Chapter 5: Friends and Feelings
Mikey sighed. "I still think Chris Bradford and I could be friends." His brothers groaned. Donnie turned to him.
"Mikey… face it. We're lucky enough to have two human friends already." He resisted the urge to slap his younger brother when he pulled a clueless face. "Fallyn and April!" The orange bandana lifted on both sides.
"Speaking of them, what do you guys think of introducing them to Master Splinter?" Leonardo stared at Raphael.
"What brought this on?" Raph shrugged, trying to keep his face nonchalant.
"He's already said he wants to meet them, but we all know he's not going to go above ground. The only way would be to bring them down here." Donnie tapped his chin.
"That's a good point. Besides, we know where they live. It's only fair if they know where we live. It's not like we're able to visit them in the daytime, either." Leo rolled his eyes.
"You just want this to happen so you could see April more often." Donnie blushed as he stammered, trying to come up with a response. Thankfully, Mikey spoke up.
"I think that's a great idea! Come on guys! Let's go get them right now!" He tore down the path, turning to the right.
"They live down the left!" Donnie shouted, before his cheeks turned scarlet. His elder brothers just rolled their eyes. Two seconds after Donnie's correction, Michelangelo appeared, poking his head back around the corner.
"Catch up, tomatoes! Let's go get the girls!" He whooped as his brothers shrugged.
"Let's go." Leo waved.
"You go ahead. I'm going to go tell Splinter." Raph and Donnie nodded.
"See you later, then." They ran towards the left, while Leo went right.
~ *.* ~
"Their leader was crazy good. By which I mean he was good, and seemed a little crazy." Splinter stroked his beard. "Besides, he had all these guys with him. It wasn't a fair fight."
"What do you mean 'fair fight'?"
"Fair… fight. You know, where either side could win." Splinter picked up his staff.
"So a fair fight is a fight you could lose?"
"Well, yes but… well what, what I mean is-"
"You don't want to assure your victory."
"No! I do, but-" Splinter swept Leonardo's legs. He crashed to the ground. "OW!" The rat sensei jammed his staff against the turtle's neck. "Hey!"
"Was that fair?"
"NO!"
"Did I win?" Leo inhaled.
"I see your point."
"Seek victory, not fairness." Splinter got up, watching Leo as he thought about it.
"Hai1, Sensei." Splinter pulled Leo up. When the turtle was at the door, he called him back.
"By the way, Leonardo… where are your brothers?" Leo turned.
"Oh! They went to go get Fallyn and April. Apparently they wanted to meet you." Splinter nodded.
"I see. When will they return?"
"About…" Leo heard the turn-dials creaking. "Now."
"Then let us greet them together." Father and son walked out of the kitchen, making their way to the living room. Mikey waved them over.
"Leo! Sensei!" He stepped to the side, revealing two girls. Splinter quickly looked them over, figuring out who was who before Michelangelo introduced them.
"This is our sensei, Master Splinter." The rat bowed to the girls. "This is April" pointing to the redhead. She smiled shyly, waving slightly.
"Greetings, Miss April."
"And this is Fallyn." Mikey laid a hand on the whitette's shoulder. Fallyn bowed her head respectfully to Splinter.
"It's an honor to meet you, Master Hamato." Everyone gaped at the girl, including Splinter. He stepped up to her.
"How did you know my name?" She smirked slightly, gesturing to his staff.
"The insignia of the Hamato Clan is engraved on your staff. From your height, body structure, and eye color, I can only assume you are Hamato Yoshi, the last surviving member. And no, I'm not a stalker: I've seen pictures." Splinter's eyes widened through her explanation. Leo had lost his jaw, while Mikey looked like he had found an angel. Raph, Donnie, and April were frozen. "That's how."
Splinter chuckled. "Very impressive, Fallyn. It is not often I meet someone with your abilities." Leonardo shook his head, recovering from his stupor.
"Wow. Just… wow." Fallyn snickered.
"What?" April laid a hand on her sister's shoulder.
"Hey Leo. What katana forms do you know?" Fallyn immediately stiffened.
"April don't you dare." She merely smirked, sidling up to Leo. When she opened her mouth, Fallyn pounced. "NO WAY!" April squealed in mock fear, ducking behind the turtle. Leo glanced behind him, not used to being a living shield for anyone but Mikey.
"Why were you wanting to know?" April took a deep breath.
"BecauseFallynhasakatanaformthatshechangedtofitherodachisword!" Fallyn groaned, swiping her hands over her face. Leo just quirked an eyebrow.
"Uh… run that by me one more time?" Glancing over the turtle's shoulder, April sighed in relief when she saw Fallyn still had her face in her hands.
"Because Fallyn has a katana form that she changed to fit her odachi sword." Leo blinked a couple times. He turned to Fallyn, a smile splitting his face.
"Seriously?!" The girl nodded.
"Yeah. But you weren't" she glared at her younger sister, sending the girl cowering behind Splinter. "Supposed to know that." April shrugged.
"Sorry, sis. But I told you Leo would be jealous if he knew." Leo scoffed slightly.
