ALRIGHTY! THIS WAS REQUESTED (BACK WHEN I WAS JUST GOING TO DO REQUESTS FOR ASAMI AND LUPA'S INSERTION) BY A GUEST NAMED LISA. WELCOME TO THE FAM, LISA! THIS IS YOUR CHAPTER. HOPE YOU LIKE IT. BTW, THERE WILL BE JAPANESE SPOKEN BETWEEN ASAMI AND SPLINTER. THE STORY WILL DETERMINE HOW MUCH, THOUGH. TRANSLATIONS ARE DIRECTLY BESIDE THEM IN PARENTHESES, HOWEVER. ENJOY!

OH, AND SORRY THIS CHAPTER WAS TAKEN DOWN FOR A WHILE. I WAS RE-DOING THE ORIGINS, TRYING TO GET IT JUST RIGHT AND THEN IT TURNED INTO A THREE-CHAPTER AFFAIR, AND ALL, TAKING OVER THE REQUESTED CHAPTERS...SORRY, LISA.

GOD BLESS AND GOOD DAY!

~THE LUPINE SOJOURNER

Here we are, on a tip from April, waiting for a lab break-in that I personally don't think is likely to happen. I mean, how could April know where the Kraang are gonna be, right? Anyway...this roof is cold, and Lupa is irritating me to high heavens! Poking my side every ten seconds, as I'm trying to watch for a tell-tale white van to appear so Donnie and April won't look like idiots. Lupa just doesn't get it.

"Lu-Lu, cut it out!" I growl quietly for the fifteenth time, receiving only a giggle from my sister once again. I push her back, and refocus my attention on the ground below.

"Anything?" Leo asks, although he should be able to see for himself that nothing has happened yet. I sigh. My irritation was at my own boredom, not at my siblings.

"Nope." I grumble, stretching to relieve my sore muscles.

"Nothin' yet." Donnie adds, and pulls the telescope he was using back to his eye. Bored, I turn at the sound of Mikey and Lupa's giggling. Mikey was tapping the top of Raph's head as often as Lupa had poked me, and every time, Raph would swat his hand aside, and the youngest two mutants would giggle. Then Raph caught Mikey's hand, opening his eyes but not moving anything but his hand and arm from his position, leaning against the skylight. Mikey cried out sharply, and Lupa giggled yet again.

"Serves you right." Me and Lupa comment wryly.

"Guys! When ninjas are on surveillance, they are supposed to be silent!" Leo growls, turning to let everyone see his angry face (which I find so adorable). Mikey turns toward Leo with his innocent grin.

"Sorry, Leo. I'll scream quieter." He says, before tapping Raph's head after high-three-ing Lupa.

"That wouldn't help, Mikey." I whispered, just as Raph, as exasperated as I was, caught Mikey's hand and threw him over his shoulder. Raph was on top of Mikey in a flash. He had Mikey in a loose-ish choke hold, glaring menacingly at his little brother.

"Say it." Raph demanded. I rolled my eyes.

"Raph, be quiet!" Leo and I reprimanded simultaneously.

"Not till Mikey says it!" Raph replied. Mikey sighed.

"Raphael is all wise and powerful!" He said. Raph then twisted his head a bit. Oh, boy. That looked like it hurt.

"And?"

"And he's better than me in every possible way." Mikey continued. Raph then squashed his brother beneath himself. Lupa squeaked and tried, to no avail, to get Raph off Mikey.

"And?"

"And I'm a lowly worm beneath his feet who isn't fit to live on the same planet as him cause he's so amazing and I'm a dirt-clod!" Raph licked his finger, and threatened to give his brother a wet wily.

"And?" Raph repeated, increasing the amount of force put into his words.

"In the history of the universe there's never been-" Mikey started, sounding desperate to avoid the wet willy. Leo cut the amusing show off, however.

"Okay, enough!" I rolled my eyes. This was just what Leo should have expected after around an hour and a half on a chilled rooftop without any stimuli. Raph groaned.

"We're wasting our time! The Kraang aren't gonna show up!" Raph complained. I shot Raph an agreeing look, which he didn't see. Leo just stared at his brother evenly.

"Have a little patience, will ya?"

"Trust me, guys. They're gonna break into that lab tonight. I have reliable intel." Donnie noted 'helpfully.'

"'Intel?'" Raph repeated. I knew where this was going. "You mean, April told you." he pointed out, pointing a finger at Don, evil smirk wide.

"Knock it off, Raph..." I grumble. Mikey then popped up right behind his purple clad brother.

"You mean you're girlfriend?" Mikey and Lupa chimed together, hands clasped beneath their chins, batting their eyelashes, or at least where they should be, if they had any proper ones. I turned my glare to the two troublemakers.

"You, too, guys." I growl, even as Donnie looked ready to pop with rage. He suddenly whirled on his younger siblings, sending them twin death glares.

"She's not my girlfriend, guys!" He nearly shouted. Leo, Raph, Lupa, Mikey and I all shared knowing glances and grins. "She's a girl, who's a friend, who's dad got kidnapped by the same aliens who are gonna break into that lab. And we're gonna stop them!" Donnie continued, hardly stopping for breath. Raph then rolled his eyes sarcastically.

"Or we'll sit out on a cold roof all night for no reason."

"It's not that cold, Raph." I reply wryly.

