When I was young, I loved the sound of rain in the sewers

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When I was young, I loved the sound of rain

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When I was young…

…

"So I'm the. Last guy. You have to. Beat before. Karai talks to. You, right?" Zack, Karai's second in command, was forced to punctuate his sentences a little strangely since he had to dodge one of Michael's attacks every two seconds. Michael had joined the Foot nin three weeks ago, and Karai had been forcing him to defeat her ninjas in sparring matches ever since. Needless to say, he wasn't very popular among Karai's subordinates. Zack was sure Karai had meant to isolate the kid from the beginning. She'd done the same thing to him after he'd first joined. Karai had told them that Michael was the Shredder's long lost adopted son. No one believed it.

"That's right." The red haired teen nearly landed a flying kick.

"Sucks to be you."

"You seem cocky."

"I am cocky." He backtracked a few more steps but Michael quickly overtook him.

"You've been running away from me ever since this spar started."

"You can't beat me if you can't catch me."

"But I can catch you."

"And that's why I'm dodging." The crowd cheered as he evaded another attack. "Looks like the crowd loves me." Michael rolled his eyes. "Why don't we call this a tie? I mean, it's not like Karai's going to tell you the truth about your past." His opponent stopped mid-punch.

"How did you know about that?"

"She doesn't have a brother. Never has. Never will. So, I figure, you're either in cahoots with her or she's playing you. And based on what you say in your sleep-" Two shuriken pinned him to a column with enough force to pierce concrete, and he quickly realized he'd gone too far. The kid's eyes were wild with rage and fear. Karai deemed it a good time to grace them with the sound of her voice.

"You used your weapons, brother. The deal's off. Zack. You are now my brother's partner, so I suggest you two get to know each other." If looks could kill a pair of blue eyes would be beating him to death. That went well. Michael regained his composure and turned to leave.

"Wait! You can't just leave me here!" "

"Get yourself out."

" But I'll rip my sleeves. These uniforms aren't exactly cheap."

"I'm sure you can just steal the money to replace it later." Zack allowed himself a slight grin. It seemed the kid wasn't just a puppet after all.

That night, Michael slept a full fifteen feet away from the other Foot nin, just as he always did. It gave him more time to listen for the sound of stealthy feet, the rustle of cloth, the unsheathing of a weapon, or just the shallow breathing of a possible attacker. Tatsumi had almost succeeded in surprising him the other night, but his strong killing intent had given him away. His broken throwing arm should have served as an example to the other men, but Karai had healed him. It was the same as giving the other men permission to try to kill him. Stiil, broken bones hurt.

He had always been able to catch the men who had tried to kill him, so how had Zack been able to get close enough to hear him talk in his sleep? His only memory of his past wasn't one he wanted shared with others. He closed his eyes and tried to ignore the cold hard floor so he could visualize the girl in his dreams. Then he opened them to see Zack doing a hand stand a few inches from his face. With blond hair and blue eyes, he bore a startling resemblance to the girl in his dreams. "What the shell?" He scrambled backwards. Zack returned to his upright position, but his eyes glittered with what looked like a mix of amusement and triumph.

"What the shell? You mean 'what the hell', right?"

Michael straightened up, "Just keeping it kid friendly." Where had that come from? "Now what the hell were you doing in my personal space?" Zack tilted his head and seemed to ponder that.

"We're supposed to get close to our partners."

"That's not what I-" Michael forced himself to calm down. The guy was obviously baiting him. "Whatever angle you're playing, I'm not interested."

Zack sobered and sat down, facing his partner. The atmosphere seemed suddenly heavier. "You're right. I'm not talking to you out of the goodness of my heart. I want to know more about the girl you dream about, but first, I'll give you some information in exchange." He could see he had his partner's attention.

"I joined the Foot nin three years ago. I had barely turned eighteen, but I hated my home life. So I left my ten-year-old sister with our parents and came here. Since then, I've seen every kind of freaky, and at least 80% of that is manufactured by Karai and her scientists. She takes prisoners and volunteers alike to be experimented on and tested. She's trying to make supersoldiers. Dude goes in a ninja, comes out a rhino."

"And you think I'm the result of one of her experiments?"

"I don't know. All I know is every new recruit has to go through what you did these last few weeks, but most of them barely last a day. And only one other recruit has managed to never lose."

"Do you know him?"

"I should. I am him, after all."

"Did Karai do something to you?"

"Enhanced reflexes and other perks make fighting a lot more fun, but I try not to broadcast it."

"I appreciate what you've told me, but I can't tell myself that everything Karai has told me was a lie. At least not yet." Suddenly, Zack's partner looked young and vulnerable. He made sure to speak gently.

"Why not?"

"I have nothing else to believe in."

"You could believe in me." Michael laughed quietly.