"I don't know about jealous. But I am interested to see it. Come on. I'll take you to the dojo." He gestured over his shoulder before looking at Splinter. "Is that okay, Sensei?" The rat nodded.
"Of course. In fact, I believe I shall accompany you. I am curious to see this altered form as well." Fallyn sighed.
"Fine. Just… don't laugh." The trio walked to the dojo, leaving April with the guys. Mikey grabbed her hand.
"Come on April! I'm going to give you a tour of the lair!" Fallyn glanced over her shoulder, chuckling when she saw her sister dragged off. Leo placed a hand on her arm.
"Come on Fallyn. Let's see this form of yours." Leo lead her inside the dojo, where Splinter was already waiting. To say Fallyn was impressed wouldn't be accurate. A massive bonsai tree graced the end of the dojo where they walked in. Weapons adorned the walls, and a rice-paper door lead to a room directly across from them. Fallyn assumed it was Splinter's room.
"Wow. Nice digs." Leo smirked.
"Sensei, my brothers, and I built this from things we found around here."
"Cool." Splinter kneeled down beneath the tree, gesturing towards the middle of the dojo.
"Fallyn, would you be so kind as to show us your form?"
"Sure." She walked to the middle of the floor.
"Wait!" Fallyn and Splinter glanced at Leo in confusion.
"What is it Leonardo?"
"April said Fallyn altered the form to fit an odachi sword." He started to move towards the wall. "Give me a sec to find you one."
"That's okay, Leo. I've got it covered." Reaching back, Fallyn revealed her dual odachi swords. Splinter's eyebrows lifted in surprise.
"Where did those come from?" Fallyn smirked as she removed one of the sheaths, leaning it against the wall.
"I made them, actually. I learned from sword-masters in Japan when I lived over there for a while." Splinter changed his expression from surprised to slightly annoyed. "If you meant where they came from right now, I tinkered with a Kraang cloaking device I found a couple years back. I managed to figure out how to weave the tech into the hilt, so it's undetectable to scanners." Leo nodded.
"Cool. Do you mind if I hold your other sword for you?" Fallyn chuckled.
"Not at all. You can even try it out once I'm done if you wish." Leo beamed as he sat down next to his sensei.
"Thanks!" Splinter held his hand out to Fallyn.
"Whenever you are ready, my dear." Nodding, Fallyn unsheathed her sword, placing it at her feet. When she changed the position of her scabbard from her back to her side, Splinter immediately knew what she was going to do. He held his tongue, however, deciding to see how things played out.
Fallyn kneeled down, closing her eyes. She heard Leo whisper to Splinter, heard the boys outside telling April stories. She heard their heartbeats, their muscles contracting with every breath, every movement they made. As her eyes remained closed, she blocked the sounds out. 'Here goes nothing.'
Leonardo watched with interest when Fallyn's eyes flew open. Grabbing her sword, she leapt up on guard, the blade pointing towards them. She immediately sprang into the form, flipping, cartwheeling, stabbing, and blocking. 'This is a katana form?! It's so much more complex than anything I have. But she did say she altered it. Maybe the flips and stuff were added to accommodate the sword's length.'
Splinter stood up as Fallyn sheathed her sword. "I am impressed, Fallyn. That is a very complex katana form, and you have mastered it with incredible skill." The girl blushed at the praise.
"Thank you Master Splinter." Leo stepped up.
"April was right. I am jealous. Where did you learn that?" The girl shrugged, changing the position of her sword sheath again.
"I always had an affinity for the martial arts. When I was a little girl, my parents put me in classes. From Chris Bradford, actually." The blue-masked turtle tilted his head in surprise.
"Seriously? You know Chris Bradford?"
"Knew and yeah. But then stuff… happened… and I had to stop." Fallyn shrugged. "I picked it up again once things settled down." Sensing it was a difficult topic, Splinter rested a hand on the whitette's shoulder.
"Thank you for that demonstration. Leonardo, would you care to show Fallyn around our home? I believe Michelangelo or Donatello already showed April." The turtle bowed.
"Hai, Sensei." He held a hand out to Fallyn while bowing at the hips, his left arm across his waist. "Might I have the pleasure?" She giggled, earning a smile from the male teen.
"The pleasure's all mine, good sir." Placing her hand in his much larger one, she let him pull her out of the dojo, laughing. Splinter watched them go, smiling.
'I am glad they have found friends in these girls.' He made his way to his room. 'Now just to make sure it doesn't get out of hand.'
複
"And these are our bedrooms. I'd show you," Leo leaned in, placing a hand on one side of his mouth. "But I highly doubt any of them cleaned their rooms today. Or this past week for that matter." Fallyn snickered behind one of her own hands. She had already caught the scents coming from each room, and figured out which belonged to which turtle. Donnie's smelled like oil and metal, Raph's smelled like sweat, and Mikey's… let's just say it was less pleasant than Raph's.
"I can, however, show you mine. It is clean, that I can assure you." The girl rolled her eyes. It was probably scrubbed this morning, if the reek of disinfectant was anything to go by.
"Why am I not surprised?" She followed Leo to the farthest room on the right. He opened the door, letting her step inside first.