"Uh, Ami, we have permanent fur coats on. Hardly anything seems cold or hot for us." Lupa added, grinning slyly. I laughed, then stopped as I heard a door opening. An incredibly fat and old looking man in a grimy tank-top, scruffy jeans and old sandals was standing in the doorway.

"What the heck's goin' on up 'ere?" He asked no one in particular. We all froze, blinking at the man, knowing it wasn't dark enough to fully hide our appearances. Me and Lupa gulped, hard. Splinter was gonna kill us..."What are ya? Playin' dress up?" The man asked, proving what I had just guessed about it not being dark enough. Leo and I chuckled nervously.

"N-no sir, we're just-" Leo stammered, then came crashing to a halt.

"P-praticing for Halloween!" I finished, hoping I sounded convincing enough. The man didn't even seem to notice us, directing his gaze at the crushed satellite dish directly behind us.

"Which one uh ya slimy green hamshanks, or hairy little meatballs busted my satellite dish?!" He demanded, posture commanding as well as threatening, which made a somewhat amusing picture, if not for the fact that he had seen us. And would probably blab about us to all his fat little buddies in this building. My eyes were twitching. Was this guys serious?!

"'Hamshanks?!'" Raph repeated, sounding both angered and confused.

"'Hairy little meatballs'?!" Lupa added, also angry. I just scowled.

"I don't even know what that means." Donnie remarked, rubbing his temple thoughtfully. I raised my finger.

"It's a hunk of-" I started to explain, but Raph cut me off. The finger dropped as I pouted.

"Me neither...but I don't like it!" Raph growled, hand reaching for his sais for a second before Leo grabbed his wrist.

"Let's go." Leo said, as I grabbed Lupa's wrist, pulling her along as I walked toward the edge.

"That's right, ya spineless cream puff!" I froze. That guy was seriously wishing for a sai up his face. I could tell by Raph's tense, angry posture as he, too, froze, eye twitching slightly. I sighed, even as I spun slowly around to watch this play out. "Listen to ya mommy!" The man taunted, to which Raph drew his sai, getting into a defensive stance, pointing the weapons at the man.

"Hey! Watch it, buddy!" Raph growled, literally. The man simply clapped his hands to either side of his face.

"You, sir, have a death wish." I mumble, slapping my forehead.

"Yep." Lupa confirms.

"Oh, no! I didn't know you had salad tongs!"The man retorted, hands now pressed dramatically to his chest.

"You do realize those 'salad tongs' could kill someone if said person continues to irritate the owner?" I asked, pointing nervously to the sai, and Raph, who only looked angrier, if at all possible.

"'Salad tongs'?!" Raph was going nuclear, and this guy was still not getting the hint. "I'm not gonna take this from some grease-stained slob!" Raph shouted as he charged forward, not even caring about anything else until I grabbed his wrist.

"He's not worth your anger, Raph." I hiss.

"I'm so gonna total this ugly little-!" Raph growls, snatching his hand back.

"Oh, you're calling me ugly?! Looked in the mirror lately, circus freak?!" The man taunted, cutting Raph off, arms crossed over his chest defiantly. I stared in shock, hands itching toward my tomahawk handles. I had been able to stay reasonably in control of my emotions til he called my brother a circus freak. An unknown rage and fury boiled under my skin, and I suddenly understood why Raph was so mad.

"You did not just call my brother a circus freak!" I growl, tensing with anger. Thankfully, my siblings did not understand what that word meant. If he did...it would be bad. I took a step toward the guy before realizing that I was simply falling for this guy's taunts, like he wanted. I took a deep breath before helping to hold Raph back as he tried to charge the insolent man before him. I mentally slapped myself for leading my hot tempered brother on about this stupid guy's taunts. His eyes were almost literally blazing with fury.

"You wanna piece of me?!" the guy challenged. Raph strained against our arms, eyes now blazing with anger.

"When I'm done, a piece of you is all that's gonna be left-" He was interrupted by the purple plasma bolt that fired from an unmistakeable gun. We pulled Raph back just in time. I was suddenly angry at both Raph and myself, causing my eye to twitch. If I hadn't reacted to this guy calling my brother a 'circus freak,' Raph wouldn't have known just how bad it was, even if he didn't know the definition of the words exactly. We turned en masse, and saw several Kraang droids gathered at the far end of the rooftop. Crap!

"Kraang Droids!" Leo cried.

Master of the obvious, Leo. Master of the obvious...

My eye still twitching with fury both at myself and Raph, I drew my weapons as the man uttered something along the lines of "Holy Toledo!"

"Way to blow our position, Raph." Leo grumbled.

"You know, it was partly Ami's fault, as well." Lupa said, and I smacked her over the head. We charged. I was focused on the back three, flipping over the five or so charging at my siblings, and slicing through a few as I landed. I spun, and sliced the last one with my tomahawks, kicking the brains over the roof. I saw more coming up on the fire escape, and I moved to stand at the top. As the droids could only come up one at a time, I was able to slice them to bits as they started up the final ladder. I was panting heavily as I sliced through the final one, and consequently, I almost didn't hear the guy's cry of "Keep going, Kung Fu Frogs! This is pure gold! Oh, and you, too, vixens." I had walked over as he was talking, waving his phone. The Kraang were retreating, so I had no one else to fight.

