us. Then, just as I'm about to explain what the sign was to Lupa and Mikey, a human boy on a motorcycle pulls up.

I pray that the glare off the headlights are enough to hide our appearance from the teenage human boy, but the look he gives us is enough to prove that it wasn't. Lupa and Raph growl menacingly, wriggling their fingers in front of their faces, expressions priceless. The human took off again down the street, crying out in alarm as he did.

"Haha! That was kinda fun!" Raph comments. Lupa nods, smiling innocently.

"Raph...Lupa...that kid might go around telling everyone about us now." I hiss, just as Leo notes that we should head somewhere where we aren't as exposed. Good idea. I saw Mikey grab the pizza box that had fallen when that human boy drove off. I chuckle, but motion for him to come on over. We headed up the fire escape, and over to an AC unit about halfway across the roof. Mikey brought the pizza box out, and placed it on top of the unit.

"Pissa?" Mikey read, and I had to strain against the laughter. This was too funny.

"Sh-should we open it?" Donnie asked timidly. I chuckled softly. Don made a move to do as he had asked, but Leo reached forward, as if to pull Don's hand back. There was no way I was gonna miss the most amusing scene before me, or mess it up, so I simply watched, barely containing laughter, filming every second to show Splinter when we get home.

"Careful! It could be dangerous." Leo cautioned. What was so amusing was no one was asking me if it was safe or not. I guess they must have forgotten that I had been coming up here for a while. Raph rolled his eyes, and finally opened the 'mysterious' box. Inside was a pepperoni pizza, still steaming. Everyone instantly gathered around the box, so I could no longer see the delicious food inside. They were all enthralled.

"I think it's...food." I lost it, laughing so hard, I fell off the other AC unit I was sitting on.

"Yes-"

"It's not like any food I ever saw." Raph noted, face distrustful.

"It's perfectly safe." I assured them. Mikey then grabbed a slice, apparently the only one who had heard me.

"I'll try it." He boldly declared, just as Lupa tried to grab the slice. He then stuffed half of it into his mouth. He looked (pardon the pun) shell-shocked. I giggled. Mikey then downed the rest of the slice as Lupa grabbed one. She, too, looked ready to explode with giddiness. I fell about laughing, having no self-control when things like this pop up. I mean, my brothers discovering pizza for the first time?

Good thing I had this on video...no way I'd let a moment like this slide."You guys wouldn't like it-"

"Totally not" Lupa agreed.

"-I'll take the rest!" The others clearly saw through that, naturally, and I barely got one slice (what? I needed something to get the taste of algae and worms out of my mouth.) before the entire pizza was gone in seconds.

"This is way better than algae, worms, or oatmeal!" Raph declared. "Sorry, Ami. No offense to your cooking, it's just...wow!" I laughed, too amused to be offended. Seriously, I was hardly able to hold the camera, ending the video after Raph insulted my pancakes and my oatmeal. I was hardly ever able to make anything like this, and everyone treated the pancakes like they were real cake. Anyway, the pizza was gone, and Mikey was about to run off. I sighed. Naturally, food could not distract them forever.

"I love it up here!" Mikey cried.

"Preach it, brother!" Lupa agreed. I smirked.

"Wait til you see all of it!" I said, sprinting to the edge of the roof. "Come on! Follow me!"

"Wait, sis!" My siblings cried, running to catch up. We ran and ran like we would never get tired. Flipping was a breeze, and landing was only temporary for us as we soared, everyone following me.

"What a view!" Lupa cried after mere moments. I slid along a rooftop, leaping to the next.

"Yeah. Well, here we are! My favorite spot!" I declared. It was the best view around. I should know; I've been just about everywhere there is in the city. This is also near Dao's place. The guys had missed him. Maybe we could stop by...

"Alright guys, it's getting late." Leo sighed. How he even knew what time it was, I have no idea.

"No, it isn't." I pointed out. I usually go home at 2:00 or so when I was already tired at the start of patrol. "It's hardly 1:00. I usually stay out an hour or so more, at least."

"But still, we should probably head home."

"Are you kidding, Leo?" Lupa demanded. "You heard Asami. It's normal for her to stay out another hour or so. Let's-" She was drowned out by everyone else's protests. I felt resigned. After all, I was too afraid to stay out so long my first night. Maybe this is overwhelming for Leo...