"Thanks, but I don't trust you, yet. Now, you wanted to know about the girl right?" Zack nodded, rustling his hair absently. His face and gestures betrayed how eager he was. Michael breathed deep.

"She's thirteen. Maybe fourteen. She has long blond hair and blue eyes. She's wearing a white dress but it's torn and dirty. Her throat's slit… She's smiling." That last part threw Zack off guard for a second, but when he was sure Michael wasn't watching he looked at him with gratitude.

"Is there anything else? Anything that could tell me who killed her?"

"The man I saw leaving the alleyway left a cigarette bud near her. He was tall with broad shoulders, a tan long coat, and a brown wide-brimmed hat."

"You saw him for a second and you remember all that?"

"I see him every night… Do you think the cops have found him?"

"They can't find every sick bastard."

"Was she your sister?" Zack tensed and glanced at him with an air of indecisiveness. Like he was wondering whether he could trust him or not, but then his shoulders fell and he gave a sad smile.

"Yeah. She was… My parents had told me that she'd snuck out to go to a club. I was looking for her on the night she was murdered, but it hadn't been enough."

"And you want revenge."

"Not just on the guy who murdered my sister. I want to show every guy in this town who ever thought of hurting a kid what hell is."

"It'd be nice if you had someone who was close to Karai on your side. Maybe convince her that a vigilante group of hundreds of ninjas would be more profitable in the long run than a petty gang of ninjas."

"That's the basic idea." Michael grinned.

"I like it. And I'll help you try to convince Karai, but promise me you're not going to listen to me sleep anymore."

"Alright, alright, but could you not say it like that?"

"Like what?"

"Like I'm stalking you or something… it makes me sound creepy."

"… Listening to someone talking in their sleep is creepy."

"Well, yes, but no. Wait- I'm all messed up." He stopped and realized Michael had an almost impish grin on his face. "You're messing with me."

"Yes, I am." Zack fought to keep his tone completely serious.

"I didn't know you could do that."

"I like to think I'm full of surprises."

Zack got up with "Well, it's been something, but I have to get my beauty rest." and wiped himself off. There was a large tear in each of his sleeves.

He went to walk away but Michael said, "Wait." He stopped but he didn't turn back.

"Karai said you're my partner. What exactly does that mean?"

"It means I have to look out for you." He scratched his head with a touch of frustration. "Actually, that didn't work out so hot the last time I said it, so how about we look after each other. I got your back. You got mine."

"I'll help you find whoever it was that killed your sister and get Karai on your side, and you'll help me protect her." The blond haired ninja turned on his heel and laid down beside Michael. "What are you doing?"

"If you're going to help me find the guy who killed my sister, than I can't risk someone offing you in your sleep. I'll watch your back tonight."

"Creepy."

Zack snorted. "Shut up and get to sleep." Michael suppressed a smile and went to sleep. And for once, he didn't mind the dream that was coming. Maybe he couldn't save the girl, but surely, if he helped her brother find her killer… It occurred to him then why Karai had allowed him to remember the girl. Why she had partnered him with the girl's brother. I can't leave now.

All of Karai's Foot nin were in position when they felt the ground begin to quake beneath their feet. Karai's body guard, Michael, stood beside her as he had been ordered to , but he still heard Zack mutter from across the platform "Great. They're gonna destroy another perfectly good base." Karai shot him a glare, he answered with a slight shrug that said "I'm just saying" and Michael struggled to keep his face straight. The tremors increased. Zack nonchalantly hummed something that sounded suspiciously like a wedding march. It was probably supposed to be a funeral march..probably. Kunai and shuriken were drawn with the knowledge that they would be useless against what was coming. Just before all hell broke loose, Karai leaned over and whispered to him, "Kill them."

Flame and door fragments went spinning everywhere. The drapes quickly caught fire and sent some of the ninja scrambling for safer ground. Several men were injured before the smoke cleared enough for them to see the hulking green tank with guns coming out of all of its sides. They sparked intimidatingly. A megaphone came out of its top but a kunai hit it and blew it up. A second, smaller one came out. "What the shell was that for? We haven't even said anything, yet."

Someone shouted, "You broke down our door you freaks."

An angry sounding voice retorted, "At least we don't go parading around town wearing matching pajamas." He has a point.

"At least we wear clothes."

Michael turned to Zack, then noticed he was missing a kunai. Zack grinned, "I hate suspense." Karai waved for them to get down there and start with the protecting. They leapt down to meet the turtles as they jumped out of the tank, just as other ninja began to converge on them. Fighting the smoke didn't burn his unbandaged eye as he tried to push through his comrades to get to the turtle with the red bandanna. He was fighting like a cornered tiger. The turtle's anger burned hot and it made him reckless. Michael knew he could take his brute strength, but the other ninja were being tossed around. The turtle didn't seem at all that interested in them. He never took his eyes off Karai.