"Vixens?! Really?!" I muttered, choosing not to appear to get mad about the video he had undoubtedly just taken of that fight. Lupa gave me an inquisitive look. I sighed, as Raph took offense at being called a frog. There you go again, idiot...

"We're not frogs, you idiot!" Raph cried.

"Yeah, and it's not Kung Fu. It's an ancient Japanese battle art!" Donnie added angrily.

"Yeah...you can insult us-" Lups said, indicating us with her arm, before getting cut off by Mikey.

"He can?" Lupa glared at him for a second before turning back to the slob.

"-but you do not insult the fighting style!" She finished, and Mikey narrowed his eyes, and nodded, finally getting what she was meaning. Leo, on the other hand, was just about the only one who didn't look mad. He looked highly concerned.

"Guys...he got us on video!" I face-palmed at my own stupidity. If I hadn't gotten wrapped up in defending the fact that I'm not part vixen, I would've remembered to throw a shuriken at that stupid phone. Too late now, as Raph charged the guy. ("Not for long he doesn't!")

"Ha-ha! I'm gonna make a fortune offa this!" The guy said, safe behind the door, after Raph collided with it. Hard. He picked himself up off the floor, eyes swirling and swaying slightly. He was clutching his head, which had been first to hit the metal door, as I sucked in a breath. Aw, crap...with that video in that dude's hand...this was so not gonna end well...

As the man spoke, Raph shook off the swirls, and growled. Then, as if this night hadn't gone badly enough already, we heard sirens approaching fast.

"Fire trucks on route!" Donnie cried, looking frightened. "Thirty seconds!" He added fearfully.

"Let's move." Leo ordered, eyes narrowed. Raph, who had been facing the door, now turned furiously back to us.

"Wait...we have to find that guy, and break his phone!" Raph shouted, even as we left. "And his face!"

"No time, Raph!" I snap over my shoulder, as I flip over the fire escape, catching one of the last few railings, then leaping the rest of the way down, landing near the manhole cover in the alley. Raph was landing beside me a few seconds later.

=#=#=#=

This was one of the few times I was included in the line of cowering mutants facing father's wrath. Usually I am on the sidelines, feeling sorry for them as Splinter raged and lectured. One thing I've learned in fifteen years of living with To-san, is this: If you value your safety, do not face an angry Splinter. Especially if you're a target of his rage. It is not typically healthy for either your pride, or your comfort, as he can assign extra training when angry. And he seemed extra angry at me. After he was through chewing Raph out...I'm really gonna get it, aren't I?

"Not only did Raphael alert the Kraang, but you got caught! On video!" Splinter snaps furiously. I flinched. Which made him turn toward me. Then, thankfully, he turned back to Raphael, stalling the inevitable.

"But, Sensei! He was the angriest, nastiest guy you ever met." Raph defended. Mikey leaned over from his position beside him.

"Except for you." Mikey said wryly. Raph smacked Mikey, who cried out sharply and returned to his former position.

"You should have heard the insults this guy was throwing at us. They were so..." He paused, tensing up at the thought of the man's taunts. I bit back a groan. It was not a fond memory. "Insulting!"

"Oh. I did not realize he said mean things." Splinter said, glaring at Raph from the side. "Of course! You had no choice but to jeopardize your mission!" Splinter continued, voice dripping heavily with sarcasm and admonishment.

"Burn." Mikey whispered with an evil grin. Raph just glared at his little brother. I sighed, which again drew my father's attention to me. This time, there was no Raph to distract him. I gulp.

"And you, my daughter, were heedless of the danger the situation brought to your family, and let your emotions guide you. You are the eldest over your siblings! You cannot allow that to happen again!" I bowed my head when Splinter started talking. I just couldn't bring myself to actually look my father in the eyes. I knew that he was absolutely right, but it still stung, seeing that disappointed look in his eyes.

"Hai, Sensei. Sumimasen." (Translaion: I'm sorry.) I said, bowing deeper.

"Shazai ukeire." (Translation: Apology accepted.) Splinter snapped in response, tone harsh enough that I got the feeling he almost didn't. Then I remembered that this was how he acted sometimes when both angry, and scared. And he was both angry at our handling of the situation, and at the same time scared about the consequences of tonight's events. About what could happen with the video of us in that creep's hands. I understood that feeling. I shared it. He started pacing, which made me nervous. This was the part where Splinter dealt out punishments.
"You all are ninjas. You work in the shadows. In secret!" He said, turning around to pace back toward my end of the line. "This becomes difficult if there is proof of your existence in high definition!" Splinter continued, stressing the fact that we could be watching ourselves fighting Kraang droids on a rooftop on the news. Very soon. I gulped, realizing that we are completely at this man's mercy. Unless we got the phone back before he managed to sell it. Raph apparently had the same idea.

"Look. We know where this guy lives. All we need to do is find him, and shake him 'till the tape pops out."

"Oh, there's no tape. Video phones use flash memory a-" Donnie stopped talking when he saw Raph's death glare, and heard Raph's low growl. Splinter, who had stopped pacing in front of Raph, admonished him.

"Anger is self destructive." Father said tersely. Raph looked sheepishly at the ground.

"I always thought it was others destructive." Raph mutters. I blinked in shock at him.