"Whoa, guys, look at that!" Donnie cried, pointing excitedly toward something on the street below. It was a girl, looking about the guys' age, wearing a yellow shirt with a white number 5 on it, boyfriend shorts with what appeared to be leggings or something underneath, and black boots. Her red hair was pulled back into a ponytail. All in all, an average looking young woman.

"That, Donatello, is called a female. A human female." I said smugly, smirking devilishly. Lupa's head was tilted, her eyebrow cocked in a confused manner.

"You mean you looked like that before Mutation Day?" I laughed. Oh, man...

"More like that one picture one Dad's mantle-shrine thing." I felt stupid for not having a proper name for it.

"Weird." I rolled my eyes. Donnie, however, looked shell-shocked, and I swear I could hear his heartbeat thumping out of his chest. I swallowed. Was this...Donnie's first crush? Oh, man...poor guy. Let's hope he'll get over it. It most likely will just end with a heartbroken, depressed Donnie, and me as mad as cuss.

"She's the most beautiful girl I've ever seen!" Yep. I sighed. I would hate to be the one to tell him that he would never be able to get together with her, most likely, but...I'll probably have to. Ugh.

"Isn't she the only girl you've ever seen?" Raph asked, and Don was suddenly himself again. I chuckled, turning to watch as the girl and her father headed down the street. I couldn't quite see what Don obviously saw, but couldn't harp on him for a (hopefully) innocent crush on the first female human he had ever seen. It's actually quite adorable.

"Wait...you've seen me and Asami!" Lupa fumed. Don rolled his eyes. I chortled into my hand.

"I meant the most beautiful human girl I've ever seen." Don replied, crossing his arms.

"But Raph's right; she's the only human girl you've-" Lupa countered, but was interrupted.

"Look, my point still stands, okay?! She is the prettiest, and the first, alright?!"

"Don, calm do—whoa..." I said, happening to glance back at the girl, and find that a white van full of identical men were menacing the girl and her father. I narrowed my eyes. I hadn't had any recent dealings with these creeps, but something about them...sent chills up my spine. These guys...where have I seen them before? I feel like I have...huh.

"We've gotta save them!" Don cried, making to leap off. Leo held him back. I was already calculating the fastest route down. The girl's father was already out cold, and the girl herself was being dragged toward the van. We didn't have time to waste.

"Splinter's instructions were very clear; we're supposed to stay away from people. And bathrooms." He added, for some unfathomable reason. I scoffed. This was ridiculous.

"Says the wanna-be hero." Leo fumed at me. I stuck my tongue at him. It was pretty hypocritical of him, praising heroism, but shying away when the opportunity arose to do some real good. I rolled my eyes as Leo spluttered for an answer.

"Yeah, I thought you wanted to be a hero. Since when do heroes ask for permission?" Raph demanded, eyes narrowed, in position to leap off the rooftop in a second. Leo sighed. He knew defeat when he was faced with it, I hoped, readying my tomahawks for ease of drawing. I now remembered one of these guys robbing some lab. That battle was one I had to run from, as police quickly arrived on the scene and I never saw that guy again. I did, however, know that the dude meant business. It head been years since then, and I wondered why they all looked identical. It was creepy.

"They don't, but-"

"Come on, guys!" I cried, leaping, eyes white, I'm certain, as I free-fell toward the street.

"I'm going with Asami." Don growled.

"Seconded." Lupa cried, unactivated scythe in her hand. Leo sighed before leaping after us. Good. The girl was still calling for help, her arms encased in two of the men's hands. We slunk into position, full on ninja mode. I tapped one of the men on the shoulder.

"Don't you know it's rude to treat a lady like that?" I quipped, punching him away from the girl. Ow! This guy was hard! OWWW! I kicked him down again, hissing as my toe connected with his shoulder. No one is this hard to hit! Yikes! Everywhere, we were losing. It seemed like a free-for-all more than a rescue attempt. I batted two of the man away, and they just kept coming. I stood close to the girl, my back turned to her to not reveal my face just yet. I mean, it's fairly obvious I'm probably not entirely human, but this could just be some elaborate costume, right? I mean, to her, it might be. I intend to keep it that way as long as—AGH!

One of the men punched me aside, and I crashed into Lupa, who nearly sliced me.