"Not much, but it serves its purpose. I'm more at home in the dojo or out on patrol." Fallyn smiled.
"I think it's cute." A king sized bed sat in the far right corner, a blue comforter folded neatly across it. A desk, locker, a couch, and sword stand were the remaining décor. A picture rested on Leo's desk. Fallyn walked over, picking it up. "Is this you?" Leo nodded.
"That was us after our tenth Mutation Day." He chuckled at the girl's quirked eyebrow. "Our birthday, if you will." He walked up behind her, looking fondly at the photo. It was a picture Splinter had taken of the four turtles passed out on the couch after pulling their first all-nighter. Leo glanced at the girl next to him. "You know, we actually met on our eighteenth Mutation Day."
Fallyn's eyebrows lifted in surprise. "Seriously?" She smirked slyly, setting the picture down. "How's that for a birthday present?" Leo tilted his head.
"How's what?" The turtle gulped as Fallyn's expression turned seductive.
"You met, and saved," Fallyn struck a pose, placing one hand on her chest, while the other rested on her hip. "Two beautiful damsels in distress." She giggled at his confused expression. "April and me, dummy."
Leo snapped out of his trance, blushing. "Ah… well… can you uh… stop…" He ducked his head, his cheeks burning.
"Stop what? Oh! You mean standing like this?" Fallyn batted her eyelashes. "What's wrong?" She sidled up to Leo, purposely swaying her hips while staring into his eyes. "Do you find it…" she stood on her tiptoes, whispering where she thought his ears might be.
"Distracting?" Leo froze, gulping.
'What the hell is she doing? Is she trying to seduce me like the Syrinons tried to seduce Captain Ryan in Episode 32 of Season 4 of Space Heroes? NO! I will be strong!' He watched as she stepped back, her molten amber eyes still staring sultrily up at him through her thick lashes. What she did next shocked him to the core.
Fallyn doubled over laughing. She collapsed onto his bed, tears streaming out of her eyes. "You… should… hahaha… have…. seen… your… FACE!" Wiping her eyes, Fallyn sat up, gasping for breath. "It was priceless!" Pushing off the bed, she smoothed the blankets. Walking over to Leo, she yanked slightly on his bandana tails, still smirking.
Growling, he swatted her hand away. "Fallyn…"
"Sorry. I just couldn't help myself." She backed up, clasping her hands behind her back. "So… are we going to continue that tour?" Leo sighed, nodding.
"Sure." He wagged his finger at her in mock scolding. "But no more shenanigans. Deal?"
"Deal." True to her word, Fallyn was a model tourist, paying attention to everything Leo pointed out. By the time the tour was over, it was time for April and Fallyn to head home. Mikey had evidently left earlier for something else.
When Donnie heard they were going home, he leapt up. "I'll walk you girls home if you want." April smiled at him.
"Sure." Leo stepped up with his brother.
"I'll come with. I wanted to check out where we were attacked earlier, and I could use your advice, Don." The purple masked ninja nodded.
"Okay sure." Leo told Splinter they were leaving, and the turtles escorted the girls out of the lair.
複
"They must have been watching us from here. The perfect place to stage an ambush." Donatello looked at his brother. They had left the girls at their house, and were currently on one of the roofs overlooking the alley the other ninjas had attacked them in.
"It wasn't very fair was it?"
"It's not about fairness. It's about victory." Donnie held his hands up in surrender.
"Okay I'm sorry." Donnie looked back down. "So… you and Fallyn huh?" Leo jumped slightly.
"What?" The purple masked terrapin didn't look at his leader.
"You have a thing for Fallyn, don't you?" Don glanced at Leo, smirking at the blush. "Don't you?" Leo opened his mouth to respond, but voices stopped him.
"Would you just SHUT UP!?" Leo breathed a sigh of relief as Mikey and Raph showed up.
'That was close.'
複
Leo sighed, leaning up against his bedroom door. His mind was spinning. Pushing off the door, he took off his katana, setting them on their racks. He sat down on his bed, resting his chin in his hand as he thought about his day. They had just saved Mikey from Bradford, who turned out to be a student of the Shredder. Once home, Splinter had told them something he hadn't wanted to hear.
Leo groaned. "I can't believe this is just the beginning." He shook his head. "Stop whining. Think about something good that happened today." Memories of showing Fallyn around arose, overshadowing his foreboding.
Leo smiled as the image of her laughing appeared, her golden eyes sparkling. The butterflies returned to his stomach with a vengeance. He collapsed on his bed, his head in his hands. 'What's wrong with me?'
Fallyn's Revealed Powers: Telekinesis, Enhanced Hearing and Smell.
Translations:
1) Japanese for 'Yes'. (はい)
And there's the flirting I warned you about.
*Blows raspberry* Got you on the invisibility, didn't I? Hahaha! *waggles eyebrows* And her hearing lets her hear what now?! Huh. Guess that explains why no one can sneak up on her.
Cliffhanger baby! Okay, not so much. But Leo's starting to feel something! *Said in a sing-song voice* Keep reading to find out what!
Episode: New Friend, Old Enemy