"Raphael!" Splinter snapped. Raph flinched, eyes wide. I risked a small smirk. Raph had that hole dug six feet deep now. "Stand up." Splinter ordered. Raphael did, looking scared, and like he wanted to shrink down into his shell. I didn't blame him. I would rather be anywhere else but here. Mikey looked over at his brother with an devilish grin.

"Somebody's in trouble." he said in a sing-song voice, causing Raph to glare at his brother with enough heat to set Mikey on fire.

"Dojo. Now!" Splinter ordered, already halfway there. Raph took a few tentative steps toward the dojo. Since Raphael was the last one To-san had been talking to, we all assumed that Splinter was only ordering Raph to haul himself off to face Sensei. "Iza! (Translation: Come!)" Rang out from the dojo. We all scrambled into the dojo, frantic to avoid as much pain as possible. Splinter was pointing to the bows, so without question, we headed over. Splinter grabbed me and Raph's shoulders. "Not you two. You will remain here." He said. I nodded, as the boys reached for quivers. "Not those! Use the training arrows." Splinter admonished, to several frantic cries of "Hai, Sensei" from my siblings. They grabbed quivers of practice, suction-cup tipped arrows, and came back to Splinter's side, for further instructions. Soon, Splinter motioned Raph forward. I automatically moved forward, resigned to my fate, as well. But Splinter's hand remained on my shoulder. "Stay." He said, and I resumed my place at his side, as Leo and the others tested the bowstrings, although they knew that the strings were just as fine as when Splinter first got them.

"Surround Raphael." Splinter said. No one said a thing, though I was getting more and more nervous as this played out. None the less, within a minute, all cardinal points around Raph were occupied by a mutant with a bow, a quiver full of arrows, and an evil grin. Raph stood, unfazed, in the center. He glanced back at Splinter for further instructions.

"Evade the arrows." Splinter said, voice even and face almost stony.

"No problem." Raph smirked. I didn't. There was more to this exercise than what father was letting on. Why else would Splinter have my siblings surround Raph, and fire at him? Then, it hit me.

They were going to insult Raph at some point in the very near future, while dodging arrows. With his personality, it would only be a matter of time 'till he exploded.

"Hajime!" Splinter snapped. Mikey was the first one to fire, then Lupa right after. Followed closely by Leo, then Donnie. None of the arrows hit Raph, but I caught one inches from my face. I narrowed my eyes. Another nearly hit Splinter, who caught it without so much as moving his eyes. "Yame!" He called, as Raph turned to face father with his sai crossed over his chest. An automatic, ingrained response when challenged. "Again. " He ordered crisply, "Except this time, Lupa, Leonardo, Donatello, and Michelangelo..." He paused and flipped the arrow so that the suction cup tip was facing the circle of mutants. "Insult Raphael." I groaned and shut my eyes. This wasn't gonna be pretty. Everyone flinched.

"W-wait..." Donnie stuttered timidly, pointing the arrow he had been about to fire at the now confused figure of Raph. "Insult...him?"

"Yes." Splinter confirmed, pheromones betraying the very slight amusement he felt, even if nothing else did.

"And he can't fight back?" Donnie asked.

"No." Splinter again confirmed, to which Raph raised an eye-ridge. Donnie chuckled with relief.

"I'm feeling pretty good about this plan." Donnie noted wryly.

"Hajime!" Splinter called. Mikey and Lupa chuckled evilly, a slightly maniacal edge to their laughter. I could tell they were looking forward to this.

"You move like a bloated buffalo!" Mikey cried.

"Or a slug through syrup!" Lupa chirped. Raph flipped up to get back on his feet from the crouch he had been in.

"I do not!" Raph cried, hands up and feet apart in a defensive stance.

"Yeah...you do." Lupa said.

"And you're always whining." Leo chuckled. "'Poor me. Nobody understands me.'" Leo added in a whiny voice, already readying another arrow, firing it easily. Everyone laughed, and agreed in one way or another.

"Well, you don't understa-AH!" Raph defended, but was cut off by yet another arrow. I began to see what Sensei was trying to teach. When it was just arrows, no insults, Raph was easily able to dodge the arrows. But when insults were added, Raph wasn't able to dodge nearly as many. I sighed, getting the feeling that father was also teaching me this lesson. I should have already mastered this, but obviously not. That guy was able to get through to me, using language that shouldn't have even given me pause. But when he used it on my brother, I simply lost it. I'm not sure if Splinter knows that, but I am sure it wouldn't make a difference. I am still responsible for my actions. Even if I was taking someone else's offense.

"And...uh..." Donnie started, searching for a good insult. "oh! You don't keep your back straight when doing omota gota giatu!" He cried, firing an arrow in synch with Lupa, which was one of the few Raph was able to dodge. Lupa's wasn't. I smirked and rolled my eyes. Don needs to take classes from Leo, Mikey, and Lupa on insulting people. "And you're ugly!" Donnie amended.

"And gassy!" Mikey chirped.

"You burp a lot!" Lupa added.

"Haha! Bullseye!" Don cried, as everyone laughed, and Raph looked like he wanted to smash something. I was starting to pity Raph, but knew the lesson wouldn't stop until Splinter wanted it to stop. I only prayed that it was sooner, rather than later.

"Stopit!" Raph shouted.

"Oh, you act so tough, but inside you're just a scared little baby." Leo taunted, firing an arrow.