A roar seemed to erupt from his very core, "KARAI! WHERE'S MIKEY? ! WHAT DID YOU DO TO HIM?" The turtle who fought with katanas looked at her coldly.

"I pitied you for a long time, Karai. I told myself that we were just two sides of the same coin, but the Shredder is dead. He's not controlling you, anymore. You chose to fight for your own gain. You chose to take my little brother. And if you don't tell me where Mikey is, I will choose to strike you down. And I may just choose to enjoy it. " He spoke as he was talking over dinner as opposed to fighting various enemies. Then again, as the smoke and fire increased, their enemies decreased. Karai gave the signal, then a giant turtle shell fell from the rafters and clattered to the ground.

"Your brother is dead." She paused than added. "The soup was to die for."

"YOU LYING BITCH!" The turtle with sai had opened his mouth, but it had been the turtle with the katana that roared. The one who fought with the staff seemed slower to his eyes. They were fighting as much on the inside as they were on the outside. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Zack engage the katana wielding turtle and then turned his attention back to his own opponent. He intercepted his sai with his own just as he was about to reach the base of Karai's platform. They grinded and screamed, but Michael got a good look at his adversary's eyes before they broke a part. Rage. Fear. Disbelief. Doubt? Had he recognized him? He tried to blend in with the smoke. It should have given him an advantage but he hadn't counted on the turtles being able to endure the smoke too. A flash of silver alerted him to his mistake and he moved quickly to make up for it, but not before his bandage fell to ribbons, and the turtle got a good look at his hair, at his damaged eye. The shock that registered on his face stung him for a reason he couldn't think of, but it didn't matter because he, or it, was vulnerable. Michael got down and kicked out the turtle's knees. One of its companions called out his name, "Raph!" but by the time they got close it would be too late. A ringing sound resonated in Michael's ears as he jumped on the turtles back and crossed his sai around his throat. It was fine. He didn't know this turtle. And he had his orders…

"Are you going to kill me again… Mikey?" The words came out soft. So soft, normal ears wouldn't have heard it over the sound of the flames and the battle, but Michael's did. And they entered his brain like knives. Images and feelings flashed through his mind, accompanied by a dehabilitating pain. His brothers. His master. His brother. The brother who had betrayed him. The brother he had killed. He looked up to see a familiar face looking down at him.

"Raph."

"Hey buddy. Good to know you're in there. You look different."

"I think it's the hair." Michael remarked dryly. He turned to Karai, "You promised me you wouldn't hurt them."

"And I haven't. Nor have my men. If you cause any injury to them, though, it's none of my concern." He could feel himself seething with the desire to strangle the person he had sworn to protect. She got up from her throne and jumped from platform to platform to escape through an emergency window. "Gather the wounded, men. We're leaving. Tatsumi. You can take care of him." Panic flooded through Michael for an instant. His red hair and general lack of an upper mask made him an easy target. His enemy on the other hand looked exactly like every other minion Karai had sent to keep the turtles – no, his brothers- at bay. Zack's voice shouted " Michael, behind you!" An instant later, he felt blood hit his upper torso…

But the blood wasn't his. Amongst the flames, his brother had shielded him, and a poisoned kunai now protruded from his shoulder. Micheal took his sai and stabbed Tatsumi from under his brother's arms. The ninja fell into the flames. He didn't get up.

"Leo! Donnie! Raph's been poisoned. He needs to get out of here. Help him!"

"Michael has turned traitor. Kill him." He fought through the flames to get Raph to one of his other brothers, and they fought to get to him. Michael had barely gotten Raph to Leo when flaming support beams started crashing down between them. Leo and Donnie made it closer to the door. Micheal had jumped in the direction that left him surrounded by both enemy ninjas and fire.

"MIKEY!" His brothers called out to him, and Michael saw Raph struggle to get away from Leo's grip. Reaching out to him even as the door began to collapse.

"I'll be okay. Get him out of here, Leo!" Raph broke free of Leo's hold and ran desperately towards him.

"Raph! Wait-" He didn't make it. The door collapsed right him front of him, separating him from his little brother. Again.

"Goodbye," Michael whispered, prepared to die without regrets now that he knew his brothers were safe.

"Well, this isn't good." He turned, and was more than a little surprised to see Zack at his side. "I think I liked it more when I was on the side with the numbers."

"You wanna switch?" The blonded haired ninja swung his nunchuks menacingly.

"Naa. Hey, I bet I can take out more ninjas than you." Michael felt himself grin.

"You're on." Finally, he could fight without holding back. The heat and the stink of burning flesh swirled around him as he took out everything he'd been bottling up on everything and everyone around him. The sai flashed like lighting and the nunchuks connected with a resounding crack. Apart, they had been monsters. Together, they wielded the wrath of a storm.