"Sorry!" We both called as we charged again. I used the flat of my tomahawks to knock a man backward who was trying to get the girl again. She was cowering still. I hoped she was one of those girls that curl up, wishing it would all go away. It would make not revealing ourselves that much easier. Out of the corner of my eyes, I saw Leo's katanas zipping toward Raph's shell! And received a sucker-punch to the shoulder for my trouble. Cuss, that hurt!

"Raph, look out!" I called, blocking a punch that sent tingles up my forearm.

"What the-" Raph didn't get to finish as he was punched away. I flinched, even as the guy I was fighting flipped Lupa over his shoulder, and she ended up on top of me.

"OOOFFF!" We cried, and I could only lay there, head spinning and world tunneling. Lupa was as bad as I was, somehow. She had me as a cushion! How was she that winded?! I saw a man pick up the girl, carrying her toward the van over his shoulder. I couldn't get up until Lupa did. Which irritated me.

"Don!" I barked, as he was nearest. He turned. And chucked his staff like a frizbee. It crashed into the man's back, just below the girl's hands. I shoved Lupa off me with a sudden surge of adrenaline. She grunted as she hit the street. But got up quickly. I could only watch, as if in slow-motion, Don catching the girl. There were what seemed like several seconds of a strained silence, Don tried smiling, and then...

"WAAHH!" Knew it! She's a screamer. What I was shocked at was Don's reaction. Okay, that was a lie. I figured something like this was bound to happen. Him dropping her was the only real surprise, but even that was somewhat to be expected. The girl scooted away, horror-struck. Don took a few small, tentative steps toward her, careful not to make sudden movements. Smart. I gulped. She was far from calmed by Don's tentative display, not that it stopped him from trying.

"No, no, no, don't worry. We're the good guys." Don said, arms up to show he meant no harm. The look in the young woman's eyes reminded me of a cornered animal's. He kept advancing. Not very smart. The girl screamed when she heard Don talk, which I thought was a little rude, but, sadly, to be expected, I suppose. Don smiled again. "It's okay." He assured her, speaking slowly and calmingly. That was smarter than walking steadily toward her like that. She stood and turned to flee, finding three more men facing her. She spun back around to find that Don was holding out a hand to her, smiling warmly and encouragingly. Just as she was about to take it, though, I was called to battle by a near punch to my stomach. I swung my tomahawks, earning a tiny amount of breathing room. Flipping over the freaky men, I kicked out, knocking all of them down. Predictably, they just got back up. Geez! What was with these guys? They still don't ring a—AGH! One caught my neck when I got too close for a swing. My tomahawks clattered to the ground as I attempted to pry his hands off my neck, my feet the ground and I struggled and gagged.

I was terrified. Where was Daddy going? Why were those weird men talking to Daddy that way?

Oh, no! My puppy! She shouldn't walk out there. Daddy said to stay here.

I forgot all about what Daddy told me as I crawled out of my hiding spot after my new puppy. I soon found her. In the hands of one of the creepy men, who bent over, and grabbed at me. I flinched back, but the man grabbed my neck. I chocked, nearly starting to cry, it hurt so bad! "Hey! Let me go! Help! Daddy!" I screamed. The man's grip was stinging now, and I couldn't see well. I heard fighting, and tried to hit the man's arms, but I was getting too tired all of a sudden.

I had felt this before, I realized. This man (or one of these guys that all look the same) had done this to me before...when I was mutated.

I kicked the man's stomach, then kneed him between the legs, which I think only hurt me, but I was released nonetheless. I punched him back, again striking the stomach, as I was noticed that was what got him to release me. I saw the one that had chocked me (I think) run over to Mikey and Don, and I couldn't warn them in time before they were kicked into the sides of a staircase up to a small apartment building. Oohh, that's gotta hurt. I flipped over a charging guy, and punched him into the ground, but he merely rolled and got up. I growled. This was stupid! How were these men this unaffected by pain?! How did they all look so similar?! It makes no sense! By the time I landed, I met a foot to the face, and tumbled, face-planting into the street. I think my nose is broken. It started bleeding as I picked myself up. I noted that the pain was already receding, and that the girl was gagged and in the van. Oops. Ugh.