"Who cries a lot!" Lupa laughed. Another arrow hit Raph's shell. "Deh widdle babeh...poor widdle guy..."

"And who needs his bottle!" Donnie added. Another arrow thudded into his brother's shell.

"And his diaper changed." Mikey fired an arrow. Another hit. I had to bit my lip, and lower my eyes to avoid getting angry. This was getting a little harsh.

"Aww, what's the matter, Raph? Gonna cry?" Leo said, voice mockingly sympathetic. Another arrow hit.

"Yeah...you little crybaby!" Lupa cried, and yet another arrow hit.

"I." Raph cried, as everyone laughed. An arrow hit him on the left side of his face. "Am." the other side was hit. "Not...gonna cry!" Raph finished, as the final arrow hit Raph's forehead. He collapsed. Mikey sighs contentedly.

"I wish this moment could last forever."

"Yeah...me, too." Lupa agreed. Raph stood suddenly.

"You know what?" Raph cried, throwing his sai to the floor angrily. "Forget this. This is stupid!" Mikey slumped heavily.

"Awww. It didn't."

"Did you expect it to, Mikey?" I mumbled before I could stop myself, unable to resist, and Splinter shot me a look. I flinched and looked down at the ground, my mouth shut again. Raph spun on his heel, startling Mikey and Lupa, as he walked over to Splinter, who had motioned for him.

"Ninniku seishen is the ability to endure insults with patience and humility." Splinter said sternly, and Raph suddenly didn't look angry. He just looked a little scared. The arrow on the forehead had fallen off, but the ones to either side of his head remained there. It looked funny, but I knew better than to laugh. "You cannot be a true ninja until you master it." Splinter went on, glancing at me as well as Raph. I shrunk as far as I could into the floor. There was that disappointment again...The final two arrows came off, causing Mikey to chuckle, and Lupa to strain to hold her's in.

"He looks so funny.." I barely heard Lupa whisper to Mikey, but I knew Raph had heard. Raph shook a fist toward them.

"Understood?" Splinter snapped. Raph instantly withdrew the fist.

"Hai, Sensei." He said resignedly.

"Asami?" Splinter asked, glaring down at me. I stood and bowed slightly.

"Hai, Sensei." I said, straightening up. I leaned against the tree.

"You must get that video back." Splinter reminded us. "Using reason, not force." Splinter went on. I moved to join my brothers as they exited the dojo. However, one look from father had me scurrying back to his side.

"To-san?" I asked, head tilted in confusion.

"You will remain here, and maintain the weapons." Splinter instructed. I blinked.

"All of them?" I asked, jaw slack, already knowing the answer.

"Yes. Every one. You, too, need punishment. I chose not to let you join Raphael in the exercise because it would not have much effect, if any, on you." Splinter explained. I sighed. I should have known that I wouldn't have gotten away with just public humiliation. Splinter is never that gentle. Well, rarely ever.

"I understand that the insult that resulted in your loss of control was directed at Raphael. Correct?"

"Hai, Sensei." I replied. Splinter stroked his beard thoughtfully. "He called Raph a circus freak."

"Naze anata wa sore ga anata shutoku sa seta nodesu ka? (Translation: Why did you let it get to you?)" Splinter asked. I groaned softly. This was another part of the punishment. I had to talk in Japanese. Splinter wanted to keep my knowledge of my homeland's language sharp.

"Watashiniha wakaranai, Oto-san.(Translation: I don't know, dad.)" I replied. Splinter nodded in thought. I went and fetched a rag, and a bucket. Within five minutes, I was sitting in the corner, scrubbing weapons down, and drying them thoroughly. I grumbled to myself in Japanese as I did so, worrying about what Raph would do when the man didn't give my siblings the video. It wouldn't be pretty. I could just picture Raph's tense posture, terse words, and awkward pauses. Leo would nudge Raph in order to get him to apologize. It would end up just an awkward mess. Still grumbling, with the occasional sigh thrown in there, I continued cleaning, then oiling all the staffs, knives, and swords that my family owned. My hands had never felt that dried out or abused, but at last I was done. Hopefully, I wouldn't have to continue talking in Japanese for much longer. Not because I didn't like Japanese, it's just I hate I when Splinter uses it as a punishment. I stifle a yawn. It must be getting late...

Just then, I head depressed, dragging, yet somehow stomping footsteps entering the Lair. They headed toward the hallway. Expecting Leo and the others, I walked out...to find only Raph, trudging toward the kitchen with an angry, yet somehow depressed air about him. He had Spike on his shoulder as he walked in, and placed the little turtle onto the counter, along with a leaf of lettuce on a plate. I stayed in the doorway to the kitchen, out of sight, wanting to hear what he had to say.

"Who does Leo think he is?" Raph growled. "So what if I got a temper? I'm still the best fighter we got." He boasted. I frowned. He really thought he was better than me? "Well...I guess besides Ami. But still..." He amended, and I shook my head, biting back a sigh. That boy had some kinda pride issues. "In fact...if anything, my anger makes me a better fighter!" Raph cried. He had been pacing in front of the counter, but now he took a seat at a barstool. Then, Splinter appeared beside me. He walked into the kitchen, as Raph asked Spike if he understood him with a small smile. "Chew on your leaf if you understand me." Raph ordered, and Spike did, though I doubt it was because Spike actually understood a word Raph said.

"Yeah...I thought so." Raph said. His cute little smile promptly vanished when Splinter entered.

"I understand you, too." Splinter said. Raph flinched, startled, before resuming his regular expression a second later.

"Seriously?! You gotta knock or something." Raph snapped at me as I walked in and stood near the door. Raph scowled at me for a second, probably wandering how much I had heard.

"Raphael, let me tell you a story." Splinter said, with a look on his face that should have had Raph saying 'Hai, Sensei.' as fast as possible. However, Raph merely got a look that said 'please no.'

"Sensei...I'm not really in the mood for a story." Raph said politely, but when Sensei's look didn't change, I suspected dad would tell the story anyway.

"Spike, chew on your leaf if you're in the mood for a story." Splinter commanded, gazing down at the small turtle, who innocently bit off another chunk of his leaf. Raph gave Spike a look like "You traitor!" I nearly busted a gut trying to hold my laughter in.

"Very well." Splinter said. "When I was a young man, I fell in love with a woman." Splinter started. Raph slumped forward into the counter before perking back up.

"Oh...Hey...is it that late?" Raph said,eyes hopeful, raising slightly from his chair, and checking a watch that wasn't on his wrist.

"Sit." Splinter ordered, nodding toward the chair, seeing right through that excuse. I laughed out loud for a few seconds before getting it back under control. Raph's expression had been too funny. Raph groaned, but sat back down as Splinter got his 'storytelling' face on. "Her name was Tang Shen, and I was not the only one who loved her." He said, and I could just see the two of them, hanging out somewhere in Japan, smiling at each other. "There was another man competing for her attention. Oruko Saki." Splinter said ominously. I personally had heard this story many times, and it still got me angry.

"Shredder." Raph noted. Splinter nodded, but didn't stop completely.

"One day, he insulted me in front of her. He called me many things. I felt I could not let those insults go unanswered. So I struck him down." Splinter said, head bowed slightly, in shame over his actions. "Over time, our rivalry festered into hatred. Until Shredder sought to finish me. And I lost my beloved Tang Shen." Splinter continued sadly. This was the part where the anger melted into sadness. Raph mulled over his father's words for a moment, weighing what Sensei had said.

"But...but i-it w-wasn't your fault." Raph defended. "Shredder insulted you. You had no choice." Splinter had turned back toward me at some point during the course of the story, and when Raph said 'no choice' his eyes snapped open.

"'No choice'?!" he repeated, eyes angry. I gulped. Poor Raphael was in for it now..."I could have chosen to ignore him. I could have chosen to let his words wash over me, like a river over a stone." Splinter said, placing special stress on 'chosen', his head bowed slightly and eyes closed. "But I let him anger me." Then, he opened his eyes. "It was I who made his words into weapons." Splinter admonished himself. I sighed. Dad still beat himself up about that. That's why he taught us to maintain control over our emotions from a relatively young age. So that we wouldn't make the same mistakes he had. Splinter walked over to Raph, eyes closed. He opened them again when he got to Raph. "That is the choice I made." He said, putting his hand on his son's shoulder. "What choice will you make?" Raph looked slightly guilty, yet pensive. Splinter left the kitchen, and I followed him, not sure where I was going. A few moments later, I found Raph walking toward his room sullenly.

"Ne(Translation: Hey), Raph." I call, and he freezes.

"Hey, Ami. I'm not in the mood for...anything right now..." He said. Something in his voice made me curious to find out what happened out there. Raph wasn't feeling this guilty over some small mistake. There was something more to this.

"Nani ga okotta?(Translation: What happened?)" I asked, leaning against the doorpost to the dojo, which lay a short distance from Raph's bedroom door. He sighed, and slumped his shoulders. If he even noticed I was speaking Japanese, he didn't make a comment on it. Yet.

"I screwed up. Again!" He seethed, gripping his hands into fists. He tensed up, head down and face to the side. Instantly, I was hugging him, despite his tense, angry posture.

"Raph...Sore wa daijiobodesu(Translation: It's okay)..."

"No, it's not!" Raph growled in my ear. He had now awkwardly wrapped his arms around my waist, and I tightened my arms. "I could have gotten everyone hurt! Why am I like this?" He suddenly asked, further deepening the hug. I closed my eyes, and shushed my brother, as he sagged slightly into my embrace.

"You are exactly who you're supposed to be, Raph." I told him, forgetting to speak Japanese for a moment.

"Really? I'm supposed to be a raging, out of control monster?" He asked.

"What happened that gave that horrid image of yourself?" I asked, now more curious than ever. Raph just shrugged before resuming his hold on my waist.

"I jes...got angry at that stupid guy, an' then I went to yell at him, rather than help the guys. I was an idiot, and my family nearly paid for it! My own family, and I deliberately put them in danger!" He said, now clutching at my middle back, face pressed against my shoulder. His legs seemed to give out, and I found myself sitting on the ground, arms around Raph's shell. This was depressing.

"Then?" I whispered, forgetting Splinter's punishment in my eagerness to help my brother.

"Then...Leo sent me home." Raph whispered, sounding like he was close to crying. Then, he stood, dragging me up with him. He heaved a sigh. "Thanks, Ane. (Translation: Big sister.)" He said, and moved toward the kitchen.