I stumbled slightly, trying to keep up as my siblings tore off after the van. We barely kept up, even going on the rooftops. But it was no use. We weren't exactly up to par, losing the van in moments, and somehow it had taken this long to realize that we had left Lu-Lu and Mikey behind! I ordered a double-back, and for once Leo didn't argue. We made it back to the area the kidnapping had taken place in, and my siblings weren't there! Oh, geez! Cheese-balls, where could they had gone?!

"Mikey! Lupa!" I called, and they came running, I could smell the fear waving off them.

"Guys! Guys!" They cried. Lupa was shaking like a leaf, and so was Mikey, but he was calm enough to talk, at least. Lupa looked ready to drop, she was so pent up. "That dude, he—he, had a brain!" I raised a brow. Obviously, he had a brain. What did that mean? Why would that freak my siblings out this badly?

"Mikey, you aren't making-"

"Just listen!" Lupa interjected.

"We all have brains, Mikey." Leo explained, deadpanned expression showing his lack of amusement.

"Not all of us." Donnie added. I smacked my insensitive brother upside the head.

"That's rude." I reprimanded. Don shrugged. I glared at him and he deflated slightly.

"In our chests?!" Our youngest siblings cried, and the fear and horror became more pronounced among their scents of terror and shock. There was no deceit and falsehood, however. They were telling the truth. Leo sighed.

"No, guys. Not in our chests." He explained in a tired, bored voice. He didn't want to have to deal with this, especially not after that failure of a battle. The mutants frowned.

"You aren't listening to me!" They accused sharply. I was taken aback. They really meant it...again I ask, what the fudge were they talking about?

"You aren't speaking sense!" I said sharply. "If you spoke-" The slap shocked me. Lupa and Mikey were now out of sheer panic mode, but still... "Leo!" I cried, turning on him. He can't treat his siblings like this! Ever!

"What?" He asked innocently.

"Did you just slap me?" Mikey and Lupa asked, hands up in a defensive position.

"What they said." I replied. "Not acceptable, bro."

"I was calming you two down!" Leo defended himself.

"Leo, Captain Ryan's techniques are not gospel truths!"

"I never said they were!" Leo retorted. I rolled my eyes. He essentially did.

"Why would that calm us down?!" The youngest mutants demanded, eyes narrowed and angry now.

"I think they're delusional." Donnie noted.

"No, they aren't." I said, not knowing how I knew. Something about it seemed...right.

"You gotta believe us, sis!" Mikey pleaded. I frowned, deep in thought. They at least thought they were telling the truth. But it could have been a delusion, right?

"I think I-"

"I'm not so sure we do." Raph interjected. Weird...I'm starting to get a headache, not that I'm surprised, really...I had gotten hit pretty hard. I felt bad for my little siblings as they led us over to the alley they had emerged from, and...there was nothing there. Something seemed natural about that, as well, like this was always the case with these people. I noticed a weird liquid splattered about the wall...odd...

"I just...have a feeling..."

Everyone turned to leave. I raised a brow at the wall with the splatter.

"Lupa, was that stain there before?" I asked on a hunch, and both young mutants turned.

"No! That was from when the alien brain latched onto Mikey's face!" I blinked. What? Alien...brain?

"Okay..." I sighed. "Look, we need to talk to Sensei, anyway. Let's just get home." Everyone else was already lifting a manhole in the nearest alley. I was dreading the talk with Sensei, knowing I should have been more attentive out there. And I really should have been. How had I messed that up? I had dealt with that kind of thing several times already. What happened out there? Why wasn't I able to deal with those guys? How did we screw that up so badly?!

=#=#=#=#=

I still have no idea, and I am trying to defend myself against Sensei. I gulped, feeling shame and guilt fill me as Splinter listened to the tale. Leo was the one who spoke up. No one else dared risk it. I, for one, felt too ashamed. I just don't know what went wrong, though. We had our butts kicked thoroughly, and failed to help that girl and her dad. We are ninjas. We should have been able to save that poor family, at least...

"And so, your inability to work together allowed them all to get away." Splinter snapped as soon as Leo fell silent. I bit my lip. Sensei was right...but still. Those guys were too unresponsive to pain! There is no way those men hadn't had some kinda augmentation or something, at the very least.

"Well, maybe if we didn't have to waste time arguing with Hero-Boy, I could have saved them!" Leo flinched. I rolled my eyes. Raph had to resort to name-calling to keep his ego afloat. A testament to how badly we had failed.