"Le mondai, ototan.(Translation: No problem, little brother.)" I replied, suddenly remembering my punishment. Raph smirked.

"Seems I wasn't the only one punished today." He said wryly. I smiled back.

"Damare. (Translation: Shut up.)" I growled playfully. Splinter was suddenly at the head of the hallway, smirking.

"That is enough Japanese, Asami. Well done." He said, and left as quickly as he had come. I sighed.

"Thank the Lord!" I muttered in English. Then I turned to Raph. "So...where ya headed?" I asked, leaning against the doorway, arms crossed. Raph smirked.

"Where do ya think?" I smirked, as well.

"Then let's get going!" I said, already heading out. Raph caught up to me before I had even made it out of the Lair. Before either of us knew it, we were back to where Raph said he had been sent home. I easily saw, and smelt, the gasoline trail, heading off down the street. Then, Raph gripped my shoulder, halting me as I moved to follow the trail.

"Ami...why am I so angry all the time?" He asked, looking slightly sad. I gazed back into his neon green eyes, and found myself gripping both of his shoulders.

"You are how God made you, Raphael." I said. Raph just stared back at me.

"Then why is Splinter trying to change me if I'm supposed to be angry like this?" He asked.

Splinter told us the creation story when we were small, and although we followed a few of the Japanese ninja traditions of meditation, and use of the astral plane, etc, we still read the bible, and had a short discussion on it before morning practice, and prayed before every meal. We even took an extra long discussion time on Sundays, and skipped practice.

"Raph...anger itself isn't necessarily bad. It's when it controls you, blinds you, that it is evil. That is why Splinter wants to help you curb your anger. He knows you can't get rid of it completely, but he wants to help you get it under control, and keep it that way." I replied after a moment's thought. He gazed at the ground, shuffling his feet. I moved to follow the trail and he followed.

"Ami?"

"Yeah, Raph?"

"...I'm glad you had to stay." He murmured after a moment. We were getting ever closer to the end of the trail, and we had to be prepared for whatever was in there. I turned, and smiled back at him.

"Me, too, Ototo." I said, and returned to following the trail. We closed in on the warehouse the trail led to, and entered via the roof. There were deactivated Kraang droids, laying around everywhere. No sign of either that stupid guy, or my siblings. Then, I heard grunting, crashing, and some kinda spitting noise, coming from below a hole in the ground.

"Playtime's over, freaks!" A deep, rumbling voice growled. I gulped.

That voice...it sounded like a weird version of that idiot from the roof's voice...and I don't like the tone he's taking.

I thought, motioning Raph forward. I pointed to Raph, then down the hole, and Raph gazed back at me, confused. I rolled my eyes.

"You should take him down." I whispered. Raph blinked.

"You really think that's a good idea?" He whispered back. I nodded.

"Remember what Sensei and I said, and you'll be fine. I'm right here to help if you need it, too." I said, and Raph took a deep breath before jumping silently down onto a huge container of that weird glowing mutagen, in synch with myself. Although I landed in such a position that I was invisible to the mutants below. I wanted to see how they reacted, and how Raph dealt with this guy.

"Wow." Raph called loudly. "I didn't think this guy could get any uglier." Raph said, and flipped simply down, landing in a crouch, sai out. He glared at the now hideous mutant before him. It was difficult to describe him, or tell what animal he had last touched. His body was one big ball, he had short black and red patterned fur-like stuff covering his body. He had four arm-like appendages coming off the top off his head. His eyes were now large and black with red pupils. All in all, Raph was right. It was somehow possible that 'this guy could get any uglier.'

"Raph!" Mikey cried gleefully. Lupa was beaming like the moon, as well as everyone in my family.

"I think you've been punished enough." Leo decided, smirking wryly, as if he had any say in the matter. "Come and join us!" The spider-thing smirked, as well.

"Hey, hey." He taunted, posture smug. "It's the Kung-Fu Froggie with the salad tongs!" I gulped, hoping Raph wouldn't lose it again. He didn't need my help at the moment, though, so I stayed where I was. Raph's expression was as blank as a clean slate as he coolly twirled his sai.

"Hey, it's the stupid loudmouth who's about to get his butt kicked." Raph replied., standing in a classic defensive stance, weapons held in readiness. Suddenly, the large mutant spat out a wad of yellow goo. Raph didn't risk finding out what it did, preferring to dodge around it. It made the floor under it fizzle and melt. I scowl.

Acid? Really?! Ugh. How come all these mew mutants get to do things like grow entire limbs back, and spit acid at us? No fair!

I complained inwardly as the spider-thing spat out more acid in a ring around my siblings, who could only watch in growing horror as they were sent through the floor, crashing down onto the next floor down. Without pausing to think, I leapt down, and landed near my other siblings.

"Y'all okay?" I asked, as Donnie moaned about how they shouldn't fall through this floor. Lupa had been on the bottom, and she was still laying there, gasping. I helped her up, and she beamed at me, encasing my body in a tight hug.

"Good to see you, too, Lupa!" I chirped, smiling back at her. She let me go, and we looked around for any way to easily get outta here.

"Am I glad to see you and Raph, Ami. This guy is fast!" Lupa said, "Like, a lot faster than he had been as a human, and...ugh. He can spit acid! How fair is that?!" she continued, arms waving dramatically. Hardly a minute later...there came Spider-Bites, as Mikey and Lupa told me they had dubbed him. He was letting out a long, somehow sticky, string of acid, and then Raph was swinging, as well, slicing through the acid like it was a rope. The pair crashed to the ground, Raph pushing the giant arachnid further into the fragile floor. He flipped off, and Spider-Bites stood, and roared. They stood, facing each other, tense postures looking awesome. Well, only Raph really looked awesome, to be honest. Spider-Bites really doesn't fit the picture of a warrior.

"Aww, froggie thinks he can stop me. Rib-bit, rib-bit." The mutnat taunted, and Raph took a deep breath, knuckled turning white on his sai handles. Lupa started forward, but I put a restraining hand on my sister's shoulder. I shook my head. Leo did the same, noting my serious face as I watched the battle. "What's that, tad-pole?" the spider continued, arrogant smirk now even more hideous than when he had been human. "Too afraid to hop off your lily-pad and get the warts knocked offa ya?" Oh, this guy was good. I thought, hands itching again toward my tomahawk handles.

"Kore wa nanimo imi shinai. (This means nothing.)" I whispered in a chant. It helps me focus when I feel overwhelmed. Besides, Raph wasn't in imminent danger, so I didn't need to rush forward. Raph took another deep breath and closed his eyes as the giant spider spoke. I saw my brother mouthing something that looked suspiciously like Master's Splinter's analogy about dealing with anger: Like a river, over stone. He opened his eyes with a confident smirk, and charged. Dodging around the long arms on top of the spider's head with a yell, Raph kicked and punched the mutant backwards. Spider-Bites simply growled, and extended his new arms. Raph caught it on his sai, and spun it to catch the acid that followed the arms. Spider-Bites cried out to in pain, drawing his arm back to inspect it. Not surprisingly, there was hardly any damage.

"That's some Kung-Fu, frog!" He noted with an under-laying growl. That's when I let Lupa go. We gathered behind Raph, and stood ready, weapons gripped tightly.

"We're not 'Kung-Fu Frogs.'" Raph replied, sai pointed at the spider with a smirk.

"Or Vixens!" Lupa added quickly. Raph didn't seem to notice. He drew the Sai back to himself, and shook it from side to side, as he continued.

"We're Ninja Turtles! And wolves." Raph finished, and we charged. Me and Leo held off the arms, as Lupa and Mikey slid down them on their nun-chucks, getting a few hits. Raph and Don leapt into the air, as I did, too, and we smashed the ugly mutant into the ground. In the fighting, the accursed phone landed on the ground. It lay a few feet out of Spider-Bites' reach, where Raph stomped on it with a heavy foot.

"Ah!" the spider cried. "My phone!" we walked a little closer, ready to continue fighting. Spider-Bites seemed to realize exactly what he was up against, and scowled angrily. "You guys are gonna regret this!" He exclaimed, before beating a hasty retreat, using his new arms to hoist himself up, and creep along the rin of the mutagen container, hopping along before leaping out the window, with us in hot pursuit. By the time we caught up, however, he was long gone.

Hopefully he has the common sense to stay out of sight. I mean, if he doesn't...he's not a huge threat, but still...I thought, as Don quipped about a black widow he knew that would be great for Spider-Bites. I caught Leo's gaze, and motioned for him to go talk to Raph. He walked over, with a small smile.

"Good work, Raph." He praised. He still had the smirk, though, so I knew he wasn't done yet. "I just...wanted to say..." He continued. Raph held up a hand to halt his brother.

"Yeh don't havta apologize." Raph said, with an equal smirk. Leo's smirk deepened into a full blown smile. Uh-oh. "I wasn't going to." Leo chuckled.

"Oh." Raph said awkwardly. "Good." He said, looking at the floor, blushing ever so slightly. Mikey appeared right behind Raph, smiling devilishly.

"Yeah, Raph." He chuckled. "Not bad for a bloated buffalo." He added, nearly cracking up. For a second, it looked like Mikey was in for it, but then Raph simply smirked, and tackled his little brother, restraining him in a headlock. Lupa gasped, and tried to help Mikey out, but she was no match for Raph's stronger arms.

"Let 'im go!" She cried, tugging on the arm, to no avail.

"It's okay, Lups!" Mikey cried, eyes squeezed shut. "Raphael is all wise and powerful!" He cried, knowing that that's what Raph wanted to hear. I leaned against Leo's shoulder. Mikey was flapping his arms wildly in an attempt to regain his whacked balance.

"And?" Raph asked, playfully growling with a large smile on his face.

"And he's better than me in every possible way!" Mikey continued, still flailing his arms. I laughed for a good minute or two. Then went over, and tapped Raph's shoulder.

"Let go, Raph. He gets the idea." I laughed, and we returned home, with a light spring to our step. Even though we screw up sometimes, we'll always have each other's backs. We were a kazuko (family), an ichizoku (clan), after all. Nothing would ever change that.

AUTHOR WOULD LIKE TO APOLOGIZE FOR THE STUPID, CORNY AND CLICHE ENDING. AUTHOR SINCERELY REGRETS IT, BUT WAS UNABLE TO COME UP WITH ANYTHING BETTER.

SORRY! ANYWAY, HOPE YOU ENJOYED!