"Hey! If you hadn't gotten in my way, I could have done it!" Leo retorted, cocking a thumb toward his chest, eyes narrowed angrily. I sighed.

"Look, we all screwed up, okay? No one single mutant is to blame here." I mumble.

"And you went flying off on your own! How smart was that?!" Leo went on, snapping at Don this time.

"He was trying to help the girl!" Lupa barked. "Give him a break!"

"Says the girl that did that very same thing." Leo grumbled.

"It would have worked out great, if somebody hadn't hit me on the head with their nunchucks!" Don seethed at Mikey, who frowned.

"Stoppit, guys!" I growled. "Like I said, there is no one single person at fault here."

"Your sister is correct, children." Dad added, but it nothing to assuage the situation.

"Well, this never would have happened if...if somebody hadn't trusted us to go up there in the first place!" Mikey defended hurriedly. I blinked. Oh, snap! Great. Now we're all grounded. Wonderful. All heads snapped up, and all eyes were on Splinter, who had halted his pacing midstride. I gulped. "Oh, geez." Mikey gasped.

"Way to go, loser." Lupa growled under her breath.

"Sensei...I didn't mean to..." Here's the grounding...I know it...

"No, Michelangelo. You are right." I sighed. Here it comes...

"I am?" Mikey asked. Lupa mirrored my expression; that of someone being led to the chopping block or gallows. She was probably mentally writing her will..like me.

"He is?" The other turtles echoed. I swallowed.

"You were not fully prepared for what was up there." I bit my lip again, feeling my stomach plummet to my toes. "Even Asami was not completely ready for everything the surface deals you." I sighed. Knew I'd be dragged into this... "I have trained you to fight as individuals, not as a team." Okay. So we just do team-building exercises, and- "And as your teacher, your father, the responsibility for that is mine." It's not fair for Sensei to blame himself for something we screwed up on. It was our mistake, and now we have to fix it. "Perhaps in another year, we can try again." My eyes widened. Sorry, Sensei, all due respect, really, but...NO WAY!

"'Another year'?!" Don blurted, looking horrified, which mirrored my reaction perfectly. I knew Dad was extremely hesitant to let us loose on the world, but this is ridiculous! "Has everyone forgotten that people were kidnapped?! They don't have a year, Sensei."

"Please, Dad. I know we screwed up, but we have to fix what we did wrong. Please!" I begged.

"You weren't there, Sensei. You didn't see the way that girl looked into my eyes. She was scared, and she was counting on me—er, us—to save her!" Don added.

"I could smell her terror, Sensei." I pleaded. I had to make Dad see that we could and need to fix our mistakes, not run away from them. That's what he himself taught us. "She needs someone to help her, and we are the only ones that even know that those people were kidnapped. Please, let us fix our mistake, Dad." I swallowed. It was not often I spoke that way to my father, but sometimes the situation called for it. Like now. Dad was lost in thought for a few minutes, a war raging in his eyes. He turned and looked at his shrine (totally the right word). I could hear a subtle gulp, then a tiny gasp as Dad stared at the picture of his old life. I stood, not caring if I were going against ninjitsu protocol or whatever, and placed a hand on my father's shoulder. I, too, remembered that night I am certain still haunts Dad as it does me. His eyes widened slightly. After a moment, Dad turned back to the others, hands clasped behind his back, returning to his formal posture and firm expression.

"Yes. You must save her." I smiled in relief. Dad knew how we felt. He had failed once, and it left him scared and mutated. Well, okay, the failure resulted in a series of events that led us to where we are now, but still. And, as tragic and horrible as our past is, I wouldn't change a thing. I wouldn't change what happened, no matter what. The one thing I would even want to change is my mother's death. I would only want to reverse that, if possible, but even that tragedy has made me the person I am today, and I wouldn't change that for the world. Leo took a breath.

"I agree, Sensei, but in that fight, we weren't exactly a well-oiled machine." That was an understatement.

"Like that robot with the brain thingy." Oh, Mikey. He's taken every opportunity to chime in that the robots did, indeed, have a 'brain-thingy' inside them.

"That nearly ate Mikey's face!" Lupa added. She, too, wanted us to never forget that those weird men had brains in their chests that wanted to eat our faces.

"Give it a rest, you two!" Raph hissed.

"Calm down, Raph." I hissed back. "But seriously, guys. We know the guys had brains. Chill."

"Sorry." The youngest mutants replied. Splinter regained out attention with a hum.

"If you are to fight more effectively as a unit, you are going to need a leader." Father noted. Everyone, in synch, looked at me. I blanched. Naturally, as eldest, I was probably voted 'most likely to be the leader', but...I had given it a lot of thought, and no. I couldn't do it! I was not the leader here! Leo was more effective than I was.

"Not it." I said, my arms crossed.

"But, Asami..." Lupa started.

"Is not leader." I finished. "You're right."

"Can I be the leader?" Leo asked, raised his hand like he was in a classroom, broad smile all over his face.

"Leo...have you even given thought to what being a leader entails?" I shuddered.

"Yes, Asami." He replied, hand still raised.

"Why should you be the leader? I kicked your butt! I should be the leader!" Raph growled.

"Raph, that's not what makes a leader!" I retorted. "It means so much more than that."

"Hey, I'm smarter than all of you put together! It should be me!" Don put in, folding his arms angrily over his chest. I rolled my eyes.

"Again, that's not what makes a leader, Donnie." Don was not leader material, any more than Raph was. Sorry, guys, but Leo's the obvious choice here, and not just cus he's 'next in line'.

"No way! It should be me!" Mikey barked.

"And me!" Lupa added. Mikey turned to her.

"We could both be leader! That would be epic!" Lupa squealed in agreement.

"Why?" I asked. I was genuinely curious.

"No reason. We just think we should be the leaders." I rolled my eyes. Of course. They always went along with what everyone else wanted. I sighed. They really were sweethearts. Dad was already over by his bedroom door.

"This is a difficult decision. I will meditate on it." Which probably means we'll get an answer at breakfast tomorrow. If we're going, we need to go get that poor family. "It's Leonardo." Dad said, opening and closing his door again almost as soon as he had closed it. Sassy Splinter on the loose. Look out everyone! I thought as everyone took in what Dad had said.

"So...no hard feelings, Raph?" Leo asked tentatively. I sighed. This was probably not helping.

"Ahh, stick it in your shell!" Raph growled. I sighed. Nothing we could say or do would snap him out of it. I went after him anyway.

"Hey! Wanna spar?" I asked. What he needed was someone to vent to, someone other than Spike.

"Get lost." I then put myself in front of him.

"Come on, Raph." He scowled, and then threw a punch, which I caught. I twisted his arm, and got a knee to my stomach. Not too hard enough to really hurt me, but hard enough to know Raph was still mad. I grinned and flipped Raph over my shoulder. He let out a huff, and tripped me with his arm. I then full on tackled him, right there in the pit. We wrestled for a good couple minutes before I caught both of Raph's wrists, and secured them above his head. I then lightly tickled his armpit. One thing no one else knew about Raph; he is extremely ticklish. True to from, he wriggled, laughing.

"No, no, no! Ami!" He cried, laughing.

"Nuh-uh!" I cried, tickling him harder. He then surprised me by swinging his knees up and knocking them into my back, shocking me so much I toppled off him. I caught myself and sprung up into a handstand, pushing off to land on my feet and promptly fell again, due to laughing too hard.

"Thanks, sis."

"Anytime, Raph." I said, shoving him back down as I jogged back to the dojo. "Sup, guys. What's the plan?" Leo sighed. "Gotten that far, have you?" I snarked, looking at Don's notes. They were incredibly detailed, as usual. That kid wrote everything down, which was probably a good idea. Too bad I didn't think like that.

=#=#=#=#=

"Explain to me one more time what we're doin' here?" Mikey asked, hand up to his mouth. We groaned. This was the fifth time he had asked that.

"Mikey, we've been over this." Leo began tiredly. "That van has the same logo as the van that was used to kidnap the family. So, if we wait here long enough, one of the kidnappers will eventually show his face. And when he does, we'll make him tell us where he took them." It had taken a good half-hour or so to even get the plan together. Then it was another half-hour to find buildings with the same logo on them around the site of the kidnapping. Time I hoped wasn't wasted now.

"Way to overuse pronouns, bro." Lupa said. Leo rolled his eyes.

"Then we got ourselves a van!" Mikey chirped, thrusting a hand into the air excitedly.

"Yeah!" Lupa chirped.

"Not the real objective, guys." I chuckled.

"Just hit the guy I tell you to." Leo snapped. He needs to learn to be more patient with Mikey and Lupa. Their pattern of thought is unique, not less important. Their child-like innocence was something to value, not degrade them for. It's amazing that they can always come up with something to lift our spirits when we're down without apparently even trying. I smiled. Those two were surely a gift, that was certain.

"Are you sure this is gonna work?" Raph asked.

"It's really the only solid plan we have, Raph." That, and I trusted Leo and Don's combined planning skills.

"Trust me." Leo said, smirking as he continued to watch the alleyway. "They'll be here any second." I rolled my eyes. Any second might be a stretch, but yes, Leo. They'll get here eventually, but probably not on your time table. I sighed, sitting down and leaning against the roof's outer ledge. I pulled out my T-Phone (they weren't really used, but they were there. We all had them) and went to the YouTube app, putting my special earbuds in and watching an amazing Let's Player by the name of Markiplier attempt to get through the hellish maze that is Vanish, a truly creepy horror game. Markiplier screamed as he caught the first sight of the monster. It looked like a mutant vulture. I'm not kidding. It really does. Mark freaked out, and something about it just made me want to laugh. I giggle a little. Lupa just comes over, and sits down and puts one of my ear buds in. She inhales sharply as the monster began chasing Mark through the sewer tunnel as Mark screeched in sheer panic.

"Did Raph reveal himself to someone and end up giving them the inspiration for this game?" She whispered, not wanting a wrestling match, as the video drew to a close.

"Don't think so. Did you?" I joked, nudging my sister as Mark explained that he was not faking these reactions, daring the viewers to try it out for themselves in a dark room, headphone volume high up and all alone. Lupa rolled her eyes.

"Oh, please, Mark. After Five Nights at Freddy's, I don't think anything can scare me anymore." I smiled. Lupa had played one night and spent the next few in my bed, shaking with nightmares.

"I feel certain." I replied, tapping the next in the series of videos.

=#=#=#=#=

It ended up being an hour or two before anything happened. Me and Lupa barely held our laughter in as Mark ran from the monster yet again, then cringing (still laughing) as it caught him—yet again—and we heard the sound of a neck being sliced or snapped.

"Ugh, this is ridiculous!" Lupa groaned, chuckling. It was amazingly horrifying, and yet amusing all at once. "Ah, man, those screams, doh."

"Yeah. They're great." I chuckled, shaking my head. I tapped the next video. Mark was clearly getting more and more frustrated, judging by the overreactions every time he failed.

"Give it up already! The guy's not gonna show." Raph barked, voice a growl of irritation.

"We have to be patient." Leo replied calmly. I sighed and stood, putting my earbuds away for now.

"This is the only plan we got, Raph. They have to come back here at some point." I hoped I was right. Even if we didn't see the ones that had originally been involved in the kidnapping, the ones that did show should still know where the family was taken.

"Yeah, Raph! Think positive!" Lupa cheered.

"I'm positive this isn't going to work." Raph retorted. Lupa stuck her tongue at her brother, and sat back down, and closed her eyes with a small yawn. "And Leo has to come up with a better plan, because the six of us sitting here with our thumbs up our noses-"

"I don't think they'd fit." Mikey mused, interrupting Raph, thumbs up and nearing his face. I rolled my eyes.

"Maybe me and Ami could do it, but you turtles..." Lupa replied, smirking.

"Not the point." I snapped. Sometimes, their antics were a bit too much.

"-is pointless!" Raph finished. I heard a distinct sound of a van pulling up. In synch, me and Leo smirked. Those people were here. Our plan had worked. Now all we had to do was get one of those guys to talk.

"You sure about that, Raph?" Raph scowled.

"He just showed up didn't he?"

"Sure did." I replied, smug look on my face.

"Eat it, Raph!" Lupa snarked.

"Should have complained two hours ago!" Raph snapped, crossing his arms angrily. Leo got a 'captain Ryan quoting mode' face on. I rolled my eyes, prepping to leap. If we didn't go soon, we'd miss our chance. I didn't even catch the quote as I sailed down toward the alleyway. I caught a fire escape. It would be pretty stupid of me alone to start the interrogation. We needed all of us for the full impact. Leo was highly annoyed as he fell to Earth seconds after his brothers and sister. I let go, so we all landed at about the same time.

"Alright buddy. We can do this the easy way or, my vote, the hard way." Raph growled, spinning his sais, eyes narrowed. The man (this one obviously human) was clearly shocked and slightly scarred. Good. Scarred people give information easier.

"What he said." Lupa agreed, eyes narrowed, scythe drawn.

"Yeah, look at it logically. There are six of us, and one of you." Of course Don would appeal to logic. "What are you gonna do?" I rolled my eyes. Trust Don to appeal to science and reason.

"All we want is information. Tell us what we wanna know, and everyone walks away happy and unharmed." I added. The man glanced between us like a cornered animal almost, then reached into his belt and pulled out-

AH! I grabbed Lupa and ducked, rolling as the man's laser gun fired away at us. The guy hustled into his van, and took off.

"He's getting away again!" Don moaned.

"No, he's not." Leo growled in response.

"Agreed." I added, drawing my tomahawks and high-tailing up to the rooftop to take off. My siblings were right behind me. The man took seemingly random, panicked turns that were sort of predictable. I smiled. Too easy, even with the lasers fired at us again. Me and Leo flipped high over a section of roof just as the van passed under us, throwing shurikens effortlessly. Leo's hit a split second after mine, dead in the tube of the tire. It crashed into the street beside it, turning over and making a shell-ton of noise. I sighed. These things were unavoidable at the best of times.

"Now we're gettin' somewhere." Leo declared proudly. I smiled.

"Something like that."

"What does that mean?" I chuckled. My siblings have a lot to learn about damage control, not that there was really any other way to stop that van...but for the first time doing this...they weren't bad. I'll give them that.

=#=#=#=#=

We approached with caution, lest we get shot full of lasers. I placed myself in front of Lupa and the others protectively. Like shell I was gonna let my siblings face the danger when I was right there! No way. No one seemed to notice it, however. We crouched behind a set of small stairs up to a building, Leo making hand signals to direct his siblings, like when he and I alone went out to scout new ways to various dumpsters for scavenging. He was saying 'go around back', but everyone stared back blankly.

"I don't—know—what—that—means." Raph hissed irritably, making over-exaggerated hand gestures that were clearly mocking Leo's.

"Go around back." Leo snapped back with even less patience than Raph.

"Leo, they don't know those hand signals." I whispered patiently.

"Why didn't he just say so?" Mikey asked innocently.

"Seriously." Lupa added, rolling her eyes. Leo's eye was twitching angrily. I sighed.

"It's more efficient, guys. Let's go." I replied. Leo huffed, but crept out with the rest of us.

"Thanks, sis." He said a little reluctantly. I smiled back. We arrived at the van in seconds, Raph somehow opening the van before I could. I tensed, preparing to leap in front of Raph if lasers came pouring out, then relaxed as nothing happened, and...

WHAT? What is...oh. Oh, no. That glowing blue canister...

As if in slow-motion, the canister fell to the ground, smashing open. The strange thick liquid splashed over me, and it felt hot, like I was back in front of my house as it burned to the ground, and I felt panic fill me. It was all over in seconds, but it felt so much longer, it burned so bad! I could not talk, I could not move, all I was knew was pain.

That canister was what mutated me and brought me so much pain and change! Panic settled in, and I could only watch as it rolled toward Mikey. I tensed as Mikey leaned over. His eyes were too curious...

"DON'T TOUCH THAT!" I screeched, dragging Mikey away from it, grabbing Lupa as I did so.

"Asami...what the..?" Was the question that everyone asked, but I didn't care. That stuff was dangerous! No way I'm letting my family touch that thing! Mikey seemed to clue in.

"...Mom?" He breathed.

"What's going on?!" Lupa demanded.

If only they knew...that was the same stuff that mutated me! It's too dangerous to even go near!

HOPE YOU GUYS LIKE THIS! I HAVE A LOT OF FUN WRITING THIS. OH, AND ASAMI WAS SO YOUNG WHEN HER LIFE WAS UPHEAVED LIKE THAT, SHE PROBABLY WOULD FORGET PORTIONS OF IT, LIKE THE ACTUAL MUTATION AND THINGS LIKE THAT. I DO TRY AND MAKE THINGS REALISTIC, NOT OVERLY DRAMATIC.